Harley-Davidson's Just-in-Time (JIT) Journey

            
 
Operations Management|Operations Strategy|Case Study|Case Studies

ICMR HOME | Case Studies Collection

Case Details:

Case Code : OPER098
Case Length : 14 Pages
Period : 1981- 2011
Organization : Harley-Davidson Motor Company
Pub Date : 2011
Teaching Note :Not Available
Countries : US
Industry : Automobiles

To download Harley-Davidson's Just-in-Time (JIT) Journey case study (Case Code: OPER098) click on the button below, and select the case from the list of available cases:



Price:

For delivery in electronic format: Rs. 500;
For delivery through courier (within India): Rs. 500 +Shipping & Handling Charges extra

» Operations Case Studies
» Operations Short Case Studies
» View Detailed Pricing Info
» How To Order This Case
» Business Case Studies
» Case Studies by Area
» Case Studies by Industry
» Case Studies by Company

Custom Search


Please note:

This case study was compiled from published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion. It is not intended to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a management situation. Nor is it a primary information source.



Chat with us

Strategic Management Formulation, Implementation, & Control, 12e

Please leave your feedback

Leave Your Feedback

ICMR India ICMR India ICMR India ICMR India RSS Feed

<< Previous

Introduction cont...

In the 1990s, the company was credited with achieving a remarkable turnaround by adopting various operational strategies including Just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing. Harley-Davidson faced fierce competition from the Japanese companies with the entry of Suzuki5 , Yamaha6 , Kawasaki7 , and Honda8 into the American market in the 1960s. The Japanese manufacturers were able to provide better quality bikes at a relatively lower price. Reacting to this, Harley-Davidson filed a dumping case against the Japanese competitors, claiming that they were dumping the bikes in the US at unfair prices. Though Harley-Davidson lost the case against these companies, in the process it got to understand the different processes and practices of these companies because of which

Operations Management Case Studies | Case Study in Management, Operations, Strategies, Marketing Management, Case Studies

their operating costs were 30% less than its own. Harley-Davidson found that there were three most important practices of Japanese companies which differentiated their production process from that of others: JIT manufacturing, employee involvement, and the use of statistical process control. Harley-Davidson started implementing all these Japanese practices to face the competition. The adoption of these practices was not so easy for the company. The initial reaction of its suppliers to its implementation of JIT manufacturing was disappointing. Walter S. Lutz Jr. president of Signicast (one of Harley-Davidson's major suppliers), said, "We figured it (JIT) would never work."

Excerpts - Next Page>>


5] The Japanese auto manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation was founded in the 1920s as a loom manufacturing company. It started producing motorcycles in the early 1960s.
6] Yamaha Motor Co. was set up in 1955. Its first motorcycle was the YA-1 (2 stroke, 125cc engine).
7] Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries was established in 1896. As of 2006, apart from its home country, it was present in the UK, the US, Canada, the EU, South America, Israel, South Africa, Iran, Indonesia, Jordan, Korea, China, and Australia
8] The Japan-based Honda Motor Company Ltd. is one of the leading manufacturers of automobiles and power products and the largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world. Globally renowned for its light and utilitarian motorcycles, Honda had over 77 production facilities in 40 countries and sold its products in over 150 countries, as of 2010.

Custom Search





Operations Management
Textbooks Collection

Operations Management
Workbooks Collection

Case Studies in Operations Management - Vol. I
Case Study Volumes Collection


 

Case Studies Links:- Case Studies, Short Case Studies, Simplified Case Studies.

Other Case Studies:- Multimedia Case Studies, Cases in Other Languages.

Business Reports Link:- Business Reports.

Books:- Text Books, Work Books, Case Study Volumes.