Factors underlying operational JIT purchasing practices: Results of an empirical research

This study analyses the intensity and nature of the relationship between the principal operational Just-In-Time Purchasing practices, i.e. the practices that create the link between the buyer's and supplier's operation chains. Such practices are frequently discussed in the literature on JIT Purchasing, but few studies examine the relationships between them empirically. A plant-level survey was carried out on a sample of machinery and electronics firms. The survey involved 457 respondents from 50 plants. The study demonstrates that the practices considered, although closely interdependent from a conceptual point of view, shows three main underlying factors. The first, delivery synchronisation, include operative aspects and practices concerning the synchronisation between the external flow and the internal activities. In the second, inter action on quality, practices mainly oriented towards the management of quality related problems converge. The third factor, interaction on design, corresponds to the co-operation between the buyer and supplier in the product development activities. Each of these factors is partly independent from the others and can be interpreted as a distinct type of buyer/supplier interaction.