Client Testimonials

Dear Paul,

I wanted to take a few minutes to personally thank you and the entire Shinka Management team for the exceptional experience I had during the Lean Japan Tour. Now that I am back in Canada and have had some time to reflect on the experience, I realize even more how valuable and enriching this journey was for me, both professionally and personally.

I particularly appreciated the quality and relevance of the training, especially its practical approach. The concepts were concrete and could easily be connected to real situations within companies. Having direct access to our sensei was also extremely valuable to me. Being able to ask questions, hear his perspective and participate in discussions with him added a great deal to the experience. I also really enjoyed the discussions with the other participants. The diversity of our professional backgrounds and experiences made these conversations especially interesting.

I also appreciated the practical exercises and simulations. They allowed us not only to understand the concepts, but also to experience them in practice. Finally, the company visits completed the experience perfectly. After learning and discussing Lean principles, being able to see them applied directly in the workplace really brought everything together. I would also like to recognize the excellent support, organization and communication provided by Shinka Management throughout the entire week. I felt very well supported from beginning to end.

Once again, thank you, Paul, for this exceptional experience. I returned to Canada with a great deal of new knowledge, but also with a lot of energy and ideas for what comes next.
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Returning to Japan with Shinka Management has been an amazing experience. Going over the principles of TPS and seeing it in practice in the country it was invented in was amazing. Shinka made the entire week streamlined with zero stress. Thank you from myself and the Ellerslie team.
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The tour was amazing – the staff were very well mannered, always trying their best to give us all the best experience. Being quite a young student on the tour, I learnt a lot. The TPS system was very well presented, and clear to understand and learn. All the hands-on tasks and workshop tours were a great addition to this program. Being able to see the TPS system working in real time was awesome – it gave a further opportunity to understand how everything works together. Overall, it was a wonderful experience.
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The September 2026 Lean Japan Tour gave me a great opportunity to experience the culture behind Lean practices and why it is so successful in the world and in its homeland, Japan. I would highly recommend it to every professional, especially those starting their journey with TPS and Lean Production. I set goals to focus on beforehand, and I’m going back with more than I imagined.

I would like to thank Paul, Ichi and Juan for all the support and guidance – it was quite refreshing to have professionals handle all the planning for you, so all you have to do is pay attention to what you experience. Great thanks also to Kaji Sensei for his wisdom and patience. I hope to meet all of you again in the future. Thanks.
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This has been the best tour I have ever been on.

The learnings were super valuable, and listening to Sensei and his wisdom was really refreshing – pointing out the most obvious things that make you think, “why didn’t I think of that!” All the factory tours were very accommodating and informative, and the staff were really nice at all venues.

The Shinka Management team of Paul, Ichi and Juan, with Eri in the background, made this trip so effortless and enjoyable – everything from initial booking to the classroom sessions, interpreting, activities, factory visits, transport, meals and general help with Japanese culture were second to none. I would recommend this Lean Japan Tour to anyone – 10/10, team!
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An excellent and highly valuable Lean experience in Japan.

Participating in the Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour was a truly valuable experience, both professionally and personally. What impressed me most was the opportunity to go beyond Lean theory and see how the Toyota Production System, Kaizen, standard work, visual management and continuous improvement are embedded into daily operations and, more importantly, into organizational culture.

The combination of factory visits, discussions with Japanese management teams, hands-on activities and Lean seminars created a very well-balanced and engaging learning experience. As someone responsible for production and integration operations, I particularly appreciated seeing how flow, standardization, employee engagement and continuous improvement come together to create sustainable operational excellence. I returned from Japan not simply with new Lean tools, but with a renewed perspective on how we should think about production, people and continuous improvement.

Although I didn’t manage to break the record in the Karakuri challenge, it was definitely one of the most enjoyable and memorable parts of the program! It was a great reminder that learning through experimentation, teamwork and a little friendly competition can be just as powerful as learning in the classroom.

I would like to sincerely thank the Shinka Management team for their excellent organization, professionalism, hospitality and support throughout the program. Their ability to connect Japanese manufacturing culture with real shop-floor practices made the experience especially meaningful. I highly recommend the Lean Japan Tour to manufacturing leaders and professionals who want not only to learn Lean, but to see it, experience it and understand how it becomes part of an organization’s culture.
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I attended the Lean Manufacturing training in September 2026. Although I had heard a lot about it, this was my first training on Lean Manufacturing. I really enjoyed the training – the best part was having both classroom training and observing the methods during the factory visits. Furthermore, I learned a lot about TPS. Thank you for everything.
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Can’t speak highly enough of my week with Shinka Management in Japan. The training and factory tours were fantastic, and it was great to see first-hand how easy it is to implement efficiencies in the workplace. Highly recommend. Thanks to Paul and the crew for a great week.
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It was a good week for learning from the pioneers of Lean and understanding their culture and perspectives. In my luggage I bring the wish to keep learning more and to apply some lessons. I’m really grateful for this week and the opportunity to learn here.
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I have just completed the Lean Leadership Master Class in Brisbane. The training was extremely valuable, especially as it was hosted in a working manufacturing facility. The lessons from the training room could be easily and practically applied to a real life situation which helped to lock in the concepts. Having a trainer with years of experience with Toyota manufacturing made the experience so much more valuable. Would recommend to anyone wanting to take their manufacturing to the next level.
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I wholeheartedly recommend the Japan Lean Tour.

The program is exceptionally well-organized, combining rigorous classroom training with hands-on practice on real factory floors, and factory visits that progress smartly from service centers through Tier 3 to Tier 2 manufacturing — offering a full picture of lean excellence across the value chain.

Cultural experiences like the Karakuri Museum, Inuyama Castle, and Toyota Commemorative Museum add meaningful context, and the diverse Japanese cuisine throughout the trip is a delight.

Most of all, the group dynamic created by Paul, Eri, Ichi, and Kaji-Sensei made this tour special — their warmth and guidance turned every moment, whether in seminars or on the road, into an opportunity for sharing and reflection.

Don’t hesitate if you get the chance to join.
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Thank you to Shinka Management for the positivity, preparation, knowledge, senseis, food, accommodation, photos, and overall care throughout the tour. I learned a lot.

I had participated in a similar training program in Japan two years ago, but Shinka Management takes the experience one or two levels higher in several aspects.

Thank you.
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In 2019, I discovered lean management — and it was a revelation.

Lean taught me something essential: we do not transform an environment by waiting for a miracle. We transform it by choosing to improve ourselves every day, even by one millimeter — with discipline, humility, and consistency. Since then, this mindset has never left me. That is why spending one week in Japan, at the very source of lean, was such a meaningful experience for me.

I had the opportunity to be supported by Shinka Management, and this training now clearly ranks among my top three learning experiences. Shinka Management truly practices what it teaches. The organization, the quality of the content, the flow of the program, and the high standards throughout all reflected a genuine culture of continuous improvement. Everything was designed with rigor, consistency and efficiency.

For seven days, I was surrounded by participants from nine different countries, representing a wide range of business environments — from major tech companies to manufacturing plants. This diversity made the learning experience even richer.

The welcome and knowledge-sharing from the Japanese companies were exceptional. What impressed me the most was the generosity with which they shared Kaizen — not as an abstract concept, but as a living, practical, and collective discipline. Almost an obsession.

Every visit, every discussion and every detail seemed to convey the message: sustainable performance is built over time, through people, and with people.

Returning to the birthplace of this methodology allowed me to better understand the logic behind the mindset. I would highly recommend this training to any lean practitioner seeking a deeper understanding of the journey that shapes lean thinking and methods.

Industrial methods can absolutely create value in service organizations — when they are adapted with intelligence and rigor. And I’m eager to see what we do with a fresh perspective shared by Shinka Management.
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I would like to thank Shinka Management for the opportunity to participate in this tour.

The team did a great job, and I felt very comfortable throughout the whole program. Everything was organised precisely.

I learned and saw many new lean methods, and it was especially valuable that we could also practise these methods ourselves.

The company visits were really inspiring, and they confirmed for me that we have to work hard if we want to be a leader in our market.

Thank you for everything.
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I would like to personally thank the Shinka team for a well-organised week that definitely opened my eyes on elements of Lean Management as well as some great ideas related to Japanese construction processes.
I’m looking forward to getting back to our business and putting these elements into play with the whole team. I think this is definitely a sign of a worthwhile and informative tour!
Thanks again to Paul, Eri, Ichi and Chris for your efforts to keep us engaged and on time for the week’s tour.
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Thank you to the Shinka team for a wonderful experience in Japan. The housing mission was professionally organised and executed by Paul, Eri, and the team. The lead-up information provided before heading to Japan was excellent and greatly helped with preparation.

Once in Japan, the tour was so efficient that we were able to see many aspects of Japanese housing and manufacturing. Even though there was so much travel, information, and factory visits packed into the mission, it was so seamlessly organised that the whole experience remained comfortable. This helped us stay prepared to learn each day of the mission.

The Japanese food and cultural experiences were magnificent throughout. The translation by Ichi-san was outstanding and added greatly to the experience.

Thank you to the Shinka team for a wonderful experience.

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I recently completed a study tour in Japan with Shinka Management and it was an excellent experience. The tour was extremely well organised, allowing us to focus on learning and gaining real value. The insights into Lean and Japanese home building were first class, with practical takeaways I can apply in our business.

Thanks to Paul, Eri, Ichi and Chris for their professionalism and support throughout. I’d highly recommend Shinka Management to any business leader wanting to better understand Lean and world-class practices.
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