Richard V. Lebovitz is CEO of LeanDNA, Inc. and a Partner in Streamline Strategy Japan. He is a manufacturing expert focused on developing and deploying Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications for Lean Manufacturing. His unique experience bridges the world of shop-floor manufacturing and supply chain with on-demand software to support analysis and execution. He has managed multi-disciplinary teams that have led lean conversion projects in the United States, Argentina, Africa, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, Belgium, France and Germany that involved converting traditional enterprises to Lean manufacturing.
Mr. Lebovitz was the founder and CEO
of Austin based Factory Logic, Inc. (acquired by SAP), which he started
in 1997. He built Factory Logic into a leading provider
of software that models the Toyota Production System,
and won the
Shingo Prize for Manufacturing excellence
in 2001. Currently, Mr. Lebovitz is also a board member
for the Association for Manufacturing Excellence
(AME), and is an
Entrepreneur-In-Residence
and Instructor for The University of Texas at Austin.
Prior to founding Factory Logic, Mr. Lebovitz
was a partner in Management and Technology Japan (MTJ) for
7 years. MTJ was founded in 1984 by a manufacturing partner
at Japanese Management Association who had also worked with
Honda and Toyota. MTJ specialized in total conversion from
a traditional manufacturing approach to Lean/flow manufacturing.
Mr. Lebovitz has worked extensively in the auto industry
as well as personal products, food, textiles, consumer goods
and heavy machinery. Before joining MTJ, Mr. Lebovitz was
the Director of Business Development for Teknekron Advanced
Automation Systems. This was a start-up company funded by
Teknekron Corporation located in Menlo Park, CA and Incline
Village, Nevada. Mr. Lebovitz holds a Bachelor of Science
in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas at
Austin.
Mike Hulbert is a partner at LeanDNA, and a recognized expert in process improvement and business transformation leveraging Lean, Six Sigma, and re engineering principles in conjunction with software. He has led significant operations transformations, often in conjunction with ERP implementations, in aerospace and defense, electronics, medical devices, and financial services.
Prior to joining LeanDNA, Mike was Americas Region Head of Operational Excellence at Credit Suisse where he led all aspects of this significant Lean / Six Sigma program throughout key business operations. Previously, he was the Northeast Region Lead of the Operations Excellence practice at Deloitte Consulting. At Deloitte, he led a series of major transformation / ERP programs at Lockheed Martin, Johnson & Johnson, Dell Computer, Nokia, and Digital Equipment / Compaq. He also led an inventory management and procurement startup within a major pharmaceutical distributor that was later carved out as an independent company.
Mike led the services and product management organizations at Factory Logic, a web-based software to support implementation of the Toyota Production System and Lean practices. He was also a Principle at PRTM Consulting where he focused on operations turnarounds. He led the conversion of a significant electronics manufacturer from a build to forecast operating model to a build to demand model.
Mike was awarded an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1994 and a BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas in 1989 where he also served as the student body president.
| Takao Kasahara
Managing Director
|
Takao Kasahara is Managing Director of Streamline Strategy Japan. He is an internationally recognized expert in lean manufacturing implementation and strategy. Prior to founding SSJ, Mr. Kasahara was Managing Director and a partner in Management Technology Japan for 17 years where he worked in industries including automotive, auto parts suppliers, heavy machinery, consumer goods, electronics, medical, and others. In addition to consulting for companies worldwide, Mr. Kasahara currently teaches manufacturing and information technology courses at Wasada University.
Prior to joining MTJ, Mr. Kasahara worked with Toyo engineering for 12 years, where his responsibilities included overall design and construction of major manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Mr. Kasahara also served as a Director of CTC Engineering, a software design and engineering firm that focuses on process and control systems for manufacturing
