TOCICO

Richard (Dick) Ling is recognized as the creator of Sales and Operations Planning and well regarded as an educator, speaker and consultant. He coauthored the first book on Sales and Operations Planning. After graduating from the University of Rochester, Dick joined IBM where he gained valuable experience helping manufacturing companies utilize the computer. The most notable of these was Wilmot Castle Co., in the early sixties when Dick helped them implement time phased, level by level requirements planning before it was called MRP. This happened in the early sixties. Dick’s interest in manufacturing applications led him to Arista Information Systems in North Carolina where he implemented MRP systems for companies such as Ingersoll Rand and Warner & Swasey in the early seventies. He and his staff developed MRP software with the first Master Scheduling capability in the industry. This software also had the first planning bill capability. Ollie Wight recognized what Dick was accomplishing at Arista and he asked him to conduct “Hands on MRP” class for the Oliver Wight companies in 1974. Dick ran that class with Walt Goddard and in later years with Al Stevens and John Sari. Ollie decided to expand his education offering and asked several people to join him to conduct education classes and consult with clients. Dick became an Education Associate in 1979 and worked with the Oliver Wight organization until 1992. He conducted classes in the US, the UK and Australia helping to grow the business and groom other instructors. Dick’s specialties were the Master Scheduling class and The Sales and Operation Planning class which he authored. Ollie Wight passed away in 1983 with cancer and Dick was tapped to be a teacher in the Top Management class. Dick was teaching a class in Chicago when he got some valuable feedback from a General Manager who was in attendance. He said “Dick, I don’t get it. You say that sales and marketing, finance, operations and engineering, need to be involved in aggregate planning which you call Production Planning. Why do you call It Production Planning”? The term Sales and Operations planning was born. Dick launched the first Sales and Operations class for the Oliver Wight Companies in 1985.In 1987, he co-authored the Book Orchestrating Success which was the first book about Sales and Operations Planning. Dick began collaborating with Andy Coldrick, who had joined Oliver Wight in 1986.That collaboration lasted 28 years until Andy’s death in 2014. They worked together at Oliver Wight, and as a duo in Ling-Coldrick from 1006 till 2014. In 2009 they self-published “Breakthrough S&OP, An Assessment Guide”. In addition to Education and consulting with numerous clients, Dick has been a prolific speaker at APICS events. He spoke at 27 straight international conferences and over 500 APICS events. In 2000, APICS presented Dick with a lifetime achievement award for his contributions to APICS.Dick and his Wife, Natalie, live in North Carolina. They have three children and 5 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Alka Wadhwa is an experienced consultant and process improvement expert with over 24 years of expertise in the Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean Six Sigma, and organizational performance optimization. She has successfully led projects in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing, driving significant improvements such as a 67% boost in hospital operations and a 140% increase in outpatient visits. Previously, Alka Wadhwa spent 17+ years at GE Global Research Center, where she led initiatives to enhance various GE businesses through advanced technologies, process redesign, and system optimization. Founder of Better Solutions Consulting, LLC, she specializes in using TOC, Six Sigma, and data analytics to streamline operations and build high-performance teams. Her work has earned her multiple accolades, including the Empire State Award of Excellence in healthcare.

Dr. Gary Wadhwa is a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon with extensive experience in the field. He completed his Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery training at Montefiore Hospital, Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, NY, and has served as an Attending at prestigious institutions like St. Peters Hospitals, Ellis Hospital, and Beth Israel Hospital in NY. With a career spanning over two decades, he was the former CEO and President of a group specialty practice in NY from 1994 to 2015. Dr. Wadhwa holds an MBA from UT at Knoxville, TN, and has undergone additional training in System Dynamics at MIT, Health System Management at Harvard Business School, and Entrepreneurship and healthcare innovations at Columbia Business School. Committed to expanding access to Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery care, he is currently engaged in a meaningful project to provide healthcare services to underserved populations in inner city and rural areas through non-profit Community Health Centers.