I highly recommend this tour. You will learn lean from the experts which will greatly facilitate your lean journey.
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We learned from the masters (sensei), who were filled with wisdom, passion and experience. The Lean Japan Tour content was very practical and made a lot of sense. We received excellent hospitality from Paul and Craig of Shinka Management.
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I want to congratulate the Shinka Management Team for the fantastic organisation of the Lean Japan Tour 2023.
The tour has been a business and life-changing experience for sure. On Day 1 I was already enlightened, and all the bits and pieces of a huge TQM puzzle came together to form a clear picture. The tour offers a fantastic overview of how lean management works at Toyota and their suppliers in Japan, and also helped me to better understand why lean implementation is sometimes difficult in Europe, and what needs to be considered in order to avoid making mistakes during the transformation journey. I highly recommend this tour: perfect organization (including preparation via video conference with Eri and Juan) and execution, coaching by various senseis, kanban and kaizen exercises in the Dojo, and last, but not least, the very, very nice group of people from all over the world meeting in this fascinating country… Japan!
This is the start of something big for me. I will keep you posted on the results once available. Thank you so, so much!
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It was a fasntastic tour from the beginning to the end. It was very well-organised and informative. Sessions were followed with practical training which concentrated more on the ideas that had been explained. The factories visited were chosen in a way that allowed the participants to see a live supply chain work. Big thanks to the Shinka Management team, especially the director Mr Ben Sparrow for leading this tour with inspiring calmness. Finally, it is a tour related to lean management and the tour also allowed us to experience Japanese culture. Thank you.
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Learning 5S and TPS while experiencing and living the Japanese culture through communication, direct interaction and viewing various live examples from different perspectives, created a solid reference for us to understand the main reason behind the success of these systems. This is a complete lifestyle that involves human contribution, a continuous thrive for improvement, and a strong team commitment. This is a unique experience that marked a new milestone in my career.
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A very intensive and learning Lean Japan Study tour. Alternating with company tours, training session and feeling the Japanese culture. Experiencing the TPS live generated many new inputs and ideas for me. I can recommend it to anyone interested in Lean / Kaizen, but also to experts. It shows what culture is behind it and what can be achieved when we tackle it. Everything is planned from A-Z and it is also constantly being improved. Name is program *Shinka* Management well done.
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The Lean Japan Tour program organised by Shinka Management is a fantastic experience for those involved in business and production. It inspires people to make changes for the better and to more effectively organize production regardless of the industry they represent.
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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 originated. I can highly recommend this tour!
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The Lean Japan Tour allowed me to understand in a practical and conceptual way the real essence of just-in-time and operational efficiency. The dedication of the team and their attention to detail have made this an unforgettable experience.
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For me, the Lean Japan Tour was a journey through different companies guided by experts who explained the tools and demonstrated how to live in a work culture based on continuous improvement. This allowed me to discover new concepts and approaches to facilitate the successful implementation of a kaizen culture in American companies.
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If I had to describe the Lean Japan Tour, I would describe it as a great “experience”. It was an experience in every sense – from being surrounded by a new culture, landscapes, food, people; and learning a successful and proven work philosophy with results that are maintained over time. We were able to learn this new philosophy by seeing it in action on the plant floor and through hands-on exercise of what we had learned. Undoubtedly, the Lean Japan Tour leaves me not just with this experience, but also with a great responsibility as a leader – that is the responsibility of transmitting knowledge and implementing it in my company.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to learn the Toyota Production System from the source. I look forward to implementing the many findings in our plant. This experience has given me a different approach to improving our plant’s lean journey. Thank you again for everything.
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I was very impressed with the professionalism and preparedness of the Shinka team. The support both before and during the tour was fantastic. It was the right mix of culture and personal development. There were lots of learnings I will take with me.
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Shinka Management organized an excellent tour. It was structured to capture professional development and cultural experience. The tour also provided me with experiences related not only to the local culture and food of Japan, but also to the culture and languages of fellow participants from all over the world. This tour has made a significant impact on my personal life and professional career. The kaizen concept and strategy of continuous improvement was presented in a genuine yet easily understood manner. I recommend contacting Shinka Management if you are serious about integrating kaizen into your company. Kaizen can be translated into your own business and partner organizations, but it also translates into your home and personal life. Thank you Shinka Management for such a valuable and unique program!
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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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Had the pleasure to accompany Ben and clients on the 2007 Lean Japan Tour. I had worked with many Japanese, ASEAN, UK and US firms and as such have participated in benchmarking assignments and tours of their operations. Some involved attending and presenting at various strategy, productivity and quality management conferences. In that context, I was so taken away with Shinka Management’s tour. The productivity best practice survey lessons learned and lectures from our Japanese hosts followed by excellent Tokyo and Nagoya plant tours were breathtaking and one of the most enjoyable learning experiences. The re-enforcement of the little continual improvement activities, coordination and collaboration of all the companies and their suppliers was “in-your-face” so to speak. There was little need for explanation in some ways as the plants were “visual” and Ben’s clarifications were timely – every time. He filled the gaps in our understanding and what Ben’s clients had achieved by their productivity, quality and lean interventions. As for the personal time, the co-tour attendees and Ben’s hosting were memorable. During the in-bus post plant tour de-briefs it was interesting to hear what each of us got out of the visit and what we learned from what we saw – different eyes, experience and perspectives. Brilliant!
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The fact that you can go past all the books and see the Toyota Production System in action first hand is fantastic. It is not sold in a complicated form by those involved but rather the opposite. The training room was found to be hands on and simple allowing us to touch and feel examples of good practice. I am looking forward to sharing my time with colleagues through the feedback sessions planned.
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Amazing Tour. Great experience to see and share with Japanese managers. I learned a lot about their culture, their way to think, to work and to improve by themselves. Great moments during training and after work. Thanks a lot. We will return back home with a new eye and mindset.
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During the Lean Japan Tour I came to the realization that improving an organization is not through large capital investments alone. We were completely surrounded by examples of minor investments into small improvements that produced significant savings. The clever use of visual management techniques gave a clear understanding of the current situation and Ben who is fluent in Japanese was able to remove any language barriers. The open discussions with local senior management helped me identify the misconceptions I had regarding Lean Manufacturing. From the tour I came away with a much broader comprehension of the key elements and how each company had achieved them. We saw the application of lean in various industries – not just automotive. Having said that, what we did experience with the automotive visits were certain management concepts that I realized could be applied in many other situations. In our case we implemented “one piece flow” and “process value mapping” and achieved considerable savings. The tour was a seamless and very professional experience and the group was able to gain a better understanding of the Japanese culture. This is not just a tour for production people but for everybody with an open mind to improve processes, like for myself coming out of Finance.
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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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