Just-in-time refers to the movement of material at the necessary place at the necessary time. The implication is that each operation is closely synchronized with the subsequent ones to make that possible. A method of just-in-time production which uses standard containers with a single card attached to each. It is a pull system in which work centers signal with a card that they wish to withdraw parts from feeding operations or vendors. Kanban, in Japanese, loosely translated means, “card”, literally “billboard” or “sign”. The term is often used synonymously for the specific scheduling developed and used by Toyota Corporation in Japan.

The organizational facets of JIT are investigated for 130 US manufacturing firms. Five research hypotheses are formulated and tested. The results of this research are presented in the context of a conceptual framework which attempts to shed some light on the organizational facets relevant to successful JIT implementation.