Lean Thinking and Business Re-Engineering Consulting

About us

NOA is a consultancy practice aimed at delivering the benefits of Lean Thinking and Business Re-Engineering to the Public and Private sectors using the best Management and Industrial Specialists. We are leaders in consulting and project management for business reorganisation. We support all phases from industrial planning to implementation of business and manufacturing change.

NOA is lead by Colin Knox, Programs Director of Nicholas Oliver Associates Ltd.

As an advisor to the leaders of many prominent companies, Colin Knox is uniquely qualified to show managers how to re-engineer businesses. He provides the structure and guidelines managers need to lead, inspire and deploy business change across management, process and manufacturing. With his team he provides a full service to companies undergoing the rigors of management, process, location, personnel and manufacturing change.


Colin Knox is Progarms Director of Nicholas Oliver Associates and a Hands-On specialist in NPD and Manufacturing Implementation. Traveling the world extensively on programs, he has experienced best practice engineering and latest lean manufacturing techniques in the fiercely competitive Automotive industry.

He has led many World Class Product & Manufacturing Programs including development of Jaguar’s S Type, Ford Mondeo Prototypes, Rover MGF Roadster Concepts, Rolls Royce Special Prototypes, Aston Martin Vantage Prototypes; Honda and General Motors new engine projects. Also outside automotive with British Aerospace Manufacturing Research, Black & Decker, 3M Corporation Innovations Team and USM Texon Corporation.

He has worked for leading companies including Comau-Fiat as Director of Global Business Development, Mayflower Systems as Head of Prototype Vehicle Engineering, USM Texon as Head of Engineering & Program Management and John Brown Engineering as Automation Systems Program Manager. In these roles he developed new processes and techniques for introducing competitive products and complete manufacturing processes from concept to launch.

He studied an MBA and has Diplomas in International Marketing, Production Engineering, Manufacturing & Automation at Warwick University and is a Common Purpose graduate. Colin has lectured on New Product Introduction into manufacturing at universities and written published articles in peer-reviewed journals and textbooks.