Our team

Gerard Berendsen is co-founder and certified TWI trainer of TWI Institute Netherlands and Germany. Gerard studied Electrical engineering, Business Administration and Lean Operations. He has 30 years of experience as a Manager, a Project Manager and Maintenance Manager. His focus is to develop the potential of employees. During his training of Master Lean Operations he discovered that TWI Methods are fundamental to the success of Lean and Continuous Improvement processes. After a first Job Instruction training and a successful implementation he followed further trainings in TWI methods. In 2013 he founded TWI Instituut Nederland BV and TWI Institut Deutschland GmbH together with Carla Latijnhouwers, to increase the number of companies profiting from the TWI methods.
Gerard: “A day without learning, is a day without improvement”.

Carla Latijnhouwers is co-founder and certified TWI trainer of TWI Institute Netherlands and Germany. Carla studied Operational Technology and Policy, Communications & Organisation and she has been working in Continuous Improvement for many years. Since 2001 she works as a Lean Consultant and Trainer/Coach and has extensive experience in implementing and managing Continuous Improvement projects in the Netherlands and Germany. In 2013 she founded TWI Instituut Nederland BV and TWI Institut Deutschland GmbH together with Gerard Berendsen, with the aim to make the TWI Methods more accessible for companies.
Carla: ”TWI really helps supervisors within companies, facilitating them to make structural changes in their own organisation .”

Since 2014 Susanne Slenders works as a certified TWI Trainer at TWI Institute Netherlands. She did a research master Social Sciences, a combination of Sociology, Organization studies and Human Resource studies. For several years she worked as a Communications Officer at a consulting firm in the field of Continuous Improvement and as a Social Researchter at Utrecht University. Susanne made the switch to the TWI Institute, where as a TWI trainer she can use her sociological knowledge and her experience with continuous improvement to train people to become TWI Instructors. Susanne: ”Facilitating employees to develop their capabilities increases their loyalty and well-being”.

Since 2015 Kars Odink is connected to the TWI Institute as a certified TWI Trainer. Kars studies Automation & Electrical Engineering and afterwards Industrial Management. Besides his study Kars worked as a team leader in retail for several years. In 2012 Kars graduated on his study Industrial Management by doing research on the Training Within Industry methods, after which he successfully applied this method within several sectors. After a first JI Training in 2012 and a successful pilot in logistics, Kars followed further trainings in TWI methods. Kars was working with various continuous improvement programs and applied the TWI methods in several departments within the food sector.
Kars: “TWI is the missing link in many Lean programs and was the hidden secret behind the Toyota Production System. The TWI modules provide the basic skills of first line leaders and a stable foundation which is necessary for the implementation of a successful Lean culture."

Since May 2015 Janko Wijrdeman is connected to the TWI Institute as a certified TWI trainer. Janko studied Business Administration and has 10 years of experience in managing and in implementing improvement processes. In several organizations he noticed a lack of standards and of good working relations, so improvements were not secured.
After in 2011 Janko, in his function as an Operational Manager, got in touch with the TWI methods, he became so excited that in his apartment a pilot was organized. After some amazing results which kept improving over and over, Janko wanted to be trained in the various modules of TWI.
Janko: “TWI challenges all employees to make a standard and improve this continuously. Since everyone is trained and involved this is the foundation of continuous improvement.”