Measuring the Intensity Level of Just-in-Time Activities and Its Impact on Quality

Examines the impact of the intensity level of Just‐in‐time (JIT) on quality. The intensity level of JIT is operationalized as a function of four variables: the existence of JIT as a timebased technology; the utilization of JIT to a certain extent; the integration of JIT with other time‐based technologies such as Group Technology (GT), Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Total Quality Management (TQM); and the percentage of facilities that has been converted to using JIT. The term “quality” in this study is a composite construct of product quality, manufacturing workmanship, design and engineering quality, and vendor quality. This study was based on empirical data collected from 165 manufacturing firms in three industry groups in the USA: industrial machinery equipment, electronic and electric machinery equipment, and transport equipment. The two digit Standard Industrial Classification Codes (SIC) for these industry groups are 35, 36 and 37 respectively. The analysis of the results suggests that statistically significant differences in quality exist among firms with different intensity levels of JIT. The study has many implications for both academicians and practitioners.

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