Just-in-Time (JIT) is a concept of production and logistics organisation, whose main premise is to deliver materials exactly when they are needed on the production line. The aim of this solution is to eliminate the costs associated with storage and maintaining excessive stocks, as well as to increase the efficiency of the entire process.
Transport plays a key role in the JIT system – it determines whether materials will reach the production plant at the right time and in the right quantity. Even a slight delay in delivery can halt the entire production line, which is why the reliability of the carrier is of particular importance here.
Jasek Transport offers international road transport from Poland and has been supporting manufacturing companies in critical deliveries, including Just-in-Time transport, for many years.
Our experience covers both domestic and international supply chains, where punctuality and safety play a key role. Contact Jasek Transport to provide your company with reliable Just-in-Time transport – efficiently, punctually and always in line with your production rhythm.
Just-in-Time transport allows companies to reduce costs associated with storage and overproduction, which translates into greater efficiency and improved competitiveness.
This solution has found wide application in industries such as automotive, electronics and industrial manufacturing, where precision and continuity of processes are crucial.
However, it requires precise planning and resilience to disruptions. In other words, it is a model that offers benefits but is not without its challenges.
Benefits of Just-in-Time transport
Transport carried out using the Just-in-Time system brings companies a number of measurable benefits that affect both their finances and the organisation of production processes.
1. Optimisation of storage costs
Thanks to just-in-time deliveries, companies do not need to maintain large stocks of raw materials and components. This means lower costs for renting storage space, handling and inventory management.
2. Increased production efficiency
JIT transport ensures a constant supply of materials in line with the production schedule. Production lines run smoothly and the risk of downtime due to excess or shortage of raw materials is minimised.
3. Flexibility and better alignment with demand
The system allows for faster response to market changes. Production can be adjusted to current orders, and the company avoids the problem of frozen capital in inventory.
4. Building strong business relationships
Just-in-Time transport is based on trusted cooperation with carriers and suppliers. Stable partnerships in logistics promote long-term efficiency and greater predictability of processes.
Risks of Just-in-Time transport
Just-in-Time transport reduces operating costs, but it also makes the production process extremely sensitive to disruptions. Minimal safety stocks mean that even minor delays in deliveries can lead to downtime, which generates significant costs in an industrial environment.
1. High dependence on carriers
The Just-in-Time system is based on timely deliveries and a transport schedule that is closely aligned with the pace of production. Even a delay of a few hours can disrupt the continuity of processes, especially in industries with high production volumes. In the automotive sector, the failure to deliver a key component, such as a wiring harness or electronic module, can delay final assembly and force a reorganisation of work on the line. Downtime of this kind involves measurable costs and considerable time pressure.
2. Lack of storage buffers
In the JIT model, companies do not maintain large inventories, which reduces costs but limits the safety margin. If the delivery of electronic parts for a household appliance manufacturer does not arrive on time, the plant has no reserves that would allow it to continue production until the problem is resolved.
3. External factors
Transport is affected by many external factors that can disrupt the smooth flow of deliveries, albeit to varying degrees and at different stages. Short-term disruptions – such as traffic jams, accidents, infrastructure failures or strikes – cause local delays and require flexible planning. The impact of long-term phenomena, such as regulatory changes or global crises, which force permanent modifications to logistics models and supply plans, is different.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the scale of such an impact on a global scale – it was not a single disruption, but a long-term factor that forced the restructuring of entire supply chains and a change in the approach to inventory management, especially in Just-in-Time systems.
4. Unforeseen situations increase costs
When deliveries are delayed, companies have to look for alternative solutions, such as express transport, air transport or dedicated transport. This avoids downtime, but significantly increases costs. Example: an electronics manufacturer who, in the event of a sudden shortage of components, decides to use air transport instead of road transport – the cost of a single delivery increases several times over.
How to minimise risks in Just-in-Time transport?
Although JIT transport involves many challenges, there are effective ways to reduce risk. It is crucial to choose a trusted logistics partner, monitor shipments in real time and diversify routes and carriers. In many companies, combining JIT with minimum safety stocks also works well.
A detailed discussion of these methods can be found in the article: How to reduce risks in Just-in-Time transport?
The cost perspective of Just-in-Time transport
One of the main advantages of the Just-in-Time system is the reduction of storage costs, but it is worth taking a broader look at the financial balance of this model. Reducing inventory allows companies to reduce their expenditure on space rental, logistics services and frozen capital. It is estimated that in the automotive and electronics industries, the use of not only ASAP (as soon as possible) transport options, but also JIT, can reduce storage costs by up to several percent per year.
However, it should be remembered that these savings are offset by the risk of emergency costs. Production line downtime caused by the lack of a single component can generate huge losses – in large industrial plants, these can amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds per day. An example is the automotive industry, where a lack of electronic parts can halt the assembly of entire vehicles, and a delay of a single lorry translates into losses incomparably greater than the cost of maintaining a safety stock.
Therefore, in practice, JIT pays off when transport is reliable and precisely synchronised with the production schedule. Otherwise, potential savings can quickly be offset by the costs of downtime and emergency transport.
Industries using Just-in-Time transport
The Just-in-Time system is primarily used in sectors where process continuity and high precision in deliveries are important. It is most commonly used in:
- the automotive industry – car factories operate on a JIT model because maintaining warehouses with parts for hundreds of vehicle models would be too costly. Deliveries of components – from seats to electronics – must be synchronised with the production schedule.
- electronics – manufacturers of computers, smartphones and audio/video equipment often use JIT to respond quickly to changing market trends and reduce the time it takes to introduce new models.
- FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) – the food and cosmetics industries need a smooth flow of goods to avoid losses associated with short shelf lives.
- Heavy industry and engineering – large machine or structural components are delivered directly to the assembly line, where there is no space for storage.
Examples of application
Toyota – one of the pioneers of JIT, which, thanks to close cooperation with suppliers, has built a global production model based on just-in-time deliveries.
Dell – a computer manufacturer that has introduced ‘made-to-order’ production, minimising inventory and reducing lead times.
Grocery chains – they use Just-in-Time deliveries to maintain product freshness and avoid inventory losses.
These examples show that JIT transport is not a universal solution for all companies, but where precision and timeliness are key, it can bring a significant competitive advantage.
In a separate article, we described the execution of a JIT transport order for our client in the automotive industry.
Professional support in Just-in-Time transport
The implementation of Just-in-Time transport requires not only efficient production organisation, but also cooperation with a competent logistics partner. It is the transport operator who is responsible for timely deliveries, flexible response to changes and minimisation of downtime risks.
Experienced carriers offer not only the transport of goods, but also:
- route and schedule planning in line with the production rhythm,
- real-time shipment monitoring, which ensures full transparency of the process,
- emergency solutions, such as door-to-door or express transport, when every hour counts,
- advisory support in optimising the supply chain and selecting appropriate logistics strategies.
Choosing the right partner for JIT transport determines whether the system will operate efficiently and safely. Thanks to professional logistics support, companies can focus on production, confident that their deliveries will arrive on time.
Korzyści i ryzyka transportu Just-in-Time – podsumowanie
Transport realizowany w systemie Just-in-Time umożliwia firmom przemysłowym ograniczenie kosztów magazynowania, usprawnienie przepływu materiałów i zwiększenie efektywności procesów produkcyjnych. To rozwiązanie, które wymaga precyzyjnego planowania i pełnej koordynacji na każdym etapie łańcucha dostaw. Nawet niewielkie opóźnienia mogą prowadzić do zakłóceń w produkcji i generować istotne koszty.
Dlatego kluczowe znaczenie ma wybór partnera logistycznego, który rozumie specyfikę dostaw krytycznych i potrafi działać z wyprzedzeniem, elastycznie reagując na zmienne warunki.
Jasek Transport łączy doświadczenie branżowe z nowoczesnym zapleczem operacyjnym. Zapewniamy stały monitoring przesyłek, szybki przepływ informacji i gotowość do działania w sytuacjach wymagających maksymalnej punktualności i precyzji.
Dysponujemy nowoczesną flotą przewozową i zespołem kierowców przygotowanych do obsługi zleceń o wysokim stopniu odpowiedzialności czasowej. Dzięki indywidualnemu podejściu do każdego klienta oraz transparentnej komunikacji zapewniamy pełną kontrolę nad procesem dostawy i pewność, że komponenty dotrą dokładnie wtedy, kiedy są potrzebne.
