Just in time (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and

associated carrying costs. To meet JIT objectives, the process relies on signals or Kanban ( Kanban?) between different points in the process, which tell production when to make the next part. Kanban are usually 'tickets' but can be simple visual signals, such as the presence or absence of a part on a shelf. Implemented correctly, JIT focuses on continuous improvement and can improve a manufacturing organization's return on investment, quality, and efficiency. To achieve continuous improvement key areas of focus could be flow, employee involvement and quality. Quick notice which requires personnel to order new stock once existing stock is depleting is critical to the inventory reduction at the center of the JIT policy, which saves warehouse space and costs. However, JIT relies on other elements in the inventory chain as well. For instance, its effective application cannot be independent of other key components of a lean manufacturing system or it can "end up with the opposite of the desired result."[1] In recent years manufacturers have continued to try to hone forecasting methods such as applying a trailing 13week average as a better predictor for JIT planning;[2] however, some research demonstrates that basing JIT on the presumption of stability is inherently flawed.[3] the storage of unused inventory is a waste of resources. JIT inventory systems expose hidden cost of keeping inventory, and are therefore not a simple solution for a company to adopt. The company must follow an array of new methods to manage the consequences of the change. The ideas in this way of working come from many different disciplines including statistics, industrial engineering, production management, and behavioral science. The JIT inventory philosophy defines how inventory is viewed and how it relates to management.

Inventory is seen as incurring costs, or waste, instead of adding and storing value, contrary to traditional accounting. This does not mean to say JIT is implemented without an awareness that removing inventory exposes preexisting manufacturing issues. This way of working encourages businesses to eliminate inventory that does not compensate for manufacturing process issues, and to constantly improve those processes to require less inventory. Secondly, allowing any stock habituates management to stock keeping. Management may be tempted to keep stock to hide production problems. These problems include backups at work centers, machine reliability, process variability, lack of flexibility of employees and equipment, and inadequate capacity. In short, the Just-in-Time inventory system focus is having the right material, at the right time, at the right place, and in the exact amount-Ryan Grabosky, without the safety net of inventory. The JIT system has broad implications for implementers. Waste Reduction - Japanese car manufacturer Toyota found out that production times slow down due to some factors and their delay or lag times. They found that if these wastes or delay time factors are eliminated of their production process, they could achieve faster production times. What started as an experiment for Toyota, went on to become one of the principles of Lean Manufacturing which is even implemented by many manufacturing companies in the USA.

3) Walter Shewhart - The Grandfather of Total Quality Management. His Ideas The original notions of Total Quality Management and continuous improvement trace back to a former Bell Telephone employee named Walter Shewhart. One of W. Edwards Deming's teachers, he preached the importance of adapting management processes to create profitable situations for both businesses and consumers, promoting the utilization of his own creation -- the SPC control chart. Dr. Shewhart believed that lack of information greatly hampered the efforts of control and management processes in a production environment. In order to aid a manager in making scientific, efficient, economical decisions, he developed Statistical Process Control methods. Many of the modern ideas regarding quality owe their inspirtation to Dr. Shewhart. He also developed the Shewhart Cycle Learning and Improvement cycle, combining both creative management thinking with statistical analysis. This cycle contains four continuous steps: Plan, Do, Study and Act. These steps (commonly refered to as the PDSA cycle), Shewhart believed, ultimately lead to total quality improvement. The cycle draws its structure from the notion that constant evaluation of management practices -- as well as the willingness of management to adopt and disregard unsupported ideas --are keys to the evolution of a successful enterprise. To find out more about some of the management tools that have been developed from Shewhart and other quality pioneers, click on the SkyMark Management Tools page.

What is TQM Concept in Japan? TQM, also known as Total Quality Control (TQC), is a management tool for improving total performance. TQC means organized Kaizen activities involving everyone in a company managers and workers in a totally systemic and integrated effort toward improving performance at every level. It is to lead to increased customer satisfaction through satisfying such corporate cross-functional goals as quality, cost, scheduling, manpower development, and new product development. In Japan, TQC activities are not limited to quality control only. Elaborate system of Kaizen strategies has been developed as management tools within the TQC approach. TQC in Kaizen is a movement aimed at improvement of managerial performance at all levels. According to the Japan Industrial Standards, "implementing quality control effectively necessitates the cooperation of all people in the company, including top management, managers, supervisors, and workers in all areas of corporate activities such as market research and development, product planning, design, preparation for production, purchasing, vendor management, manufacturing, inspection, sales and after-sale services, as well as financial control, personnel administration, and training & education. Quality control carried out in this manner is called company-wide quality control or total quality control (TQC)." Quality control in Japan deals with quality of people. It is the fundamental concept of the Kaizen-style TQC. Building quality into its people brings a company a half-way towards producing quality products.

Successful Implementation of Kaizen: 7 Conditions One of the most difficult aspects of introducing and implementingKaizen strategy is assuring its continuity. When a company introduces something new, such as quality circles, or total quality management (TQM), it experiences some initial success, but soon such success disappear like fireworks on summer night and after a while nothing is left, and management keeps looking for a new flavor of the month. This if because the company lacks the first three most important conditions for the successful introduction and implementation of Kaizen strategy... More Concept of Continuous Improvement Filed under: Management of Process Quality, Structures and Teams Tags: continuous improvement, employee involvement, Kaizen, operator ownership, SPC Nameer @ 8:00 pm Continuous improvement is based on a Japanese Concept called Kaizen, is the philosophy of continually seeking ways to improve operations. It invloves identifying benchmarks of excellent practices and instilling a sense of employee ownership of the process. The focus can be on:

Reducing the length of time required to process requests for loans in bank

The amount of scrap generated at a milling machine or the number of employee injuries.

Continuous improvement can also focus on problems with customers or suppliers, such as customers who request frequent changes in shipping quantities and suppliers that to maintain high quality.

The bases of the continuous improvement philosophy are the beliefs that virtually any aspect of an operation can be improved and that the people most closely associated with an operation are in the best position to identify the changes that should be made. Consequently, employee involvement plays a big role in continuous improvement programs. Getting Started with Continuous Improvement Instilling a philosophy of continuous improvement in an organization may be a lengthy process, and several steps are essential to its eventual success. 1. Train employees in the methods of statistical process control (SPC) and other tools for improvement quality. 2. Make SPC methods a normal aspect of daily operations. 3. Build work teams and employee involvement. 4. Utilize problem-solving techniques within work teams.

5. Develop a sense of operator ownership of the process. Here employee involvement is central to the philosophy of continuous improvement. However, the last two steps are crucial if the philosophy is to be the part of everyday operations.A sense of operator ownership emerges when employees feel as if they own the processes and methods they use and take pride in the quality of product or service they produce. It comes from participation on work teams and in problem-solving activities, which instill in employees a feeling that they have some control over their workplace.