Company

Team Member Profile

Chester N. (Chuck) Ward

Senior Process Improvement Specialist

Chuck Ward's experience in lean manufacturing began in 1986, when he worked on the Production Line in the Toyota Plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, and then moved to a highly advanced level when he was selected as one of the first two U.S. members of the team at the Toyota Supplier Support Center (TSSC) in 1992. TSSC was formed specifically to help U.S. based companies learn how to implement lean so they could become better suppliers of components to Toyota. The training that Chuck and his peers received was unparalleled, with direct, relentless involvement from some of Toyota's most accomplished lean practitioners. He has helped to establish Kaizen offices and teams in a number of organizations. In 1995, Chuck was among the individuals from Toyota, Georgetown that John Beakes, Jr. recruited to form an elite team of lean implementation practitioners that could bring lean to American industry. From 1995-1998, Chuck helped Ford develop the Ford Production System (FPS), which has made an important contribution to the increasing quality of Ford automotive products. Chuck was promoted to the position of Director, Ford Production System at John Beakes, Jr.'s consulting organization in 1997. Chuck is currently the principal lean specialist for OPS leading process improvement projects in Behavioral Health, Primary Care, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics for a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.