JIT manufacturing: A survey of implementations in small and large US manufacturers

Since the early 1980s, the diffusion of Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing fr om Japanese manufacturers to U.S. manufacturers has progressed at an accele rated rate. At this stage of the diffusion process, JIT implementations are more common and more advanced in large U.S. manufacturers than in small; c onsequently, U.S. businessmen's understanding of issues associated with JIT implementations in large manufacturers is more developed than that of smal l manufacturers. When small manufacturers represent about 96 percent of all U.S. manufacturers, investigation of JIT implementations in small, as well as large, manufacturers is warranted. This survey study investigates JIT implementation differences between small and large U.S. manufacturers. Ten management practices that constitute the JIT concept are used to examine implementation of JIT manufacturing system s. Odds ratio were constructed to determine if an association exists betwee n implemented versus not implemented and manufacturer size for each JIT pra ctice. Ten changes in performance attributed to JIT implementation are also assessed and examined in the study. Logistic regression models are used to examine the relationships between implementation status of each of the JIT practices and of each of the changes in performance in small and large man ufacturers. The results of the study show that the frequencies of the 10 JI T management practices implemented differ between the two groups of manufac turer size, and an association exists between the JIT practices implemented and manufacturer size. Moreover, the changes in performance attributed to JIT implementation vary, depending on implementation status of specific JIT management practices and manufacturer size.