The Impact of the Use of Just-in-Time on the Use of Inbound Transportation by Manufacturers

Transportation is a critical element in any JIT system and several transportation practices can be affected by the need to support a manufacturer's inbound JIT system. These include increased importance attached to inbound transportation, a shift in who has control over inbound transportation, the size of and frequency of shipments, the lengths of haul, the mode and carrier choice, the number of carriers used, and vehicle utilization. In addition, energy consumed in transportation and transportation costs can be affected.

The objectives of the mail and personal interview study reported on here were, first, to determine the extent to which manufacturers in Minnesota and Wisconsin have adopted the JIT concept for inbound movements and what kinds of firms they are in terms of size, products produced, and plant location. The second objective was to determine, for those manufacturers included in the study, why they did or did not adopt the JIT philosophy. The third objective was to determine to what extent the implementation of inbound JIT caused a change in the use of transportation. The study was a preliminary study in that it was intended to provide information that could be used as a foundation for a more detailed study later.