Abstract

The case focuses on the Just-in-Time manufacturing system pioneered by Toyota. The case discusses in detail the ‘Kanban’ concept, which was one of the principles on which Toyota’s JIT was based. The Kanban philosophy is compared with the western manufacturing philosophy, and the JIT system is compared with non-JIT systems. The case also touches on the disadvantages of JIT and the future of JIT.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• The role of JIT in helping an organization compete successfully in global markets.

Keywords

Just-in-Time, manufacturing, system, Toyota, Kanban, principles, Toyota, Kanban, western, philosophy, JIT systems