The Just-in-Time (JIT) inventory philosophy has been touted as a model of efficiency, its development being credited to Taiichi Ohno in Toyota production facilities in the 1970's. But golf supply professionals aren't all on board. Long before Ohno was streamlining car assembly lines, there was a saying, "The early bird catches the worm." And some golf courses are favoring early ordering over just-in-time models for their pesticide purchases. (2)Manufacturer rebates often entice golf courses to order pesticides months before they are needed. The largest benefit is that the rebates are a direct cost savings to the organization. However, other advantages are being noticed as well. Payment terms for early orders are often more favorable than would otherwise be seen in this industry. Scheduling is a convenience too. Pesticide treatments are scheduled long in advance which reduces the chance of conflict. When emergency pesticide treatments are required, they are easier to arrange since ordering and payment have already occurred.
The early ordering is helping suppliers too as they see more normalized sales patterns and have plenty of lead time to prepare their inventories.
So it seems that as long as enticing rebates and payment terms continue, the early birds on the golf course might not just be the guys carrying their sticks, trying to get in a round before work.
2) http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci-0910-cover-early-order-just-in-time.aspx
Sample Test Question: Task 1-E-3
The core of the JIT philosophy is:
A) cost effectiveness.
B) faster delivery times.
C) elimination of waste.
D) supplier cooperation and performance.
