Personally and professionally I found the week extraordinarily rewarding – not only as a fantastic Lean Japan Tour but as a cultural experience not to be missed.

Imagine if you will… taking a group of people you had never met before, under your wing, in one of the most crowded cities in the world. Plenty of traditional food and drink, immersing them in culture, filling their heads with Lean (TPS) concepts and depriving them of sleep whilst being the only two people in the group that can speak Japanese. What could go wrong? All this whilst maintaining the integrity of yourselves and your business (Shinka Management) – which was upheld 24 hours a day. Paul and Ben, you did a fantastic job and the respect for yourselves and your company was apparent with every business we visited. The way the trip was coordinated and flowed was a testament to the organizational skills of both Ben and Paul from Shinka Management.

The systems, machinery, processes and people in Japanese businesses are something to be admired. The passion for TPS shown by every staff member was evident and the dedication shown at all levels of management was significant. The TPS is at such a high level at some of the sites visited that you realize how many more opportunities there are at your own site. Even if the factories are unrelated to your own industry, the message is more about the process and disciplines used to get the business to the current state. Small steps to achieve the ultimate goal, remembering that each one of these businesses started off somewhere and the origin of TPS was born out of a “need” for business continuity.

I have emerged with a new passion and enthusiasm for Lean manufacturing. If you have the opportunity for this fantastic tour, you will not regret it, it is an investment in you and your company’s future.
read more

Andrew Marshall, Production ManagerWineworks Marlborough
Riverlands, Marlborough, New Zealand

The training was fun which also leads to people becoming interested and remembering alot of the content. The delivery and the way the session was run were also excellent. Great presenter, great execution.
read more

Stephano Park, Consultant – Professional ServicesApptio
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

The training was highly informative. The topics regarding Japanese culture will be of great help to our staff who are new in Japan. The topics on working within a multicultural environment were also informative and gave me a good overview of the differences of each culture.

 
read more

Takeshi Miyara, Executive HousekeeperClub Med Tomamu
Tomamu, Hokkaido, Japan

We really enjoyed the training and got a lot out of it! Just understanding those little things helps – we didn’t realise quite a few things about the life of a Japanese person which was very interesting! Thanks for pulling this all together for us.
read more

Ashleigh Schultz, Team Leader, Head Office AdministrationTrility
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

We would like to thank Shinka Management for an effective and enjoyable learning experience. Paul tailored a program to meet our specific needs, and was well prepared on the day to take us through important information and advice to help us successfully navigate cultural differences, particularly in a business context. Our small team were highly engaged throughout the session, and appreciated Paul’s interactive and responsive style of delivery. We hope to work with Shinka again in the future, and highly recommend them as a great resource for companies looking to conduct business in Japan!
read more

Claire Kaufman, Chief Operating OfficerParadigm BioPharmaceuticals
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Thank you so much for yesterday. I just wanted to pass on some feedback from everyone this morning because they were all overwhelmingly pleased with yesterday’s training. We all agreed it was extremely helpful.

My colleagues mentioned that the way you delivered and also the information provided was exactly what we needed. Comments were made such as you were real but at the same time appropriate and informative for a delegation visit to Japan. Madam Mayor and the team are much more comfortable with this visit thanks to the guidance you’ve provided.

I just wanted to send a big thank you from us for putting this together on such short notice and also for the extreme help that you’ve been not only yesterday but in all the other support you’ve given. We really do appreciate it and I just wanted to pass on the positive feedback.
read more

Aliesha Gates, Community Development WorkerCentral Coast Council
Wyong, New South Wales, Australia

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.
read more

Marina Morgunova, RTRu Engineering School CoordinatorRenault
Moscow, Russia

We were recently purchased by a Japanese company and used Shinka Management to assist our Senior Leadership team to get a better understanding of what it is like doing business in Japan. Shinka Management conducted a great workshop that provided the team with more than just the social and cultural differences but also key insights on how to work with Japanese leaders within the business environment.

Topics that we explored were decision making, stakeholder management and communication. Paul’s real life experience in working in Japan made this session really informative and valuable for the team, which set them up with some great tips on how to work with our new owners. Shinka Management come highly recommended.
read more

Leila Watts, HR Director OceaniaBeam Suntory
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Sekisui Rib Loc Australia engaged Shinka Management to support a proposal to engage with a Russian investor in the development of the Russian waste and fresh water pipe rehabilitation market. The plan incorporated the Japanese group’s international portfolio of technologies and products; and presented verifiable data on the Russian pipe rehabilitation market and its potential development. The plan needed to be instructive to the Russian client in a manner acceptable to the Japanese shareholder.

The business plan and related presentation was successfully delivered in Moscow. Paul Smith was directly engaged in the project with support from Ben Sparrow, to ensure the presentation was congruous with Japanese business norms. Shinka Management provided services to a very tight deadline. Paul worked seamlessly with the international group to draft the business plan for the Russian market.

Paul accompanied the team to Moscow, then from local advice modified and made an effective presentation to the target client. Shinka Management developed the business plan and related market development presentation delivered in Moscow to a highly professional standard, working to a very tight deadline for a unique market opportunity supported by Japanese stakeholders.

Their commendable work proved a critical element in our engaging a large corporate group in Russia.
read more

Barry Taylor, CEO (Former)Sekisui Rib Loc
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

I thought the training was fantastic. It was well presented and organised, and the material was very relevant and can be applied to our organisation. Shinka Management created a comfortable environment where we could ask questions and participate in group discussions.
read more

Aaron Mato, Melbourne Port Terminal ManagerEmerald Grain
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia