JIT  is a Japanese production  management  philosophy which  has been applied in practice since the  early  1970s  in many  Japanese manufacturing organizations. There  are strong  cultural aspects associated with the emergence of JIT in Japan. The work  ethic emerged shortly after world war II  and was  seen as an integral part of Japanese's economic success. In  addition  JIT also emerged as a means of obtaining the highest  levels of usage out of limited resources available. Faced with  constraints the Japanese worked towards attainment of the optimal  cost quality relationship  in  their  manufacturing  processes. This involved reducing waste and using materials and resources in the  most efficient manner possible.

 Thus  JIT philosophy  was developed  as a result of aversion to waste. ( Anything which  does  not  contribute  to value  is considered as a waste including scrap and re work ).  The input  of sustained  effort over a ling period of time within  their rime work of continuous improvement is keys. This is  achieved by a focus  on an continuous stream of small improvements known in Japan as kaizen and has been  recognized as one of the most  significant elements of JIT philosophy. Furthermore  Japanese forms tend to focus on enhancing the long  term  competitiveness rather than emphasizing  the realization of short term profits,

JIT  management  has a high  degree of cultural aspects embedded in its  development. It  was first  developed and perfected within  the Toyota  manufacturing plants by taiichi Ohno as a means of  meeting consumer demands with  minimum delays. For  this reason taiichi  Ohno is frequently referred  to as the father of JIT.

 It has  been widely reported that proper use of JIT manufacturing  has resulted in increase in  quantity , productivity  and efficiency  and efficiency improved communication and  decrease  in cost and wastes.