AN ENLARGED JIT PROGRAM - ITS IMPACT ON JIT IMPLEMENTATION AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PRODUCTION SYSTEM

During the past two decades,Japan has emerged as the second economic power of the world. Japan's success has prompted many scholars and practitioners to turn their attention to Japanese management practices. The just-in-time (JIT) production system has been the primary focus of research. However, one major area of JIT which has not been thoroughly studied is the relationship between the customer and the producer. This study explores the concept and practices of enlarged JIT, which involves customers in the JIT plan. Through a descriptive field study, it investigates the impact of enlarged JIT on JIT implementation and production system performance.