Delegates gained firsthand insights into the Toyota Production System, robotics driven smart factory transformation, and frontline quality cultures that have positioned Japanese enterprises as global benchmarks.
The High–level delegation benchmarked TQM, TPS, and Kaizen practices to strengthen leadership ownership, enhance supplier capabilities, and advance Quality 4.0 for global competitiveness.
BENGALURU, India, April 29, 2026 -- The Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM), a Section 8 not–for–profit company dedicated to embedding a world–class quality culture across India's manufacturing and services sectors, spearheaded a high–level industry delegation to Japan from April 20–24, 2026. Hosted by the Union of Japanese Scientists and Engineers (JUSE), the mission convened leading CXOs, and quality experts to benchmark Japan's globally renowned practices in Total Quality Management (TQM), TPS, TPM, and Kaizen, with exclusive gemba access to leading corporations including Meidoh Co. Ltd., Yaskawa Electric Corporation, and Komatsu Ltd. Delegates experienced the Toyota Production System, supplier quality ecosystems, robotics–driven smart factory transformation, and reliability frameworks in heavy machinery.
The program also featured sessions and dialogues on different aspects of Quality with distinguished Japanese leaders:
- Dr. Yoshinori Iizuka on the foundations of TQM and the Deming philosophy.
- Mr. Shinichi Sasaki, former EVP of Toyota, on 'Quality Next' and the future of manufacturing excellence.
- Dr. Masahiko Mori, President of DMG MORI, on enterprise leadership through precision and reliability.
- Mr. Fumio Fukumura, Advisor at Iizuka Hospital, on applying TQM in healthcare.
- Mr. Osamu Nagata, Independent Board Member, Nishi-Nippon Railroad and former President of Toyota Motor Kyushu, on executive decision–making and leadership accountability.
The delegation included senior leaders from Sankara Eye, Biocon Group, Tata Electronics, L&T Valves, Tata Steel, United Breweries, L.G. Balakrishnan & Bros, and IFQM, reflecting a cross–sectoral commitment to advancing India's quality agenda.
According to Mr. Soumitra Bhattacharya, CEO & Director, IFQM, "Unlike other nations that had decades to build their ecosystems, India has a 10-year window to rise and prove its strategic indispensability to the world through uncompromising quality. A study mission like this one to JUSE, Japan helps compress the learning curve on how we can move the 'Made in India' label from a perception of cost-competitiveness to a global hallmark of quality, moulded by trust and precision."
This mission to Japan is a key part of the annual itinerary at IFQM and its mandate to catalyze Indian businesses to become globally respected and export-capable by learning from the historical quality revolutions of nations like Japan. This visit aligns with JUSE hosting CEOs and CXOs for experiential learning and the IFQM delegation seeks to:
Strengthen Leadership Ownership: Reinforce the model where quality is a personal value institutionalized at the board level rather than delegated to isolated departments.
Study Quality 4.0 and TQM: Benchmark the latest evolutions in Total Quality Management and digital transformation to refine the 'Indian Way' for Business Excellence.
Scale MSME Supplier Clusters: Learn from the Japanese 'cluster-based approach' to bridge capability gaps in the MSME ecosystem, ensuring small/mid-level suppliers can meet global standards.
Building on the firm Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) already established between IFQM and JUSE, this visit aims to deepen a partnership that has already seen Japanese experts contribute to India's national quality agenda.
About IFQM
Instituted in September 2023, the Indian Foundation for Quality Management (IFQM) is a Section 8, not-for-profit, industry-led movement committed to catalysing Indian organisations to become globally competitive and export-capable through Quality, Innovation, and Excellence. IFQM's founding members include Biocon Group, Boeing, Larsen & Toubro, Motherson, Sun Pharma, Tata Sons, Tata Electronics, Tata Steel, and TVS Motor Company. IFQM has over 40 companies as member, including Bosch, Siemens, Nestlé, Titan, Tata Motors, Asian Paints, BIAL and others.
The IFQM Governing Council: Mr. N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons; Mr. Dilip Sanghvi, Executive Chairman, Sun Pharmaceuticals; Ms. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Executive Chairperson, Executive Chairperson – Biocon Limited and Biocon Biologics Limited; Mr. TV Narendran, CEO & MD, Tata Steel Limited; Mr. K.N. Radhakrishnan, Director & CEO, TVS Motor Co; Dr. Randhir Thakur, CEO & MD, Tata Electronics Pvt. Ltd; Mr. Salil Gupte, President, Boeing India & South Asia; Mr. SN Subrahmanyan, Chairman & MD, Larsen & Toubro; Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman Emeritus, TVS Motor Co & Chairman, IFQM; Mr. Vivek Chaand Sehgal, Chairman, Motherson Group.
IFQM on Web: https://ifqm.org.in/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ifqm
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