Yoshihiko Sato is Senior Scientist, Engineering Operations Office, Isuzu Motors, Japan. He is also President of the Value & Profit Management Technical Institute and Associate Director of the Japan Value Engineering Association.
On graduation from Kanagawa Prefectural Technical High School in 1963, he began his career with Isuzu, working in the Production Engineering Department. In 1972 he was assigned to the Cost Planning Department where he developed the "Tear Down" process as a way to enhance value engineering studies. In 1977, after five years of development work, he presented his VA Tear Down method at a seminar at Sanno College. Following this public presentation, the method was adopted by all eleven automotive companies in Japan, and then also by the leading electronic companies.
In 1988 he acquired the License of Certified Value specialist of the Society of American Value Engineers (SAVE).
In 1993 he became General Manager of the Isuzu Cost Management Department Then, he took up General Manager of Cost Technology Department. Two years later he received the VE Promotion Award from the Society of Japan Value Engineering (SJVE), and that same year was elected a Fellow of the SAVE.
In 1998 he received the VE Outstanding Research and Development Award from SJVE. As for having been awarded two prizes, he is the first.
He established VPM Technical Institute Inc. in 1997, and became its president in 1999.
Mr. Sato has published papers and lectured on Value Engineering concepts throughout the world, and has authored four books:
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