What is Just-in-time? Definition and meaning

Just-in-time

Definition: Just-in-time is a lean manufacturing philosophy that aims at decreasing in-process inventory and associated costs by supplying parts only when the assembly process requires them.
At the heart of JIT lies the kanban, the Japanese word for card. This kanban card or a similar signal is sent to the warehouse to request a standard quantity of parts as and when they have been used up in the assembly/manufacturing process.
JIT requires precision, as the right parts must arrive precisely at the right time at the right position (work station at the assembly line).
It is used primarily for high-volume repetitive flow manufacturing processes.

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