Australian companies now have the opportunity to visit Japan, the home of Lean manufacturing, and experience first-hand some of the world's best Lean companies.

The Shinka Management Lean Japan Tour, run annually since 2007, will be held again next month and again in April, next year.

Lean organisers found there are limited examples of Lean manufacturing practices in Australian industry and so launched a series of regular tours to Japan.
Through discussions with company management in Japan, participants learn how to establish, implement and sustain Lean programs.

This knowledge is brought back to Australia for the betterment of their organisations and the industry as a whole.

The tour includes a week of extensive factory tours, lean training with a Toyota Group training centre, in-depth discussions with senior management, and a week of cultural immersion making this a professional and personal experience that will be remembered forever.

Company visits vary from tour to tour and include leading lean organisations in the automotive, electronics, food & beverage, FMCG and government sectors.

Companies visited in recent tours included Toyota, Rinnai, Brother, Metal One, Sekisui House, Yanmar, Kikkoman and Kirin.

During shop floor visits excellent examples of Lean concepts are showcased such as 5S, TPM, Just-In-Time, jidoka, standard work, visual management, Kanban and employee suggestion schemes.

Participants are immersed into the original Japanese thinking behind Lean and Kaizen, and return home with a better understanding of how a continuous improvement culture can be implemented and sustained across their organisation.

The next Lean Japan Tours will be run from November 8-14 this year and April 17-23 next year – and Australian companies are invited to participate.

To learn more, view the videos from recent tours, read comments from past participants and register, visit the Kaizen Tour page or contact Shinka Management at admin@shinkamanagement.com or on 0430 581 899.