Getting from “just‐in‐case” to “just‐in‐time”: Insights from a simple model

Many factory managers are hesitant about implementing a just‐in‐time system due to concern about the dip in productivity that occurs. Here, a simple analytic model is used to study the trade‐off between disruption and learning/improvement on a production line. While simple, the model is shown to capture many of the effects of just‐in‐time mentioned in the literature. Using insights from the model, an attempt is made to identify those factors to which successful implementation of just‐in‐time is most sensitive.