Goings Manufacturing Division and Just-in-Time - Essay Example

JIT is a manufacturing philosophy that aims to "produce the necessary units, in the necessary quantities at the necessary time with the required quality (Lean Manufacturing 2005)." The JIT manufacturing system essentially focuses on four aspects namely quality, employee involvement, production flow, and integration. We will look at these aspects and how the principles of JIT can be applied to Going's manufacturing division. Going should try to revamp its value chain and come up with a leaner manufacturing system.

First of all, the company should exert effort in reducing the number of its suppliers and forging strategic alliances with them. Currently, the company solely bases its supplier choice on who can give the lowest price. Going should pursue close collaboration with its parts supplier because they are important stakeholders of the company. JIT highlights the importance of the physical distance between the supplier and the manufacturer's warehouse/plant. Having suppliers locate within reach will be mutually beneficial-suppliers will cut down on logistics costs while the manufacturer is assured of fast and timely delivery whenever the component is needed.

Going can even get rid of its warehouse if all its major suppliers operate near its manufacturing plant. Going should pursue further efficiency in production by sourcing semi-assembled products from its suppliers. The case mentioned that the company currently has 10,000 part numbers. The company can try to cut this huge number of inventory by buying parts that integrate 5 or 10 parts. This way, the company can track its material inventory as well as reduce lead time in production. The company can also solve its material tracking problem by having software that allows them to monitor the level and movement of inputs.

This can be shared with suppliers in order for them to deliver if the quantity falls below the equilibrium. Going should abolish its assembly line and create groups which will be responsible for an order. The company will benefit from the employment of teams that oversee each production process. Quality is very essential in the operation of Going. Currently, quality is being ensured by having 100% quality control. However, we can see that wastage is very prevalent as indicated by the huge scraps and reworks.

Consistent with the JIT principle of eliminating wastage, Going should check the quality of its planes after its process. This way, the company can be assured that its process is correctly undertaken, minimizing the needs or rework. Going also has some problems with its location strategy. Currently, the company's warehouse is located within 20 miles of the manufacturing delay. This distance can lead to disruptions in production if the company runs out of parts, incurs huge logistics cost, and can cause a significant delay in production.

The company should seek to find a location near the manufacturing plant for the warehouse. We can see that there have been deficits between the company's products and customers' orders. In order to solve this, the company can employ a customer-driven production system that moves materials after the customer placed an order. Lastly, the introduction and adoption of JIT won't be successful if Going is not able to motivate and encourage its workforce. The company should resolve its issues with its unions.

Empowerment and motivation of employees are essential as JIT highlights giving each individual workforce to solve problems on their own. JIT also involves total employee improvement, which includes "quality circles, work teams, and kaizen teams (Lean Manufacturing 2005)." Empowerment highly involves employees in the manufacturing system which produces higher quality products and low employee turnover.ReferencesLean Manufacturing, 2005.