Subaru – Factory Tour
Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries) is one of Japan’s globally renowned car manufacturers. Aside from the automotive manufacturing business, they also have an aerospace business and make aircraft and structural components which represents almost five percent of their revenue.
Corporate Information
- Company: Subaru Corporation
- Foundation: 1953
- Location: Headquartered in Tokyo
- Main Business: Automotive and aerospace manufacturing
Subaru Corporation – Lean Characteristics
Labor Effectiveness, One-Piece Flow Production
Subaru operates two final assembly plants very close to each other in Ota City in Gunma, Japan, and one in Indiana, USA. It produces over one million vehicles from these three facilities per annum with approximately 70% produced in Japan and 30% produced in the USA. Despite this, only 20 percent of their revenue was generated within Japan – meaning their export strategy is key to their success.
The tour will take us through the press, body (weld) and final assembly shops. This is an impressive plant for its labor effectiveness in final assembly (high value-add), its level of automation in the body shop, and the pure size of the press shop.
There is a one-day buffer of parts between the press shop and body shop due to the lot production method used in the press shop, but everything after that is one-piece flow production through the support of its network of component suppliers.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
My experience on the Lean Japan Tour was much more than expected. I’ve come to realise that there’s much more for me to learn regarding TPS. The program is excellent in terms of the content, but also, and no less important, the personalized attention made me feel like I am a member of the Shinka…
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Bethesda, Maryland, United States
Shinka Management organized an excellent tour. It was structured to capture professional development and cultural experience. The tour also provided me with experiences related not only to the local culture and food of Japan, but also to the culture and languages of fellow participants from all over the world. This tour has made a significant…
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Ghent, Belgium
The Lean Japan Tour is an enriching experience and organized very well by Shinka Management. It was the most wonderful training I have attended so far and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to be inspired about lean management and world class manufacturing!
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Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
The training schedule is very tight and efficient, the class room training was practical and led by an experienced teacher from Toyota, and the tour visits covered a wide range of industries including car manufacturing, parts processing and healthcare.
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Madrid, Spain
The tour has given me the opportunity to understand in a practical way what I learned theoretically. I have checked that the theory is possible to put in practice. This has been the first time that I have felt the lean manufacturing philosophy first hand. Congratulations to the Shinka Team. The organisation has been perfect…
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Délégation Sfax Ville, Sfax, Tunisia
Enriched by an exceptional experience in Japan with Shinka Management, I delved into the nuances of Japanese culture and etiquette while immersing myself in the heart of the Toyota Production System. From theoretical and practical courses to visits to Toyota’s final assembly site and their suppliers, each step shaped my understanding. The impeccable organization, meticulous…
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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 seminars on lean manufacturing, kaizen and Japanese business eqituette, together with hands-on lean training and visits to several benchmark lean companies. For further information and program dates, see the kaizen 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.
The above form is for inquiries related to the Lean Japan Tour program, Shinka Management consulting and training services, and lean manufacturing software products. Shinka Management does not represent Subaru. For Subaru-related product and service inquiries, please contact Subaru directly.
Planning a Journey to Japan?
Prepare for your time in Japan with the Shinka Management Guide to Japanese Business Culture.