Chuo Malleable Iron – Factory Tour
Chuo Malleable Iron is a manufacturer of cast iron and aluminum components. The company mainly supplies to the automobile and electric industries and their major trading partners include Toyota Group companies such as Toyota Motor Corporation, Denso and Aisin Seiki. The company also produces steel furniture such as metal framed chairs which represents around four percent of their revenue.
Corporate Information
- Company: Chuo Malleable Iron Co., Ltd.
- Foundation: 1944
- Location: Headquartered in Aichi Prefecture
- Main Business: Manufacturing of cast iron and aluminum components
Chuo Malleable Iron – Lean Characteristics
Kanban System, JIT, Visual Management
Chuo Malleable Iron is a supplier of cast iron and aluminum components to the automobile and electric sectors. The company was founded in 1944 in Aichi Prefecture and started to supply for Toyota Motor Corporation in 1948.
The company has four production bases in Japan, three in the Tokai Region and one in Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu as well as two production bases in China.
Their Nisshin Plant is the biggest plant that produces approximately 2,400 tons of cast iron products and 100 tons of aluminum products per month. The company uses electric furnaces in their efforts to achieve improved environmental outcomes and Just-In-Time fabrication of components based on a kanban system. The factory also features effective visual management examples.
The visit to the Nisshin Plant includes a presentation, a site tour and a Q&A session with senior managers.
Pforzheim, Germany
The Lean Japan Tour was the best lean management experience I have had. I wish I had done this earlier, so I could have done some things differently. One learns that some aspects of lean that one thought one knew, really have a different dimension to them. It helps to see lean management where it…
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Délégation Sfax Ville, Sfax, Tunisia
Enriched by an exceptional experience in Japan with Shinka Management, I delved into the nuances of Japanese culture and etiquette while immersing myself in the heart of the Toyota Production System. From theoretical and practical courses to visits to Toyota’s final assembly site and their suppliers, each step shaped my understanding. The impeccable organization, meticulous…
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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The thing about the Lean Japan Tour by Shinka Management is that it’s not focused only on production efficiency, but also involves the lean way of managing people & reducing waste as a path to improving an organization’s quality & efficiency. We had the chance to visit different plants, and the privilege of meeting sensei…
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San Francisco, California, United States
Thank you, Paul Smith and Ben Sparrow, for hosting this amazing real time learning experience through visits to factories in Japan practicing Lean methodologies. This trip is something I will remember and take with me throughout my professional career and personal life.
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Buenos Aires, Argentina
The Lean Japan Tour has allowed me to learn both professionally and culturally. It has been an invaluable experience to learn through interacting directly with a Japanese sensei. It has been a pleasure experiencing this program in Japan, with the locals always helping us as if we were a relative. The Lean Japan tour is…
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Göteborg, Sweden
I would like to give my deepest thanks for helping us end the executive program on a high note. This week has summarized TPS / VPS in a very practical and eye-opening manner. The lean journey has become real and exemplified through the many visits we have done. The coaching by Hattori Sensei, and by…
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The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour is a professional development program run several times annually. The program includes a mix of lean and kaizen seminars, hands-on lean training and visits to several benchmark lean companies. For further information and program dates, see the lean tour overview page.
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