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Expert is an experienced court-recognized testifying expert witness for metal fabrication and stamping litigation. He has published 88 technical articles for leading trade magazines. He possesses direct, hands-on, cradle-to-grave experience with progressive, transfer, and tandem stamping dies for Class A surfaces. He is experienced in automotive body-in-white, closures, structures, and seating; major appliances; computer rail, rack, storage, and server chassis; variety of consumer products. His sheet materials expertise includes aluminum and low carbon and advanced high strength low carbon, dual-phase, and stainless steels, with sheet thicknesses ranging from 0.02 to 12 mm.

Expert is a Director-level leader and bona fide Journeyman die engineer with P&L responsibility. He delivers flawless execution of metal fabrication and progressive and transfer die programs with glide path production launches to protect high-risk, mission-critical product development investments in automotive, appliance, and server markets.

Areas of Expertise:
▪ New Product Introduction
▪ Innovation Implementation
▪ Risk Management Progressive and Transfer Dies
▪ Training Development
▪ Standards Authoring

Expert has a proven track record of flawless execution in:

Automotive body-in-white, structures, and seating; major appliance dryer, washer, dishwasher, cooktops, ranges, and refrigeration; computer hardware rail, rack, storage, and server chassis; wind, solar, and gasoline pump structures; military vehicle components, beverage bottle-cans, medical devices, and a variety of consumer products. P&L experience with hands-on expertise in cost modeling, Design For Manufacturability, die processing, metal fabrication planning, die face engineering, die design, die build, die tryout, runoff / buyoff, capital equipment procurement, tool sourcing, production stamping operations management, root cause and corrective/preventative action problem-solving, supplier qualification, quality control technologies and methodologies, product design, Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), Process capability studies (Cpk), ISO-9000 procedures, work instructions, and records development, standards publishing, apprentice program development, Key Performance Indicator (KPI) scorecard and dashboard automation, interference and motion curve creation, servo press ram programming, die / press/automation timing chart creation, and risk management. Cradle-to-grave execution of metal fabrication "soft" tooling, progressive dies, stage tools, tri-axis, and crossbar transfer presses, and robotic automation.

Expert is experienced with servo, hydraulic, and mechanical presses. Range of press speeds from 1 - 1,000 Strokes Per Minute and annual volumes from 50 to 50,000,000. Materials experience with the full range of low carbon steels, high strength low carbon steels, dual-phase steels, stainless steel, aluminum, and beryllium copper, and products designed with sheet thicknesses ranging from 0.016 to 12 mm for Class A and Class B cosmetic surface finish quality standards.

Expert is trusted by market-disrupting multi-billion-dollar companies in the automotive, home appliance, and information technology markets to protect their iconic brand names and their customers throughout the product lifecycle with high-performance, cost-effective stampings and dies delivered on-time every time.

Expert collaborates with product design teams to contribute feasibility craftsmanship for forming limit discovery and process capability confidence. He has frequently served as team-oriented mediator of inter-organizational conflict to robust and rapid decisions to solve the toughest metal forming problems in service to the customer.

Notable achievements since 2015:
- SUSTAINABILITY: Driving transition from conventional BF steel mills to efficient EAF sources to reduce carbon emissions by 50% and increase recycled content to 50% for ASTM A653M family of steels used in all product lines.
- COST MANAGEMENT: Developed master cost model for metal fabrication and stamping piece price and tool cost with regional labor and machine burden rate cost drivers and functionality for process and tool type used to vet supplier quotes for market fairness.
- INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION: Integrated master cost model and methods into aPriori Technologies cost estimating software to standardize estimating outcomes and task completion times across regional mechanical and tooling engineers.
- PROCUREMENT: Negotiate with component stamping and tool-build suppliers on new program quotes to drive average savings of 15% on piece price, 25% on tools, and 50% on engineering changes.
- SUPPLIER QUALIFICATION: Created die shop, metal fabrication, and stamping plant qualification benchmark standards and evaluated new supplier candidates for approval in the United States, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and United Kingdom.
- OPERATING STANDARDS: Authored Design For Manufacturability standards, Process Capability Tolerancing procedures, cosmetic evaluation criteria, and RoHS-compliant material qualification requirements for North America, Europe, and Asia regions.
- CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Oversight to supplier automation deployment to decrease direct labor expense and increase OEE performance; implemented supplier KPI scorecards to identify throughput and yield improvement opportunities.
- BUSINESS CONTINUITY: Roadmapped transition plan to shift server chassis production from China to North America during COVID to protect customer deliveries against supply chain uncertainty with manufacturing lockdowns and material shortages.
- PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: Engaged in regional product design reviews during advanced development for form, fit, and function, and design freeze release phases to evaluate design-intent for production manufacturing engineering readiness.
- MATERIALS RESEARCH: Led effort to identify and test high strength low alloy structural sheet steels to replace conventional low carbon commercial steel specifications for rail kits that require increased stiffness to combat increasing chassis loads.
- COACHING and MENTORSHIP: Facilitated weekly one-on-one leadership coaching and manufacturing knowledge mentoring for mechanical engineering colleagues at regional business sites located in Texas, Wisconsin, Costa Rica, and Taipei.
- TECHNICAL TRAINING: Developed and led technical training seminars for mechanical engineers, procurement, and supply chain colleagues on sheet steel formability, piece price cost drivers, tool design and build processes, and low-cost fabrication strategies.
- RECOGNITION: Received 23 Star Point Awards for problem-solving action and execution.

Notable achievements 2013-2015:
- INNOVATION IMPLEMENTATION: Led modernization of stamping operations by instituting AutoForm forming simulation technology and deploying a $25M servo transfer press line with wrenchless die changeover and real-time inspection cameras.
- INDUSTRIAL DESIGN: Collaborated with Laundry, Dishwasher, Cooking, and Refrigeration product development teams to push through organizational barriers to find the forming limit to drive product designs for process-capable production success.
- MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING: Drove process improvement initiatives – including implementation of GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) to raise first article inspection pass to 99%, reduce manufactured scrap loss to 1%, and compress die changeover time to 15 minutes.
- SUPPLY CHAIN: Standardized workflow processes with pass-fail-driven milestone requirements cradle-to-grave from design freeze to PPAP; developed forming simulation and die design and build supplier qualifications for first hit pass outcomes.
- COACHING and MENTORSHIP: Facilitated weekly one-on-one leadership coaching and manufacturing knowledge mentoring for mechanical engineering interns and co-ops visiting from University of Louisville.
- TECHNICAL TRAINING: Developed and led technical training seminars for advanced manufacturing engineering, plant stamping operations, supply chain, and management colleagues on metal formability, die processing, and troubleshooting methodologies.
- RECOGNITION: Received 2 Above and Beyond Awards fise and critical thinking during New Product Introduction of high-risk, mission-critical 2015 Laundry program (top load washer and front load dryer) to meet new Energy Star efficiency mandates.