Fundokin Shoyu – Factory Tour
Fundokin Shoyu is a well-esteemed Japanese food manufacturer based in Oita Prefecture, Kyushu that produces high quality soy sauce, miso (fermented soybean paste) and salad dressing. The company operates three factories all in Oita.
Corporate Information
- Company: Fundokin Shoyu
- Foundation: 1861
- Location: Oita Prefecture
- Main Business: Manufacturing of soy sauce, miso and salad dressing
Fundokin Shoyu – Lean Characteristics
5S, Minimal Inventory, Just-In-Time Approach
Nestled in amongst the small rural city of Usuki is a food company operating at the forefront of manufacturing excellence in their industry. Founded in 1861, Fundokin Shoyu produces a range of miso paste, salad dressing and soy sauce products that not only taste exquisite, but carry with them a high brand value that is impressively marketed across Japan from this small city on the coast of Oita Prefecture.
Our tour captures the charm and history of this company by incorporating shop floor tours of its soy sauce, miso and salad dressing manufacturing plants. As these products are perishable in a highly competitive market, the volume of finished goods is kept to an absolute minimum through a just-in-time approach.
The level of standardization that has been achieved through its 5S activities must be seen to be believed. The salad dressing plant is a stand-out in this regard with 5S applied to every corner of the building.
Their continual commitment to waste elimination doesn’t stop in the factory either. It also extends to their office processes and environment.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
It was an exciting experience learning about Japan’s culture and industrial mentality. I had the honor of seeing and experiencing the industrial culture in Japan and exploring the reasons for its prosperity based on the principle of “kaizen”, as well as witnessing the work environment in a distinctive way embodied in the principle of 5S. It was…
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Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The whole tour was very professionally undertaken and led. Paul and Ben have to be congratulated for putting together a very informative and very enjoyable experience. The itinerary was excellent and to see from the raw material all the way through the supply chain through to the finished product was superb. I loved the thought…
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Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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…
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Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
One of the best weeks of my life. It has changed the way I see my production facility forever!
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Auckland, New Zealand
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…
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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
I had the privilege of joining the Japan study tour by Shinka Management, and it was an invaluable experience. The tour offered a deep dive into Japan’s manufacturing excellence, focusing on lean production and continuous improvement. The Shinka Management team’s expertise and seamless coordination made the experience both educational and inspiring.
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The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour is a professional development program run several times annually. The program includes a mix of lean and kaizen seminars, hands-on lean training and visits to several benchmark lean companies. For further information and program dates, see the lean tour overview page.
Tour Inquiries
Interested in joining us in Japan? For additional information prior to registration please fill in the form provided or contact us.