Aisin Appoints New President of Plymouth, MI, Tech Center

April 7, 2014

Patrick Ponticel

Yoshiaki "Yoshi" Kato began his duties as President of Aisin Technical Center of America on April 1.

A Japan-based engineer with senior management experience in the U.S. has been named President of Aisin Seiki's Plymouth, MI-based tech center. Yoshiaki "Yoshi" Kato assumed the post at Aisin Technical Center of America (ATC-A) on April 1 after serving as Senior Managing Officer of the company's R&D sector in Japan. Before coming to Aisin, he'd spent more than 25 years in a variety of engineering and product development positions with Toyota, including several years in senior management at the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor, MI. Kato, who earned a bachelor of science degree in electronics engineering from Nagoya Kogyo University, replaces Takashi "Jay" Aoyama, who remains with ATC-A as Senior Technical Advisor. In addition to engineering and design capabilities, ATC-A has lab facilities that allow various evaluation tests and procedures to ensure the quality of its products. Kato also is responsible for FT Techno of America, a 950-acre (384-ha) test track and proving ground in Fowlerville, MI. The facility supports vehicle performance evaluations for major OEMs, suppliers, and government and academic institutions. Aisin is a Tier 1 supplier of automotive components such as brakes, transmissions, drivetrain, chassis, body, information-related navigation systems, and engine-related parts. Worldwide, Aisin has 180 consolidated companies and employs 80,000 people (13,000 in North America).