The encyclopedia · Engineering & Operations · Operational decision · 1995–2020
Suppliers deliver parts in assembly order to the line, so each batch fits one car
Rather than just-in-time, just-in-sequence delivers parts already sorted in build order, so a worker pulls exactly the part for the car in front of them.
Jipocar
the move
Just-in-time delivers parts at the right time. In high-variant assembly such as cars, timing alone is not enough: a worker facing a bin of slightly different parts can grab the wrong one for the car in front of them, stopping the line or forcing rework.
Just-in-sequence closes that gap. The supplier receives the build order and delivers components already arranged in the order they will be used, down to the exact trim and colour for each vehicle. The worker simply takes the next part in the sequence.
The sequenced delivery is usually run by a specialist logistics provider with a hub near the plant: it receives parts, sequences them against the production schedule, and shuttles them to line side in build order — Jipocar does this for a German automaker, as DHL Freight describes.
The payoffs are a very low line-side inventory, no wrong-part picks, a smaller footprint on the assembly floor, and a way to absorb the variant explosion of modern cars without chaos.
why it works
- Many variants mean a 'right time' bin can still hold many 'wrong' parts; order disambiguates them.
- Parts arrive already sorted, so the worker picks the next one without searching — less error, less time.
- Sequenced delivery pushes inventory back to the supplier or hub rather than the plant line.
- The supplier or hub owns the complexity of a hugely variant build instead of the assembler.
what transfers
Just-in-time removes stock; just-in-sequence removes the risk of putting the wrong part on the wrong car. When a product is highly varied, sequencing beats mere timing.
what came after
Just-in-sequence is now standard at high-variant automotive and electronics plants, commonly run by third-party logistics firms with sequencing hubs. It effectively set the ceiling on where plain just-in-time can work and what a supplier can be asked to do.
references
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.