Consultants
Chiaki Yokoo
Chiaki Yokoo is a Senior Consultant at Shingijutsu Global Consulting, with nearly five decades of hands-on experience in manufacturing, Lean, and the Toyota Production System. His professional career was developed entirely at the Gemba, where he practiced and refined Kaizen, quality improvement, and safety management within Toyota Group operations.
He began his career in 1969 at Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd., working in assembly operations at the Kariya Plant under strict adherence to TPS. Early in his career, he participated in the Toyota Autonomous Study Group, conducting Kaizen activities at Toyota Auto Body and Hino Motors, Ltd., which established a strong foundation in TPS-based problem solving.
In the 1990s, he played key roles in new product launches and overseas production support. At the Inabe Plant, he implemented Lean practices such as process sequencing, Standard Work, and work standard documentation as part of the launch team for Toyota’s GRANVIA model. He later joined overseas production support activities in China, receiving advanced training in the Production Preparation Process (3P) and quality control systems, and subsequently assumed quality control leadership responsibilities.
From 2004 onward, he held a series of leadership roles in assembly, logistics, quality, and safety at the Inabe Plant. His responsibilities included logistics Kaizen across Toyota Auto Body and affiliated companies, QCDMS improvement, regional QC Circle leadership, and plant-wide safety and health management. He was also responsible for developing workforce capability through Lean education and skill-based Kaizen initiatives.
After retiring from Toyota Auto Body in 2011, he continued as a contract Lean consultant, conducting Kaizen across group companies. He obtained JUSE Quality Control Headquarters Consultant Certification in 2014 and served as a judge for national QC Circle conferences.
Since joining Shingijutsu Global Consulting in 2016, he has applied his extensive expertise in quality, safety, Gemba Kaizen, and Lean leadership to support organizations in Japan and internationally.