Getting from ‘just-in-case’ to ‘just-in-time’: Insights from a simple model

Many factory managers are hesitant about implementing a just-in-time system due to concern about the dip in productivity that occurs. Here, a simple analytic model is used to study the trade-off between disruption and learning/improvement on a production line. While simple, the model is shown to capture many of the effects of just-in-time mentioned in the literature. Using insights from the model, an attempt is made to identify those factors to which successful implementation of just-in-time is most sensitive.