Shingo Study Tour to Japan	Sept. 10-18 -  SOLD OUT
The only Study Tour to Japan with the Shingo Prize Advantage	Dec. 3-11 - SOLD OUT
	Brochure

Both Shingo Study Tours to Japan are SOLD OUT and we are taking a waiting list in case anyone drops out – however we are continuing to plan trips and are starting a waiting list for future events. We will provide you with advance notification when dates are announced. For registration and wait list information contact Joy Brisigella at 435-797-3844 or joy.brisighella@usu.edu

We bring you through a full-immersion experience in the lean culture. The Shingo Study Tour to Japan is designed to open your eyes, broaden your vision, deepen your understanding of lean principles, systems, and tools - ultimately transforming attitudes about what is possible through continuous improvement. Several basic tours to Japan show the impressive tools and systems that captivate the attention of many. The Shingo Study tour takes you one step further to see what many fail to see.

What you will see
We will see the tools and systems of lean (the Toyota Production System) in action. We will visit companies that demonstrate excellence in the fundamentals such as 5S, visual management, problem solving, standardized work, quality at the source, safety, continuous flow, intelligent automation and much more. It is a sign of their commitment to Lean thinking that our host companies are willing to show us the best of what they have done. By sharing their best practices with others, these companies are motivated and challenged to rise to a higher level of performance.

What we will help you see
Shingo Prize Leadership and subject matter experts will help the group identify and analyze behavior consistently driven by the systems – such as empowerment, involvement, quality mind-set, focus and passion. The Toyota Culture is not about tools and systems; it is about people. We will show you how you can create and drive the same behavior at your company.

What we will do
After each company tour, the group discusses and documents:
1.) Best practices that were observed and the principles behind them
2.) The driving system(s) behind the best practice
3.) How the system could be adapted in your own company to drive the same behavior.

Why Japan?
The study tour is conducted in Japan because there is no other place in the world today where so many outstanding companies can be visited and studied in such depth and efficiency in a short time period. Japanese industry adopted the ideas of Henry Ford, Dr. W. Edwards Deming and others much more thoroughly and rapidly than most Western countries over the past 75 years. For a country with such a small landmass there are an amazing number of world class companies. This fact combined with the excellent high speed rail and transport system makes travel within Japan very…lean.

Objectives of the Tour
1. To learn and observe first hand Toyota’s leading Lean methodologies including The Toyota Production System (TPS), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), and Knowledge Innovation (KI)
2. To find Lean solutions to improve your own company during workshop sessions.
3. To exchange the Lean experiences among the tour members from different industries.

 

“This has been life changing for me because I learned so much and came to understand my own knowledge limitations. I continue to grow everyday and I quote to others what I saw in Japan all the time.” - Steven Hatch, ATK Launch Systems

 

 Enrollment is capped at 24 participants per Study Tour

 Highlights of the Tour
• TPS training at one of Toyota's group companies followed by a study tour of Toyota plants
• Tours of latest TPM and Lean in R&D outside of auto industry.
• Learn about the latest evolution of lean in Japan

Presentations from influential thought-leaders and experts
Previous speakers include:

Norman Bodek, an influential lean sensei who helped to introduce lean to the West, has traveled to Japan over 75 times and forged personal friendships with the Toyota legends Shigeo Shingo and Taichi Ohno. From his numerous trips to Japan he introduced to the western world the Kaizen Blitz, SMED, TPM, QFD, Hoshin Kanri, Poka-Yoke, Visual Factory and other new manufacturing methodologies that have helped companies improve their quality, and productivity. Bodek’s latest book is “How to Do Kaizen: A New Path to Innovation.”

Mr. Takashi Harada - Mr. Harada has focused on the missing element to lean - ‘Day-to-Day Management.’ The Harada method focuses on the key aspect presently missing in business, enabling a culture. We want to improve the process, but we rarely want to help the employees improve themselves. Mr. Harada masterfully teaches how to humanize business and leverage the full potential of your most valuable asset ... the employee.

Mr. Zenji Kosaka - At Toyota Motor Corporation Mr. Kosaka served as Deputy Plant Manager. He worked directly with Shigeo Shingo and was trained by Mr. Taichi Ohno, a pioneer of TPS (Toyota Production System), from the system’s infancy and had the opportunity to put the theory into practice. To Mr. Kosaka, who continues to pursue the principles of TPS, the driving force of ‘Kaizen’ has always been people. His motto: “if you want someone to work, show him how to do it, explain it, let him try it, and don’t forget to praise him if he does a good job”.

Mr. Shigehiro Nakamura - Learn how to develop a “technology strategy map.” The map is used to attain world class status, internationally competitive, in categories, such as: autonomous maintenance, defect countermeasures, JIT, automation, technology transfer, equipment management, set-up improvement, morale, cost, safety, delivery, movement management. Workshop features small group activities and more. Mr. Nakamura has a master’s degree in metal engineering and was a manager with Hitachi Metal, built a pilot JIT plant, and a pilot Factory Automation line. He set up VEC, is a patented, state-of-the-art, computer-controlled manufacturing process and CIM, computer integrated manufacturing system. He has developed and taught over 30 manufacturing courses at Japan Management Association these past 20 years.

Guided tours at specially-selected Plant and Business locations:
Previous plant/locations include:
Retail: Takashimaya Department Store; Bic Camera
Manufacturing: Fuji Heavy – Subaru plant; Toyota Fork Lift; Toyota Motor Company; Sango Co., Ltd Mfg. – automotive exhaust pipe plant
Pharmaceutical: Chiba Pharma
Food production: AGF (coffee) Kantou plant

 

FEE: $9,200
WHAT IS INCLUDED:
• Hotels
• Plant visits
• Workshops
• Trains and buses in Japan
• Extended time with Shingo Prize tour leaders
• Translators and tour guides
• Certificate of Completion from Utah State University – Jon M. Huntsman School of Business and The Shingo Prize

PAYMENT:
A non-refundable $1000 deposit is required to reserve your spot. Substitutions are allowed, subject to approval, in the event an individual can no longer participate. The balance of the fee is due 30 days prior to the tour. Wire transfer of funds, credit cards or checks are accepted.
Cancellation Policy

Space is limited. The past two tours have sold out quickly. Contact us at 435 797-2279 to be put on the waiting list for the next Shingo Study Tour to Japan.