1988
JIT rebrands to ‘ lean manufacturing ’ In 1988 , John Krafcik , CEO of Waymo , coined the term ‘ lean production ’ in an ‘ MIT Sloan Management Review ’. Krafcik was using the term in reference to both Ford and Toyota production systems .
“ Rather than continuing to refer to the different paradigms as recent Fordism and TPS , I would like to introduce two new terms here - buffered and lean production systems .”
1996
General Motors publishes its Global Manufacturing System Following its partnership with Toyota to build cars in the US , General Motors released its ‘ Global Manufacturing System ’.
Based on the ‘ Toyota Production System ’, General Motors ’ system provided the company with flexible layouts and production processes designed so that all manufacturing facilities globally could build high-quality vehicles at a competitive cost .
2021 and beyond
Has COVID-19 brought to an end the JIT method ? With the outbreak of COVID- 19 , long and lean supply chains struggled with the market ' s volatility .
“ The COVID pandemic mercilessly exposed weak points in global supply chains and drummed up the perfect storm we now find ourselves in ,” said CIPS .
Concerns centred around the over-reliance on JIT are being raised . “ JIT works brilliantly under the right circumstances , and as such has been the cornerstone of cost-effective , lean sourcing methods for decades . But under exceptional circumstances , the risks increase and this model is often found wanting ,” added CIPS .
Could this then be the start of the end for JIT supply chain methods ? Will organisations adopt a hybrid approach ? Or will the industry bounce back and continue to use the method that has served them well before ? Only time will tell ...
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