About Us

Core Values

How We Pursue Perfection .

CLIENTS

We focus on increasing our clients’ value

Productivity

We pursue balance and simplicity

Respect

We respect diversity

PASSION

We love what we do

Improvement

We strive for continuous improvement

Commitment

We courageously persevere in our commitments

PEOPLE

We believe people are our greatest asset

Trust

We build trust among our stakeholders

STYLE

We serve with enthusiasm and kindness

Top-Flight Company

Our History .

Founded in 2018, UPKAIZEN was born at the hands of its founder, after his contribution to the industry for more than twenty years in manufacturing, continuous improvement and supply chain management. We then expanded our horizons by collaborating with freelancers and partner consultants for global sourcing initiatives. Over time, our offering evolved to encompass comprehensive digital and in-person training in lean management, operations, supply chain management and continuous improvement, serving both individual and corporate clients.

Mission .

We serve our clients to improve their business operating performance.

Vision .

We are the key partner for excellence.

Our Strengths .

Drawing from diverse industry backgrounds and global experiences, our team understands the unique challenges faced by businesses worldwide. We offer on-demand consulting and training services tailored to your specific needs, simplifying operational management efficiently, regardless of your location. UPKAIZEN is your flexible solution for streamlined business operations.

People Behind uPKAIZEN .

Dante Garcia
Managing Director
Olena Ivanytsya
Operations Manager
Martin A. Akamine
supply chain Associate Consultant
Ieva Kalve
organizational management associate consultant
Antoine Hauger
marketing associate consultant
Matias Guarello Wilhelmy
supply chain associate Consultant
Paulina Paredes
supply chain associate consultant

Places where we consult

Dante García

Managing director

Dante is the founder of Upkaizen. Over the past twenty years, Dante has been helping to manage global teams and helping innovative businesses and Fortune-500 companies to grow using Kaizen principles. His background in engineering and supply chain and operations management informs his mindful but competitive approach.

Dante is fueled by his passion for understanding the nuances of cross-cultural environments. He considers himself a ‘global student’, eager to build on his academic foundations in engineering and management, and stay in tune with digital entrepreneurship-style through continued coursework and world travel.

Dante believes mindfulness in the workplace is key to success – a tenet he lives out through his interests in consulting, coaching and training.

Dante is currently working as a business consultant director in Upkaizen and is always interested in a challenge.

Olena Ivanytsya

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Olena originally started working for Upkaizen as a Sourcing Specialist. But now her activities also include implementing the right processes and practices across the company, mentoring the team members, assisting with forming strategic objectives and plenty more. 

Time spent in the company encouraged her to boost my professional and personal qualities in leadership, organizational and communication skills, and familiarise with business and financial principles. All of that now allows her not only to bolster up its growth, but also to improve greatly in other activities she takes passion in, like landscape architecture and archery.

She strongly believes in the philosophy adopted by Upkaizen to strive for constant improvement, honesty and perseverance, which gives her a privilege to share it for the benefit of businesses and individuals around the globe.

Martin A. Akamine

ASSOCIATE SUPPLY CHAIN Consultant

Specialised in strategies and development for organizations, Martin is a Coach, Business Consultant, and University Profesor, dedicated to giving
lectures and training to differents audiences,
such as educational and corporate.
Martin has over 25 years of experience in leadership positions. He began his professional career as a worker and got several promotions in operations and supply chain, where he reached the position of Regional Director. He was also a member of the Board of several multinational companies in Latin America (Starbucks Coffee, Burger King, Dominos), which included being in charge of opening new markets in different countries.
Well-known for his Japanese DNA applied to business, he has been awarded for “Young Oustanding Nikkei” and bestowed upon “Merit
Diploma” granted by the Japanese Embassy in Argentina, and was recently chosen as the “Latin America and Caribbean Nikkei Leader “ for strengthening Japan´s relationship with the region.
He is also one of the founding members of Argentina´s Nikkei Network
and creator of the Nikkei Global Network.

Ieva Kalve

Associate Supply Chain Consultant

I believe that it is healthy laziness that moves the world and business forward, and I am always ready to help find the most effective and appropriate solutions concerning strategic and change management, as well as various efficiency solutions in office work.

As a practicing consultant in Latvia, I already have 20 years of experience in various fields related to the optimization of organizational management:

– I can help with advice on implementing the Balanced Scorecard system,

– I have experience in creating IT and document management system modernization strategies,

– I am a certified European ergonomist, and therefore we can work together on modern office solutions that both increase work efficiency and create comfortable and health-friendly workplaces.

I am constantly updating my knowledge both informally – following everything new in my areas of competence, and also formally: I have master’s degrees in pedagogy, economics, nutrition science, and modeling of sociotechnical systems. In 2021, I was a full-time student again for 1 semester – at the University of Buffalo (USA).

It is this unique “set” that allows me to view various processes, trends, and organizational needs holistically, offering realistic and at the same time modern solutions.

I also share my experience with students of various Latvian universities, I have given lectures in Lithuania, Germany, and Moldova as part of the Erasmus+ program, as well as participated in the international Sail program.

I also like to conduct corporate training.

Antoine Hauger

ASSOCIATE Marketing CONSULTANT

Antoine is a marketing enthusiast with a deeper understanding of digital marketing.  
Having worked for SMEs and international groups, Antoine has gained deeper online marketing (B2B & B2C) experience in various industries like retail, automotive and software.
Being a Partner and Marketing Manager at a global software vendor in the open source segment enabled Antoine, on the one hand, to consult digital agencies to build up and extend relationships, increasing their client base and improving customer experience. And on the other hand, to build up his global marketing competencies (E-Mail/Social Media/Content/Event).

In his new role as Partner Marketing Manager, Antoine is responsible for the strategic & operative rollout of the partner marketing program to its worldwide partner network of 150+ members.

Matias Guarello Wilhelmy

ASSOCIATE SUPPLY CHAIN CONSULTANT

Matias holds a degree n Maritime Transport from the Chilean and German Commerce Institute and from the Cambridge Academy of Transport and a Diploma in Business Administration from the Adolfo Ibáñez university.

He is a trilingual executive with 30 years of a professional career in important companies in the shipping, export, and retail industries with ample experience in Operational and Commercial areas, having led in Chile, North America, and Europe, the design and implementation of integrated added-value solutions in the areas of Supply Chain and Sales Management.

He works as a Consultant and Business Development partner helping technology Startups in the field of Supply Chain and Logistics introduce their SaaS solutions in Latin America and Iberia.

Matias is also a Global Logistics and Supply Chain Executive Mentor.

Paulina Paredes

ASSOCIATE SUPPLY CHAIN CONSULTANT

Paulina is a young specialist from Mexico to Upkaizen team and is responsible for assisting in Global Sourcing and Lean & Kaizen projects. 

Being an Industrial and Systems Engineer Paulina has worked on projects with companies where she applied the knowledge learned in university such as supply chain, lean manufacturing, logistics, management, quality among others. This allowed her to understand how companies work and the problems they deal with daily. 

Only with a few months of work behind she has shown herself as a great teammate and an optimistic person. 

Having the “Emotional Intelligence Certificate” from the Bee Happy Company, in this certification program, Paulina had the opportunity to learn resources like the development of strategies, leadership, and creativity. 

Besides that she’s constantly interested in professional growth but also personal growth, that’s why running, cooking, dancing, and reading are some of the personal hobbies she enjoys doing.

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