Salvador D Sanchez  

Sal’s journey in lean thinking began in 1990 with the Toyota Production System (TPS) at New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), a GM/Toyota joint venture. Over the next 20 years, he progressed through roles such as Assembly Team Member, Team Leader, New Hire Trainer, Group Leader, Assistant Manager of TPS, and Manager of the Plastics plant. His experience includes three years at Toyota North American Headquarters, where he learned TPS hands-on from Japanese managers and supported Toyota plants, automotive suppliers, and non-automotive manufacturers while working at TSSC/OMDD. 

In 2010, Sal joined a Toyota supplier as a Global Senior Manager on their Operations Excellence team, traveling to over 20 countries and more than 100 plants to help develop and implement lean strategies. His work included designing and building new plants based on TPS principles. His ability to adapt to new cultures and his respect for people have been key to his success in encouraging teamwork and achieving results. During this period, Toyota appointed him Director of Quality for a logistics company to implement Standardized Work and Problem Solving. 

As a TPS Coach, Sal has worked across various manufacturing sectors on projects encompassing safety, quality, delivery, and shop floor management, as well as transforming plants from mass production to lean environments. His expertise lies in Standardized Work, Shop Floor Management, and facilitating Jishukens. Sal excels at developing people, improving value streams, and enhancing work culture. His recent achievements include leading the Assembly Production design and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for a greenfield plant in the US. 

Sal studied Business Management at Ohlone College and Berkeley University. He holds certifications from Toyota in Standardized Work, Master Trainer-the-Trainer, Toyota Business Practice, Problem-Solving Facilitation, and Toyota Leadership training (Japan).