TIMELINE The History of
Just-in-time
Manufacturing
Developed by Toyota with the vision to make vehicle orders in the quickest and most efficient way, Manufacturing Global walks through the evolution of the justin-time manufacturing method
1930’s-1945
1973
1977-1980s
Japan’s adoption of just-in-time At the end of World War II Japan’s primary objective was to rebuild its industry with western methodology in mind.
JIT spreads in Japan In 1973, Japan faced an ‘oil shock’; an economic and political crisis which emerged from export restrictions during the Middle East war.
JIT enters the United States Starting in 1977 though to 1980, articles in English began to emerge from Japan detailing the JIT method, which the US quickly began to adopt, as well as other western countries.
Gerhard Plenert, identified four challenges that occurred at this time: 1. Lack of cash flow 2. Lack of land space 3. Lack of natural resources 4. An excess of labour Taking 30 years to develop, Toyota pioneered the justin-time (JIT) method. The introduction of this method helped the automotive manufacturer to optimise their processes in response to these challenges to make their operations lean. 14
December 2021
This crisis coupled with Toyota sharing its ‘Toyota Production System’ including the JIT method - brought about a rise in organisations taking notice of the automotive manufacturer’s resilience.
