Just-in-Time for Real Life

When Winter Storm Uri hit Texas in February of 2021, it crashed all the state’s systems. It did grave damage to the state’s unusual power grid, but it also stressed manufacturers, retailers, and customers. It did so in part because American business has for some time relied on what is called just-in-time (JIT) logistics. 

What have crises taught us about the utility and the limitations of JIT logistics? What needs to be changed to retain the virtues of the method? How can organizations insure themselves against JIT’s drawbacks? According to logistics experts, the key is to understand what JIT really means.