Suzaki Industries – Factory Tour
Suzaki Industries is a SME with approximately 60 employees that produces pressed, welded and assembled components for the automotive industry. The company’s major customers are Toyota Group companies including Gifu Auto Body but it also supplies other car manufacturing companies.
Corporate Information
- Company: Suzaki Industries
- Foundation: 1953
- Location: Gifu Prefecture
- Main Business: automotive parts manufacturing
Suzaki Industries – Lean Characteristics
TPS, Kanban, Poka-Yoke, SMED
A visit to this small auto parts supplier will showcase a great example of a successful lean transformation of a company that was once on the brink of bankruptcy when Japan’s bubble economy burst. Under the leadership of former Chairman Suzaki, the company had adopted TPS and made tireless continuous efforts to eliminate waste from their processes while implementing kaizen improvement measures in order to survive and turn around their business.
The former chairman will lead us on a factory visit and discussion focusing on improvements that have been made over the years that has brought them up to the level required to be retained as a supplier to the Toyota Group.
The visit will also include a detailed explanation of the kanban system used within the factory, excellent examples of poka-yoke, a technique used in a lean manufacturing process to prevent human errors to achieve zero defect quality control as well as to implement safety measures. Demonstration of their efforts with SMED as well as an example of layout and process improvement for a production cell will also be demonstrated and discussed.
Rolleston, New Zealand
These tours provide direct, hands-on experience with the Toyota Production System (TPS) and other lean principles in action, going beyond theoretical knowledge. Shinka Management are professional, knowledgeable, and passionate about lean, providing excellent organization. If you are wanting to learn more about lean manufacturing or TPS then this is the best place to start, you…
read more
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
The Shinka Lean Management Tour was a great experience, with group members from across the globe. A combination of classroom, hands-on and site visit learning provided good insight into lean principles. The tour was very well organised, ran smoothly and was a pleasure to be a part of.
read more
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Participating in the Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour was a transformative experience. The tour offered a rare opportunity to witness world-class lean practices in action at leading Japanese organisations. From visiting Toyota’s manufacturing facilities to learning directly from lean practitioners, every moment was an invaluable learning experience. The insights gained into kaizen, waste reduction, and…
read more
Adelaide, SA, Australia
The Japan Housing Mission was a fantastic experience. It was insightful, highly informative, and very well run. The team at Shinka Management were great hosts and delivered a well-curated program with genuine depth and access. It was a great opportunity to connect with industry peers and build meaningful relationships, and I’ve come away with a…
read more
Perth, WA, Australia
I would like to personally thank the Shinka team for a well-organised week that definitely opened my eyes on elements of Lean Management as well as some great ideas related to Japanese construction processes. I’m looking forward to getting back to our business and putting these elements into play with the whole team. I think…
read more
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Not for the fainthearted, this action-packed tour will blow you away. It’s a one-week learning adventure supercharged with information on TPS (Lean) principles. The learning experiences and companies visited far exceeded expectations. The Japanese managers we met were friendly and excited to share their experiences. If you desire change within your organisation and are not…
read more
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.