Under what guideline do manufacturers produce items only for custom orders?

Just-in-time manufacturing is a production strategy aimed at reducing flow times within production systems as well as response times from suppliers and to customers. This approach focuses on manufacturing items only when there is a demand for them, which allows manufacturers to minimize inventory levels and reduce waste associated with excess production. By producing items solely for custom orders, manufacturers can ensure that they are aligning production closely with customer needs, thus enhancing efficiency and responsiveness.

This method contrasts starkly with mass production, which favors high-volume production to drive down unit costs regardless of immediate demand. Lean manufacturing also emphasizes reducing waste, but it does not specifically revolve around the principle of only making products that are already ordered. Quality control primarily deals with maintaining standards throughout the production process rather than the approach to production scheduling and inventory management. Thus, just-in-time manufacturing clearly encapsulates the idea of producing solely in response to custom orders.