Just-in-time (JIT) is an inventory approach to improving overall productivity and eliminating waste.

It means
producing goods and services exactly when they are needed: not before they are needed so that they wait as
inventory, nor after they are needed so that it is the customers who have to wait. It provides for the cost-
effective production and delivery of only the necessary quantity of parts at the right quality, at the right time
and place, while using a minimum amount of facilities, equipment, materials and human resources.
Key features of JIT
 Flow between each stage in the manufacturing process in JIT is ‘pulled’ by demand from previous stage.
 Decision making for operations control is largely decentralized
 JIT scheduling is ‘rate-based’ rather than volume-based.
 JIT assumes (and encourages) resource flexibility and minimized lead times.
 JIT planning and control concepts are only one part of a wider and explicit JIT philosophy of operations.
Where JIT can be used? -> It can be used for simple product structures which have routings with high
repeatability. JIT can easily cope with their relatively straightforward requirements.
JIT Planning and Control Techiniques
1. Kanban (Japanese card or signal) -> Kanban is the Japanese for card or signal. It is a card used by a customer
stage to instruct its supplier stage to send more materials. There are also different types of Kanban, such as –
(i) the move or conveyance kanban (ii) the production kanban (iii) the vendor kanban. The receipt of a kanban
triggers the movement, production/supply of one unit or a std. container of units. If two kanbans are received,
this triggers the movement, production or supply of two units or std. containers of units and so on. The
kanbans are the only means by which movement, production or supply can be authorized. There are two
procedures which can govern the use of kanbans-> the single-card system and the dual-card system.
2. Levelled scheduling -> It is a technique to get the mix and volume in the production schedule even over
time. Eg: instead of producing 500 parts in one batch, covering the needs for the next 3 months, levelled
scheduling would require the operation to make only one piece per hour regularly.
3. Synchronization -> It involves the pacing of output at each stage in the production process to ensure the
same flow characteristics for each part or product as it progresses through each stage. It is similar to levelled
scheduling. Parts are classified according to the frequency with which they are demanded into Runners,
Repeaters, and Strangers. It aims to synchronize processes so that production appears to take place on a ‘drum
beat’ pulse.
4. Mixed modelling -> It is the repeated mix of parts in production. It aims at making processes so flexible that
they achieve the JIT ideal of a ‘batch size of one’. The production schedule is designed to repeat frequently
using very small economic batches. Eg: Instead of producing 200 As, 120 Bs and 80 Cs, a steady mixed stream
in the same ratio is produced.
JIT/Lean Approach to managing Operations:
1. Operations strategy - Org. has to be clear about operations objectives and adopt a ‘focus’ strategy where
possible so that processes concentrate on a narrow set of products, services or objectives.
2. Process design – to ensure smooth flow along processes and fast throughput by working on small batches
and balancing capacity and flow.
3. Product/service design - Design for ease of processing and manufacturability
4. Supply strategy and supply chain management - Encouraging other parts of the supply chain to adopt lean
principles, receive and despatch small consignments frequently rather than large consignments infrequently.
5. Layout - Reduce the distance travelled along a process route as much as possible and make routes obvious.
6. Process technology - Use small flexible process equipment that can be moved into different configurations.
7. Job design - Concentrating on equipping staff with necessary skills, being clear about what is expected.
8. Process planning and Control - Use pull control principles, produce nothing until it is needed.
9. Inventory - Minimize inventory wherever possible because it obscures problems and slows throughput.
10. Quality management - everyone in the operation must be involved in reaching an error-free state.