JIT production uses a demand-pull system, which is effective at reducing the amount of finished goods inventory. In this system, production and demand are synchronized because production does not start until an order is received. 2 JIT strives to reduce the throughput time the total time from the start of production until the product is ready to sell. To achieve this, JIT requires a series of changes to the production system. First is an increase in quality, which includes the quality of raw materials used and the production process itself.
Higher quality reduces the time and money wasted on production of defective units.
The second change is a reduction in setup times. When less time is spent waiting for a machine to be set up, production is quicker. This also saves money on the holding costs of inventory and allows for products to be sold more rapidly. The third change is a balanced flow rate. The most difficult to implement, this requires each workstation or cell within the manufacturing process to have the same process time and capacity.