Consultants
Takeshi Iwata
Takeshi Iwata is President and Executive Consultant of Shingijutsu Global Consulting, with nearly three decades of professional experience in Lean production and Kaizen-based management. His career has been dedicated to the practical application and global dissemination of the Toyota Production System (TPS), including Just-In-Time (JIT), Jidoka (autonomation), and Gemba-centered improvement.
He began his career in 1989 at Rinnai Corporation, where he was assigned to the Kaizen Promotion Office. In this role, he led the introduction of setup reduction, pull systems, standardized mizusumashi (assembly-line material supply), Kanban-based parts withdrawal, and other Lean and Kaizen concepts. He also contributed to innovative production system design, cell production lines, parts supply systems, and the promotion of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). In addition, he supported preparations for establishing Rinnai manufacturing plants in China.
In 1999, he joined Shingijutsu Co., Ltd., the organization that pioneered Kaizen consulting. As a Gemba Kaizen consultant, he supported both domestic and international companies and served as an instructor for seminars in Japan, specializing in Gemba Kaizen, Distribution Kaizen, and the Production Preparation Process (3P).
Following the passing of Shingijutsu founder Yoshiki Iwata, a leading proponent of Gemba-based teaching and the “Three Actuals” (3-Gen) philosophy, Mr. Iwata established Shingijutsu Global Consulting. in 2003. As President and Executive Consultant, he continues to uphold the Shingijutsu name and its Gemba-centric teaching approach.
To date, he has led Kaizen and Lean initiatives at more than 100 organizations across diverse industries worldwide. His areas of expertise include Kaizen promotion, Lean culture development, Hoshin Kanri (Policy Management), Daily Management, leadership development, production control, 3P (Production Preparation Process), lead time reduction, and improvements in quality, productivity, capacity, and inventory performance.