Report on the Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

In the past few decades, the manufacturing companies are using just in time production practices and it is getting high attention from the western researchers also. The features that make it productive are the same that make it exceptional and beneficial in the manufacturing firms such as low cost production, high productivity, and high quality of the product. the JIT advocates the reduction and elimination of the wastage by providing a simplified production process and also reduces the time of production by emphasizing preventive measures, controlling the material and utilization of resources in an efficient way. Previous studies identified JIT practices in western manufacturing companies. It is mainly used to describe the idea of production that induces limitation on waste and operations. Some critical researches are also done by researchers to find the efficient impact of the production practices. The researchers presented both narrow and broad view for inventory minimization and wastage elimination respectively. Our present work aims to identify the relationship between just in time practices of production and other types of operational performances in the manufacturing plants. The study is based on the quantitative analysis of collected data from different manufacturing plants of Germany, United States, Korea, and China. The research further finds the dimensions of the manufacturing process and identified the links of quality and workforce management. The operational performance is measured as the outcomes by using Just in time production practices. The research concern is to identify operational performances by comparing the outcomes in different countries. The research concludes by highlighting the factors and relationship between operational performance and implementation of just in time manufacturing practices in industries.   

Moreover, it can be noted that in the twentieth century, the just in time production was considered as one of the most important topic in the research area applied in the operation management. This is because at that time there was a lot of problems related to technology. The researchers knows that in the future demand will be increased at high level. Due to this there will be huge difficulty in just in time production. Due to this researcher were working on just in time production. This shows that it will become easy for the companies to produce the necessary items according to the given quantity in the given time. The next thing is that there is a need to remove water operation during the production. This is because it will increase the production time. Moreover, this idea was realized by the department of supply chain and inventory head of the organization. This shows that if a production operation is not controlled in the future and product is not manufactured on time then there will be reduced in cost of inventory. Due to this there will be increase in inventory turnover. This will be a huge problem for the company in the future. For that case, there are many researchers working on the critical role of just in time production. But according to this fact, there is little bit confusion in the just in time production. Furthermore, researchers are required to analyze the main components of just in time production. They are also working on the implementation of just in time production in the manufacturing organizations. This shows that just in time production is related to the minimization of inventory according to the researchers and practitioners. Moreover, just in time is defined according to two views. The narrow view is related with the practices for inventory minimization. On the other hand, broad view is related to eliminate waste operations occurred in the production operation of the product. The next point is that there are some researchers involved in analyzing the relationship between the performance of manufacturing plant and just in time production. The theoretical facts are showing that the production will be increased if the manufacturing plants are efficient. There are some scholars that are defining the importance of just in time production in the company and shows its success.  Furthermore, it can be noted that last couple of researches related to Just in time production is not providing comprehensive information about just in time production. But in this research there is complete information about the JIT production and problems faced by different companies during production. Moreover, there is also some information related to the difference in approaching towards JIT production. There are also some problems when companies are moving towards different countries. It is not easy for them to access total demand of the area. Therefore, there is a need to identify alternative paths for improving operational performance of the company. This shows that there is a huge just in time production gap. Due to this fact, there is a need of comparative study on the just in time production. Moreover, in this study there are some questions related with the just in time production. The first one is related with the difference and similarity in the implementation of just in time production in different parts of the world. The main thing is that it is not easy to implement just in time production in different countries because every country contains different set of rules and regulations. The next question is related to the linkage between the infrastructure practices and just in time production practices affecting the quality of workspace. For answering these questions, the data is collected from different manufacturing plants operated in different parts of the world.

Literature Review

Golhar and Stamm (1991) conducted qualitative research on them just in time practices by using published researches. the comparison extracted outcomes as JIT and operational performance are interrelated. These two also involve certain factors such as quality, human resources, cellular manufacturing, purchasing, accounting and management. the research concluded that JIT and operational practices are getting special attention in total quality management, human resource management, preventive management, information system, technology, supply chain management and others.

Liker et al (2004) mentioned in his research that JIT production was first introduced by the production system of Taiichi Ohno (godfather of Toyota). The main concern of using the strategy was to motivate the workers for better techniques after World War II. The company was considering incentives by management the waste of defects, waste of repair, waste of overproduction, waste of inventory, waste of motion, waste of transport, waste of processing and waste of waiting. The research work of Hay et al (1988) shows several benefits associated with the implementation of JIT production. According to them, the increasing quality of production and manufacturing relies on better management of resources. The major JIT benefit is cost reduction and there are some other benefits such as increased productivity levels, inventory reduction, reduced requirement of raw material, reduced lead time, improved customer services, and higher inventory turnover rates.

Besides the benefits of JIT production practices, there are several disadvantages and limitations. The absence of senior management support and commitment result in JIT failure. The implementation of JIT is not solely dependent upon the management as it also considers the role of suppliers and workers in the manufacturing firms. Some of the other important issues are the local culture, lack of cooperation of suppliers, lack of education, lack of worker interest in work, and obstacles in employee participation. The previous research of Ahmed et al. 2003 considered production results by JIT practices. The researchers also considered important factors and alternative ways that lead to an improvement in operational performance. similar work was done by Matsui (2007) and he considered the philosophy of manufacturing and continuous improvement factors. Bayo-Moriones et al (2008) suggested some of the major relationships between plant performances and JIT practices. Continuing all these works, we would like to identify the differences and similarities between the JIT production implementations with the impact on performance. 

According to the author, Callen, he had provided comprehensive information on the cross-sectional plant analysis in a proper way. For that case, the author has used a data base of qualitative and quantitative plant data for analyzing the performance of just in time production. The comparison is taken between the just in time production and non-just in time production plants operated in different parts of the country in manufacturing industry. Moreover, these manufacturing industries include auto-parts and electronic parts. For that case, the results are showing that just in time production is playing a vital role in the manufacturing industry. The next point is that due to just in time production in the manufacturing industry there is increment in the productivity and also inventory usage in an efficient way, moreover, the production cost is decreased and revenue is increased. This is showing that the success of just in time plants is good because it is enhancing the process quality. On the other hand, it is also improving the quality of products control by enhancing plant unionization (Callen & Chris Fader, 2000).

Moreover, the proper relationship between just in time production performance and manufacturing is presented by Alan (2010). The author is showing complete information on its relationship with perfection. This is because it can be noted that just in time manufacturing is considered as most important research topic. According to this paper, author has described complete relationship between manufacturing and performance of just in time. This is conducted through the use of meta-analysis of correlations approach. According to this approach, author has also presented comprehensive review. Moreover, the results are showing that there is positive relationship present between the just in time performance and manufacturing. It is showing that the production will be increased if there is increase in technology. On the other hand, findings of this paper is somehow different from the results. It is showing that just in time performance has a huge impact on the performance of the individual. But there is need to emphasize on moderating factors roles in this relationship. This is because it will help the manufacturing industries to resolve different kind of issues in production (Alan W. Mackelprang & Nair, 2010).

In this paper, author, Matsui, has presented some important reviews on the empirical analysis of just in time production. This study is dealing with the manufacturing companies around Japan. The main focus of this paper is to highlight important requirements for just in time production and also role of consequences of just in time production in different manufacturing companies in Japan. The author has discusses nine valid and reliable measurement scales related to just in time production. For that case, there are about 46 manufacturing plants were analyzed located in Japan. For obtaining required results from the manufacturing companies measurement scale and super-scale is used. According to these results it can be seen that the competitive performance in the manufacturing companies is increased due to implementation of just in time production. Moreover, due to just in time production there is also huge impact on the competitive positon of the company. These results are also showing that the efficiency of the manufacturing plants is increased properly. It can be noted that just in time is also related with different operations in the manufacturing plants. Due to this, it can be observed that fourteen scales are correlated with just in time production in a proper way. These management areas are categorized in coordinated and committed organizations. The overall performance of the company will be enhanced due to JIT production (Matsui, 2007).

It can be noted that there is also huge impact on the just in time purchasing. This means that if consumers are not purchasing the products in real time then it will affect the supply and demand of the company. In this paper, Author Toni (2000) has present complete information about just in time purchasing. The author has examined the main role of supplier development in a proper way. Moreover, it is also important for the company to develop efficient buyer supplier links. This is because if the suppliers are efficient then there will be no gap in the production of products. For that case, in this paper there is complete development of a measurement instrument for supplier and operations in the organization.

This instrument will measure and examine the purchasing practices of the just in time through the help of different strategies of the product design. Moreover, operational and supplier development are one of the huge practices that are responsible for efficient plant practices. According to this fact, a plant-level survey was implemented on the electronics and machinery plants. In this survey, there is complete information is presented about the just in time production and role of suppliers. There are some aims of this survey. The first one is related to the making close connection between the buyer and supplier. Due to this its operational link is increased. The next one is related to the recourse of supplier development plan programs for the company. The nature of these programs is completely depended on the vendor and vendee operational connection. This shows that if this connection is strong then it will be helpful for the company in future (Toni & Nassimbeni, 2000).

In this paper, the author Folinas (2017) has described the theory of just in time according to the panacea to the business success. According to this, there is proper information about the effect of just in time practices on improving financial performance of the company. This study was presented on the Greek companies. For conducting this research a qualitative method was used. According to this fact, the first qualitative method was applied to identify the key element of the just in time theory and its implementation level. After this author had applied a quantitative method for investigating the effect of just in time. According to this, the results are showing that there is no strong link present between the just in time production and zero-level inventories management. But there are some key elements that are applied on the company for improving its performance in the market and improve its financial performance. Due to this case, there is still need to prove these results according to the examined investigation according to different business areas (Folinas & Thomas A. Fotiadis, 2017).

According to this paper, author Aksoy (2011) has presented some important information related to supplier selection and performance evaluation. This shows that it is not easy for the company to evaluate supplier performance in the just in time production environment. In this paper, the main aim is to give protection to the just in time manufacturing companies in the form of good supplier. For that case, a complete program is implemented for analyzing the performance of the suppliers. It can be noted that there are many companies around the world are implementing just in time production to become competitive in the global market. Due to the success of just in time production it will become extremely simple for companies to expand in different parts of the world. But according to this fact, one of the most important problem faced by the companies is related to the evaluation of supplier for long term relationship. It can be noted that there are many businesses are affected due to bad relationship with suppliers. This is the reason why it become one of the critical challenge in the just in time production environment. If the suppliers are not perfect hen the whole supply chain will be affected badly. Therefore, there is need of procurement of parts and other materials. Moreover, it has become one of the most critical issue in the implementation of just in time production. This shows that it is not easy to evaluate the performance of the supplier for ideal production. Due to this issue, author has presented a method and it is related to neural network based supplier selection. Moreover, it will also evaluate the performance of supplier. This method is also not limited just in time supply. It will help the companies so it will become extremely easy for them to evaluate the supplier performance. For testing the neural network the data is taken from automatic factories. The results are showing that this system is highly efficient to select ideal supplier for the just in time production in the manufacturing plants (Aksoy & Öztürk., 2011).

According to the author, John (2018) he had presented a qualitative lifecycle risk analysis. This analysis is used for the development of just in time transportation network system. It can be noted that in just in time production transportation network system also plays an important role. The fact is showing that automotive manufacturing company is under huge financial pressure. This is because its cost structure is affected badly and also they are facing different kind of problems in global market. Therefore, there is need to improve operational cost and also efficiency. Due to this there is a need to improve just in time supply chain of the company. For that case, there is need to make certain policies for the transport system for effective supply of materials and goods for just in time production. According to this problem, author has presented enterprise system model and it is integrated with the qualitative method for the automobile companies. Moreover, quality risk analysis is presented for analyzing the management plan of the company (John PT Mo & Cook, 2018).

In this paper, author Wong has presented some contingency effects of environmental uncertainty. It will deals with the complete relationship between the supply chain and operational performance of the company. It was according to the just in time manufacturing companies.

(Wong & Sakun Boon-Itt, 2011)

Moreover, for dealing with the impact of lean method and different tools for analyzing the operational performance of the production companies. The author Belekoukias (2014) has presented different tools and methods for analyzing the performance. The next thing is that there is a need to remove water operation during the production. This is because it will increase the production time. Moreover, this idea was realized by the department of supply chain and inventory head of the organization. The first one is related with the difference and similarity in the implementation of just in time production in different parts of the world. The main thing is that it is not easy to implement just in time production in different countries because every country contains different set of rules and regulations.

Moreover, these manufacturing industries include auto-parts and electronic parts. For that case, the results are showing that just in time production is playing a vital role in the manufacturing industry. Due to the success of just in time production it will become extremely simple for companies to expand in different parts of the world. But according to this fact, one of the most important problem faced by the companies is related to the evaluation of supplier for long term relationship.

(Belekoukias, Garza-Reyes, & Kumar., 2014)

In this paper, author Othman has presented some detail information about the relationship between the supply chain integration, logistics and just in time performance in the manufacturing companies. Moreover, it is completely according to the perspective of suppliers. This study was presented in the automotive industry located in Malaysia. . The theoretical facts are showing that the production will be increased if the manufacturing plants are efficient. There are some scholars that are defining the importance of just in time production in the company and shows its success.

There are also some problems when companies are moving towards different countries. It is not easy for them to access total demand of the area. Therefore, there is a need to identify alternative paths for improving operational performance of the company. The comparison extracted outcomes as JIT and operational performance are interrelated. These two also involve certain factors such as quality, human resources, cellular manufacturing, purchasing, accounting and management. Moreover, the results are showing that there is positive relationship present between the just in time performance and manufacturing. It is showing that the production will be increased if there is increase in technology (Othman & VP Kaliani Sundram, 2016).

Research questions  of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

In order to identify the link between two operational conditions and to find ways to improve performance, our main concern is to fill the gap between the operational performance and JIT production practices in the industries. We will conduct a comparative but comprehensive study on JIT production. To evaluate the relationship, we defined some questions that will be answered comprehensively at the end of the research. The main questions of the research will be dependent on the data and results of the data. The considered questions in the present research are listed below,

1.      What are the factors that combine and provide a relationship between JIT production practices and operational performances?

2.      What role do these strategies play for workforce management and quality?

3.      What are the advantages of JIT over other operational strategies that make it exceptional?

4.      What are the main differences and similarities of JIT production practices that are implemented in different selected countries?

5.      Which country uses these strategies the most and what makes them rely on one of these?

Research Methodology of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

The study initiates by having a comparison of the degree of implementation of JIT is the considered countries. Our approach is to improve manufacturing performance by identifying the better strategy. The relationship between the JIT production and operational performance are analyzed under the context of the manufacturing environment. The data is first collected from different firms by using a questionnaire. For the quantities data analysis, the most suitable methodology to collect data is by using a questionnaire. After collecting data, the next step is to measure validity and then SPSS analysis was conducted. The results measured similarities and differences in Jit production practices and how it is different in each country. One way ANOVA testing is used for statistical analysis with the significance level of 5%. Some other factors are measured such as volume, manufacturing cost analysis, one time delivery and performance indicators from the database of companies.

Research Design of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

This research study is conducted by following few points’ for research design in which includes. Research Philosophy, Research Approach, Research Strategy, Selecting Respondents, Research Ethics.

Source of data collection of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

There are two major kinds of the sources of data collection that are usually used for any research study or paper. Both of these are considered as the good and adequate ways for conducting nay research but the selection of the sources of the data collection is entirely depends upon the types and nature of the research study. The selection of the sources of collection is considered by considering the types of the research study. The said study is particularly conducted by using the both sources of data collection that are primary and secondary sources of data collection.  The secondary source of data collection leads towards the preexisting and data and research on the particular topic. Under this source data is collected from the websites, research papers and research articles. The entire kinds of the existing research studies are considered as an essential part of the research. The literature review of the said study is best fitted example for exploring the secondary source of data collection because it explains the numbers of the good examples of the existing data on the particular topic. In contrast the primary source of data collection leads towards the self-creation of the data because under this source data is particularly collected by using the survey from the respondents. It is the good ways to follow the quantitative research methods.

Research Strategy of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

There are three types of research method or strategy, quantitative method, qualitative method, and mixed method, according to Burns and Grove cited by Cormack (1991) quantitative method is based on positivism paradigm, and a researcher who follows a positivism paradigm can only use a quantitative approach. In Quantitative way all the data is in the numeric form, and quantitative research large sampling can be used by the researcher and on that statistical data various tests like mean, mod and median will be applied to check the validity of the data and through quantitative method the relationship between the variables through the test correlation can be found. This approach is objective and deductive (Grove, 1991).

In this research, the researcher used a quantitative method and followed a positivist paradigm. The reason behind choosing this quantitative method is that there is a short period and the research is conducted from few cities of the MALAYSIA. Through a quantitative approach, the researcher gets a valid result in less time by putting the data into SPSS 22.0 software. For this research close-ended questionnaire is developed as an instrument for data collection and the data is collected from the mangers of the airline companies.

 Sampling and Population of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

Sampling and population is the one of the most important and essential elements in the quantitative research study because participants and people who are involved in any research study are the considered as important. Their reviews are other most important things to attain the objective of the research study. In the said study population is the teachers of the secondary School. In order to conduct this study the simple random sampling technique is particularly used and it also includes the purposive sampling technique.  In the said study sampling is considered in such manners that the employees of the various companies who are performing theor role in the departments of supply chain management. This sample is selected for ensuring the data of the high quality. The sample of research is contains on the 100 respondents who are working in various manufacturing organization. This sample is particularly selected for the comparison of the data that has been attained from the respondents for making sure the consistency and reliability of the data. From total 100 employees who are the participants of the study all of these are engaged in replying this study in effective manners. The purposive and simple random sampling technique is the good source to collecting the data from the respondents according to the ease and comfort level of the respondents.

Data Collection Method of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

An online questionnaire via Gmail will be used to gather the data. The questionnaire link will be shared with the school to be distributed to employees through an online platform. Using an online questionnaire is beneficial to the study by providing the immediate availability of digital data, which will save time and reduce the number of errors when transferring data from paper to the programme for analysis.

Data Collection Instrument (Questionnaires)

This research is a study conducted by using the adopted questionnaire in which demographic questions are included (age, gender, and designation), and this questionnaire is close-ended questionnaire which is designed by considering the five-point Likert scale which is ranges from strongly agree to disagree strongly. The question are designed by considering the both variables as;.

Moreover, this was distributed or sent to the teachers of the secondary school for getting the proper responses. The researcher has met to the mangers of few one people too for filling the questionnaire. Where reaching was impossible email send out for receiving the answers via email. For this research, the questionnaires method was used under a quantitative approach.

To answer the research questions, this study will utilize a quantitative research method. The study relies on data collection through a questionnaire distributed to the target group of the study with the aim of obtaining information about and perceptions of the level of awareness and attitudes amongst students regarding plagiarism. To determine the level of plagiarism awareness and attitudes towards plagiarism, teachers will be given questionnaires divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the demographic profile of the respondents. The second part of the questionnaire focuses on the variables. Employees indicate their employer’s attitudes towards these scenarios by choosing from five different answers on a Likert scale.

The pilot test for the questionnaire of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

The pilot test for the questionnaire is considered as the particular strategy that is required for testing the questionnaire by utilizing the smaller sample that is required for comparing the planned sample size. For conducting the survey in this particular manner or shape the questionnaire is developed or administrated for the total sample population percentages. It also includes more informal cases that are required for the convenience sample. In the said study pilot test plays role of the rehearsal in this particular research study. It also allows for testing the research approach by using the little sample of the test participants. The pilot test is necessary for the said study because the sample size that has been used in this study is too small. This is only 70 respondents who will perform their role for conducting this particular research. The pilot test is necessary for testing the small numbers of the participants before conducting the results of the research. Meanwhile it is considered as the one of the most important and additional steps for conducting the research. It can be considered as the time that has been particularly spent on the various kinds of the research projects. This is good and best fitted test for measuring the reliability of any study.

Limitations of Methodology of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

Usually the limitations of the research study are considered as its shortcoming and flaws that could be the outcomes and results of the unavailability sources. It also includes flawed methodology and small sample size of the respondents. There are the several limitations of this research study that must consider and avoided while conducting this research. These limitations are the good sources to ignore and avoid the various misconceptions of the research study. These limitation in this research are includes as;

• There can be issues with selection of the sample due to the size and technique of the sample and sampling method.
• As the sample size is only 100 respondents that is the too small sample size, that’s why it is also known as the insufficient sample size for the various kinds of the statistical measurement.

References of Relationship between just-in-time production practices and operational performance in manufacturing plants (Quantitative)

Aksoy, A., & Öztürk., N. (2011). Supplier selection and performance evaluation in just-in-time production environments. Expert systems with applications 38, .

Alan W. Mackelprang, & Nair, A. (2010). Relationship between just-in-time manufacturing practices and performance: A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Operations Management,.

Belekoukias, I., Garza-Reyes, J. A., & Kumar., V. (2014). The impact of lean methods and tools on the operational performance of manufacturing organisations. International Journal of Production Research 52, no. 18.

Callen, J. L., & Chris Fader, a. I. (2000). Just-in-time: a cross-sectional plant analysis. nternational Journal of Production Economics 63,.

Folinas, D. K., & Thomas A. Fotiadis, a. D. (2017). Just-in-time theory: the panacea to the business success? International Journal of Value Chain Management 8.

Grove, B. a. (1991). The Case Research Strategy in Studies of Information Systems. Jstore.

John PT Mo, & Cook, M. (2018). Quantitative lifecycle risk analysis of the development of a just-in-time transportation network system. Advanced Engineering Informatics.

Matsui, Y. (2007). An empirical analysis of just-in-time production in Japanese manufacturing companies. International Journal of production economics.

Othman, A. A., & VP Kaliani Sundram, N. M. (2016). The relationship between supply chain integration, just-in-time and logistics performance: a supplier’s perspective on the automotive industry in Malaysia. International journal of supply chain management.

Toni, A. D., & Nassimbeni, G. (2000). Just-in-time purchasing: an empirical study of operational practices, supplier development and performance. Omega 28,.

Wong, C. Y., & Sakun Boon-Itt, a. C. (2011). The contingency effects of environmental uncertainty on the relationship between supply chain integration and operational performance. Journal of Operations management .