Just-in-time for Today and Tomorrow  (English, Hardcover, Ohno Taiichi)

Taiichi Ohno created the Just-In-Time system at Toyota, but his mind never stands still. In this book, in dialogue with top Japanese business journalist Setsuo Mito, Ohno demonstrates that a pull system like JIT, when developed into a total management system, is perfectly suited to the Information Age. In this age of material abundance, a business must be able to serve the unique needs of its customers and still make a profit. These days, information and actions quickly become part of the past. More than ever, production flow depends on information flow, and success depends on timely response to needs. Immediate access to information will make or break companies in the future. Ohno shows how JIT applies not only to manufacturing, but also to sales, marketing, merchandising, and the service and distribution industries. His understanding of the current implications and future applications of JIT is revealed in the three sections of the book. Topics discussed in depth include management leadership, creativity, zero defects, total quality control (TQC), and lessons from convenience stores. Just-In-Time for Today and Tomorrow discusses the logical extensions of JIT in a broader social and business view of the world.