Damodar Y. Golhar

The just-in-time philosophy: A literature review

The just-in-time (JIT) literature is reviewed to identify 211 refereed articles. To examine the significance of JIT implementation, global productivity comparison articles are summarized. The JIT, MRP and OPT comparisons research is examined. Classification of the JIT-practices-articles according to the topic areas is presented. Critical variables, discussed in the JIT implementation in manufacturing articles, are classified according to the four basic tenets of the JIT philosophy. Eleven critical variables are identified for the elimination of waste tenet. For employee involvement in decision-making, supplier participation and total quality control tenets, five, ten, and eight critical variables, respectively, are listed. To ensure a comprehensive review of the JIT literature, an extensive bibliography and some reviews of books on the JIT philosophy are provided. Future research directions are discussed.

Quality management in TQM versus non‐TQM firms: an empirical investigation

The TQM revolution of the 1980s has led to a formal adoption of TQM by many firms. However, several organizations fail in their campaigns because of a variety of reasons ranging from lack of top management commitment to focus on tools instead of approach. Through a focused survey of 359 manufacturing firms in a single industry answers two critical questions: is it necessary for a firm to embark on a formal TQM campaign to manage quality effectively?; and is it worthwhile for a firm to embark on a half‐hearted TQM campaign? Using a criterion of existence of a formal TQM campaign in a firm and quality of products offered by the firm, classifies firms into four groups: high performance TQM firms, low performance TQM firms, high performance non‐TQM firms, and low performance non‐TQM firms. Compares them along ten literature‐based, empirically‐validated TQM constructs and derives the following major conclusions: it is not necessary for a firm to implement a TQM campaign formally in order to practise elements of TQM philosophy and thereby manage quality well; a firm should implement a formal TQM campaign only if it plans to execute the TQM constructs to their full extent, or it is better off by not investing in the formal campaign; and the product quality of a firm improves with the extent of the rigour associated with TQM implementation. Discusses implications of these findings for TQM research and practice.

Determination of the Optimal Process Mean and the Upper Limit for a Canning Problem

A method of determining the optimal process mean and upper fill weight limit for a canning process where the ingredients is expensive is presented. Underfilled (below a specified limit) and overfilled (above a controllable upper limit) cans are emptied ..

ECONOMIC MANUFACTURING QUANTITY IN A JUST-IN-TIME DELIVERY SYSTEM

A just-in-time (JIT) buyer demands frequent deliveries of small lots of certain products. However, there is a perception among the suppliers that participation in a JIT delivery system is economically disadvantageous for them. To test this conjecture, a generalized inventory model is developed for a supplier who has to meet a deterministic demand at fixed intervals. The generalized total cost model developed here is found to be a piecewise convex function. A simple algorithm is developed to compute the optimal batch size. When production uptime and cycle time are each equal to an integer multiple of the shipment interval, a perfect matching of shipment size occurs, and for such a situation, the generalized model specializes to more traditional inventory models. The solution approach for such models becomes much easier. It is found that, under certain conditions, the total cost decreases linearly with reduced shipment size and the suppliers benefit from this. Economic impact of ordering and setup costs red...

JIT purchasing: attribute classification and literature review

Abstract To find critical JIT purchasing attributes for manufacturing industry, 56 refereed articles are reviewed. These articles are categorized as conceptual, case and empirical studies. Thirty-four attributes are thus identified. An input-output model is developed to classify these attributes. The inputs to JIT purchasing environment consists of buyer, supplier and joint buyer-supplier actions with 13, six and six attributes, respectively. The interaction between these attributes leads to the JIT purchasing environment. Output of this environment consists of nine attributes. By using the frequency of citation of an attribute as a measure of its importance, consensus is found among conceptual and case studies regarding those attributes of JIT purchasing considered critical. However, many of these attributes have not been investigated empirically, while others have not been rigorously examined. Common supplier evaluation criteria are identified. Benefits and problems with JIT purchasing implementation ar...

Cost savings due to variance reduction in a canning process

Abstract We investigate a canning problem (Golhar and Pollock [2]) to study the effect of a reduction in process variance on the production cost. Exact and approximate relationships are developed for cost reduction as a function of economic parameters when the fill is a normally distributed random variable and process settings are optimized.

Total quality management in an R&D environment

Qualitatively identifies unique features of the research and development (R&D) work environment in productive organizations. Synthesizes strategies for the R&D manager and suggests the application of total quality management (TQM) principles as a template for effectively meeting research, development, management and corporate objectives. Presents an agenda for implementing TQM in an R&D environment which has traditionally been viewed as an isolated and hierarchical work environment.

EDI Implementation in JIT and Non‐JIT Manufacturing Firms: A Comparative Study

To compete successfully in the global market, firms are adopting new technologies and manufacturing strategies. The Just‐in‐Time (JIT) philosophy and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) are two recent developments that can help these firms. The success of JIT depends on timely and effective exchange of information between the manufacturing firm and its trading partners. The literature suggests that EDI, as a communication tool, can meet this demand. However, no study investigates the impact of EDI in the JIT environment. Also, the literature lacks a thorough investigation of the EDI benefits realized by JIT and non‐JIT manufacturing firms. This empirical study examines these issues. It is found that the reason for choosing EDI and the benefits realized by JIT firms differ from those of the non‐JIT firms. Further analysis suggests that JIT firms benefit more from EDI that non‐JIT firms.

Productivity comparisons between Canadian and US TQM firms: an empirical investigation

This empirical study investigates productivity performance of Canadian (n = 43) and US (n = 95) manufacturers in the automotive parts industry (SIC 3714) that have implemented the total quality management (TQM) philosophy. We identify three different categories of productivity measures: financial, customer related, and internal business related. TQM firms indicate improved performance on various productivity measures. Statistically significant differences exist between the two countries on some of the measures. The correlation analysis suggests that, to be customer oriented, a TQM firm must focus on improving internal business processes. Unlike the US sample, the Canadian sample did not show a significant positive correlation between financial measures, and the customer oriented or internal business related measures.

The canning problem revisited: The case of capacitated production and fixed demand

Abstract We report on optimizing a ‘variable yield’ machine-fill type of production process with limited capacity n , a fixed demand d and a process yield rate that depends on a controllable mean setting. Using a profit function that includes both the cost of production and a penalty for under-production, we show that obtaining an optimal mean setting is straightforward. As the ingredient cost becomes small compared to recycling and production costs, the relative profit is found to be a strongly asymmetric function of the process mean. The resulting managerial insights suggest that, with respect to optimal mean setting, for a wide variety of cost parameters, overfilling is in general better than underfilling.