Sekisui Heim Chubu – Factory Tour
Sekisui Heim is a renowned and trusted housing brand in Japan that is owned by Sekisui Chemical Group. The group conducts its business operations in the fields of chemical solutions and housing industrialization. As a member of the Sekisui Chemical group, Sekisui Heim Chubu produces high-quality prefabricated steel frame and wooden modular houses. The company also designs, constructs, manages and sells unit residential buildings and calls itself a “total housing supplier”.

Corporate Information
- Company: Sekisui Heim Chubu Co. Ltd.,
- Foundation: 1985
- Location: Headquartered in Aichi Prefecture
- Main Business: Manufacturing and building of prefabricated houses

Sekisui Heim Chubu – Lean Characteristics
Visual Management, Optimal Utilization of Manual and Machine Labor
Sekisui Heim produces prefabricated houses across their eight factories in Japan using a production technique based on the concept of an automotive assembly line. Eighty percent of the house is completed by the time it leaves the factory. It only takes one day to assemble the multiple “units” of a house on the construction site once the foundations have been laid.
A customer can receive the keys to their home in as little as 60 days upon signing a contract thanks to the production lead time and sophisticated supply chain ordering system that Sekisui Heim have developed internally.
Their ability to manufacture most of the house inside the factory eliminates the loss of construction days through inclement weather and improves the quality of the house through dedicating skilled operators to cyclical and controlled tasks within processes along the line. Furthermore, workers can work more comfortably in a less stressed posture in the factory compared to on-site, which helps minimize errors made at work.
Sekisui Heim continues to innovate the ability of their homes to withstand fire, temperature extremes and (very importantly in Japan) earthquakes.
The visit to the Chubu factory shop floor showcases how Sekisui Heim has effectively applied practices developed within the automotive industry to its housing construction operations. On display are effective visual management examples, and visitors will appreciate how skilled manual work and the use of high-tech machine tools and equipment complement each other to produce high performance houses in a safe, high quality and productive manner.

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…
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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 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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To do a lean learning tour with Shinka is definitely highly recommended. As lean is a personal journey for everyone who is involved in this topic, it doesn’t matter at which point of your journey you are in. At each level of personal experience there is a lot that you can take home with you.…
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Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
It was great experiencing factories that have implemented simple and effective processes in the right manner. I enjoyed the stories from each sensei on their journey of kaizen and how they implemented it within their factories. Ben, Eri and Juan were incredible hosts, the whole tour was seamless and the content was really valuable. This…
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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…
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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.
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