Understanding Just in Time (Barron's Business Success Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is an excellent resource for those who would like a brief summary perspective on just in time production processes (where components arrive for use in production just prior to the time they are needed, rather than being held in inventory, and finished goods are immediately shipped to customers rather than being held for finished goods inventory). The book nicely explains the advantages of just in time, why it works, how it relates to quality improvement processes, the effect on purchasing, how to link various cells using just in time, and how to put the concept into effective implementation.
The book begins with a brief history of how just in time came into being, and how it became so popular. I found it interesting to see that lack of space in Japan played a role in the development. That factor would not have been enough without the effects of the quality movement based on Deming's principles there (defect-free goods are the way to create quality, good quality is more profitable than poor quality, buying from suppliers who are committed to quality, working with suppliers to improve quality, and quality requires top management commitment). The seminal experiences at Toyota in Japan are also related.
Although it is a summary of the field, the level of detail is good. I particularly liked the section that compared just-in-time to other popularly-employed manufacturing processes. That made the differences and advantages clearer. I also enjoyed reading about the kanbans (ways of ordering production) that Toyota developed to create effective production flow without putting a lot of computer systems in place.
Whether you are looking for personal curiosity, to begin an evaluation of whether or not you should use just in time, or want to teach the subject to someone, this is a good book for you.
I also suggest that you visit plants that have just in time, in order to see how this is implemented. A good overview of the strategic advantages of just in time can be found in Michael Dell's book, Direct from Dell.


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Just in Time is a cost effective method of inventory control, which can spell the difference between big profits and business failure. Just in Time is explained in detail here, including how to work with suppliers, how to schedule deliveries to minimize delivery time, how to maintain high quality standards, how to establish a pilot project, and how to recognize and overcome obstacles to success.

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