Hello! I am Sergio Shizuo Niyama, senior advisor at Honsha.org.
I have a degree in Metallurgical Engineering from FEI (Faculty of Industrial Engineering) and have completed an extension course in Materials at Akita University in Japan.
My professional career began in 1986 at Toyota do Brasil in the São Bernardo do Campo plant, where the Jipe Bandeirante was produced; the first Toyota plant outside of Japan. I spent almost 35 years working at Toyota, and in the early stages of my career in 1990, I was transferred to the headquarters in Japan, with the aim of receiving training. I participated in projects such as the implementation of a foundry plant in Thailand and equipment renewal at the TMC plant.
I returned to Brazil in 1995 and then participated in a program called the rebirth of TPS at the São Bernardo do Campo plant where Senseis from TMC’s continuous improvement division called OMDD came to strengthen TPS aiming to develop leadership for the challenges of implementing the new Indaiatuba plant for the Corolla in 1998.
In the following years, I also participated in the MDC and LDP training programs, both conducted by the Toyota Institute. In 2013, I created the corporate TPS group, which after a few years became a continuous improvement division, to support Toyota’s plants in Brazil and Argentina, as well as suppliers, dealerships, and communities.
Throughout my professional career, I had the opportunity to participate in Toyota’s global meetings and also benchmarked Toyota affiliates around the world, bringing best practices. My last positions were as VP of Production, responsible for the 4 plants in Brazil, and Executive Advisor of the Continuous Improvement Division.
After my retirement, now as a Lean business consultant, my purpose is to share my knowledge and experience in TPS acquired during all these years at Toyota, seeking to understand the needs of our clients and to offer strategic solutions with commitment and dedication, and thus contribute to the growth of these companies and consequently bring benefits to society.
