Hitesh Attri

• Serving as Supply Chain Consultant for eKNOWtion, Hitesh has experience that includes analysis, design and implementation of supply chain solutions for clients.  His work leverages expertise with the Supply Chain Council’s Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model, operations research with an emphasis on technological enablers including supply chain design and optimization and advanced planning tools.  Hitesh draws from his operational and academic experience as a key contributor to eKNOWtion’s research and educational efforts; developing content for workshops and seminars offered by eKNOWtion’s KNOWledge Academy, conducting client research and competitor analysis and managing the firm’s knowledge repository.
• Before joining eKNOWtion, Hitesh worked as a Software Engineer for i2 Technologies where he was part of the Supplier Relationship Management team and also gained knowledge of products offered by i2 in Supply Chain Management (SCM) domain.
• Hitesh has an M.S. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Virginia Tech. and holds a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, India. 
• Hitesh was a Graduate Research Assistant for Center for High Performance Manufacturing at Virginia Tech. where he was involved in projects using Value Engineering Techniques.  He was also a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Virginia Tech., with responsibilities at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
• Hitesh was awarded Ingersol Rand Scholarship 2003-2004 for outstanding academic achievements at Virginia Tech. and National Talent Search Scholarship by National Council of Education Research & Training (India) from 1995-2001.
• Hitesh is APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and has been a regular member of industry organizations such as Supply Chain Council, APICS and Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

To contact Hitesh Attri, email at hitesh@eKNOWtion.com

Simon Baxter

• Serving as an Associate Consultant, Simon contributes to client value through eKNOWtion’s projects and training initiatives using skills and experience gained over nearly 20 years as a practitioner in a range of roles for multi-national companies in the electro-mechanical and electronics industry.
• Before joining eKNOWtion, Simon worked at Solectron Scotland Ltd, most recently as part of Solectron’s Six Sigma Lean transformation team. As Lean Materials Leader, Simon focused on extending Lean initiatives within Solectron Scotland’s supply chain from the materials group through their customers supply chain, by leading/facilitating a large number of wide ranging improvement projects and kaizens. This has given Simon a very practical, 'hands-on' approach to change facilitation.
• Prior to this, Simon led the Supplier Quality Engineering team at Solectron Scotland, with technical and quality responsibilities for supplier selection/approval and ongoing management.
• Simon has also served in supplier development and quality roles with Tokheim, Schlumberger and Bridon.  While at Bridon, Simon was responsible for consulting on quality systems implementation, leading and training quality system auditors and training in quality management.
• Simon holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from Bradford University, England and is also a certified Lean Black Belt. In addition, Simon holds qualifications in Quality Management, Quality Systems assessment and is a member of the Chartered Quality Institute.

To contact Simon Baxter, send an email to simon@eKNOWtion.com

Ricardo Velez Osuna

• Serving on eKNOWtion’s Research Roundtable and as an Associate Consultant, Ricardo has experience that includes a wide range of topics covering the areas of Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing Systems. His research focuses on the concurrent deployment of business processes and manufacturing activities, taking into account the whole value chain – from product development to delivery.
• Ricardo currently serves as a Research and Project Manager at the Institute of Production Engineering at Tampere University of Technology, Finland, leading a team of highly skilled and multi-cultural individuals in the area of System Design. The research areas include Supply Chain Management and Value Networks, Modelling and Simulation of Manufacturing Systems and Value Networks, Knowledge-based systems for product, process and system design, development and execution, and Distributed Systems, as well as Change Management for highly dynamic enterprises.
• He also functions as R&D Manager for Visual Components, an innovative , world leading 3D simulation software developing company, which focuses on modelling and simulation of manufacturing systems, including robotics, material handling and logistics systems.
• Ricardo holds a B.Eng. in Industrial Electronics from Universidad Regiomontana, Monterrey, in his home country of México. He received his M.Sc. from Tampere University of Technology in the area of Production Engineering, focusing on eManufacturing implementation in the Electronics Industry, and is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in the area of Production and Business Information Management.
• Prior to his posts at Academy and Industry in Finland, he worked as a training engineer and industrial designer for several Mexican companies.
• Ricardo has written over 20 journal, international conference, and magazine articles, and has presented in many international conferences and industry meetings.
• He participates actively in the community of the Supply Chain Council, and is currently a member of the Design Chain Operations Reference (DCOR©) Technical Development Project Team.

To contact Ricardo Velez, send an email to ricardo@eKNOWtion.com