Shingo, Shigeo

Shigeo Shingo (January 8, 1909 – November 14, 1990) is one of the early pioneers of the Toyota Production System. He worked with Taiichi Ohno, though there is some question as to how instrumental he was in the development of this new way of thinking. The debate ranges from him being a co-developer, to being a consultant, to being a mere contributor.

What is not in dispute is that he was brilliant and documented the nuances of TPS in a wealth of written works. Shingo is likely far more responsible for the West’s adoption of Lean principles than Ohno.

In honor of Shingo’s contributions to the Lean community, the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University has named their award after him (the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence) that acknowledges outstanding companies in the pursuit of Lean.