Connect with us

Technology

India’s Quality Leap: IFQM Leads CXO Study Mission to Japan with JUSE

Published

on

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 /PRNewswire/ — 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

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2968850/IFQM_CXO_JUSE_HQ.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2929171/5875151/IFQM_Logo.jpg

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/indias-quality-leap-ifqm-leads-cxo-study-mission-to-japan-with-juse-302757066.html

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

Yon Raz-Fridman Joins Intrinsic Labs as Co-Founder and Partner

Published

on

By

Most AI companies are selling software. Intrinsic is deploying AI workers into the core operations of mid-market companies – and just brought in a serial tech entrepreneur to help the firm scale across the Heartland.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Intrinsic Labs today announced that Yon Raz-Fridman has joined the firm as a Co-Founder and Partner.

Raz-Fridman has spent nearly two decades building across software, hardware, and platform businesses. Early in his career, he served as Chief of Staff to the President of Keter Group, a $1 billion-plus global consumer products manufacturer. He went on to co-found Kano, the award-winning educational computing company, and later founded Supersocial, the immersive gaming studio acquired by Super League Enterprises in 2025. He is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Convergence Council.

He joins Intrinsic at a moment when mid-market companies are moving from AI experimentation to deployment. Intrinsic works with operators in logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets to deploy AI workers into the workflows that run the business – increasing throughput, reducing manual work, and expanding capacity without adding headcount.

The firm has built its reputation on practical deployments tied to real operating metrics. In one engagement with a national real estate brokerage, Intrinsic’s AI Accounting Agents reached 97% invoice coding accuracy, automated 90% of the AP workflow, and fully removed FTEs from the review flow.

“Yon understands what it takes to build and scale in the real world,” said Jon Slemp, Managing Partner at Intrinsic Labs. “Our clients aren’t buying flashy agents, they’re buying outcomes and reliable labor. They need agentic systems that take work off their teams, perform reliably, and produce measurable gains in throughput and capacity. That’s what we build.”

As Co-Founder, Raz-Fridman will oversee Intrinsic’s expansion – designing the channel relationships, institutional partnerships, and market positioning that take the firm from a proven Ohio model to the defining AI workforce platform for America’s industrial middle market.

“The companies that win over the next decade will be the ones that figure out how to staff AI into their operations and manage it like a workforce. Intrinsic is doing that work now, inside real businesses, tied to real outputs. The Heartland is exactly the right place to prove this model, and Intrinsic is exactly the right team to do it.” — Yon Raz-Fridman

About Intrinsic Labs LLC
Intrinsic Labs helps mid-market companies deploy AI workers into the workflows that run their business. The firm focuses on logistics, construction, insurance, manufacturing, and industrial markets, where manual work, fragmented systems, and labor constraints create clear opportunities for leverage. Intrinsic works with clients to put AI workers into production, tie them to operating KPIs, and help teams scale output without scaling headcount. https://www.intrinsic-labs.ai/  

About Team Yon LLC
Team Yon LLC is a management company founded by Yon Raz-Fridman that incubates new ventures, provides executive leadership, and makes strategic investments at the intersection of emerging technology and human advancement. Through Team Yon LLC, Raz-Fridman partners with founders and operators across healthcare, AI, and frontier technology – including his role as co-founder and Partner at Intrinsic Labs. https://teamyon.org

Media Contact:hello@intrinsic-labs.ai

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/yon-raz-fridman-joins-intrinsic-labs-as-co-founder-and-partner-302756994.html

SOURCE Team Yon LLC

Continue Reading

Technology

Wipfli to complete CompliancePoint transaction and add associates, expanding capabilities

Published

on

By

MILWAUKEE, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Wipfli, a top 25 national advisory and accounting firm, announced today it has entered into an agreement with CompliancePoint Inc., a provider of risk management services focused on information security, data privacy and regulatory compliance. 2 partners and 52 associates will join the firm as a result of the transaction.

Based in Duluth, Georgia, CompliancePoint brings specialization across cybersecurity, privacy and compliance, serving clients across a wide variety of industries. The addition strengthens Wipfli’s risk management offerings and expands its ability to help organizations navigate regulatory scrutiny, evolving cybersecurity threats and complex data protection requirements.

“Organizations today are under more pressure than ever to protect sensitive information and operate responsibly in an evolving regulatory environment,” said Kurt Gresens, CEO at Wipfli Advisory, LLC. “The team at CompliancePoint brings specialized experience and a strong, people-first approach that enhances how we support clients navigating today’s risk landscape.”

CompliancePoint has built its reputation on helping organizations manage risk across the full data lifecycle, with a holistic approach that recognizes how privacy, security and compliance intersect. The combined professional teams from CompliancePoint and Wipfli will deliver expanded, integrated advisory solutions designed to help clients proactively manage risk while supporting long-term growth and operational resilience.

“Wipfli shares our commitment to practical, client-focused solutions and long-term relationships,” said Greg Sparrow, CompliancePoint president. “Together, we’re expanding the resources available to our clients while continuing to deliver the specialized experience and trusted relationships they rely on.”

The addition of the CompliancePoint team also supports Wipfli’s continued investment in talent and innovation. CompliancePoint associates will join a national firm that emphasizes collaboration, professional development and meaningful client impact, while maintaining the specialized focus that has defined their work.

The transaction is expected to become effective on May 1st, 2026

About Wipfli

Wipfli is a leading national advisory and accounting firm with nearly 100 years of experience serving ambitious middle-market organizations. We understand our clients’ unique challenges and help them succeed on their terms through assurance, tax, advisory, outsourcing and technology services. With 3,000+ associates and global alliances, we combine national capabilities with local relationships. Wipfli operates under an alternative practice structure: Wipfli LLP, a licensed CPA firm, provides attest services, while Wipfli Advisory LLC, a non-CPA firm, delivers business advisory and non-attest services. Learn more at wipfli.com or contact Alicia O’Connell at alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com.

Media Contact

Alicia O’Connell
Wipfli
alicia.oconnell@wipfli.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wipfli-to-complete-compliancepoint-transaction-and-add-associates-expanding-capabilities-302756208.html

SOURCE Wipfli

Continue Reading

Technology

Ginkgo Bioworks Announces Date of First Quarter 2026 Results Presentation

Published

on

By

Presentation and Q&A session scheduled for post-market on Thursday, May 7, 2026

BOSTON, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: DNA, “Ginkgo”) today announced that it plans to host a presentation and Q&A session reviewing business performance for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, on Thursday, May 7, 2026, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The presentation details and webcast link will be available on Ginkgo’s investor relations website at https://investors.ginkgobioworks.com, and a replay will be made available.

To ask a question ahead of the presentation, please submit them to @Ginkgo on X (hashtag #GinkgoResults) or by sending an e-mail to investors@ginkgobioworks.com.

About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. The company offers autonomous laboratories that replace manual laboratory work with robotics in the lab, greatly improving the productivity of scientists. Ginkgo’s in-house autonomous lab is also available as a “cloud lab” through our Datapoints and Solutions contract research services. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Ginkgo Bioworks Contacts:

INVESTOR CONTACT:

investors@ginkgobioworks.com 

MEDIA CONTACT:

press@ginkgobioworks.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ginkgo-bioworks-announces-date-of-first-quarter-2026-results-presentation-302757632.html

SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

Continue Reading

Trending