I wasn't trying to suggest that it does. Merely that if everything else were ideal, that would be the best way to do it. Inventory must be had because everything isn't ideal. However, minimizing that inventory, while still meeting demand is what you *want* to do and not a bad thing. That was the point I was trying (and failing) to make.
Oh don't get me wrong, I am a fan of JiT manufacturing too. Was just trying to frame the impact of that type of approach within the context of the inventory adjustment this specific "story" was trying to speak to.
In college I worked at a Burger King. We'd flame-broil those whopper patties and toast the buns only to then shove them into a "warmer oven" which was basically a steam bath. It made the buns soggy. It also meant we had to microwave the burgers again for 10seconds or so before using them to build out the burger.
I hated that kind of inventory management. I was a huge fan of whoppers at the time, it was why I decided to get a job at burger king instead of McDonalds at the time. But I couldn't believe the piss-poor quality control.
If you could get yourself a truly JiT broiled whopper then the flavor was off the hook, but those warmer-oven whoppers just sucked, bad. The best time to get a JiT whopper was during lunch rush. Don't go when it is slow, they stick those whoppers in the warmer ovens.
Mind you this was some 20yrs ago, things might have changed since then, or gotten worse...BK ain't exactly Fuddruckers or Red Robin
