Operations
JIT (Just-In-Time)
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A production strategy that aligns raw material orders and production scheduling with actual demand, minimizing inventory and waste by receiving goods only as they are needed. The industrial equivalent of inducible gene expression.
Biological Context
JIT parallels inducible gene expression—cells produce enzymes only when substrates are present. The lac operon in E. coli is a classic example: lactose-digesting enzymes are produced only when lactose is available. This demand-driven production avoids maintaining unused protein inventory. However, organisms maintain strategic reserves for critical functions (glycogen in liver, stem cells in bone marrow). Pure JIT exists in no healthy organism.