Seef District - Tuesday, April 15th, 2008: As part of its ongoing programme to make available international methodologies for improving productivity, management and technology to Bahraini companies, the Labour Fund (LF) in conjunction with the Japanese Embassy and the Japanese Co-operation centre for the Middle East (JCCME) is organising a workshop on the famous "Kaizen Management" production system from Japan.

The day-long workshop takes place on Thursday, May 8 2008 at the Radisson SAS Hotel (formerly the Diplomat Hotel) from 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. The language used at the workshop will be English.

"It is our intention at the Labour Fund to be a facilitator for Bahraini companies, especially SMEs and entrepreneurial ventures in tapping into international expertise and methodologies that will improve competitiveness," said the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and the Labour Fund's Chairman Dr. Nezar Al Baharna, "The 'Kaizen Management' method is increasingly gaining ground in Bahrain thanks to our programmes that allow SMEs to restructure for profit with the help of consultants and we felt the time is right to allow a wider circle of Bahrain's business community to benefit from the practices."

The Japanese Ambassador, HE. Mr. Takeshi Kondo reiterated that the Kaizem Management will enhance and add value to the productivity and management practises of the participating members and companies of the private and industrial sector.  He added, "Professor Seiichi Fujita, (Graduate School of Commerce at Waseda University of Japan) who brings years of experience in conducting this workshop worldwide, will be the main speaker and we sincerely hope that as many businessmen, and members of the industrial and private sector benefit from this one day seminar.

KAIZEN is the Japanese production management system; it is a feedback action to improve the quality, cost, and delivery of products or services.  The workshop will also explain the advantages of KAIZEN suggestion system compared with another suggestion system, and introduce Japanese Industrial application known as "5S activities".

The workshop registration will be based on a first come-first serve basis. Those who would like to participate may email the Labour Fund on info@lf.bh or contact the Marketing communication department of the Labour Fund on 17568851 or 17568850.

JCCME is an independent, non-profit foundation authorized and supervised by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The objective of JCCME is to contribute to the promotion of Japan's investment, trade, economic and technical cooperation with the Middle East countries, with a view to furthering their economic development.

To achieve this objective, JCCME carries out the following activities: Investment Promotion Activities, International Conferences and Communication, Research and Surveys, Cooperation Promotion and Information Services, and Seminars and Training.

-Ends-

The Labour Fund
The Kingdom of Bahrain has taken vital steps towards a labour market reform which is an essential stride to ensure that the human capital of the country is developed and that employment is made more attractive for localization as well as to improve performances of businesses.  The strive towards labour reform will impact the Kingdom's economy and raise standards of living as well as pose a challenging commitment to the improvement of services in Bahrain. 

The Labour Fund is a semi-autonomous yet independent authority which formulates strategic and operational plans to use the fees collected by the LMRA in order to enhance the overall prosperity of Bahrain by investing in Bahraini employability, job creation, and social support. Hence, the Labour Fund's main objectives are to support Bahrainis to become the employees of choice, and (ii) to support high quality private sector job creation and helping the private sector cope with the impact of labour market reform.

To achieve these objectives, the LF will invest in the cost and quality competitiveness of Bahrainis (e.g., reduction of cost of employing Bahrainis relative to expatriates, investment in skills and work ethic development programs of Bahrainis) and tackle employment barriers on both employer and labour market entrants sides through a combination of financial incentives and capability building, and (ii) in supporting the private sector's adjustment to new cost

structures by providing access to capital to alleviate short-term cash constraints or improve productivity, and in know-how  initiatives that support improvements in productivity and decreased reliance on expatriate labour through spreading management and technical knowledge.

For Media Enquiries, you may contact: 
Ms. Hala A. Suleiman
Marketing Communications Manager
Labour Fund
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel: 17568850/17568851
Fax : 17581801
email: info@lf.bh

© Press Release 2008