Over the past few decades, manufacturing and production businesses have been constantly increasing. While there are many manufacturing methods, JIT and lean manufacturing are two of the most prominent.
While there has been a simultaneous use of the two, they also have significant differences.
Key Takeaways
- Just-in-Time (JIT) manufacturing focuses on producing and delivering goods as needed, reducing inventory and waste.
- Lean manufacturing aims to eliminate waste across the entire production process, promoting efficiency and quality.
- Both JIT and Lean methodologies contribute to improved productivity, cost reduction, and increased competitiveness in business.
JIT vs Lean
The difference between JIT and lean is that JIT manufacturing deals with increasing business efficiency, whereas lean manufacturing deals with utilizing this efficiency to increase customer value. JIT is only one step of lean manufacturing.
JIT stands for Just-in-time. It is defined as a manufacturing philosophy that focuses on minimising all resources used in various enterprise activities, including identifying and eliminating non-productive activities.
It works on a small scale in the project. This philosophy is advantageous in reducing inventory and the overall work in progress.
Lean is defined as a manufacturing technique that focuses on services based on the planned elimination of all waste and continuous improvement in productivity. Lean manufacturing is also called ‘ The Toyota Way ‘.
It works on a large scale in the project. This technique is advantageous in improving productivity, efficiency, and customer value.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | JIT | Lean |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | It is a philosophy. | It is a technique. |
| Other Names | Just-in-time manufacturing. | ‘The Toyota Way’ manufacturing. |
| Methodology | It prioritizes the least possible time. | It prioritizes the highest possible quality. |
| Purpose | Improving efficiency. | Improving customer value. |
| The Scale of Work | It works on a small scale. | It works on a large scale. |
What is JIT?
JIT stands for Just-in-time. It is defined as a manufacturing philosophy that focuses on minimising all resources used in various enterprise activities, including identifying and eliminating non-productive activities.
It works on a small scale in the project. This philosophy is advantageous in reducing inventory and the overall work in progress.
JIT is not a technique but rather a philosophy. The core purpose of this philosophy is to improve productivity and quality.
It ensures the best utilization of all the available resources. In JIT manufacturing, an organization is created which works as per the market’s responsiveness in a highly efficient and effective manner.
JIT works on various principles, including lowest over-production, waiting, transportation, stocks, etc.
One of the major advantages that JIT has is that it is neither early nor late, which is why this philosophy is termed Just-in-time manufacturing. Furthermore, it marginally reduces the inventory.
Nevertheless, JIT has a few disadvantages. Since the project is only a small step of a large project, there can be a lack of control over work.
The risk of the late arrival of supplies, loss in buying bulk amounts of resources, risk of quality, etc., are a few of the disadvantages of JIT.
What is Lean?
Lean is defined as a manufacturing technique that focuses on services based on the planned elimination of all waste and continuous improvement in productivity.
Lean manufacturing is also called ‘ The Toyota Way ‘. It works on a large scale in the project.
This technique is advantageous in improving productivity, efficiency, and customer value.
Unlike JIT, lean is not philosophy itself but rather a technique. The core purpose of lean manufacturing is minimizing waste and simultaneously maximizing productivity.
This technique deals with utilizing efficiency to increase value for the customer. It highly prioritizes customer satisfaction.
Lean manufacturing works on various principles, including value, flow, pull, and perfection, etc. Improved customer value is one of the biggest advantages of this technique.
Furthermore, it reduces waste and increases efficiency and productivity. If needed, it redesigns the manufacturing setup, integrates a pull system, controls the inventory, or implements a vendor program.
Nevertheless, it has a few disadvantages. Lean manufacturing has a high implementation cost, difficulty with the changeover, the safety of workers, etc. It also requires a dedicated staff of workers to deal with the suppliers.
JIT manufacturing is only one step of the lean manufacturing technique, and the two can simultaneously work.
Main Differences Between JIT and Lean
- JIT manufacturing is a philosophy, whereas Lean manufacturing is a form of technique.
- JIT manufacturing focuses on improving business efficiency, whereas lean manufacturing focuses on improving customer value.
- JIT manufacturing doesn’t have a very high implementation cost, whereas lean manufacturing does.
- JIT manufacturing is a narrow term and only a step of lean manufacturing, whereas lean manufacturing is a much broader area of work.
- JIT manufacturing emphasizes principles based on lowering resource use, whereas lean manufacturing emphasizes principles based on the quality of work.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=WL95yzpj1TIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=just+in+time+manufacturing&ots=o5k29yW6Z8&sig=XqoT9lwMxbhCzkIBB5idRlZtKBw
- https://www.accessengineeringlibrary.com/content/book/9780071625074
Last Updated : 13 July, 2023
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Chara Yadav holds MBA in Finance. Her goal is to simplify finance-related topics. She has worked in finance for about 25 years. She has held multiple finance and banking classes for business schools and communities. Read more at her bio page.
I find the article to be very enlightening. It serves as a good starting point for those who are new and wish to understand the differences between Just-in-Time and Lean manufacturing.
I find the article very informative. I appreciate the thorough explanation of the differences and the comparison table provided. It helps in understanding these manufacturing techniques better.
The article does a great job of explaining the complexities of JIT and lean manufacturing. It brings to light several key takeaways and serves as a great resource for anyone interested in understanding these methodologies.
This article provides a comprehensive understanding of the JIT and lean manufacturing techniques. It’s a valuable resource for anyone looking to gain insights into these methodologies and their applications.
This is a very well-presented article, it explains the aspects of both JIT and lean manufacturing clearly. It’s highly informative and can be beneficial for businesses that are considering implementing these methodologies.
The article provides a concise yet detailed explanation of the differences and similarities between JIT manufacturing and lean manufacturing. The explanation is easy to understand and apply to practical situations.