Fernando Ochoa Muller Mexico and the operational challenges of working between Mexico, the U.S. and Japan
🔍 Article co-created with Fernando Ochoa Muller, who will serve as Managing Director at Thyssenkrupp Bilstein PSMA Mexico, and Augusto Unzaga, host of Keru Podcast.
🎙️ This article was inspired by Episode 15 of Keru Podcast.
Keru Podcast, created by Globalita.io, is a series of conversations (in Spanish) with industrial leaders from Latin America about management, technology and decision-making in complex environments.
An industrial environment that changes continents
Industrial operations management is not a uniform concept. It changes with the country, the language, the work culture, the history of the sector. In the case of Fernando Ochoa Muller Mexico, these variables are not theory: they are part of his professional practice. His career includes more than 20 years of experience running plants in Mexico, with exchanges in the United States and Japan, leading technical, cultural and human transitions in complex industrial environments.
It was at Thyssenkrupp Bilstein PSMA where Fernando Ochoa Muller firmly consolidated his specialization in international automotive operations management, a discipline that demands more than technical knowledge. It requires a deep understanding of how industrial work varies depending on its geography. And above all, how to build systems that can scale without losing efficiency, no matter where they are.
“A good operating system can be moved to another country, but it doesn’t move by itself. You have to adapt, train, integrate… and above all, respect the human context.”
Changing countries without breaking the operation - Thyssenkrupp Bilstein PSMA Mexico
One of the first challenges Fernando Ochoa Muller faced when moving between plants in different countries was discovering that standard metrics and processes did not guarantee the same result. An audit that worked in Japan created confusion in Mexico. A visual control system that was effective in the United States or Mexico did not fit in Japan. The differences were not technical: they were cultural.
From his experience, industrial excellence in automotive plants is not achieved by copying models, but by adjusting them with sensitivity. Management routines, follow-up meetings, key indicators — everything needs local interpretation. Without that, the system loses traction.
This approach is aligned with the Japanese model of continuous improvement: the system adapts to the place, not the other way around. The underlying discipline remains (Kaizen, standardization, teamwork), but the form is translated according to the team’s culture.
Systems that scale: the Thyssenkrupp Bilstein PSMA Mexico case
When Fernando Ochoa Muller took over management of Bilstein’s Mexican plant in 2017, he did so with a clear vision: the operation had to work autonomously, without depending on constant adjustments. It was not just about stabilizing production, but about building a continuous improvement system that could sustain itself without his direct intervention.
“The challenge wasn’t just technical. It was cultural. We had to develop leaders, processes and trust in the teams so that the system wouldn’t collapse when you step away.”
This goal was addressed by implementing Lean and Kaizen principles, strengthening traceability, simplifying flows and reorganizing internal processes to reduce waste. But the most important thing was creating the conditions for learning. Every area leader had to understand not only what to do, but why to do it.
Industrial excellence without rigidity - Fernando Ochoa Muller Thyssenkrupp
One of the most common mistakes in automotive companies that adopt world-class models is turning standards into dogma. Manuals hundreds of pages long, repetitive audits, boards that get filled in but never read. For Fernando Ochoa Muller, industrial excellence in automotive plants is not achieved by piling up controls, but by integrating purpose.
“No quality system works if people don’t understand the why. The manager’s role is to translate that logic into something everyday.”
At the Thyssenkrupp plant, continuous improvement is not a slogan. Every work cell is free to propose adjustments, every employee takes part in root cause analysis sessions, and indicators are seen not as punishment, but as a mirror. That change in perspective is not automatic. It requires training, consistency and coherence.
Leading from cultural diversity - international automotive operations management
Fernando Ochoa Muller’s international experience allowed him to identify common patterns and fundamental differences between industrial cultures. In Japan, for example, hierarchy and formality are pillars of daily operations. In Mexico, commitment arises more from human bonds, close support and earned respect.
This difference is no small matter when managing a plant. What in one country is perceived as firm direction, in another may seem like authoritarianism. What here is interpreted as autonomy, there may be read as disorder. That is why international automotive operations management demands intercultural skills as much as technical ones.
Fernando Ochoa Muller decided not to impose a single style. He chose to build teams with their own identity, able to meet global standards without losing their local connection. That strategy, inspired by the Toyota philosophy, sees the operator as a source of operational wisdom, not just as someone who executes.
What to do tomorrow if you are growing in international environments?
Although every plant is different, there are decisions you can apply right now if you want to improve your operating system in multicultural contexts. Based on Fernando Ochoa Muller’s experience, these are some practices you could start this very week:
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Visit each work cell with one question: “How can I help so that your work improves today?”
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Map key processes with a focus on how they are currently understood in the organization, by process owners and main users (not just how they are written)
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Review audit systems to make sure they generate action, not just evidence
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Open a weekly space where shop floor teams propose small improvements
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Train area leaders in intercultural competencies, not just technical ones
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Ask your team and other stakeholders for help to close the improvement cycle
These actions, although simple, can have a direct impact on the efficiency and cohesion of a plant that operates under global standards but in diverse local contexts.
Managing technical knowledge as a continuous flow
In international automotive environments, one of the most frequent challenges is keeping technical knowledge from fragmenting as it moves between plants. Fernando Ochoa Muller Mexico experienced this while heading operations in Mexico and with operational influence in Japan: standard procedures do not guarantee learning if they are not integrated into daily practice.
“An improvement that isn’t documented and replicated is an improvement that is lost.”
In response, at Thyssenkrupp Bilstein PSMA Mexico, a system for capturing and transferring learnings was designed, based on the “standard work” principle of the Toyota Production System (TPS). Every problem solved in a production cell was standardized across similar cells throughout the operation, evaluated for impact and adapted according to the operational similarity or difference of other areas. This practice also responds to the pillar of Kaizen: improving continuously without depending on chance or on individual operational memory.
When every improvement is recorded in a functional way, it not only prevents problems and rework: it boosts collective performance and reduces system variability. That approach turns improvement into organizational policy, not a one-off act.
Digitalization focused on the value stream
Instead of digitalizing because of external pressure or technology trends, Fernando Ochoa Muller chose to apply criteria of direct impact on the operation. Before adding dashboards, he and his team identified the areas with the most friction and the least data visibility.
“We didn’t need more boards. We needed faster, better-informed decisions.”
This approach is linked to the Lean principle of “eliminating muda” (waste), not only physical, but also informational. Digitalization was designed to optimize the value stream, not to make it more complex. The priority was to have real-time information and to provide visibility and traceability on the cost of poor quality, operational productivity, machine downtime, production visibility by hour, shift, day, week and month, accumulated inventories and operating cost charts.
This was done to make Measurement and Analysis easier for employees, following the basic guidelines of the Six Sigma model, so as to foster a Problem Solving culture within the organization.
Technology adoption is not seen as an end in itself, but as an enabler of decentralized decisions and anticipatory analysis. A truly digital plant is not the one with the most systems, but the one that makes better decisions faster.
Performance culture as an operating system
Beyond control, the great challenge in operations is to establish a sustainable performance culture. In the words of Fernando Ochoa Muller Mexico, the goal is not just to meet indicators, but to build an environment where every person knows how to contribute to the plant’s overall objectives.
“You don’t manage results. You manage the conditions for results to appear; you manage the systems.”
This approach is aligned with the Daily Management System (DMS) management model, widely used in Lean plants. At Bilstein, it translates into visual control routines, daily meetings focused on problem solving and continuous training in reading metrics. Every cell knows its KPIs, but also understands which actions affect them.
Developing this culture requires coherence across hierarchical levels. That is why middle managers receive training in facilitation and technical leadership to become “High Performance Teams”, an essential practice in the Hoshin Kanri methodology, which seeks to align strategic vision with operational execution at every level of the organization.
Leading from cultural diversity without losing consistency
One of the most notable strengths of Fernando Ochoa Muller Mexico’s management is his ability to adapt global standards without losing each plant’s identity. In his experience, you cannot apply the same operational logic in Mexico, Japan and the U.S. without adjusting the language, the symbols and the way teams are involved.
“You can have the same system, but you need each plant to make it its own.”
This principle connects with the theory of “glocalization” applied to manufacturing: global systems, local execution. In practice, that means designing the same daily management rituals, but with cultural nuances: the meeting may last longer in Japan, be more informal in Mexico, or more technical in the U.S., without affecting the essence of continuous improvement.
At the operational level, this logic is also reflected in the TWI (Training Within Industry) approach, a North American methodology adopted by Toyota that teaches how to train in a structured, fast and flexible way, adapting the message to the operator’s culture and technical level.
Delegating as a principle of industrial autonomy
One of the key points for the scalability of an industrial plant is its ability to function without depending on the general manager. At Bilstein Mexico, this autonomy is not just an aspiration: it is an organizational architecture. Every cell is clear about what it can decide, what it must escalate and how to control its results without constant intervention.
“The goal is for the system to work even when I’m not there.”
This takes up the concept of jidoka (autonomy with control) from TPS, where the production line stops if a problem is detected, but the team is also expected to know how to identify and solve it. Autonomy is not the absence of direction, but the presence of method.
In this context, visual boards, digitalization, standards for responding to deviations and the training of cell leaders become the true guarantors of operational stability. The manager stops being a firefighter and becomes the architect of the system.
Fernando Ochoa Muller Thyssenkrupp shows through his experience that international automotive operations management is not about replicating models, but about interpreting principles. His work on two continents led him to combine tools from the Japanese system (Kaizen, Jidoka, Hoshin Kanri), American methodologies such as TWI and Six Sigma, and a deep cultural sensitivity to build solid, human and consistent operations.
In an industry where the pressure for efficiency is constant, his approach offers a mature alternative: grow with order, adapt with judgment, and above all, lead from the conviction that continuous improvement is a collective practice, not an individual speech.
🔁 Keru is a podcast created by Globalita.io, where we talk with those who lead Latin American industry from the inside.
Fernando F. Ochoa Muller is an executive with more than 20 years of experience in the automotive industry, recognized for leading cultural, operational and strategic transformation processes in highly complex industrial environments. He was Managing Director at Thyssenkrupp Bilstein Mexico. His career includes experience at Akzo Nobel, AHMSA, Takata and Thyssenkrupp, with international assignments in Japan and the United States. He is a Mechanical and Industrial Engineer from ITESM, with executive studies at Columbia Business School.
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