A Study on Just-in-Time Implementation in Portugal: Some Empirical Evidence

Authors

  • Maria Rosário Mota Oliveira Alves Moreira Unifersidade do Porto
  • Rui Alberto Ferreira Santos Alves Universidade do Porto

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to find how far the Just-in-Time system is being implemented
by Portuguese manufacturing firms, as well as assessing its perception and its potential
benefits by managers. First, several studies about the implementation of the Just-in-Time
system in various countries over the past 25 years are reviewed, and then the descriptive
survey research is reported. Data were collected from a mail questionnaire sent to a few
hundred firms in Portugal. The findings show that the surveyed firms view the Just-in-Time
system as a way to reduce inventories, to increase quality, and to eliminate waste. Despite
this good perception, less than 6% of the surveyed firms have the necessary conditions to
successfully implement a Just-in-Time system. A significant practical implication of this
study is that Portuguese firms should use Just-in-Time as a philosophy rather than as a
solution for operations-related problems. Another contribution is to point out the most
common difficulties for its implementation, so that Portuguese firms that want to do it can
be prepared to overcome those difficulties.

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Author Biographies

Maria Rosário Mota Oliveira Alves Moreira, Unifersidade do Porto

Maria Rosário Mota Oliveira Alves Moreira graduated in Management at Universidade
do Porto in 1994. In 1997 she obtained a Master in Economics at the same University. After
attending some courses in Management Science, she started doing research in the field
of workload and input-output control, and obtained a PhD in Business Administration in
2005 from Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Porto, where she is presently Assistant
Brazilian Journal of Operations & Production Management
Volume 5, Number 1, 2008, pp. 05-22
19
Professor. She has been teaching Operations Research and Operations Management at
Management Department of Faculdade de Economia, since 1996.

Rui Alberto Ferreira Santos Alves, Universidade do Porto

Rui Alberto Ferreira Santos Alves graduated in Economics at Universidade do Porto
in 1974. After a few years of work experience, he moved to Rochester, USA, where he
obtained a MS degree in Operations Research in 1986 and a PhD in Business Administration
in 1988 from the William E. Simon Graduate
School of Business Administration. He is
presently Associate Professor in the Management Department of Faculdade de Economia,
Universidade do Porto.

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Published

2010-02-10

How to Cite

Moreira, M. R. M. O. A., & Alves, R. A. F. S. (2010). A Study on Just-in-Time Implementation in Portugal: Some Empirical Evidence. Brazilian Journal of Operations & Production Management, 5(1), 5–22. Retrieved from https://bjopm.org.br/bjopm/article/view/BJV5N1_2008_P1

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2008): July, 2008

Section

Articles

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