The success of the TPS was helped to some extent by the fact that Toyota's main factory in Japan is situated in Toyoda City, near Nagoya, where there is a classic “cluster” of car-industry suppliers and manufacturers. With its main suppliers never more than a few miles away, it was easy for Toyota to choose parts on demand and ensure that they arrived at its doors precisely as and when it needed them. With more far-flung manufacturing networks, it is obviously harder to apply JIT.