General Electric: Jit Alternative

The Basic Problem (BP) is General Electric Company's Transportation Systems Business Operations' (TSCO) purchasing department hopes to realize significant improvements in their materials management operations through the possible implementation of the Japanese "Just-In-Time" philosophy; however, with few American companies to compare themselves to, GE has many concerns about the impact this approach will have on their existing operations.

The best solution is for the TSCO purchasing department to take their time analyzing several test cases on various components, in order to gain a better understanding on how the "Just-In-Time" approach will work for their particular business. Since GE is one of the first American companies to consider this Japanese philosophy, they could gain a significant competitive advantage in the global market by conducting extensive research on the JIT methodology before delving into uninhabited territory, while still putting themselves in the position to obtain the "first-mover advantage".

The Basic Problem (BP) is General Electric Company's Transportation Systems Business Operations' (TSCO) purchasing department hopes to realize significant improvements in their materials management operations through the possible implementation of the Japanese "Just-In-Time" philosophy; however, with few American companies to compare themselves to, GE has many concerns about the impact this approach will have on their existing operations.

The best solution is for the TSCO purchasing department to take their time analyzing several test cases on various components, in order to gain a better understanding on how the "Just-In-Time" approach will work for their particular business. Since GE is one of the first American companies to consider this Japanese philosophy, they could gain a significant competitive advantage in the global market by conducting extensive