Client Testimonials

A great tour. Having spent over 20 years in manufacturing I now understand the true meaning of Kaizen.
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From a remote rural engineering company – to the shining lights of Japan’s finest. I have returned overwhelmed from the experience to learn from some of the worlds best manufacturers and absorb decades of experience from my fellow peers. Highly recommended and treat it as a sound investment for your company’s future!
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Businesses need every weapon at their disposal to help compete in a global market. This tour opens up more ideas and opportunities and is highly recommended to manufacturers, engineering or service related industries. Everyone can learn something on this tour! Paul and Ben have done a marvelous job of putting together an action-packed week, which is highly recommended for those who wish to not only study lean practices but who have an interest in dealing with the Japanese in business.
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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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I would highly recommend the tour to anyone who is in the business of improving people. The ideas stimulated through this tour have helped me reform our entire vision of what improvement means for our business.
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The Shinka lean study mission of Japan offers participants an opportunity to see what is possible in undertaking world class manufacturing. The insights that are possible on tours like this can really challenge what you think are the real key success factors for implementation and enhance the chance of success in your own journey.
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I was a part of the November 2013 Lean Japan Tour and would highly recommend it for anyone who is serious about Lean Manufacturing. Ben and Paul are well organised and have put together a great tour. The tour is very enjoyable and a great insight into Lean manufacturing. I have come back with a greater appreciation for Lean Manufacturing and excited about where we can go with the ideas and knowledge I brought back with me from the tour. Paul and Ben, WELL DONE.
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This tour was recommended to me by our VP Operations who undertook the tour the previous year. Both Ben and Paul provided an excellent tour of the Japanese manufacturing industry and the program was both well run and highly focused towards the practical implementation of lean strategies. There were plenty of opportunities to ask questions of the particular line managers as well as the teams which implemented the lean techniques. I would have no hesitation in recommending this tour.
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A great mix of Japanese Business Etiquette, site visits show-casing lean principles, Japanese Culture and networking with the other members of the group. Both Ben & Paul were professional yet relaxed and friendly. Their relationships with key personnel in strategic lean businesses is impressive and their ability to translate quickly & accurately minimised the language barrier. I thoroughly recommend the Shinka Lean Japan Tour to any person wanting to improve their understanding of lean principles and see working examples of gemba, kaizen, TPS, kanban, andon & jidoka, etc.
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I highly recommend the Lean Japan Tour – it provided a very good insight, was well organised and is led by guys who are clearly very passionate for lean and Japan.
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Wow. What a great experience not just from a learning perspective but also a great cultural experience as well. From the start the group came together really well. It was a perfect mix of practical and theory, and to gain an insight into the Toyota Production System and see it in action at all the sites we visited this week was awesome. A big thank you to Ben for making everyone feel so warm and making the week run smoothly. Over the week I have seen there are so many opportunities for myself and my company to improve. Now I’m heading back to implement what we have learnt and will take small steps to achieve our ultimate goal as a business. This is a wonderful investment personally and for the company. In six months’ time I want to look back at this trip and show how much it has made me achieve.

Finally, to spend time with Yamashita Sensei and get hands-on insights into the Toyota Production System was an eye-opener and an experience I will never forget. Great tour with an awesome bunch of people.
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It was an inspiring week with great learnings around lean and how it is applied across various levels of the supply chain. The tour also provides a nice glimpse into the Japanese culture with its amazing food and friendly people.
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As I have had a previous unpleasant experience with lean training, I was worried about how much I could gain from this tour. At the end of this magnificent experience I can confirm that Shinka Management has exceeded my expectations. They are so organized, dedicated, helpful and generous. The tour was based on very-well known organizations using lean over decades and we got the maximum benefit from it.
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This trip really enlightened me in some specific lean topics and showed me all the beneficial aspects of lean manufacturing. The biggest take away for me was a deeper appreciation of not just the tools but the philosophy. The way the trip was organised and flowed was amazing. Thanks to Paul and David from Shinka Management.
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The whole experience of the lean tour was excellent. I learned so much over the past week and all of my previous knowledge of lean was reinforced. Not only did I learn about lean management but I was also impressed with the Japanese culture. The whole team at Shinka Management were very helpful and made sure the tour went smoothly. It was an experience that I will surely remember throughout my lean journey. Thank you.
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I had several projects that I had been procrastinating on. They seemed too big, too complicated and I was actually struggling to know where to start. Without a word of a lie, after the first day I came back to my hotel room and wrote up the backbone of my strategy using the skills I learnt of the first day.
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Dear Paul, Thank you for the nice experience you and your team were able to provide me! It has been a very professional tour and even more a very nice human connection with you and Eri. You have built a nice team that makes people’s lives change! Ciao, Maurizio
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I am now back in the office in rainy Seattle and wanted to say a huge thank you, once again for making the lean tour such an enjoyable learning experience. There are so many valuable learnings and enriching experiences that I am looking forward to sharing with my team and colleagues here in the coming days. I would also like to thank you again for including me in the additional visits to both Kameda Medical Center and Osaka City University Hospital. I cannot believe what a super fun group of people that the Osaka team were; they certainly made me feel very welcome.

Please also pass on my sincere appreciation to Eri for the amazing attention to detail both prior to the trip and to everything on the trip from a logistical standpoint. I know that a lot of work goes into ensuring things run smoothly and I truly thought that she did an amazing job!
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Paul, I just wanted to reach out and give my sincere thanks for an amazing week in Japan. You and your team of experts across all areas of business and language gave me an unforgettable experience and reminded me of so many aspects of lean that I had put to one side or taken for granted. The organisation of the course, food, logistics, trains, hotels, etc was of such a high standard and managing that for a large group with their own needs and wants was made to look effortless by your whole team. I will be promoting your Lean Japan Tour to everyone I come across both in my group and outside and I hope to come again myself in the not too distant future. Thanks again.
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The 2-day program provided our leadership team with a great opportunity to focus on our business and to reflect on opportunities for improvement.
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