Lubricant R&D, Fuel Efficiency Technical Service Consultant & Expert Witness

Expertise

Product research and development Mechanical Engineer providing 40 years of experience dedicated to lubricant and fuels product development and technical service, laboratory and field testing, forensic investigations, intellectual property, and project and personnel management in the downstream petroleum and heavy-duty truck industries.

• Highly valued strategic and tactical technical advisor to major lubricant business.
• OEM relationship builder and influencer.
• Lubricant product formulator.
• Petroleum downstream.
• Inventor.
• Designs and conducts laboratory and field test projects.
• Conducts cooperative R&D projects with major petroleum additive companies.
• Experienced with I.P. assessments and prosecutions.
• Lube and Fuel Product Technical service.

Expert Witness Experience

• Successful defense of a Major Oil Corporation in $13 million lawsuit involving an air compressor explosion.
• Successful defense of a major tool manufacturer in product liability lawsuit in federal court.
• Patent defense.
• Automobile accident reconstruction.
• Personal injury.
• Forensic investigations.

Experience

Undisclosed Company, Research and Engineering, 1981 - Present

Distinguished Research Associate, Research & Engineering, 2014 - Present

• Subject Matter Expert and Advisor to the marine lubricant business in marine diesel engine lubricants and lubrication.
• Influences OEMs to value differentiated lubricant performance as an enabler for new engine designs.
• Actively mentors less experienced technologists in lubricant product development and career path decisions.

Key Accomplishments

• Provided technical support leading up to and during European Patent Office hearing in The Hague that was key to defending an EM patent from a competitor's challenge.
• Assessed and rated organization's patent memos for patentability.
• Initiated first-time Joint R&D agreements and projects with two key marine diesel engine Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
• Guided and conducted cooperative R&D projects with lubricant additive suppliers for improved product performance and reduced COGS.
• Received Integration Excellence Award for key role in enabling use of alternate crude source ($55 -150 million per year, COGS reduction) for base oils used in marine diesel engine oils.
• Successfully mentored less experienced technologists to quickly become productive in research and development product development organization.

Multiple Technical Ladder Positions/Promotions, Research & Engineering, 1998 - 2014

• Assessed the impact of new marine engine designs and operating conditions on their lubrication requirements through formal meetings and informal communications with key marine diesel engine OEMs globally.
• Provided technical guidance to Marine Lubes business regarding new lubricant requirements.
• Formulated many new or upgraded lubricant products for marine diesel engines.
• Evaluated the performance of new marine diesel engine oil additives, base oils and formulations in laboratory bench and engine performance tests.
• Conducted field trials of new, low-speed marine diesel engine oil formulations in commercial ships.

Key Accomplishments

• Invented and was granted patents for innovative new marine diesel engine oil technology for improved fuel efficiency and superior anti-wear performance.
• Co-invented and obtained patents on a new, innovative Blend-on-Board system for ships which were licensed to a major shipping company.
• Developed new marine diesel engine cylinder oil product with demonstrated superior low feed rate performance in lab engine and field trials; presented findings at CIMAC World Congress in Shanghai, China.

Section Head, Lubes Technical Support Group, Research & Development, 1994 - 1998

• Managed core technical service group of seven chemists and engineers and three technicians in a challenging environment following relocation of lab to Paulsboro Technical Center.
• Strengthened deployment effectiveness of new products and formulations resulting in significant improvement in first-time production blending success.
• Temporary assignment as Manager of USM&R OEM organization and Lubes Technical Hotline group.

Manager, Industrial Oils and Grease Group, USM&R Technical Service Lab, 1992 - 1993

• Managed a group of 13 chemists and engineers and 6 technicians charged with formulating local industrial oil and grease products, providing technical service and conducting field trials in the U.S. market.

Multiple Technical Ladder-Service Positions and Promotions, 1981 - 1991      

• Working in several areas: Lubes and Fuels, Product and Technical Services, and Technical Service Lab, successfully executed the following responsibilities;
• Formulated industrial oil products for the local U.S. market
• Conducted field trials in the U.S. for both global and local new marine and industrial lubricant and gasoline products and formulations.
• Provided highest-level of lubricant and fuels technical service and analyses in support of Mobil refineries, lube plants and end-use customers.
• Provided technical support to Mobil's automated oil testing laboratories.

Key Accomplishments

• Conducted a testing program and served as an expert witness in the successful defense of a $13 million lawsuit involving an air compressor explosion.
• Conducted field trial on a Mississippi river towboat successfully demonstrating energy savings with a new synthetic-based gear oil.
• Conducted field inspections and an innovative laboratory testing program that were key to proving that a serious problem with gasoline in the field was the result of contaminants in the gasoline additive, making the additive supplier financially liable for remediation.
• Designed and supervised the construction of two portable test rigs to demonstrate energy savings with synthetic lubricants at trade shows and with customers.

Smith Stephens, Reed & Phillips, Inc., Hightstown, NJ, Independent Expert, 1995 - 1999

• Consultant forensic engineer and expert witness.
• Performed forensic investigations and served as an expert witness in lawsuits involving product liability, industrial accidents, traffic accidents, slips/trips/falls and other personal injuries.

Key Accomplishments

• Provided forensic analysis and expert testimony in federal district court that contributed to the successful defense of a mechanics tool manufacturer.
• Investigated many personal injury cases including the contribution of the design of the equipment involved.

Mack Trucks Inc., Allentown, PA, Testing, 1977 - 1981

Test Engineer, Mack Trucks, Inc., Vehicle Development Laboratory

• Developed new truck component designs and tested them in the laboratory and in the field.
• Determined the root causes and corrective actions for field issues with Mack trucks.

Key Accomplishments

• Developed a working prototype cab air suspension system enabling evaluation of various suspension modes with the test truck in actual over-the-road operation.
• Conducted an extensive field test program that determined that stresses in a main suspension multi-leaf spring were excessive and the likely cause of occasional failures.

Honors & Publications

License

• Professional Engineer, New Jersey

Awards

• Major -Petrochemical Manufacturer Integration Excellence Award

Publications 

• In peer reviewed journals and conferences with topics in cylinder oils (heavy fuels).

Patents

• Numerous U.S. Patents in fuel efficiency and lubricants.

Education

• B.S.   Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA