| What could be better than being just in time for | | | | Another desired outcome of JIT is the significant |
| somewhere you were scheduled to be or a task you | | | | reduction of set up times. By cutting down or even |
| had to do? That is to say, you were not too early | | | | eliminating set up time in the factory, you will |
| on arrival, wasting valuable time standing around doing | | | | improve your bottom line through an efficiency gain |
| nothing. Nor were you too late to the task, not being | | | | of more time spent in other plant areas needing |
| able to complete on schedule that which you were | | | | improvement. A nice mark to shoot for is set up |
| asked to do. In short, wouldn't it be the best case | | | | times of less than 10 minutes through better planning, |
| scenario for you to produce the right task at | | | | coordinated process design and development, and |
| precisely the right time to maximize both your time | | | | even the redesign of the product itself. An added |
| and productivity? This notion is the concept behind | | | | benefit of set up time reduction is an equal reduction |
| the philosophy of lean manufacturing referred to as | | | | or elimination of the inventory needed to cover |
| "just-in-time", or JIT production. | | | | machine changeover time. |
| In JIT production, we are seeking to eliminate costs | | | | Through JIT production, there will also be a better |
| that add no value to the final product. It is certain | | | | consistency of scheduling and, hopefully, reduced |
| that without critical thought applied to a | | | | direct labor costs. When jobs are not in the |
| manufacturing system as a whole, the potential for | | | | production cue, labor forces can be reduced or |
| waste in process is heightened. These forms of | | | | reassigned to other plant tasks that may not be as |
| waste can include the accumulation of excess | | | | routinely undertaken-to improve their performance in |
| inventory, faulty production methods resulting in | | | | the overall inventory cycle system. As well, work |
| scrap, and even the unnecessary moving of materials | | | | forces should be trained to be more flexible in the |
| and specific labor actions (or inactions). In essence, | | | | operation of several shop floor machines and the |
| JIT is most associated with repetitive manufacturing | | | | maintenance of the equipment. In other words, JIT |
| processes that result in the same products being | | | | mandates that employees see themselves as |
| produced on a routine basis. It is designed to drive | | | | empowered by their management to have more |
| inventory buffers to zero and achieve a lot size of | | | | responsibility for their work and for the general |
| one; this to reduce costs through the long-term | | | | productivity of the company. |
| maintenance of material and/or inventories. | | | | Though there are several other goals and benefits in |
| One of the primary goals of JIT is to stabilize uniform | | | | the JIT approach to manufacturing, and a few |
| plant loading in such a way that there is a constant | | | | problems with it, it is enough to say for now that JIT |
| daily production and a stable production schedule that | | | | is necessary to maximize the desirable efficiencies of |
| allows the use of backflushing to manage inventory | | | | pull-production. When you are able to pull parts to |
| (i.e., automatic accounting of material consumed for | | | | production stages only when they are absolutely |
| production as confirmed by BOM's upon completion). | | | | ready to be used, inventory flow is improved, goods |
| These are particularly important considerations when | | | | are processed faster, and bottom lines are enhanced |
| scheduling for mixed mode assembly where you | | | | through reduced lead times and lot sizes. In other |
| desire to repeat sequences in order to produce the | | | | words, waste is reduced while on-time delivery is |
| same mix of products on the same production line | | | | enhanced. And, waste reduction in manufacturing is, |
| each and every day. | | | | as we all know, a good thing. |