Latest news with #Kaizen
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
Delhi HC seeks Centre's reply on plea alleging unlawful data access in Patent Office
The Delhi High Court on Friday (May 30, 2025) directed the Centre to file its response to a plea by the All India Patent Officers' Welfare Association (AIPOWA), which seeks a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into alleged unlawful access of sensitive unpublished data in the country's patent and trademark offices by a private multinational company. 'What's going on in the Patent Office?' remarked Justice Sachin Datta at the outset of the hearing. The court noted that the plea raised a 'valid allegation' but suggested the matter could be pursued as a public interest litigation (PIL). However, counsel for the petitioners, advocate Gyanant Kumar Singh, clarified that the association members were serving officers in the same office and, therefore, could not declare that they had no personal interest in the matter — an essential requirement for filing a PIL. Taking the matter on record, the court observed in its order, 'It is alleged that a private multinational company has been given unbridled access to sensitive data without requisite checks and balance. Petitioner[s] seek that an appropriate investigation be conducted in the matter. Let a reply be filed.' The matter has been posted for further hearing on August 29. In its petition, AIPOWA has sought a probe into how sensitive, unpublished information related to pending patent and trademark applications was allegedly accessed by representatives of Kaizen International, a private multinational firm, without proper authorisation. The plea claimed that Kaizen is a multinational company with clients in various industries and fields 'where trade secrets and innovations are coveted assets.' It cautioned that access to data in patent and trademark offices by Kaizen 'may have compromised the functioning of Intellectual Property offices, requiring investigation and measures to tackle the fallouts.' The Association represents Group-A patent officers who perform quasi-judicial functions relating to the grant of patents. The Association said the office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM) initially denied, under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the existence of any document with regard to work being executed by Kaizen. It was only after a Capacity Building Commission (CBC) report referred to Kaizen's role that the CGPDTM furnished a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) dated March 6, 2023. The MoU—signed by the CGPDTM, CBC, and the Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States (CEGIS) Foundation—mentioned coordination with the Kaizen team for 'process improvement.' The plea stated that while Kaizen International was not a party to the MoU, the agreement 'opened doors for it without any tendering process by stating,' adding that the MoU was signed by Controller General Unnat P. Pandit as the head of the CGPDTM without the requisite approval of the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
‘The Japanese want to see you have the attention to detail, customer service and quality they expect. You have to deliver'
At 7.55am most weekday mornings, about 60 staff at the Seating Matters' manufacturing facility in Limavady , Co Derry meet for 45 minutes with the family owners and management. The factory makes therapeutic seating for people with disabilities. It's part training session to sharpen skills and knowledge, and partly a platform for both sides to air any issues from the previous day. 'We'll maybe watch a video of a John Deere factory, or read a chapter of a book, or talk about a quote and then we'll spend 20 or 30 minutes on improvements. 'So what bugged you yesterday? Well go and fix it.' We're empowering people to fix the problems,' says Martin Tierney, managing director of Seating Matters , who co-owns the wider Tierco Healthcare Group with his brothers Jonathan and Ryan. The idea was borrowed from Toyota , the Japanese motor giant. Unhappy with its own 'chaotic' manufacturing systems, in 2017 the Tierney brothers spent a week with Toyota, meeting suppliers and experiencing first hand the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, where employees work together to achieve regular, incremental improvements to manufacturing processes. READ MORE 'What we discovered is that this deep culture of respect that they have in Japanese society. Toyota has taken that into the company and said that if we deeply respect our colleagues, it would give them a lovely working environment. If our colleagues deeply respect the product, the product will get out on time. If we respect the customer, we wouldn't waste the customers money,' Tierney says. [ Ireland to explore new markets in Asia and Canada as part of urgent response to US tariffs Opens in new window ] About half of the employees at the Limavady plant have since visited Japan to experience Kaizen for themselves. 'It's transformed how we operate,' says Tierney, who is speaking to The Irish Times in Tokyo, where he is one of 140 Irish business leaders in Japan this week as part of a CEO retreat organised by the EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) programme. Tierney has been shortlisted in the international category of this year's EOY awards. This is Tierney's fifth visit to Japan in as many years, for a company firmly in growth mode. The Tierco group, of which Seating Matters is one of three units, has completed five acquisitions in the past 18 months, roughly doubling its annual revenues to £16 million (€19 million), and bringing its headcount to 130. David Corcoran, Soltec; Caitriona Ryan, Institute of Dermatologists; Donnchadh Campbell, Europlan Group; Áine Kennedy, The Smooth Company; Laura Dowling, FabU; and Derek Foley Butler, GRID Finance at Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market on the Irish Japan visit. Photograph: Naoise Culhane Tierney is a convert to the Toyota approach to business. 'If we cut the 45 minutes of training in the morning, the standard will just drop and drop,' he says. Ireland and Japan are similar in many ways. Both are island nations, with few natural resources and a big regional neighbour on their doorstep. They also happen to share the United States as their largest trading partner. But in terms of land mass, Japan is roughly five times the size of Ireland, with a population of more than 124 million squeezed into just 30 per cent of its footprint due to its mountainous topography. Its population is forecast to reduce by 35 million by 2050 due to a chronically low birth rate. There are more cats and dogs than babies in Japan and more adult nappies are sold than for babies. In economic terms, Japan has essentially flatlined since the mid 1990s; the country has been replaced by China as the economic powerhouse of the Asia-Pacific region. And while the greater Toyko area is the world's most populous metropolitan district, with more than 40 million people, economic activity outside the capital can be low, with depopulation a common feature in rural Japan. All that said, Japan is the world's fourth biggest economy, renowned for its quality manufacturing and operational excellence, if a little slow on the move – the EOY entrepreneurs heard how it can take up to three years to get a stock market IPO over the line, and they don't even use lawyers for the listing documents. The rail system in Tokyo has 48 operators, 158 lines and more than 2,200 stations. The 23 busiest train stations in the world are Japanese, yet the average delay on its famed bullet train is just 12 seconds. Japan is also a hotbed for innovation by many top consumer brands. There are more than five million vending machines in Japan, with Coca-Cola operating a fifth of them, while Nestle has launched more than 300 flavours of the KitKat snack bar in the market. Convenience retailing is huge in the country – founded in the US, the huge 7-Eleven chain now has Japanese owners. Many of the Irish entrepreneurs in Japan this week are eyeing the market for growth. Pat Rigney is co-founder of The Shed Distillery in Co Leitrim, which produces the award-winning Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish gin, Irish whiskey and vodka products. With uncertainty in its key US market caused by Donald Trump's constant U-turns on tariffs, Rigney is increasingly looking east to open up new markets and travelled out in advance of the EOY group (as a former finalist and therefore a member of its alumni community) to scope out the Japanese market for his premium gin. 'This retreat was an opportunity to spend some time here to see how we can crack the market,' he says. 'We know that Japanese consumers are buying our brands in travel retail [duty free shops at airports], and we came out to try and build local relationships in order to build a strategy to enter the market. Pat Rigney, co-founder of The Shed Distillery in Drumshanbo, Leitrim 'We met a number of people, we visited stores and we're at the point now that we feel confident that the brand will work here. So we need to find a partner who believes in the brand as much as we do and then get up and running.' He notes that the company is already selling into the region, in Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore. Japan is a market where you have to play the long game, says Pat Ryan, vice-president of the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce , whose membership comprises about 40 Japanese companies that are investing in Ireland and Enterprise Ireland clients in the market (50 have a presence on the ground in Japan). 'I would estimate it takes about twice as long as any other market to get your first customer established,' he says. 'You have to have people on the ground and it's all about building trust and relationships. You can't do that by just flying in and out. 'To open the doors, the Japanese want to see that you have the attention to detail, the customer service and the quality that they expect. If you're successful, you'll get very long-term contracts but it can take two to three years to prove that you're in the market for the long term. You need to follow up on anything you promise ... you have to deliver. It's an exciting market.' On Wednesday, Ireland's ambassador, Damien Cole, addressed the EOY group at Ireland House, the newly built modern embassy building in Tokyo that opened last month and also houses the IDA, Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland, following a €23 million investment by the Government. He noted that the two-way trade between Ireland and Japan amounts to €21 billion. This trade in goods and services has doubled over the past decade, with about 70 per cent of that figure flowing Ireland's way. It's amazing that there are more than 100 Irish entrepreneurs in Japan this week to try and bring some of the learnings home because we have to improve, and learning from Japan is the best way to do it — Martin Tierney IDA Ireland has operated in Japan since 1972 and has 44 clients, with 60 operations in Ireland employing more than 8,000 people across the pharma, medical devices, technology, semiconductor, green engineering and financial services sectors. 'Our business model is to continuously engage with the clients, building and deepening relationships, to demonstrate our commitment to Japan, educating them on the opportunities Ireland has to offer,' says Derek Fitzgerald, Japan director for the IDA. 'We also hold a number of events and seminars … for example, we plan to launch Ireland's new semiconductor strategy here later in the year. We are a small team, only two in business development, so working closely with Enterprise Ireland and the embassy is important.' To boost our visibility in Japan, Ireland has taken a pavilion on a prominent pitch at Expo 2025, which is being hosted in Osaka and is expected to attract 28 million visitors between April and October. 'That's an important opportunity to raise our profile here,' Cole says. In terms of distance, the CEO retreat was the longest one undertaken so far by the Irish EOY awards programme, which began in 1998. The itinerary included a visit to the Tokyo Stock Exchange, a trip to the business school at Hitotsubashi University, one of Japan's oldest third-level institutions, and sessions at the headquarters of Softbank, the Japanese investment giant that in 2023 paid €473 million to buy a controlling stake in Barry Napier's Cubic Telecom . Irish delegates visit Hitotsubashi University business school in Tokyo. Photograph: Naoise Culhane Napier spent time with the group. They also had presentations or speeches from executives at Sony Honda Mobility, Yamaha Motor Company, Enterprise Ireland and others. EY managing partner Frank O'Keeffe said there was 'never a better time' from a geopolitical perspective for the Irish entrepreneurs to travel to Japan to explore the market. 'The heartbeat of our economy and our employment is indigenous entrepreneurs and we have to foster that relationship. Ireland Inc needs entrepreneurship because it helps to diversify our economy and we should support them to internationalise their businesses,' he says. Kildare-based Rye River Brewing is one of the biggest independent beers makers in Ireland, with revenues of €10 million forecast for this year. Tom Cronin, the company's chief executive and a former EOY finalist, used the trip to explore the possibility of distributing its beers into Japan. German brewer Warsteiner is a minority shareholder in Rye River and Cronin hopes to piggy back on its distribution network to get some of its '30 unique recipes' into Japan. 'Asia is the largest beer consumption market in the world and Japan is the 10th largest beer market in the world. It's dominated by four large players but there has been a massive growth of independent breweries [to more than 800] over the past decade or so,' he says. They are in a city with 40 million [people] beside Mount Fuji, which is their sacred mountain and I was able to tell them that I'm in a town of 6,000 near Westport, beside our sacred mountain [Croagh Patrick] — Harry Hughes, Portwest 'It's a crowded space but it's a growing category and we will certainly look to bring in our brands in quarter four of this year. I had a very good meeting with a distributor here and, while I'm here, I'm actively trying to do something. 'This will not be a massive volume play initially. It's more about pushing out the brand and growing out export reach. Exports are 50 per cent of volume; it's substantial for us.' Harry Hughes, is a director of family-owned Portwest, a Mayo-based maker of protective clothing and workplace equipment. He was chosen as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2017 and is chair of this year's EOY judging panel. He used the trip as an opportunity to meet executives at Midori Anzen, the largest workwear company in Japan. 'They are in a city with 40 million [people] beside Mount Fuji, which is their sacred mountain and I was able to tell them that I'm in a town of 6,000 near Westport, beside our sacred mountain [Croagh Patrick]. 'It was a courtesy call and what I wanted to achieve was to see if we could do a swap of junior managers where three or four of theirs would visit us for a month and ours would go to them. It would be an interesting experience for our management team and they seem open to the idea.' Tierney believes Irish manufacturers can learn a lot from their Japanese peers, and that the market can be a fruitful trading ground for others. 'It's amazing that there are more than 100 Irish entrepreneurs in Japan this week to try and bring some of the learnings home because we have to improve, and learning from Japan is the best way to do it. I feel a debt of gratitude to Japan for teaching us how to make our company better.'
India.com
18-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- India.com
7 Traditional Japanese Techniques For Better Mental Health And Emotional Balance
Samta Pahuja May 18, 2025 Combine what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. Walk slowly in a forest to reduce stress hormones and clear your mind. Encourages patience, grace, and mindfulness. Kaizen focuses on small, consistent changes over time and improves daily life without pressure. Naikan means 'looking inside.' What have I received? What have I given? What troubles have I caused? Kintsugi is the art of repairing broken pottery with gold. Symbolizes healing and embracing flaws. Wabi-Sabi finds beauty in the imperfect, incomplete, and impermanent. Cultivates peace, acceptance, and resilience. Read Next Story
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
York entrepreneur launches eco-friendly mobile car valeting service
York entrepreneur Gareth Livesley launched an eco-friendly mobile car valeting service. Kaizen Car Care promises a professional level of car care directly to people's driveways, and already has a dedicated customer base, including top local businesses in the York area. Gareth said: 'I've always worked around vehicles, I've been cleaning them on and off for most of my life, starting with our family haulage business when I was young. 'When I got my first car, I kept it in great condition, which led to family, friends and neighbours asking me to clean their vehicles. RECOMMENDED READING: Meet the Media returns to the Bonding Warehouse on June 26 Aptamer Group reports progress on Liver Fibrosis treatments Avery Dennison opens high-tech facility at Hornbeam Park Tiddlywinks Nursery opens at Yolk Farm near Boroughbridge 'I started a career in haulage but I never lost my interest in cars, having the privilege of owning and working on a diverse range of vehicles, from classic cars to high-powered luxury vehicles.' During lockdown, Gareth started cleaning cars belonging to friends and family again, and soon found the high quality of his work was in demand. He was then inspired to set up Kaizen – the name is a Japanese term meaning 'continuous improvement'. 'Cleaning cars has always been quite therapeutic for me - I can really lose myself washing and valeting a vehicle,' says Gareth. 'I put my headphones in, and three or four hours will soon pass.' Gareth has since gained a wide range of qualifications and accreditations, including recently becoming an official brand ambassador for sustainable car care company, Mile Deep. Its range of eco-friendly products are biodegradable and cruelty-free. Kaizen has also been awarded Plastic Free champion status. And Gareth is working towards gaining more eco-friendly accreditations. Meanwhile, Kaizen's branded workwear uses 35% recycled plastic bottles and Gareth avoids the use of harsh chemicals whenever possible. Gareth says: 'I'm a big believer in the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, which is precisely what Kaizen stands for. "I understand the desire for that pristine 'like new' feeling every time you step into your car. I'm proud to be York's only IDA (international Detailing Association) Certified and Skills verified Detailer. "I'm also fully insured, I only use high-quality products and provide a premium level of work – I aim to restore any car to its former glory.' Kaizen covers a 30-mile radius of York, with packages ranging from interior cleaning to ceramic coatings. Kaizen Car Care also offers a monthly maintenance scheme to keep your vehicle always looking in a pristine condition. Gareth also caters for business fleet cleans, including vans, cars and 4x4's, keeping brands looking fabulous. Gareth continued: 'I'm committed to offering a friendly and reliable service with a high attention to detail. If you invest in a professional valet, it can really breathe new life into a vehicle's appearance.' Kaizen will also be a stall holder at this year's York Pride, with a variety of activities, games and prizes planned. This includes a charity raffle to raise funds for MySight York, a local charity supporting people with sight loss, where people can win gift vouchers of between £25 and £100 to spend on a car clean with Kaizen. Meanwhile, there will be plenty of treats for the four-legged visitors, including free natural dog snacks, which have been donated by a local company, plus bowls of drinking water. Gareth added: 'I'm really proud to have our first stall at Pride this year. If you're attending the event at the Knavesmire on 7th June, please come over to the stand to say hello. We provide a welcoming environment and a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community. 'I'm looking forward to the day - and being able to answer any questions about eco-friendly, cruelty-free car care.' To chat to Gareth or to book an eco-friendly car valeting at your home or business, visit: or email: gareth@ or call 07355 928357
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
The Kaizen routine: This Japanese method will help you improve your day, one tiny habit at a time
What if we told you that the secret to completely transforming your life isn't some dramatic 5 a.m. wake-up call or a wild productivity hack—but something so tiny and gentle, you'd barely notice it? Enter Kaizen , the Japanese philosophy of continuous, tiny improvement, and possibly the most stress-free way to upgrade your day. Most of us go all in with our goals—'Starting tomorrow, I'll meditate for 30 minutes, eat clean, hit the gym, read before bed, and never touch my phone again.' It sounds noble, but we all know how that ends. Two days in, it's all too much, and we're back to doom-scrolling on the couch with chips in hand. Here's where Kaizen flips the script. Instead of doing more, it says, 'Do less, but do it better. And repeat.' The idea is: make a 1% improvement every day. Just 1%. That's it. What is Kaizen? Kaizen is a Japanese term that means "change for the better" or "continuous improvement." It was originally developed in the business world, especially in Toyota's manufacturing process. But guess what? It works beautifully in daily life too—especially when it comes to health, habits, mindset, and routines. Think of it as the anti-overwhelm approach. It's not about massive changes. It's about micro-habits that are so small they're almost impossible to fail. Instead of saying, 'I'll clean the entire house every Saturday,' Kaizen says, 'I'll clean one drawer every evening.' Instead of 'I'll walk 10,000 steps,' Kaizen says, 'Put your sneakers on and step outside. That's enough for today.' Instead of 'I'll do a 45-minute workout,' Kaizen says, 'Do 3 squats before brushing your teeth.' Sounds silly? Maybe. But these tiny actions slowly stack up. And more importantly, they don't scare your brain into shutting down before you even begin. Why is Kaizen popular? Most habit changes fail because they rely on motivation, which is basically a flaky friend. Some days it shows up, most days it ghosts you. Kaizen doesn't need motivation. It builds momentum. And momentum is far more powerful. Also, your brain hates change. It sees big changes as threats. But tiny changes fly under the radar. You feel no resistance. You get a dopamine boost from checking something off your list. And slowly, a new identity starts to form—'Hey, I'm someone who sticks to things.' How to start a Kaizen routine No need to buy anything, download an app, or join a club. Just start small. Really small. Here are some super doable Kaizen-style habits to sprinkle into your day: Drink one glass of water after you wake up. That's it. Don't aim for 3 liters just yet. Stretch for 30 seconds before bed. Not yoga. Not a class. Just reach for your toes or roll your shoulders. Write down one thing you're grateful for. One sentence. Don't overthink it. Take one deep breath before opening your laptop. Helps more than you think. Put one thing away after dinner. Don't aim to clean the entire kitchen. The trick? Do it daily. Don't skip. Don't scale up too fast. Just show up for your 1% every day. But, we all want results. Totally fair. We all love instant gratification. But let me remind you of some math: If you improve something by 1% daily, by the end of the year, you're 37x better than when you started. Not 37%. Thirty-seven times. That's not slow progress. That's compound progress—the kind that actually lasts. A few tips to stay focused Attach your tiny habit to something you already do. This is called 'habit stacking.' For example: 'After I brush my teeth, I'll do 5 squats.' Track it visually. Use a wall calendar and cross off the days you followed through. It's oddly satisfying. Don't skip two days in a row. Life happens. But missing twice creates a new pattern. When you think this way, you stop being all-or-nothing. You stop beating yourself up for 'failing.' You stop seeing self-improvement as punishment and start seeing it as empowerment. Before you know it, your day looks different. Your mind feels calmer. Your body moves better. Your habits aren't some strict routine—they're just… you know. Kaizen won't ask you to change your life overnight. It'll ask you to show up today with just a tiny bit of intention. And again tomorrow. And again the day after. One tiny habit. One tiny shift. Every single day. One step to a healthier you—join Times Health+ Yoga and feel the change
