Reflections on Innovation in Manufacturing: A Visit to Our Japan Division

Reflections on Innovation in Manufacturing from Alun Tribe on his recent visit to IMIG’s innovation division in Japan.

In March 2025 I had the privilege of spending several days with our outstanding team at Future Management and Innovation Consulting (FMIC) – IMIG’s presence in Japan – and I want to share some reflections from a transformative visit with our division that focuses on future innovation in manufacturing.

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 – 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴

We began with our annual board meeting – an in depth review of FMIC’s performance, capabilities, and contribution to the broader IMIG group. It was a powerful moment to reinforce just how essential FMIC is to the success of our global vision.

We discussed our recent rebranding, which has been adopted seamlessly across other regions, and explored how FMIC can leverage this updated identity to communicate its strategic value to clients. As a key player in our global network, FMIC has a unique opportunity to showcase its role in shaping innovative, future focused outcomes for the industries we serve. We are all very happy to be developing this together as a team, not just a shared name.

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 – 𝗦𝗲𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗸𝘂 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Hosted at the Shinagawa Vision Centre, Day 2 was centred around the powerful concept of “Sekkaku” – a Japanese term that expresses the sentiment: “Let’s do something meaningful with this moment.” The workshop was dedicated to transformation: not only the future of FMIC but also the future of the IMIG group. We focused on how we can drive innovation while embedding sustainability at the heart of our operations and, more importantly, in the solutions we deliver to clients.

One of the most impactful outcomes was our decision to adopt sustainability tools into our business transformation methodology. This aligns closely with FMIC’s core strengths – innovation, strategic foresight, and building resilient, forward looking solutions for the industrial and automotive sectors.

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟯 – 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝘂𝗯𝘂 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆

We concluded our visit with an inspiring meeting at Chubu University, where we met Professor Suzuki, a leader in manufacturing technology for the aircraft industry in the Nagoya region. His insights into advanced production systems and academic industry collaboration were deeply valuable, and we see strong potential for future knowledge sharing and partnership.

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱…

This visit reaffirmed something I’ve long believed – FMIC is not just a valued member of the IMIG group; it is a catalyst for innovation. The openness, expertise, and energy of the team were exceptional, and I left Japan feeling more aligned than ever with our shared ambition.

We have laid strong foundations for the future – now, together, we transform.

If you would like to hold a workshop on innovation with our talented FMIC team get in touch.

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