David Sykes

David Sykes is by profession a chemical engineer but has spent the majority of his career in manufacturing and people management and latterly as a business and training consultant. Now semi-retired, he is the author of five books.

After over 35 years in manufacturing, he founded Vanilla Training Solutions Ltd in 2005, a business committed to helping organisations excel by the strategic use of the training process.

His experience of Lean Manufacturing began in 1988 as a Just in Time supplier to a major pharmaceuticals company. In 1992, he founded JIT Services, a company specialising in reducing changeover times in manufacturing companies. Since then he has applied lean principles in the many and varied companies he has managed. In 2008, as a lean consultant, he helped facilitate the introduction of lean into the UK FAB of a major international silicon chip manufacturer.

He lives in Somerset, England with his wife Judith and dog, Rosie.