Henry Ford (1863 – 1943)
Ford was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and inventor of mass production. His book ‘Today and Tomorrow’ was a book of revelations for Toyota’s first leaders and is still highly recommended for any ambitious manager or engineer.
Kiichiro Toyoda (1894 – 1952)
Kichiro Toyoda, the son of Sakichi Toyoda, transformed his father’s textile company into the Toyota Motor Corporation. He nailed down the company’s core values and culture for decades to come.
Taichi Ohno (1912 – 1990)
In the 1930’s Ohno developed the ‘Automatic Loom’ at Toyoda Spinning, the sales of which supplied the Toyoda family the means to establish a motor factory a couple of years later. Ohno was a student of Ford and Demming and the undisputed father of the Toyota Production System.
Shigeo Shingo (1909 – 1990)
The great discoverer of the advantages of quick changeover systems (SMED) and Poka-yoke.
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey K. Liker
Prof Liker studied Toyota for more than two decades and managed to get to the root of the Toyota system. He brought order to the many great ideas the company was almost unconsciently deploying every day. And made them accessable to a broader audience. His books include The Toyota Way, The Toyota Way Fieldbook, The Toyota Product Development Systemand Toyota Talent.