The World Class Manufacturing November 2023 mission organized by the EU-Japan Centre hosted 25 companies from 12 Member States, out of which 15 were SMEs. The 1-week training mission provided five lectures on Japanese manufacturing methods, four plant visits and one workshop. In addition, a discussion session titled “Back-of-the-Bus University” was moderated by Prof. Richard Keegan who is an advisor to the mission. At the end of the packed week, participants discussed and exchanged ideas on how the principles and practical methods gained from the training can be used in their daily work.
Since its first edition in 1992, the EU-Japan Centre’s WCM training programme hosted over 1000 executives with the aim of boosting EU manufacturing competitiveness. The next WCM mission will be organized from 11 to 15 March 2024 in Japan.
“I have learned that implementing Kaizen is not about the tools, but all about the people. The tool must be modified to fit your own company business, and the methods involving all employees of the company should be the focus. If you create the mindset to continuously improve, you will create one a team where the team members motivate each other. If you already have some notions of the different tools, this mission will be a real eye opener on how to implement this philosophy.”
By Stijn De Coninck, Project Manager, Vandewiele
“The WCM training is the most important accelerator for continuous improvement I ever experienced. Thanks to it, it is possible to understand that Japanese are people like any other in the world, but they also reach excellence in defining standards, following them with discipline and (most importantly) putting the person first. During the mission it is possible to feel all these points, to learn them so as to be ready to “import” back to Europe.”
By Luca Rigazzi, CEO, Graziadio
Published: December 2023