A Lean Manufacturing process for synchronizing materials, operators, and equipment such that all materials and people are where they need to be, when they need to be there, and in the state they need to be there in.
Comments: JIT is ultimately focused on reducing or eliminating every form of waste in the manufacturing process. Many Lean Manufacturing tools help to make achieving a Just-in-Time system possible.
Example: It doesn’t matter much if materials arrive at a machine for processing when the machine is “down” due to poor maintenance. A TPM “Total Productive Maintenance” program could remedy this situation.
Likewise, if it takes several hours to change-out dies materials could spend substantially more time waiting for processing than actually being processed. SMED efforts are warranted to enable quick changeovers and allow JIT methods to be effectively employed.