BEEMAN Service Knowledge Project: What is JIT?

I. Brief Introduction to Timely Production

Just In Time (JIT) is a production mode implemented by Toyota Motor Company in the 1960s. After 1973, this mode played a prominent role in overcoming the first energy crisis for Toyota, which attracted the attention of manufacturers in other countries, and gradually Japanese investment in Europe and the United States. It has been promoted by enterprises and local enterprises. Now this mode, together with other modes of production and circulation originating in Japan, is called "Japanese mode" by Western enterprises. Among them, the logistics mode of Japanese production and circulation enterprises has exerted an important influence on Logistics in Europe and the United States. In recent years, JIT has not only been used as a mode of production, but also as a mode of production. A logistics model has been implemented in Europe and America.

JIT refers to delivering the necessary parts to the production line in the necessary quantity at the necessary time, and delivering only the required parts, only the required quantity and just the right time to production. This is a kind of production system and logistics system which is established to adapt to the diversification and individualization of consumption needs in the 1960s. Before JIT production mode was advocated, world automobile manufacturers, including Toyota, adopted Ford-style "total mobilization" production mode, that is, half the time for personnel and equipment, assembly lines to wait for parts, the other half of the time for parts to arrive, all staff mobilized to produce products urgently. This mode causes unreasonable logistics phenomena in the production process, especially characterized by inventory backlog and shortage. The production line either does not turn on or produces in large quantities as soon as it starts. This mode leads to serious waste of resources. In this case, the JIT of Toyota Company came out. It adopts the production mode of multi-varieties, small batch and short cycle, which greatly eliminates inventory, optimizes production logistics and reduces waste.

2. JIT production mode eliminates inventory and improves logistics. The main purpose of JIT production mode is to make the goods (spare parts, semi-finished products and manufactured goods) flow in an orderly manner in the production process and not to produce inventory backlog, shortage and waste. Therefore, there are several key practices, i.e. production process and operation balance. In all these practices, improving logistics is one of the central tasks. Now it is described as follows: 1. Production process is to push forward from the last process according to the process needed to produce automobiles, to determine the category of the previous process, and to arrange the production process properly in turn, according to the process and each link. Inventory quantity and time required are arranged and logistics is organized successively. To minimize the stagnation and handling of materials in the production site, so that materials flow unimpeded in the production process.

2. The equalization of production is about to average the production in a week or a day in minutes and seconds, and all production processes are organized accordingly. In this way, there will be a standard quota for the number of jobs that must be completed per unit time in each operation link of a production line, and the production in each link will be organized in accordance with the standard quota, so the production should be carried out in accordance with the standard quota. This production quota balances the supply of materials and arranges the flow of goods. Because JIT production is averaged weekly or daily, it is different from traditional mass production and batch production. The concept of no batch production in JIT balanced production is different.

3. Kanban management is to show or write down potential problems or industries that need to be worked in the factory on a display board, so that anyone can see the display board and know what kind of problems have arisen or what measures should be taken. Kanban management needs a series of means to carry out, such as billboards, colored lights, colored markers, and so on. Different ways of expression have different meanings. The following is a description of Kanban management which helps to reduce inventory to zero:

(1) Red stripes. A red strip on the item indicates that it is not needed in daily production activities.

(2) Kanban. A dashboard is made to make it easy for everyone to see where the items are rotating. The dashboard indicates where the items are and how much they are in stock.

(3) Warning lights. It is a tool for site managers to keep abnormal situation in production process, operation progress in a certain link, and where to ask for parts to be supplied.

(4) Standard operating table. It is an effective combination of human and machinery to determine the working methods of the table.

(5) Error demonstration. In order to let workers know what is the bad product, and the method of displaying the bad product.

(6) Error prevention board. Self-management boards to reduce errors.

(7) Red line. This is a simple way to control the maximum inventory quantity of goods by indicating the maximum value mark of goods stored in warehouses and storage places. In the actual production process, there are other different means and ways to alert or warn the operation.

Third, the role of JIT in logistics JIT is a mode of production, but its core is to reduce inventory until zero inventory is achieved, and at the same time, it can make production go smoothly. This concept itself is a reaction of logistics function, and JIT application in logistics field means that the right goods should be delivered to the right place at the right time in the right quantity. Here "correct" means "JUST", which means neither more nor less, neither sooner nor later, just on demand. This is, of course, an idealized situation in which producers, suppliers and logistics are allocated under the pressure of multi-variety, small-batch, multi-batch and short-cycle consumer demand.