In this role he provides insight into the key issues and trends affecting the manufacturing industry verticals in Western Europe, including discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, automotive, CPG, and Supply Chains. Manenti has developed strong market experience in understanding industry-specific process challenges and vertical-specific technology trends in order to provide strategies on IT demand from both the end-user and vendor perspectives. He analyses and anticipates key trends in industry-specific business process challenges, forecasts IT strategies and spending in specific sub-verticals in Western Europe, and provides consulting and advisory support to end-user organizations as well as IT vendors. Manenti comes to Manufacturing Insights with 15 years' business experience spanning the functional disciplines of business development, business unit management, supply chain and demand management strategies and implementation, customer support, and accounting processes. Prior to joining IDC, Manenti spent more than 10 years with TXT e-solution, a Europe-based SCM software vendor, where he held increasing roles and responsibilities, including industry business unit manager for automotive, business development manager for manufacturing industries, and U.K. operations director.

Sidney Hill, executive editor of Manufacturing Business Technology Magazine, has been writing about the use of information technology in manufacturing for more than a dozen years. In addition to developing MBT’s editorial strategy, he authors a monthly column called Back Talk in which he expresses his sometimes sarcastic views of industry trends.

Mark Graban is an experienced Lean Manufacturing coach and implementer, having worked in multiple industries and settings. Mark has held various engineering and process improvement positions with General Motors, Dell Computer, and Honeywell and has also consulted for auto suppliers and numerous hospitals. He received a BS in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University. Mark was also a graduate fellow of the highly-regarded Leaders for Manufacturing Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received an MBA from the Sloan School of Management and an MS in Mechanical Engineering.

Malcolm Wheatley has an extensive background in Production Management and has been a freelance business writer for 17 years. He acted as Management Today’s judge and feature writer for the annual “Britain’s Best Factory” award, 1992-2001. He received his MA in Industrial Economics from Lancaster University Management School. His MBA in Production Management and PhD are from Bradford University School of Management.