Just In Time Systems And Euro-japanese Industrial Collaboration

Malcolm Trevor

• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9780367153021
• eBook ISBN: 9780429710070
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: International Relations
• Index: Politics & International Relations

Just In Time (JIT) systems in the context of the relations between Japanese manufacturers in Europe and European suppliers of parts and materials have so far received little attention. Yet Japanese involvement in local production is having an impact on European companies in this area. Whether in cooperation or competition with Japanese companies,

Application of Just-in-Time Manufacturing Techniques in the United Kingdom*

C.A. Voss and S.J. Robinson
University of Warwick

Background

The Japanese have been highly successful in designing, manufacturing, and marketing a wide range of products that have penetrated markets worldwide. The extent of this success has become so noticeable that there is now considerable interest in Japanese manufacturing techniques, of which those classified as "Just-in-Time" (JIT) techniques are perhaps the most widely discussed. There is currently little knowledge of the extent to which these techniques have been put into practice in the United Kingdom. This chapter reports the results of a survey of UK industry designed to develop knowledge of JIT application. In this research, a broad-based view of JIT is taken, encompassing JIT in manufacturing, purchasing, and supply (see Appendix I).

Objectives and Sample

The objective of the survey was to determine the extent of knowledge of the JIT concept in the manufacturing industries in the United Kingdom, together with the level of application of various JIT techniques and, if possible, to obtain some indication of the ranking of any perceived benefits that may have been derived from their implementation. The scope of the survey is limited to this assessment of JIT: Thus, it is not proposed to judge whether the implementation of JIT would be either appropriate or effective in any particular manufacturing environment.

The sample comprised addressees obtained from two sources: A list of 300 company representatives who had expressed interest in attending conferences in manufacturing technology and a random selection of 200 company representatives taken from a list of UK manufacturers. The aggregate list was checked to ensure that no duplication of companies occurred. A response of 123 good replies (25 percent) was obtained. The survey was backed up with interviews in five companies known to be adopting JIT.

Table I: Application of JIT in Manufacturing

Implementing or Planning to Implement Some Aspects of JIT (%; n = 132)
Yes	57
No	43

Table II: JIT Effort in UK Companies

Formal Programme for Investigation and Implementation of JIT (%; n = 132)
Yes	16
No	84

Table III: Nature of JIT Effort

Nature of Effort	% of Total	of Those Implementing Planning to Implement
Nil	50	17
Experimental	14	20
Ad hoc, modification of existing systems	26	46
Major JIT programme	10	17
n = 132 (100%)		n=70 (57% of total)

Survey Results

Overall Consideration of JIT

The survey found that 57 percent of the sample either plan to implement, are implementing now, or have implemented aspects of JIT (see Table I). It was also found that 59 percent felt they had either some or a good understanding of JIT. This is indicative of the level of interest in particular JIT techniques, as well as a high level of interest in the concept of JIT.

Nature of the JIT Effort

Despite the widespread interest shown, only 16 percent of the sample stated they had a formal programme for the investigation or implementation of JIT (see Table II). Companies were also asked about the nature of their JIT effort. The results are shown in Table III. These responses suggest that, despite the strong interest being shown in JIT, only a small percentage of companies have a major commitment to JIT at th...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Euro-Japanese Industrial Collaboration: Experiences and Prospects
• Toshiba's Approach to Purchasing
• Experiences of a British Firm Supplying Components to Japanese Companies
• A British Trade Union View on Organisation and JIT in the United Kingdom
• Application of Just-in-Time Manufacturing Techniques in the United Kingdom
• Integrating JIT into a Total Production and Marketing System
• JIT in Large Complex Companies
• A Trade Union View on JIT in Germany
• A Comparison from a Japanese Point of View
• Conclusions
• Appendix I: Application of Just-in-Time Manufacturing Techniques in the United Kingdom
• Appendix II: Chairmen, Speakers and Panel