Abstract

Never before has so much of our knowledge about production and inventory control been so thoroughly challenged. Seldom have our beliefs been so far out of step. The Japanese have been marching to a different drummer, and the difference in philosophy as well as results are impressive. The first part of this presentation will introduce you to some of the changes in thinking required as we turn from traditional Western production and inventory control beliefs and will help you begin to comprehend Just-In-Time philosophies. The latter part of the presentation will concentrate mainly on the introduction of JIT to one small section of our plant. It is believed that it takes most people with a receptive attitude three to six months to begin to comprehend the major and subtle differences between batch and JIT manufacturing. My paper is thus not aimed at teaching you Just-In-Time management but merely to introduce the subject to you.