JIT is a Japanese production management philosophy which has been applied in practice since the early 1970s in many Japanese manufacturing organizations. There are strong cultural aspects associated with the emergence of JIT in Japan. The work ethic emerged shortly after world war II and was seen as an integral part of Japanese's economic success. In addition JIT also emerged as a means of obtaining the highest levels of usage out of limited resources available. Faced with constraints the Japanese worked towards attainment of the optimal cost quality relationship in their manufacturing processes. This involved reducing waste and using materials and resources in the most efficient manner possible.
Thus JIT philosophy was developed as a result of aversion to waste. ( Anything which does not contribute to value is considered as a waste including scrap and re work ). The input of sustained effort over a ling period of time within their rime work of continuous improvement is keys. This is achieved by a focus on an continuous stream of small improvements known in Japan as kaizen and has been recognized as one of the most significant elements of JIT philosophy. Furthermore Japanese forms tend to focus on enhancing the long term competitiveness rather than emphasizing the realization of short term profits,
JIT management has a high degree of cultural aspects embedded in its development. It was first developed and perfected within the Toyota manufacturing plants by taiichi Ohno as a means of meeting consumer demands with minimum delays. For this reason taiichi Ohno is frequently referred to as the father of JIT.
It has been widely reported that proper use of JIT manufacturing has resulted in increase in quantity , productivity and efficiency and efficiency improved communication and decrease in cost and wastes.