Dr Malcolm Wheatley is a visiting fellow at Cranfield School of Management. He began his career in the production planning department of a large engineering firm, later spending several years working with management consultants on assignments around manufacturing management, Just in Time production, and supply chain and inventory management. Since 1991 he has been a writer and editor specialising in supply chain management, manufacturing, procurement, and IT issues, writing for a wide variety of publications on both sides of the Atlantic.