| Tour Japan's Leading Manufacturing Companies | |
• Our tour is the only way to get exclusive access to Japanese Lean executives. • All of the necessary arrangements are carefully made by Enna to ensure comfort and security. • Experience world-class Lean practices as well as both modern and traditional Japanese culture. • Group discounts are available. |
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"Excellent well-organized trip. Exceeded all expectations. Definitely an experience of a lifetime. I highly recommend every Lean leaner to take advantage of this tour!"
- Jonathon Hutchinson, CEO Gormick Corporation
No other company besides Enna has access to Lean facilities and top management executives due to our close relationship with Japanese companies and the publications of Dr. Shingo’s works (original consultant to Toyota). This will be a great experience for any leader and student of Lean. You will have one-on-one exclusive access to Japanese Lean thinkers and learn from their experiences and simple solutions.
Topics covered are; TPS, Employee Empowerment, SMED, TPM, Lean Accounting, Flow, 5S Office, 5S Shop floor, Waste Identification, Mistake-Proofing, Just-In-Time, VSM.
Observe and talk to workers on the shop floor and get involved in their Lean practices. Japanese companies are eager to share their accumulated wealth of knowledge with international businesses and explain how they have learned from their mistakes and improved overall operation as a result.
Learn from their techniques so you can leverage their experience in order to avoid common implementation and sustainment mistakes in your own factory. The relationships you will build with Japanese host companies will inspire your company in pursuit of continuous improvement for many years to follow. Cultural differences have discouraged many Lean companies from making a trip to Japan. We make sure that such differences in cultures and languages do not stand in the way of your studying Lean principles in the birthplace of TPS.
We have arranged experienced tour guides, interpreters, and professors to make your learning experience truly revolutionary. On the last day, we will have the opportunity to visit some unique sightseeing areas in and around Kyoto. This is a prime opportunity to take some time to absorb a unique culture and people as well. Oct. 18-25, 2008.
| Tour Highlights |
Lean Workshops will be led by “The Godfather of Lean”, Norman Bodek. Norman was the first to introduce the teachings of Japanese Lean/TPS masters (Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo) to American managers. You will also have the opportunity to learn from Dr. Michel Mestre, a professor from Northwest University, on “Leadership in Change.”
Participants will go beyond an insulated workshop environment to seek out real-life applications of Lean. To understand the deeper dynamics of Lean, leaders must look beyond surface applications. You will learn to use goals in a constructive, motivational manner and train supervisors on how to guide workers through your Lean transition, a proven way to overcome resistance to change.
| Group Size |
The size of the tour group is limited to no more than 20 in order to maximize the value of the tour for each participant.
We provide audio hearing devices during our factory tours so that important ideas will not be missed in a noisy factory environment.
| Interpreter |
Enna’s professional staff are experts in Japanese and English languages as well as Lean Manufacturing. This will ensure that the nuances of Lean are not lost in translation.
Our goal is for nothing to be lost in interpretation or culture. This facilitates the best learning atmosphere for our participants.
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Tour Schedule
| Saturday 18th / Sunday 19th, October | |
| Arrive in Narita International Airport and take a flight to Fukuoka. You will immediately notice Lean principles at work in airports for maintaining the quality of services and efficiency. | |
| Monday 20th, October | |
| Visit Nissan Motors. Learn from their SMED and mistake-proofing techniques. Observe well-organized shopfloors in assembly. Nissan’s innovative Lean techniques will open your eyes and help you generate your own ideas. Attend Kaizen workshop. American Kaizen expert, Norman Bodek and other Japanese experts are invited to speak to us about topics related to “Leadership in Change.” Comprehensive preview of the tour and discussion of how the knowledge you gain will be applied to improve your own factory. |
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| Tuesday 21st, October | |
| Visit Asahi Glass, a long-term partner of Toyota in developing both automobile technologies as well as Lean systems (Kanban). Lean how to successfully implement Lean practices in your suppliers. Visit Ricoh, Learn the effectiveness of materials administration and flow that results in near zero waste of transportation and motion for line assemblers. Lean how to organize your workplace and how to identify wastes to be eliminated. |
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| Wednesday 22nd, October | |
| Visit Toyota Home. Observe the TPS in action in a high mix, low volume environment. Get a closer look at how to make large, complex products flow one at a time (one-piece flow). | |
| Thursday 23rd, October | |
| Visit the origin of Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Motors assembly plant. This is where all comes together. Observe every aspect of Lean activities and ask workers what it is like to be a proud Toyota employee. Meet Toyota’s top leaders and ask their advises for how to improve your own factory. Challenge them on how to better improve production with your own Lean idea. Visit Toyota Museum to study the company’s ongoing pursuit of new hybrid technology and techniques for ultimate efficiency in manufacturing. You will also share a meal with Toyota leaders so that you can establish a friendship that can last for years to come. |
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| Friday 24th, October | |
| Visit Panasonic assembly plant. Observe their visual tracking of performance and visual management of projects. Experience the newest technology in automated electronics production and poka-yoke devices. Exchange ideas with their leaders on how technological development can boost production in your own factory. Visit Kyoto, an ancient capital of Japan. You can sightsee or shop for loved ones back home. Visit temples that have inspired people well over a thousand years. A celebration dinner will be held in the evening to review our tour and exchange new ideas. |
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| Saturday 25th, October | |
| Leave Kyoto by bullet train (Shinkansen) and depart from Narita International Airport for home. Notice how complex train schedules and safety are maintained by Lean practices. | |
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| *tour itinerary and schedule may change. | |
Tour Companies
Enna has built strong relationships with the best Lean companies in Japan. Our network of companies adds depth and understanding to the experience for participants. The companies we visit will welcome you and are willing to share their insight and production systems with you. You will learn new management tools that are successful for continuous improvement.
| Asahi Glass |  |
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| Daihatsu | ||
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| Denso | ||
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| Kyocera | ||
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| Nissan | ||
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| Panasonic | ||
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| Ricoh | ||
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| Toto | ||
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| Toyota | ||
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| Toyota Home | ||
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About Improve Group
We are passionate about coaching and developing our clients' people and processes. Our team share several critical but rare attributes:
Our programs in Australia are delivered in association with the Australian Federal and State Governments. We can also access additional resources for larger projects from our branch network throughout Australia and New Zealand. Our Values:
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