Gray Research - Chris Gray's biography

Chris Gray has been at the forefront of applying proven manufacturing management methods and concepts for over three decades. Since 1979, he has helped more manufacturing and distribution companies resolve resource planning software issues than anyone else in the field. He has been involved in the design and development of both resource planning and lean manufacturing software. His ideas about resource planning software (MRP II and ERP) have influenced the design of nearly every major supplier in the field. His concepts of how lean manufacturing can be supported by software have been used by the leading supplier of enterprise software to develop a comprehensive lean manufacturing system.

He has authored or co-authored 5 books, over 30 Software Evaluations, and 30 published articles on ERP, enterprise software, and computers in manufacturing. Besides being a recognized authority on the software available for manufacturing and distribution applications, he provides seminars and workshops as well as consulting to teams implementing resource planning and lean execution methods. His international consulting practice includes a number of Class A companies.

In 1987, he authored his first book: The Right Choice, A Complete Guide to Evaluating, Selecting, and Installing MRP II Software, the definitive work on evaluating and selecting MRP II software. His books, MRP II Standard System, A Handbook for Manufacturing Software Survival and MRP II Standard System Workbook, which were co-authored with Darryl Landvater, were published in 1989 and are generally accepted as defining the standards for MRP II software. In 2006 he co-authored, with John Dougherty, a book surveying 13 of the world's best users of sales and operations planning: Sales and Operations Planning Best Practices. His latest book, published in 2007, is Sales and Operations Planning Standard System which defines the functionality needed in S&OP software. It includes reference software that demonstrates how the typical S&OP and rough-cut functions actually work.

Chris is President of Gray Research and one of the founders of Partners For Excellence. Gray Research offers consulting and education on the concepts and methods of World Class Performance. Partners For Excellence is a joint venture of Chris, John Civerolo, John Dougherty, and Donald Rice. Partners For Excellence offers counseling and public and private seminars and workshops for executives and managers trying to make the changes needed for improved performance.

Chris was president of Oliver Wight Software Research, Inc. and one of the Oliver Wight Education Associates. He also developed and taught the "MRP II Software Survival Course", a class covering software evaluation and selection, software trends, and the role of systems people in implementing effective systems. Earlier, he held consulting and teaching positions with Software International Corporation, working with companies implementing MRP II. Prior to that, he was Manufacturing Systems Analyst at Ohaus Scale Corporation, a Class A company. During his consulting career, he has been associated with both R. D. Garwood, Inc. and The Oliver Wight Companies.

Chris has a Bachelors degree in mathematics from Washington and Jefferson College and a Masters degree in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a past president of the North Shore chapter of APICS and is certified by APICS as a Fellow (CFPIM). He has spoken at numerous international conferences on manufacturing systems and methods. He is listed in six different volumes of Who's Who: Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the East, Who's Who in America's Emerging Leaders, Who's Who in Finance and Industry, Who's Who in Science and Engineering, and Who's Who in the World.

Detailed Resume