Isao Kato
Isao “Ike” Kato spent 35 years with Toyota Motor Corporation working in manufacturing, human resources, training and development, and supplier development before retiring in the early 1990’s.
During part of his career he was responsible for coordinating and guiding external consultant Shigeo Shingo around Toyota facilities.
During this period, he worked under the direction of another Toyota legend, Taiichi Ohno, developing training material for the Toyota Production System.
He was better known at Toyota as “the father of standardized work and kaizen courses” and the master instructor of Training Within Industry (TWI) material who introduced the “J” programs to Toyota.
Influences
Influenced
- Art Smalley
Links
- Interview with Isao Kato – Art of Lean – discussion about Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo influence on TPS
- The Secrets of Isao Kato – Toyota’s Master Trainer
Books
Additional Resources
- A Brief History of Kaizen: The Key Players– creativesafetysupply.com
- What is Lean manufacturing?– iecieeechallenge.org
- “Lean” 25 Years Later– lean-news.com
- What’s in a Name: Defining Terms in Lean Manufacturing– 5snews.com