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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