Few systems have achieved such remarkable results as the one implemented by the automaker Toyota. This company set itself, and has as its main objectives, to achieve that its products are of the highest possible quality, at the lowest possible cost and with the shortest possible delivery time.
To make this a reality, it implemented the Just-in-Time / Total Quality Systems. Both go hand in hand and it would be impossible to operate the JAT (just in time) without the basis of Total Quality. Just-in-Time production implies generating the correct quantity of the product at the moment it is required, thereby reducing inventories.
The key aspects of a Just in Time operation are:
Standardization of components, thus reducing both their variety and the complexity of operational management.
- Total Productive Maintenance. The implementation of preventive and predictive systems not only avoid waiting times due to breakages, but also stoppages due to breakdowns, congestion or bottlenecks, higher costs for machine and equipment breakdowns, production failures, the need for Have security inventories and the costs involved in them, non-compliance with delivery dates and all other costs involved due to the lack of correct and effective maintenance. Total Quality Control. It is one of the key pieces of the JAT. The causes of the faults must be identified and corrected, avoiding acting only on the symptoms. Therefore, the need to eliminate the causes that motivate failures or errors in the matter of quality should be emphasized.
The concentration of resources and efforts in prevention and evaluation will result in a notable decrease in internal and external failures, and as a result a notable reduction in costs. Without total quality it will be necessary to continue to have safety inventories, therefore if we want to eliminate these, we must achieve the highest level of quality, something that is currently conceived as the achievement of a Six Sigma level (or what it is the same, 3.4 Defects per Million Opportunities –DPMO).
- Reduction of departures. Reducing the size of the batches must be achieved in the first place to avoid the generation of a large number of products or parts with failures, and on the other hand it allows both to produce in a more flexible way, achieving a greater variety of articles, eliminating the need for inventories. Making small batch sizes possible involves implementing the rapid adaptation of machines and people from one product to another. Plant layout. The plants must be organized in such a way as to achieve a continuous flow of materials and components, thereby lightening the production process, avoiding inventories of products in processes and allowing a clear visualization of how well the process is working. In addition, a better layout of the plant allows significant savings in terms of physical space, which can be used for other activities. Smaller machines. This will allow greater flexibility for the purposes of relocation, thereby making the best layout of the plant according to requirements more feasible. Maintenance costs are lower, they can be used as needed, and if one of them breaks down, there will be another or others that avoid bottlenecks and delays in production lines. Multipurpose workforce. Personnel must be trained to operate different types of machines and equipment, as well as be able to perform minor maintenance and repairs. On-demand scheduling and lot size reduction. Keeping production and inventory levels under control is done by applying kanban (there are two cards in most systems: one for transport and one for production, although other systems can be used). To the extent that the cards are placed in the place specified for this purpose, this is considered as an order to produce a certain component or product, with certain characteristics and in a certain quantity. Troubleshooting forced due to its visibility. The reduction of inventories throughout the process makes clearly visible the problems that were hidden by excess inventory. Systematically reducing inventory levels allows you to visualize system defects and failures. JAT supplies. The acquisition of materials and the delivery of manufactures under the principle of Just in Time is essential when reducing inventories. In the case of suppliers, having the quantity and quality of products at the right time significantly reduces costs such as inventories, the costs associated with the latter such as rents, interest, labor and insurance among others, and also avoids the costs associated with the controls and inspections of the inputs or products received.
The fundamental objective of JAT is the systematic elimination of waste and waste, since only in this way will it be possible to produce at the right time, in the desired quantity and with the maximum quality at the lowest possible cost. Making this feasible implies continuously improving the processes and activities of the organization, seeking the detection, prevention and elimination of: overproductions, waiting times, excessive and unnecessary transportation and movements, failures in the designs and operations of the processes, excess inventories and defective products.
The best way to express the spirit of this continuous improvement is the phrase "The Japanese look for the last grain of rice long after others have already opened another package!"
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As a complement to what has already been expressed in this text, we suggest the following couple of videos, in which the theme of philosophy is addressed just in time as well as the main elements that make it up. The first video (12 minutes) is a theoretical approach to the system and the second (23 minutes) is a documentary that shows how JIT has been applied in a British car production company.
