Effects of an External Consultant on JIT Implementation

ABSTRACT Management consultants generally sell their services based on the premise that they can provide a service that the firm may not be able to obtain otherwise. Assistance with major project implementation is an example of a service many consultants wish to provide. Implementation of the Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing philosophy is one such major project. However, a number of manufacturing firms have successfully implemented the JIT philosophy without outside assistance. Therefore, the question arises as to what services consultants provide that are useful to JIT implementation? This paper uses literature review and a survey of firms, that have implemented JIT to address this question.