Client Testimonials

It was an excellent tour – professionally run and well executed. The companies selected implemented lean at a high degree. The passion they exhibited in sharing their lean journey was very inspiring. I have learned new strategies to bring home to implement. A time well spent.
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I highly recommend the Lean Study Tour of Japan as an experience not to be missed. Having attended the tour for the past three years, supporting our clients, I have come away with new learnings every time. Whether you are new to Lean Thinking or well into your Lean Journey you will undoubtedly have an amazing experience immersed in the heart of the Toyota Production System. For companies wishing to develop their world class manufacturing skills this tour is a must do. Shinka Management’s co-ordination and guidance throughout the tour is faultless.
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I enjoyed every aspect of this extremely well organised kaizen tour including: factory visits, translations by Paul and Ben, TPS training, sightseeing, accommodation, transportation, and meals. This tour is a must for anyone trying to understand / implement LEAN into their business or organisation. I hope the tour continues for many years to come as I would like to do it again in future.
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To do a lean learning tour with Shinka is definitely highly recommended. As lean is a personal journey for everyone who is involved in this topic, it doesn’t matter at which point of your journey you are in. At each level of personal experience there is a lot that you can take home with you. As an eye opener, as a deepener of your own level, as inspiration or as a booster – just do it. Organisation, support, guidance and facilitation by the coaches and trainers – five stars from five!
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I attended the tour in 2011 and found the whole experience very useful to build on my understanding of Lean Manufacturing. For those having a reasonable understanding of Lean this tour shows in detail the gap that Australia experiences to world class productivity practices. Most interesting was the deployment of essentially the key elements of the Toyota Production System into an SME with 50 employees. It showed that even small business can be world class, and there is significant potential from my experience to do this in local SME’s as well as larger firms. This is really a must as part of the serious Lean journey and excellent for small and larger enterprises.
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It made all the light bulbs go off in my head. I knew the principles and I knew the theory but now it just all makes sense, now I can apply what I know and make real improvements in my business.
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Not for the fainthearted, this action-packed tour will blow you away. It’s a one-week learning adventure supercharged with information on TPS (Lean) principles. The learning experiences and companies visited far exceeded expectations. The Japanese managers we met were friendly and excited to share their experiences.

If you desire change within your organisation and are not sure what you need, then this is the trip for you and your company. You have been warned; “this could lead to some serious self-analysis on how GOOD companies operate!”

Thanks to Ben & Paul for the well organised trip from beginning to end.
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The training gave us a great opportunity to develop relationships between us and our Japanese colleagues. Paul presented the culture of the country and behaviors of the Japanese people in an easy and attractive manner.
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In our experience it is hard to find good quality training. We have been very impressed with the content and presentation of the Lean courses run by Shinka. We felt we got really good value, and came away feeling inspired and that we had the skills to improve our business.
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