Consultants
Kenji Shuno
Kenji Shuno is a Senior Consultant at Shingijutsu Global Consulting, with more than four decades of experience in manufacturing, Kaizen, and the Toyota Production System. His career spans both industrial and service sectors, with a particular focus on extending TPS principles beyond manufacturing into healthcare and public services.
He began his professional career in 1964 at Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd., where he was initially assigned to the Paint Department within Manufacturing. He later transferred to Industrial Engineering, applying Kaizen to improve production processes, and subsequently contributed to Kaizen initiatives in Quality Control Preparation before returning to the Paint function. These roles provided a strong foundation in process improvement and cross-functional problem solving.
He was later promoted to the Production Control Division, where he served as an Energy-Saving Kaizen Facilitator. He then became Manager of the New Plant Preparatory Office, leading the design and implementation of painting processes for new plants in Kariya and Mie. During this period, he continued his Kaizen activities as a member of the Toyota Production Autonomous Study Group, established by Taiichi Ohno, further deepening his understanding of TPS fundamentals.
He later transferred to the International Division, where he trained and supported overseas suppliers in building efficient production systems in China, Thailand, and Indonesia. He also contributed to the 1974 Japan Quality Award activities.
Since joining Shingijutsu Global Consulting in 2009, he has worked as a Lean consultant and seminar instructor in Japan and internationally. His consulting focuses on Lean Production, Just-In-Time, Jidoka, material and information flow, and Gemba-based Kaizen. He has been heavily engaged in hospital and insurance Kaizen projects in Canada and the United States, contributing to reduced patient wait times, inventory reduction, and improved patient satisfaction across mental health, cancer treatment, and women’s and children’s healthcare organizations.