Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 187–200

Contents lists available at GrowingScience

Uncertain Supply Chain Management

homepage: www.GrowingScience.com/uscm

Theoretical analysis of JIT elements for implementation in maintenance sector

Sandeep Phogata* and A. K. Guptab

a
Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, Amity University Haryana, Gurgaon, India
b
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, DCRUST Murthal, Sonipat, India
CHRONICLE ABSTRACT

Article history: Just in time (JIT) philosophy has grown to a new high level since its evolution and has
Received July 2, 2016 successfully been implemented in manufacturing. As it is universally accepted that
Received in revised format manufacturing and maintenance cannot be managed as a separate function, the aim of the
September 10, 2016
present study is to evaluate various elements of JIT to implement in maintenance sector which
Accepted January 9 2017
Available online have high degree of importance in Global context. It is because now maintenance also plays
January 22 2017 an important role in optimization of business processes. Maintenance operations are much like
Keywords: manufacturing operations where both employ processes that add value to the basic input used
Just in time (JIT) to create the end products. JIT focuses on the processes, not the product. It can, therefore, be
Maintenance applied to any process in manufacturing or maintenance operations. For this, literature related
JIT elements to JIT usage and performance is reviewed. Thirty-eight elements are analyzed from sixty-five
JIT in maintenance research papers of global context. With aid of theoretical analysis and brain storming with
JIT in manufacturing maintenance specialists of JIT elements who have implemented it for manufacturing industries,
eighteen elements are selected to check the implementation of JIT philosophy in maintenance
sector. Relative importance of such elements are also highlighted in the article.
© 2017 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Manufacturing companies are extremely competitive in today’s fast-changing market. To manage this
challenge, companies are searching for new ways to optimize their manufacturing practices. During the
past decades, adopting Just in Time (JIT) production principles has been widely popularized to increase
profitability and productivity. JIT ideology makes the manufacturing flow more responsive to
instability and apparatus failures (Faria & Nunes, 2012). However, most of the organizations are solely
concentrating on manufacturing effectiveness through utilization of JIT, and one requirement for the
success of a JIT in manufacturing is the adoption of JIT in maintenance. High dependability is important
for a JIT manufacturing system (Faria & Nunes, 2012), but this requires effective maintenance and a
systematic approach to avoid failures and organizing doubts (Johannesson et al., 2013). Risk
assessment during the design of production systems and planning of maintenance activities is
importance to make sure about the safety and health of maintenance workers.

* Corresponding author
E-mail address: [email protected] (S. Phogat)

© 2017 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

doi: 10.5267/j.uscm.2017.1.003

 
 
 
 
188

JIT in maintenance is the submission of JIT principle in maintenance environments. JIT system
recognizes seven types of waste in maintenance. They are over production, waiting, process waste,
transportation, defects, motion and inventory. These wastes are identified and efforts are made for the
continuous improvement in process by eliminating the wastes. Thus, JIT in maintenance leads to
maximize yield, profitability and productivity. JIT in maintenance is basically tools reliability focused
and reduces need for maintenance troubleshooting and repairs. JIT in maintenance protects equipment
and system from the root causes of malfunctions, failures and downtime stress. From the sources of
waste uptime can be enhanced and cost can be lowered for maintenance. The present learning aims to
study the JIT elements of manufacturing with a view of application in maintenance.

2. Literature Review

Reda (1987) reviewed research papers on “Kanban” and briefed JIT with its concepts. As a conclusion,
Kanban contrasted other approaches of production and inventory control. Sewell (1990) evaluated
validity model of hybrid manufacturing management in combination with JIT and existing MRP
operations by comparing with the conceptual approach based on systems engineering principles.
Ebrahimpour et al. (1993) investigated the adaption of JIT in US industry. Ramarapu et al. (1994)
contradicted the theory of JIT implementation of many researchers who believed that elimination of
waste and production strategy are the most specific critical factors. Gelinas et al. (1996) presented some
facts on buyer expectations, benefits, and success factors concerning JIT purchasing. Partnership
strategies in suitability with JIT purchase was demonstrated and the favorable situations were also
presented. Gunasekaran and Lyu (1997) described the effects of JIT on all operations of a firm,
including design, accounting, finance, marketing, distribution, etc., and stated JIT as interest to all
levels of a firm’s management as it had been successful in large-scale manufacturing companies
worldwide. They also aimed to motivate small scale and medium industries. Sakakibara et al. (1997)
included JIT practices with infrastructure to develop a JIT model for effectiveness and performance
study. They concluded that there exists no significant relationship between alone JIT practice &
manufacturing performance; there exists a strong bond between infrastructure & JIT practices;
manufacturing performance is dominating combination of infrastructure practice with JJIT
management; infrastructure, by itself, is sufficient to explain manufacturing performance and (5)
manufacturing performance is related to competitive advantage. McLachlin (1997) examined the
necessity of management initiatives in successful implementation of JIT in manufacturing. Their case
study based research showed that four out of six considered management initiatives supported the
proposed theory. The supporting initiatives are employee responsibility, training, teamwork and
commitment. As a conclusion they stated that employee involvement plays a central role in JIT
implementation. Mahadevan (1997) classified 43 organizations into groups. The classification criteria
were, ownership pattern, sector of industry, comfort & size and anxiety factors. Lorefice (1998)
explored the strategies and effect of cultural factors in successful implementation of JIT in Japanese
Industry. They summarized flexibility, small lot size, elimination of wastes as major factors. They also
extended their study to the resources supply and relationship between managers and suppliers. Gelinas
(1999) described JIT as a waste elimination philosophy with a goal as problem solver. The firm wants
implementation of JIT to be successful in one attempt, but are also concerned about cost and time of
implementation.

Canel et al. (2000) stated that JIT gained strong toehold in industrial sector as a formal process to reduce
waste while service sector still needs to be worked on for JIT benefits. Nature of JIT is process focus,
and hence can be smeared to any industrial problem. They investigated JIT principles and presented a
JIT framework for JIT in service industry. Chung et al. (2001) provided comprehension of pre-
requisites and JIT concept for application in public and private sector. Despite being so advantageous,
they argued successful application of JIT in government organizations and exploration of JIT for
operation management. Fullerton et al. (2001) collected 95 responses of resurvey from executives of
JIT-practicing firms to superior understand the profit those firms have gain through JIT
 S. Phogat and A. K. Gupta /Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 189
 

implementation. White et al. (2001) discussed the significance of integration of customer service and
decision-making process of manufacturing firms in today’s global market and environment to enhance
the development for their competitive advantage. Kaynak (2002) studied JITP techniques and their
relationship to firm performance. Supplier value addition and delivered quantities are the two major
positive techniques related directly to the performance of the firm. They concluded that commitment
of top management to JITP and other techniques affect changes in the organization. Low et al. (2003)
identified similarities between construction setting and these concepts and subsequently integrating
them. By such integration, the JIT system can be achieved without expending additional resources. A
study by Hopp et al. (2003) shows that, the progressive simplification by literature experts has brought
the language to a level wherein misunderstanding has appeared in defining pull. To reduce the
confusion, generalized precise definition was given as, an essential mechanism to limit WIP & lean,
which fundamentally is about to minimize the variable buffering cost. Yang and Pan (2004) explained
JIT production crucial role in supply chain management in manufacturing systems and companies are
using it to gain and maintain a competitive advantage. This study presented an integrated inventory
model to minimize cost and quality improvement investment by simultaneously optimizing the order
quantity, lead time, process quality and number of deliveries. Yasin et al. (2004) investigated several
effects of the execution of JIT using a two-tiered experimental approach that included mailed survey
and field study and indicated that all the association types had enacted operational and procedural
modifications in hold up of their JIT implementations. Salaheldin (2005) described the major individual
modification prior to JIT accomplishment in Egyptian manufacturing firms, to identify the problems
that these industries typically encounter in implementing it and investigated the connection between
human modification efforts. Phan et al. (2005) empirically examined the output of JIT practices on
financial, time and flexibility performances in Japan and the regression model applied showed that
these had been significantly related. Statistical results also showed that, in Japanese manufacturers
recently, the stable master schedule, setup time reduction and equipment layout play important roles in
reducing cycle time and manufacturing cost, and increasing volume flexibility and inventory turnover.

Wakchware et al. (2006) described JIT literature from Indian manufacturing organizations and
highlighted its elements and implementation issues. A survey was conducted in 45 industries to
compare Japanese and Indian manufacturing philosophies and found practicing for, lot size reduction;
respect for humanity; product scheduling; quality circles, lifelong employment; set up time reduction;
kaizen; WIP reduction; preventive maintenance; smooth built up rate; and reliable and prompt delivery.
Finally, it was concluded that the reason listed for slow execution of JIT are, lack of information; lack
of justification for practicing JIT; lack of consultancy assistance available; lack of formal cross training
program for workers; problems in maintenance time reduction; and initial high investment in layout
reconfiguration to suit JIT requirements. Wong et al. (2006) studied the use of fuzzy set theory and
genetic algorithms to generate JIT fabric-cutting schedule in a dynamic and fuzzy cutting environment.
Experimental results demonstrated that the genetically optimized schedules get better the internal
fulfillment of downstream manufacturing departments and decreased the production cost,
simultaneously. Younies et al. (2007) discussed appliance of JIT in manufacturing industry and its
advantages and disadvantages keeping in mind the Kanban system and cost accounting implications
associated with JIT. Finally, the use of JIT strategy was cross examined, and findings were reported on
its future advantages in the U.S. Sendil Kumar et al. (2007) described JIT philosophy, the method
involved in the pull and push system; along the significance of measure of performance (MOP) and
blocking mechanism in the Kanban system with its application with respect to JIT-KANBAN.
Sandanayake et al. (2008) used modeling software and simulation technique to simulate and model
perspective of selected main JIT variables. Mathematical model output highlighted the importance of
JIT elements in the human operated mixed model assembly lines. Moreira et al. (2008) described JIT
system implementation perception and its potential benefits by Portuguese manufacturing firms’
managers. The findings showed that firms view JIT system as a method to eliminate waste, to reduce
inventories and increase quality. Despite this good perception, very few firms have the essential
conditions to productively implement a JIT production system. The study concluded that, the firms
190

should use JIT as a philosophy rather than a solution for operations-related problems. Obamiro (2009)
explored the association between JIT technique and industrialized performance of few selected
Nigerian industries and the results enlighten that, there was an important relationship flanked by JIT
practices and total quality management. These results demonstrated that JIT practices can be
successfully implemented if certain supporting infrastructures are provided and they should be
practiced at all levels and departments of an organization, rather than viewing it strictly for shop floor
workers. Meybodi (2009) studied differences among traditional and JIT companies in selecting
benchmarking output measures at different levels of organization. A range of industries like fabricated
metal, electronics, communication, automotive, toots, rubber, chemicals, and paper products were
examined. The study concluded that JIT companies are supplementary consistent in selecting
benchmarking output measures that are aligned with organizational strategy. Deshmukh and Garg
(2010) carried out a survey of JIT purchasing elements in Indian context and found out the relative
importance of such elements. With the help of this survey some research directions were identified
which needed close scrutiny. Mackelprang and Nair (2010) used meta-analysis of correlations approach
to examine the association between JIT industrialized performance and practices outcomes. Existence
of positive relationship was found between JIT industrialized practices and aggregate performance.
This study highlighted the practices that have the greatest impact on individual performance outcomes.
Adeyemi (2010) focused on the adoption of JIT production system (JITPS) in manufacturing practices
of the third world countries is moderately limited. Because of this, production processes here are slow,
wasteful and characterized by avoidable complexities. On examination of a typical third world country-
Nigeria, it was concluded that larger companies adopt JIT method more while the relatively smaller
ones are still not attentive of the existence of the technique. Kumar (2010) reviewed the literature of
JIT philosophy based quality organizations in Indian perspective and presented its concepts,
accomplishment strategies and advantages.

Singh et al. (2011) discussed the behavior of JIT purchasing in Indian circumstances and provided a
proportional analysis of difference between JIT purchasing and conventional Indian purchasing system
by highlighting the problems encountered in JIT purchasing implementation and benefits. Shah (2011)
developed an integrated inventory model for supply chain of single buyer and single supplier and
minimized total integrated cost of the system. The sensitivity analysis suggested that the unit
assessment cost, weakening rate of units in account and stock parameters were the critical factors. Singh
et al. (2011a) presented the spread of JIT objectives, movement, concepts, benefits, elements, execution
and motivation of JIT production strategy in Indian context. Lohal (2011) composed data from thirty-
three industries by the assist of questionnaire fill up, on the source of collected data critical elements
were identified and checked the degree of difficulty and degree of importance in adoption of JIT system,
solutions were also highlighted to resolve these problems. Pheng et al. (2011) examined the use of JIT
strategy for air travel organization with emphasis on management and airports terminal buildings
operations. The principles focused in this study were waste elimination, uninterrupted work flow, pull
production system, total quality control, employee involvement, top management commitment, long
term working associations with suppliers and continuous improvement. It was established that the
businesses which used JIT principles, like Japanese companies, were able to struggle successfully in
the global market. The study highlighted the strengths as well as areas for potential improvements in
the airport through the appliance of JIT principles. Gupta (2011) developed a theoretical model based
on the reviewed literature in the area of examination quality and JIT philosophy. The model was tested
by using authentic data commencing service organizations to check the persuade of JIT on service
industries and finally framework to hold up the JIT execution in service organizations was developed.
Hou et al. (2011) explored to make use of a case study to current various issues adjoining
accomplishment of JIT strategy for an automotive organization and indicated that JIT production
system was useful, and operating JIT manufacturing system could show the way to many reward to the
industries. Fateha et al. (2012) discussed execution of JIT manufacturing in details. JIT manufacturing
system identifies the unknown problems in the important chain and reduces waste production while
rising the throughout (Sales-Raw Material Cost).
 S. Phogat and A. K. Gupta /Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 191
 

Table 1
Yields literature revealed JIT elements of manufacturing
Author
JIT Elements
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S
Kumar (2014) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Khan (2014) √ √ √ √ √ √
Rahmani et al. (2014) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kamboj et al. (2013) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Paliwal et al. (2013) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kootanaee et al. (2013) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Fateha et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Farsijani et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta & Garg (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √
Fouad et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Singh et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Shah (2011) √
Singh et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Lohar (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Singh (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Tewari et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Pheng et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Hou et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Agrawal (2010) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Mackelprang & Nair √ √ √ √ √ √
Adeyemi (2010) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kumar (2010) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Obamiro (2009) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Meybodi (2009) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Farooquiea et al. (2009) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Fernandez (2008) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sandanayake et al. (2008) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Moreira et al. (2008) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sendil Kumar et al. √
Abdallah et al. (2007) √ √ √ √ √
Younies et al. (2007) √ √ √ √ √
Wakchaure et al. (2006) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Wong et al. (2006)
Salaheldin (2005) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Phan et al. (2005) √ √ √ √ √ √
Yang & Pan (2004) √ √ √ √
Kumar et al. (2004) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Yasin et al. (2004) √ √ √ √ √ √
Low et al. (2003) √ √ √ √
Hopp et al. (2003) √ √ √ √ √
Kaynak (2002) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Chung et al. (2001) √ √ √
Fullerton et al. (2001) √ √ √ √ √
Sui Pheng et al. (2001) √ √
White et al. (2001) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sui Pheng et al. (2001a)
Canel et al. (2000) √ √ √
Garg & Deshmukh (1999) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gelinas (1999) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Lorefice (1998) √ √ √ √
Gunasekaran & Lyu √ √ √
Sakakibara et al. (1997) √ √ √ √ √
McLachlin (1997) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Mahadevan (1997) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gelinas et al. (1996) √ √
Zhu et al. (1994) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Chen et al. (1994) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Ramarapu et al. (1994) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Ebrahimpour et al. (1993) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sewell (1990) √ √ √ √ √
M. Reda (1987) √ √ √ √ √ √
Frequency 10 44 37 40 19 13 29 20 32 34 33 46 27 10 41 22 24 6 20
192

Table 1
Yields literature revealed JIT elements of manufacturing (Continued)
JIT Elements
Author T U V W X Y Z AA AB AC AD AE AF AG AH AI AJ AK AL
Kumar (2014) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Khan (2014) √ √ √ √
Rahmani et al. √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kamboj et al. (2013) √ √ √ √
Paliwal et al. (2013) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kootanaee et al. √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Fateha et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Farsijani et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta & Garg (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Fouad et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Singh et al. (2012) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Shah (2011) √ √ √
Singh et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Lohar (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Singh (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2011) √ √ √ √ √
Tewari et al. (2011) √ √ √ √
Pheng et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √
Gupta (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Hou et al. (2011) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Agrawal (2010) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Mackelprang & Nair √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Adeyemi (2010) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kumar (2010) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Obamiro (2009) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Meybodi (2009) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Farooquiea et al. √ √ √ √
Fernandez (2008) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sandanayake et al. √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Moreira et al. (2008) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sendil Kumar et al. √
Abdallah et al. (2007) √ √ √ √ √
Younies et al. (2007) √
Wakchaure et al. √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Wong et al. (2006) √ √
Salaheldin (2005) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Phan et al. (2005) √ √ √
Yang & Pan (2004) √
Kumar et al. (2004) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Yasin et al. (2004) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Low et al. (2003) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Hopp et al. (2003) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Kaynak (2002) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Chung et al. (2001) √ √ √ √ √
Fullerton et al. (2001) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sui Pheng et al. √ √ √ √ √ √
White et al. (2001) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Sui Pheng et al. √ √ √ √
Canel et al. (2000) √ √ √
Garg & Deshmukh √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gelinas (1999) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Lorefice (1998) √ √ √ √ √ √
Gunasekaran & Lyu √ √
Sakakibara et al. √ √ √ √ √ √ √
McLachlin (1997) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Mahadevan (1997) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Gelinas et al. (1996) √ √ √
Zhu et al. (1994) √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Chen et al. (1994) √ √ √ √ √
Ramarapu et al. √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
Ebrahimpour et al. √ √ √ √
Sewell (1990) √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √ √
M. Reda (1987) √ √ √ √ √
Frequency 20 35 28 20 46 33 10 32 31 19 37 16 40 27 10 25 31 32 20
 S. Phogat and A. K. Gupta /Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 193
 

Even although the JIT manufacturing system seems to be attention-grabbing and less difficult, it needs
harmonization with supply chain to keep away from delays in the manufacturing schedule. Gupta
(2012) reviewed literature on JIT philosophy implementation in Indian context and some research
issues were highlighted. Farsijani et al. (2012) described JIT as world class production techniques that
emphasizes on meeting external and internal customers’ needs and expectations. The function of this
reading is to introduce a mathematical method for identifying elements and components that are critical
for JIT success in different circumstances. TOPSIS and Pareto techniques are used to implement JIT.
We set priorities in these techniques for selection of component and then use entropy method to give
coefficient to TOPSIS matrix. Gupta et al. (2012) widely discussed the JIT manufacturing philosophy
in different industries of Indian context and highlighted some important insights pertaining to it. Fouad
et al. (2012) evaluated the scale up to which JIT is implemented in five main industrial sectors of
Middle East, such as food, construction, chemicals, fabrics and engineering and developed two main
hypotheses and tested using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. Garg et al. (2013) addressed the
necessary initiatives essential to be taken by the management of Indian manufacturing industries. They
investigated and concluded the operations and procedures modifications required for the successful
accomplishment of JIT philosophy with the assist of survey conducted on literature. Poliwal et al.
(2013) explained the broadening of JIT concepts, movement, benefits, obstructions and execution of
JIT philosophy in Indian industrialized system by analyzing literature. Babu et al. (2013) discussed in
depth the overall JIT concepts and the factors necessary for JIT philosophy implementation in Indian
context. Kumar (2014) reviewed literature associated to JIT usage and performance in Indian
perspective. Thirty-seven identified elements of JIT production system were divided into five major
categories twenty-one research papers and relative importance of all the thirty-seven elements were
highlighted. Khan (2014) did a survey on Textile weaving industry of Karachi and highlighted
important JIT drivers such as supplier selection criteria, layout of company, inventory management,
scheduling, quality standard, maintenance policy, employee consideration, political volatility, power
shortage, buyer consistent demand, and infrastructure and wakefulness of JIT approach in this sector is
of considerable importance. Rahmani et al. (2014) reported the increase in performance of automotive
industry after accomplishment of JIT. To decrease the amount of waste produced was declared as one
of the greatest strategies in production.

Table 2
List of Alphabetic abbreviations used in table 1
Alphabetic Name of element Alphabetic Name of element
abbreviation abbreviation
A Buffer Stock Removal T Statistical Process control
B Continuous Improvement (kaizen) U Statistical quality control
C Effective Communication V Strong buyer-supplier relationship
D Employee Empowerment & Involvement W Team work
E Error Prevention (poka-yoke) X Total quality control
F Frequent and Reliable delivery Y Layout improvement
G Kanban Z Vendor rating
H Long Term Quality Control [QC] commitment AA Scheduling flexibility/ Under capacity Scheduling
I Multi-functional worker AB Zero defect
J Total Productive Maintenance AC 100% quality inspection
K QC authority to worker AD Waste Reduction
L Education & training to workers & suppliers AE Uninterrupted work flow
M Quality certification of supplier AF Top Management Commitment
N Regular quality auditing AG Inventory Management
O Set up time reduction AH MRP
P Short lead time AI Autonomation (Jidoka)
Q Small lot size AJ JIT Purchasing
R Standard containers AK Process Simplification
S Standardization AL Process Flexibility

Fig. 1 shows the degree of importance of JIT Elements in the Literature.

194

Degree of importance of JIT Elements in the 
Literature
50
Degree of Importance

40
30
20
10
0
Employee…

Unintrupted work…
Frequent and…

Quality certification…

Statistical quality…
Continuous…
Effective…

Error Prevention…

Long Term QC…

Total Preventive…
QC authority to…
Education &…

Statistical Process…

Strong buyer‐…
Multi functional…

Regular quality…

U‐cells/ layout…

Scheduling…

100% quality…

Top Management…
Inventory…
Small lot size
Short lead time

Waste Elimination
Standard containers

Team work

Vendor rating

Zero defect

Automation (Jidoka)
JIT Purchasing
Buffer Stock Removal

Kanban

Set up time reduction

Standardization

Total quality control

MRP

Process Flexibility
Process Simplification
JIT Elements

Fig. 1. The degree of importance of JIT Elements in the Literature

3. JIT Elements

Buffer stock removal is a JIT technique to reduce non-value added activities. A buffer stock approach is
an attempt of storage to steady prices in the market. Buffer stock has strong relationship with lot size
and JIT purchase, and weak relationship with process and product standardization. Inventory covers up
a lot of wasteful practices. Better maintained machines, improved quality practices and delivery times,
streamlined machine setup actions and efficient labor and equipment utilization permits the
organization to function with less inventory and cost, and faster response times in meeting customer
needs. Buffer stock is more of production/ purchase problem. Since upholding is a process in nature
with standardization approach, thus buffer stock removal maintains the least effect on JIT maintenance.
Continuous improvement (Kaizen) means “change for better”. The word also refers to continuous. It is
widely researched in production systems. There exists no processes that are perfect, thus a need for
continuous improvement is always there. Companies applying this philosophy have gained great
economic benefits. Maintenance is an activity to modify for better and it requires continuous
improvement. A maintenance plan should include strategies for continuous improvement, since plan is
totally perfect; it should be improved. Thus, kaizen desires to be measured as a JIT element for
maintenance. Effective communication in JIT aims in time and material waste reduction. And
maintenance is an activity for which time is more valuable. The maintenance time needs to be
minimized. Thus, for effective utilization of maintenance time effective communication have a pilot
role. Effective communication between different departments (especially purchase and inventory) and
among the maintenance personals is always beneficial for the growth of the industries. It is essential to
understand what actually one wants to express, thus effective communication is necessary activity of
maintenance. The communication medium and language has a great impact on maintenance activity.
Employee empowerment and involvement is a necessary activity.

Victorious implementation of JIT in an organization largely depends on front-line employees. Their

role is to collaboratively work with higher and lower levels of hierarchy. Their role is to work for
improvement of work processes, understand quality measures, solve problems, generate broader
outlook of the production process, ensure inter-connectivity of workers and decide basic maintenance
practices, to understand the condition of machines and equipment’s and ability to meet quality and
production requirements. Thus, employee empowerment and involvement is the key in element of
maintenance practice, and desires to be measured as JIT element for maintenance. Error prevention
(poke-yoke) is an apparatus for inadvertent error prevention and to prevent errors originating in the
 S. Phogat and A. K. Gupta /Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 195
 

mistake to reduce quality control. Application of poke yoke in maintenance will reduce breakdown and
improve the accessibility of machines as it aims to eliminate possibility of the error occurrence.
Frequent and reliable delivery is desirable from any manufacturing unit. The reliability of the delivery
depends on the accessibility of the machines and equipment. The availability in turn is maintained by
reduced uncertainty. Thus, maintenance is at third level of importance for frequent and reliable delivery.
Kanban is the scheduling system for JIT and lean manufacturing. It is also an inventory control tool for
supply chain. Kanban is an information system. One could also consider that Kanban is a very efficient
tool to ensure proper delivery of information in the making line and, thus, avoid mistakes.

It is an effective tool to support manufacturing. Thus, the scheduling tool is of less importance to
maintenance. Long term QC commitment is not an overnight achievement. It is the consequence of
close agreement of JIT principles with hard work over many quality plans. It can happen when the
organization has the least uncertainty. It requires each worker to organize the quality of the processes
carried out. Both JIT and quality are philosophies applied to production systems, and philosophies are
not implemented within a little time since they must be integrated into the lifestyle of workers. A long-
term quality plan helps to generate strategies to remove waste in the manufacturing system, which
would increase fluidity of materials. Multi-functional worker refers to the capability of the workers to
execute various activities. In case of unavailability of any worker, other could perform the required
task. The work remains unaffected. It was measured to be the highly useful JIT element by Jurado et
al. (2014) for the success of JIT philosophy, hence considered as JIT element in maintenance. Total
Preventive Maintenance is helpful to improve the quality, flexibility and cost by increasing precise time
bound enhancement action plans. It is considered essential to obtain proper performance and efficiency
indicators in companies.

The action plan is passed out prior to the breakdown occurs and thus the JIT element is required for JIT
element in maintenance. Quality control authority to worker: This element of JIT provides authority to
the workers to take counteractive action to improve the quality of the product. Since the activities during
the manufacturing process add worth to a product to obtain the desired characteristics, quality desires
to be analyzed through the production process. If mistakes occur during any stage of the production;
the product gets affected and requires additional activities to get it corrected. The element desires to be
measured for maintenance to ensure proper and in-time maintenance. Education and training of workers
must be closely linked because the product quality depends not only on machinery and equipment, but
also on the education and training of managers who develop plans and workers and execute these plans
(Ooi, 2014). There exists a well-built bond between motivation and the educational levels of operators.
Set up time lessening is required to enlarge the production rate and maximize the profits. The programs
to reduce setup times for machines and equipment are based on both the analysis of unnecessary
movements by operators and machines and the design of these machines. It is significant to highlight
that in order to gather short preparation times highly trained and skilled working personals are required.

Standardization: It is one of the essential elements required for successful execution of JIT. By applying
the perception of standardization, easy availability and inter-changeability of tools and parts are
ensured, making the processes simple. Statistical Process control plays an explanation role in the
success of the JIT program. It controls the process through performance indices and is equally important
in all phases and departments of a company or industry. Statistical quality control: the system generated
statistics are the real performance indicators of the organization status. Statistical quality control is a
snapshot of health of companies. Appropriate quality control plans and programs with their application
by statistical quality control are crucial for JIT implementation. Thus, the element desires to be
measured for maintenance. Total quality control: Quality is a major element to reduce uncertainty and
non-value-added activity in an organization. JIT concept for quality is “Do it right the first time”. It
eliminates time and materials waste. Upholding is a time dependent activity, thus the quality control
element is strongly recommended JIT manufacturing element to be measured as JIT maintenance
element. Total quality control as a JIT element for maintenance includes selecting the right person for
196

the right maintenance activity, education and training of maintenance personals, equipping the
maintenance team with special and updated tools and techniques, giving valuable consideration to the
feedback of maintenance personals, encourage computer assisted maintenance management system,
need to work for error prevention instead of error detection.

Quality certification of supplier helps in supplies selection for future use. Regular quality auditing helps
to improve quality and list out the weaknesses and strengths in the system. Short lead time is the
outcome by application of JIT. Small lot size reduces complexity. A standard container helps in easy
counting, assembly processes and inventory handling. Layout improvement involves futuristic plans.
Vendor rating identifies the best vendors and starts a contest among vendors to supply quality items
and service. Scheduling flexibility/under capacity scheduling reduces complexity and ensures on time
delivery. Zero defect targets improve quality. 100% quality inspection ensures no rejection and no
customer complaints. Waste elimination is the key feature and element of JIT inside all business
functions. Uninterrupted work flow increases the accessibility of the machines and the system. Top
management assurance works like a soul in the human resources. Inventory management is again the
primary element of JIT. MRP is an intelligent approach for resources management. Automation
improves quality, reduces rejections and increases productivity. Process simplification is required for
easy working. Process flexibility ensures on time deliverance and shorter make span. JIT purchasing
decreases inventory. Leveling of production improves processes functions and workforces. Pull system
reduces inventory. Strong buyer-supplier relationship develops confidence in entrepreneur for higher
investment for the project. Team work improves the processes in all respects. Low cost is the desire of
everyone connected to the manufactured goods. From the above listed JIT elements, the following
elements are selected as JIT elements for application in maintenance. Based on the described in depth
theoretical analysis of the reviewed literature and brain storming with maintenance managers/engineers
of JIT elements implemented industries the following eighteen JIT elements are selected from thirty-
eight JIT elements to analyze implementation of JIT in maintenance sector. Table 3 shows Critical JIT
elements in implementation of JIT in Maintenance and their role.

Table 3
Critical JIT elements in JIT implementation and their roles
Critical JIT elements in implementation of JIT in Maintenance Role of element
Continuous Improvement (kaizen) To improve machine availability and decrease maintenance time.
Effective Communication To coordinate among the team and with others for perfect maintenance.
Employee Involvement To improve involvement and skills.
Flexible/Multi Skilled Workforce Even in non-availability of skilled human resource, the work should not get
effected and to improve workforce flexibility.
Total Productive Maintenance To reduce breakdown maintenance.
Workers centered quality control Improve responsibility and work quality.
Education & training Employee remains updated with latest technological changes in maintenance.
Set up time reduction Increase production by reducing time.
Statistical quality control Learn from past experience.
Total quality control Reduce rejections.
Layout improvement Reduce complexity
Under capacity Scheduling Improve workforce flexibility.
Zero defects To reduce scrap and re-work tasks.
Waste Reduction Reduce cost of maintenance.
Role of top management in maintenance Enhance feelings of responsibility among workforce.
Autonomation (Jidoka) Improves quality.
JIT Purchasing Reduces inventory cost.
Process Simplification Reduces maintenance time and cost.

4. Conclusion

In depth theoretical analysis of the reviewed literature is carried out after reviewing sixty-five studies
related to the JIT philosophy implemented manufacturing systems of different kinds of productions.
Personal interview was conducted of the maintenance managers and engineers JIT elements
 S. Phogat and A. K. Gupta /Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 197
 

implemented Indian manufacturing organizations. Based on this analysis from the thirty-eight JIT
elements, eighteen JIT elements are selected for the JIT implementation in maintenance.

References

Abdallah, A. B., & Matsui, Y. (2007). The relationship between JIT production and Manufacturing
strategy and their impact on JIT performance.
Adeyemi, S. L. (2010). JIT production systems (JITPS) in developing countries: the Nigerian
experience. J Soc Sci, 22(2), 145-152.
Agrawal, N. (2010). Review on just in time techniques in manufacturing systems. Advances in
Production Engineering & Management, 5(2), 101-110.
Al, R. H. F. S. D. (2012). Executive Manager’s Opinion about JIT Implementation Status in the Middle
East Industry. Global Journal of Research In Engineering, 12(1-G).
Canel, C., Rosen, D., & Anderson, E. A. (2000). JITis not just for manufacturing: a service
perspective. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 100(2), 51-60.
Chen, I. J., Chung, C. S., & Gupta, A. (1994). The integration of JIT and FMS: issues and
decisions. Integrated manufacturing systems, 5(1), 4-13.
Chung, C. K., & Bakar, N. A. (2001). The relevancy of JIT(JIT) concept in government
purchasing. Journal of Technology, 35(A), 1-8.
Ebrahimpour, M., & Withers, B. E. (1993). A comparison of manufacturing management in JIT and
non-JIT firms. International journal of production economics, 32(3), 355-364.
Ericsson, J. (1997). Störningsanalys av tillverkningssystem (Doctoral dissertation, Doctoral thesis,
Lunds Tekniska Högskola, Lund, Sweden).
Faria, J., & Nunes, E. (2012). Reliability engineering of large jit production systems. International
Journal of Reliability, Quality and Safety Engineering, 19(03), 1250011.
Farooquiea, J. A., & Mohapatrab, A. B. (2009). Japanese Manufacturing Techniques and Practices: An
Indian Perspective. EDITORIAL BOARD SUPPORT TEAM, 3(3), 174.
Farsijani, H., Fard, Y. S., Kharazian, M. A., & Nikabadi, M. S. (2012). A Method for Identifying
Critical Success Factors of JIT Implementation in Different Circumstances. Journal of Supply Chain
Management Systems, 1(1), 1.
Fateha, A. N., Nafrizuan, M. Y., & Razlan, A. (2012). Review on elements of JIT implementation.
In Proceedings of the International Conference on Automotive, Mechanical and Materials
Engineering (ICAMME’12).
Fernández, J. L., (2008), Just in Time article at IE Business school, published by IE Publishing
Department. María de Molina 13, 28006 – Madrid, Spain.
Fullerton, R. R., & McWatters, C. S. (2001). The production performance benefits from JIT
implementation. Journal of operations management, 19(1), 81-96.
Garg, D. & Deshmukh, S. (1999). JIT purchasing: literature review and implications for Indian
industry. Production Planning & Control, 10(3), 276-285.
Gélinas, R. (1999). The JITimplementation project. International Journal of Project
Management, 17(3), 171-179.
Gélinas, R., Jacob, R., & Drolet, J. (1996). JIT purchasing and the partnership strategy. European
Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 2(1), 39-45.
Gunasekaran, A., & Lyu, J. (1997). Implementation of JIT in a small company: a case study. Production
planning & control, 8(4), 406-412.
Gupta, A. K. (2012). Just in time revisited: literature review and agenda for future
research. International Journal of Research in Mechanical Engineering & Technology, 2(1), 969-
971.
Gupta, A. K. (2012a) JIT in Higher Education. International Journal of Research in Engineering &
Technology, 2(1), 70–73.
Gupta, R., & Garg, D. (2012),Just in Time-A Concept for Efficient Manufacturing. International
198

Journal of Applied Engineering Research, 7(11).

Gupta, A.K. (2011). JIT in Indian Context: Literature Review and Directions for Future
Research. International Journal of Advances in Engineering Research, 1.
Gupta, A. K. (2011a). A conceptual JIT model of service quality. Int J Eng Sci Technol, 3(3), 2214-
2227.
Hopp, W. J., & Spearman, M. L. (2004). To pull or not to pull: what is the question?. Manufacturing
& service operations management, 6(2), 133-148.
Hou, B., Chan, H. K., & Wang, X. (2011). A Case Study of JIT System in the Chinese Automotive
Industry. In Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering (Vol. 1, pp. 6-8).
Ismail Salaheldin, S. (2005). JIT implementation in Egyptian manufacturing firms: some empirical
evidence. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 25(4), 354-370.
Javadian Kootanaee, A., Babu, K. N., & Talari, H. F. (2013). JIT Manufacturing System: From
Introduction to Implement. International Journal of Economics, Business and Finance, 1(2), 7-25.
Johannesson, P., Bergman, B., Svensson, T., Arvidsson, M., Lönnqvist, Å., Barone, S., & Maré, J.
(2013). A robustness approach to reliability. Quality and Reliability Engineering
International, 29(1), 17-32.
Jonsson, P. (1999). The impact of maintenance on the production process-achieving high performance.
Lund University.
Kaynak, H. (2002). The relationship between JIT purchasing techniques and firm performance. IEEE
Transactions on Engineering Management, 49(3), 205-217.
Khan, N. A. (2014). Impediments to JIT Implementation in Textile Industry. International Proceedings
of Economics Development and Research, 69, 83.
Kumar, V. (2014), JIT Manufacturing Systems in Indian Industries: A Review. International Journal
of Engineering Sciences & Research Technology, 1(3), 8004-8016.
Kumar, S., Kamboj, G. G. A., & Singh, M. (2013). Difficulties of JIT Implementation. International
Journal on Theoretical and Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME), ISSN, 2319-
3182.
Kumar, M., Tewari, P. C., & Gupta, A. (2011). Evaluation of Just in Time Elements in Banking Sector
Using ANOVA Technique. International Journal of science, Technology and Management, 2(2),
29-39.
Kumar, V. (2010). JIT based quality management: concepts and implications in Indian
context. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 2(1), 40-50.
Kumar, C. S., & Panneerselvam, R. (2007). Literature review of JIT-KANBAN system. The
International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 32(3-4), 393-408.
Kumar, V., Garg, D., & Mehta, N. P. (2004). JIT practices in Indian context: A survey. Journal of
Scientific & Industrial Research, 63, 655-662.
Lohar, B. (2011). JIT practices in Indian industries: a survey. International Journal of Computing and
Corporate Research, 1(1), 1-13.
Lorefice, A. A. (1998). Just in time manufacturing: introduction and major components. New York.
Low, S. P., & Ang, G. K. (2003). Integrating JIT and 5-S concepts for construction site management:
A case study. International Journal of Construction Management, 3(1), 31-47.
Mackelprang, A. W., & Nair, A. (2010). Relationship between JIT manufacturing practices and
performance: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Operations Management, 28(4), 283-302.
Mahadevan, B. (1997). Are Indian companies ready for just-in-time?.Management Review, 2(2/3), 85-
92.
Martínez-Jurado, P. J., Moyano-Fuentes, J., & Jerez-Gómez, P. (2014). Human resource management
in lean production adoption and implementation processes: success factors in the aeronautics
industry. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 17(1), 47-68.
McLachlin, R. (1997). Management initiatives and JIT manufacturing. Journal of Operations
Management, 15(4), 271-292.
Meybodi, M. Z. (2009). Benchmarking performance measures in traditional and
JITcompanies. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 16(1), 88-102.
 S. Phogat and A. K. Gupta /Uncertain Supply Chain Management 5 (2017) 199
 

Moreira, M. R. M. O. A., & Alves, R. A. F. S. (2010). A study on JIT implementation in Portugal:

some empirical evidence. Brazilian Journal of Operations & Production Management, 5(1), 5-22.
Obamiro, J. K. (2009). Exploring the Relationships Between JIT Technique and Manufacturing
Performance: Empirical Evidence From Selected Nigerian Firms. Manager (University of
Bucharest, Faculty of Business & Administration), (10).
Ooi, K. B. (2014). TQM: A facilitator to enhance knowledge management? A structural
analysis. Expert Systems with Applications, 41(11), 5167-5179.
Paliwal, S., Varshney, A. R., & Awana, D. S. (2013), JIT Implementation: Concepts, Benefit and
Obstructions in Indian Industries.
Phan, A. C., & Matsui Y. (2005), JIT Practices and Competitive Performance: Empirical Evidence
from Japan, International Graduate School of Social Sciences, Yokohama National University, (004
-0301).
RAHMANI, K., & NAYEBI, M. A. (2014). EFFECT OF JIT IMPLEMENTATION IN IRAN
AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY (CASE STUDY: IRAN KHODRO'S ASSEMBLY LINE 2). Indian
J. Sci. Res, 7(1), 001-016.
Ramarapu, N. K., Mehra, S., & Frolick, M. N. (1995). A comparative analysis and review of JIT
“implementation” research. International Journal of Operations & production management, 15(1),
38-49.
Ramaswamy, N. R., Selladurai V. & Subramaniam R. S., A Study On Priority Assignment To Various
Elements Of Kaizen In A Garment Unit, in 1st international conference on Logistics and supply
chain management (ILSCM), 495–499.
Reda, H. M. (1987). A review of “kanban”—the Japanese “Just-In-Time” production
system. Engineering Management International, 4(2), 143-150.
Sakakibara, S., Flynn, B. B., Schroeder, R. G., & Morris, W. T. (1997). The impact of JIT
manufacturing and its infrastructure on manufacturing performance. Management Science, 43(9),
1246-1257.
Sandanayake, Y. G., Oduoza, C. F., & Proverbs, D. G. (2008). A systematic modelling and simulation
approach for JIT performance optimisation. Robotics and Computer-Integrated
Manufacturing, 24(6), 735-743.
Sewell, G. (1990). Management information systems for JIT production. Omega, 18(5), 491-503.
Shah, N. H. (2011). Single Supplier–Buyer Integrated Inventory Model Under Multiple JIT Delivery
and Stock-Dependent Demand. Journal of Mathematical Modelling and Algorithms, 10(3), 293-
305.
Singh, S.(2011), JIT System: A Cultural Difference between Japan and Indian Implementation, Int. J.
Res. Mech. Technol., 1(1), 52-56.
Singh, S., & Garg, D. (2011a). Comparative analysis of Japanese JIT purchasing and traditional Indian
purchasing system. International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 1(3), 1816-1834.
Singh, S., & Garg, D. (2011). JIT system: concepts, benefits and motivation in Indian industries. Int J
Manag Bus Stud, 1(1), 26-30.
Sinha P. K., JIT and Lean production system : A textbook of Manufacturing and Operations
Management, 9.13.
Sui Pheng, L., Manzoor Arain, F., & Wong Yan Fang, J. (2011). Applying JIT principles in the delivery
and management of airport terminal buildings. Built Environment Project and Asset
Management, 1(1), 104-121.
Sui Pheng, L., & Joo Chuan, C. (2001). JIT management in precast concrete construction: a survey of
the readiness of main contractors in Singapore. Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 12(6), 416-429.
Sui Pheng, L., & Joo Chuan, C. (2001a). A study of the readiness of precasters for JIT
construction. Work study, 50(4), 131-140.
Wakchaure, V. D., Venkatesh, M. A., & Kallurkar, S. P. (2006, June). Review of JIT practices in Indian
manufacturing industries. In 2006 IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation
and Technology (Vol. 2, pp. 1099-1103). IEEE.
200

White, R. E., & Pearson, J. N. (2001). JIT, system integration and customer service. International
Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 31(5), 313-333.
Wong, W. K., Kwong, C. K., Mok, P. Y., & Ip, W. H. (2006). Genetic optimization of JIT operation
schedules for fabric-cutting process in apparel manufacture. Journal of Intelligent
Manufacturing, 17(3), 341-354.
Yang, J. S., & Pan, J. C. H. (2004). JIT purchasing: an integrated inventory model involving
deterministic variable lead time and quality improvement investment. International Journal of
Production Research, 42(5), 853-863.
Yasin, M. M., Wafa, M., & Small, M. H. (2004). Benchmarking JIT: an analysis of JIT implementations
in the manufacturing service and public sectors. Benchmarking: an international journal, 11(1), 74-
92.
Younies, H., Barhem, B., & Hsu, C. E. (2007). A review of the Adoption of JITmethod and its effect
on efficiency. Public Administration and Management, 12(2), 25.
Zhu, Z., Meredith, P. H., & Makboonprasith, S. (1994). Defining critical elements in JIT
implementation: a survey. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 94(5), 3-10.

© 2017 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada. This is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution
(CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).