just-in-time

adjective

1. Business.,  noting or pertaining to a method of inventory control that keeps inventories low by scheduling needed goods and equipment to arrive a short time before a production run begins. JIT

just-in-time

adjective

1. JIT. denoting or relating to an industrial method in which waste of resources is eliminated or reduced by producing production-line components, etc, as they are required, rather than holding large stocks

Word History and Origins

Origin of just-in-time¹

First recorded in 1610–20 as an adverb, and in 1975–80 as an adjective

Idioms and Phrases

see in the nick of time.

Example Sentences

“International supply chains are geared towards just-in-time and not towards some Beijing bureaucrats making up their minds over months at a time whether to license a particular export shipment or not,” said Thomas Kruemmer, a rare-earth analyst based in Singapore.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“It’s a more ‘just-in-time’ approach and with a more frequent order mechanism,” Ruh said.

Read more on Barron's

Carmakers have a long tradition of using so-called "just-in-time delivery", where parts are not held in stock but delivered from suppliers exactly where and when they are needed.

Read more on BBC

“Global trade uncertainties disrupted typical grain flows and caused many of our commercial customers to focus on just-in-time purchasing,” William Krueger, the Andersons’ chief executive, said Wednesday in a call with investors.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was hand selected by Apple's co-founder Steve Jobs for his unrivalled expertise in just-in-time supply logistics.

Read more on BBC