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.