About the authors Henry J. Johansson is the Chairman of the Coopers & Lybrand (C&L). Manufacturing Industry practice. He has been responsible for the firm's most significant consulting engagements in the area of implementing new technologies to enhance performance and competitiveness. He is a certified management consultant and a certified practitioner in production and inventory management. He is on the Board of Directors of the Operations Management Association and on the Board of Advisors for the Journal of Cost Management for the Manufacturing Industry. Patrick McHugh is a Partner in C&L's Commerce and Industry Management Consulting Division. His extensive international work has included advising manufacturing companies, governments and the public sector on areas from competitive strategy and industrial policy to technology management. He founded the Engineering Group in the UK and the C&L International Centre for Technology and Engineering Management. He is currently the Partner in Charge of the firm's consulting activities in the technology and engineering industries. A. John Pendlebury is currently the Partner in Charge of the Manufacturing, Engineering, and Logistics Consulting for the UK branch of C&L. He is responsible for 200 professionals in the UK occupied with strategy and implementation in the above functional areas. His career with C&L began in 1973 and has led him to work within branches in the USA, USSR and throughout Europe. He has overseen a multitude of manufacturing, logistical, strategic planning, industrial administration, and restructuring projects during his time with C&L. William A. Wheeler III is a Partner in the C&L Management Consulting Services Group and is responsible for the National Just-In-Time (JIT) and Manufacturing Strategy practices in the USA and the International Manufacturing Strategy Center of Excellence. He has participated in and managed numerous domestic and international consulting engagements that involve the major elements of strategy and productivity improvement, including: quality, engineering, and materials systems. He has won international recognition for his contributions in the field of JIT. He originated the concepts of Co-Op Contracting and BreakPoint Manufacturing Strategy, which have been adopted by major corporations throughout the world.