Just-in-Time Methods From www.thebalance.com & www.economist.com
Definition: The Just in Time or JIT method creates the movement of material into a specific location at the required time, i.e. just before the material is needed in the installation process. The technique works when each operation is closely synchronised with the subsequent ones to make that operation possible.
JIT is a method of inventory control that brings material into the installation process, warehouse or to the customer just in time to be used, which reduces the need to store excessive levels of material in the warehouse.
When first developed in Japan in the 1970s, the idea of just-in-time (JIT) marked a radical new approach to the manufacturing process. It cut waste by supplying parts only as and when the process required them. The old system became known (by contrast) as just-in-case; inventory was held for every possible eventuality, just in case it came about.
JIT eliminated the need for each stage in the production process to hold buffer stocks, which resulted in huge savings. JIT has other advantages too. It involves the workforce much more directly in controlling their own inventory needs, and it allows a variety of models to be produced on the same assembly line simultaneously. Before its introduction, assembly lines had been able to cope with only one model at a time. To produce another model required closure of the line and expensive retooling.
One study found that American firms that introduced JIT gained over the following five years (on average) a 70% reduction in inventory, a 50% reduction in labour costs and an 80% reduction in space requirements.
On the Takeda site in Grange Castle, Dublin, the Jones Engineering Group’s Project Team are implementing Lean Thinking methods. This has arisen from the company’s policy of Continuous Improvement and a Lessons Learned exercise from a previous similar project. The most notable Lean tool they are using is the Just-in-Time delivery method.
Construction Managers Tommy Darcy and Brian Hughes tell us:
“When pipe is sent to site, it is loaded neatly on custom built pipe racks and then lifted off in one operation. With the pipe being delivered like this, crew members don’t need to access the trailers to off load the pipe. (Previously on similar projects, pipe was arriving bundled in to trailers). This results in time being saved as pipe spools are neatly presented and labelled. Pipe supports are also being prefabricated and delivered in a similar fashion on custom built trolleys. These trolleys can be brought directly to the point of installation cutting down on transportation, inventory, motion and waiting wastes.”
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