Case Summary

This instance is about the Just-in-Time ( JIT ) execution at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. After World War II. they faced with competition from Nipponese companies. which were able to bring forth better quality bikes at relatively lower cost. Harley-Davidson found that there were three most of import patterns of Nipponese companies. which differentiated their production procedure from that of others: JIT fabrication. employee engagement. and statistical procedure control. Harley-Davidson adopted those three rules and formulated different schemes to do this move possible and to do its fabrication processes every bit efficient as that of its Nipponese opposite numbers. The company eventually succeeded in accomplishing its ends of cut downing the cost of production. bettering quality. and increasing its market portion. With the company once more acquiring into difficult times. this instance presents how it was seeking to concentrate on “continuous improvement” in a command to convey itself back into net incomes. Question # 1: Why has uninterrupted betterment been so successful at Harley Davidson? Continuous betterment is ongoing attempt to better merchandises. services or procedures. These attempts can seek “incremental” betterment over clip or “breakthrough” betterment all at one time.

Under uninterrupted betterment. a undertaking or series of undertakings were identified as the job country in the concern procedure. fabrication operations. and merchandise development where betterment could be made. Harley-Davidson required the active engagement and committedness of its employees to assist in extinguishing unneeded stairss and complexness for the procedure and to convey more flexibleness into the system. Continuous betterment helped the company place nest eggs chances and put those mechanisms into topographic points. besides improved the quality criterions and the reduced the waste in the signifiers of cost. clip and defects. Therefore with a twelvemonth. all Harley-Davidson’s fabrication operations were being converted to JIT: constituents and sub-assemblies were “pulled” through the production system in response to concluding demand. Question # 2: Sing the route in front. what specific actions can Harley Davidson take that will travel them toward their ends? Harley Davidson could maintain making “continuous betterment. ” Take a closer expression at its operations in a command to acquire its cost construction right and manage cargos consistent with the expected deceleration of consumer disbursement.

For uninterrupted betterment. it’s begins with place the current procedure and take a ballot on which procedure would most profit from betterment. so map out the bing procedure utilizing a undertaking board like A3 study. After to the full understand the procedure. place countries of chance environing the mapped procedure. to make this squad should analyse the current procedure and size up countries that may be streamlined. Finally. the squad will make up one’s mind on a new procedure. In order to cut down extra capacity or costs and derive efficiencies. the company has consolidated some of its production installations. and parts. accoutrements and general ware distribution operations to better its overall procedure. The company besides made it a high precedence to pull off supply in line with demand. In add-on. the company started reconstituting its production procedure to cut down complexness and make the flexibleness to bring forth multiple merchandise households on the same assembly line every twenty-four hours at the beginning of 2009.