The 7 Minute Cleaning Miracle

The Shinkansen cleaning service, TESSEI, is taking the world by surprise

by Nobi Oda

The Shinkansen (Bullet Train) stands at the forefront of high speed train technology and safety. However, it’s their cleaning service that seems to be the center of attention these days. TESSEI, the cleaning group in charge, are able to meticulously clean and prep each train in a mere 7 minutes from start to finish. Dubbed ‘Tokyo’s 7 minute miracle’ by CNN, just how are they able to carry out this seemingly impossible task. We spoke with the lead representative at JR East Japan Technoheart TESSEI to find out.

Speed and Performance

Cleaning has always been a back-end service. However, TESSEI have somehow managed to grab the attention of CNN as well as many Japanese business publications.

There are 2 main reasons behind this, the first of which is speed; TESSEI are able to clean and prep an entire train in just 7 minutes from start to finish!

With many of these trains, the typical turnaround time is just 12 minutes. If you minus 2 minutes for everyone to get off and minus a further 3 minutes for new passengers to board, that leaves a mere 7 minutes at best.

“If you think of the Shinkansen timetable as the crown jewels, were entrusted to protect it by turning the trains around on time.” explained the representative, “When JR first approached us to clean their trains, we ran many simulations before coming up with a work flow to stay within the 7 minute window.”

Taking even just a few seconds longer can affect the entire service. And with trains running down to the second, this must be avoided at all costs.

Seasoned Shinkansen operator Tadashi Okabe added, “For both arrival and departure, we only have a 15 second margin to work with. Anything outside of that margin isn’t considered ‘on-time’.”

It’s worth noting here that JR East Japan operates 7 different lines of Shinkansen, each with a normal class, first class as well as a select few with Grand Class, the most prestigious of them all. With each variant, there are slight but noticeable differences in the width of the walk way and the type & size of the seats.

This makes cleaning challenging but TESSEI adapted their technique and equipment to get the job done. First, the litter is collected (anything that can’t be vacuumed up) before each seat is turned 180 degrees as the direction of the train changes once it reaches its final destination. After that, the curtains are opened and the floor, tables and seats are thoroughly cleaned. Finally, each seat is returned to its upright position and the luggage racks are given a once over to check for items that may have been left behind.

In any given day, TESSEI cleans between 120 to 170 trains. That’s just in Tokyo Station alone. More specifically, each normal class carriage has around 100 seats and TESSEI typically assigns one cleaner per carriage which is usually enough. Inevitably there will always be some things that just can’t be cleaned within 7 minutes such as spills or stains on the seats. In these instances, a cover is placed over the said seat with a sign clearly stating that the seat cannot be used so that they stay within the time limit. Carrying out each one of the above tasks as fast as possible is what allows TESSEI to complete this herculean task in just 7 minutes.

Of course speed is only half of the story. The other half lies in their approach of doing everything with grace as if it were a performance. In fact, after each train is cleaned, they all line up alongside the carriages to take a departing bow, just like a theatre production.

It’s this kind of service that a lot of foreigners are drawn to; they get to see what a well-oiled machine the cleaning service is together with first-hand experience of traditional Japanese custom. “One day we just said ‘hey, let’s turn this cleaning into a feature’”.

This whole cleaning process is affectionately called the ‘Shinkansen Theatre’ where the train and the platform serve as the stage and the cleaners as the performers.

This is similar to how Disneyland trains its cleaning staff (Custodial Staff) to be entertainers. For TESSEI though, it’s less entertainment and more showcase of traditional Japanese custom.

Changing the staff mentality

Channing the staff’s mentality all started in 2005 with one man; Teruo Yabe, currently advisor for JR East Japan. Up until his arrival, TESSEI simply undertook cleaning duties assigned by their parent company (JR East Japan) without so much as a second thought.

It’s the same in any country but people often look down on the cleaning industry and those who are already in it don’t tend to stick around for very long. Even those who do, there’s just no motivation for them, which to an extent is understandable. So rather than praying that one day TESSEI staff will want to improve their performance, Yabe handed them a manual explaining exactly how things are to be done in the hope of increasing efficiency.

Before his posting at TESSEI, Yabe was in charge of safety at JR Group (National Rail as it was known then). Through his experience, he was fast to recognize that technology and manuals alone weren’t enough to maintain a certain level of safety amongst staff; cleaning is largely is a human task and a lapse in concentration or even motivation can lead to accidents.

Yabe knew it was time for a change and the first thing he did was update the uniform into something a little more tasteful. He then appointed new managers to evaluate the staff and create opportunities for them to really shine. After that, he began putting a lot of effort into reducing part time staff which used to account for around 60% of their employees (the pay between part time and full time staff differs greatly).

“We previously had a regulation in place where only part timers over the age of 45 could take the internal test to become full time.” explained Yabe, “That age has now been reduced to 20.”

But his greatest achievement by far was changing the perception of cleaning amongst the staff as well as society in general. He wanted his staff to understand that being a cleaner is like being a performer. He wanted them to realize that at TESSEI they’re not just simply cleaning; it’s much more than that. It’s about providing a service that makes customers happy. For far too long cleaning was seen as a back end type of work but now the spotlight is finally on them.

Yabe’s approach slowly started having an effect on the employees. No longer were they embarrassed to be cleaners. The staff were now motivated and proud of the job that they do.

“At Tokyo Station in particular, there’s a lot of opportunity for staff to interact with customers which is always encouraging.” he added “As is the applause that they sometimes receive after their departing bow. Its small things like these that makes them realize that people do actually care. In turn, it motivates them to do an even better job the next time.”

Yabe also noted a marked increase in suggestions form staff to improve their service.

“The Nursery/Baby area that you see in Tokyo Station was originally an idea from TESSEI staff that was passed onto JR East Japan. TESSEI staff have also had some input on the shape of the bins used on the new Hokuriku Shinkansen Line as well.”

The Japanese work ethic

Through their hard and media exposure by channels such as CNN, TESSEI’s amazing cleaning capabilities are now known across the world. Isao Endo, business administration professor at Weseda University and Roland Berger Japan Chairman, even wrote a book about TESSEI. Owed to this, major companies in japan have also started to take an interest in the cleaning company’s story.

Ethan Bernstein, assistant professor at Harvard Business School, interviewed TESSEI and noted that “they gave purpose to a job that nobody wanted to do and reinvented it into something enjoyable.” TESSEI’s efforts also caught the attention of the President of the SNCF, the national rail service in France. Upon visiting Japan he commented that “We use similar equipment on the TGV but we don’t have the skills and staff that you do. Your staff is exactly what we need in France.”

In reality though, Yabe feels that it would probably be very difficult to implement what TESSEI have, outside of Japan and to an extent we share his view . In countries where contracts and employee code of conduct become the core principles, there’s little to no motivation for staff to do better.

Indeed, TESSEI and JR East Japan also work under a contract. But the relationship that TESSEI has with its staff goes far beyond just documentation. As Yabe explained:

“We rarely tell the staff what to do. We like to listen and respond to their needs instead. Even decision making for equipment all comes down to what our staff on the front line need.”

What makes this all possible is the underlying quintessentially Japanese work ethic; people, even those who work on the front line, are rarely driven by money. What matters to them is the sense of self achievement. Outside of Japan though, this kind of work ethic is really only seen in artists, sportsmen, skilled laborers and some managing directors. And not to mention that on the whole, people in Japan tend to be perfectionists too. Simply put, Japan has a winning formula for creating a high level of service in almost any sector! Even those that are seemingly mundane. A contract orientated country would find it extremely difficult to achieve the same.

As with any country, nobody wants to be a cleaner. Japan is no exception to this but there is a unique culture within the country in terms of cleaning. Take schools for example. In Japan it’s the norm for all the students in each class to clean their classrooms at the end of each day. It’s almost like a form of mental discipline if you will.

It’s because of this foundation that TESSEI is what it is. No doubt, trying to teach the same values to cleaners in another country would be an extremely long and tedious process.

As the interview drew to a close, Yabe left us with a comment that best describes his and TESSEI’s commitment.

“I’m sure we will have plenty more requests from customers/clients in the future and we intend to answer every one of them. What we have now is by no means perfect. It’s definitely better than what we had before, but there’s always room for improvement.”

(photo: Daisuke Hayata translation: Atsushi Fujii)