Manufacturing Expert Witnesses: 8

Rosemary Coates, President of Blue Silk Consulting, is a seasoned executive with an MBA and 25+ years of experience in Chinese Sourcing and Manufacturing, Global Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Manufacturing, Importing/Exporting, and ERP Systems Consulting.

Prior to BSC, Ms. Coates was a Senior Director at SAP, the Supply Chain Practice Leader at KPMG Peat Marwick and at Answerthink, and a Regional Manager at Hewlett-Packard. Ms. Coates has consulted with global and domestic clients, VCs, and PE firms on operations systems and processes. She has considerable international experience and has worked for extended periods in Asia and Europe.

Ms. Coates' experience spans a broad range of industries including High Technology, Software, Chemicals, Health Care, Consumer Products, Industrial Products, Food Distribution, Transportation, Publishing, Retail, and Oil and Gas. She has extensive knowledge and experience in manufacturing and outsourcing in Asia, Europe, and the US. She has written five Amazon.com books including Best Seller, 42 Rules for Sourcing and Manufacturing in China, and Legal Blacksmith: How to Avoid and Defend Supply Chain Disputes, and  42 Rules for Superior Field Service, and Negotiation Blueprint for Buyers, and The Reshoring Guidebook 

Ms. Coates is also the Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute and a member of the Board of Directors at the University of San Diego Supply Chain Management Institute. She teaches Global Supply Chain Strategy at UC Berkeley. She is a Licensed U.S. Customs Broker. She earned a BS in Business at Arizona State University and an MBA at the University of San Diego. She resides in Silicon Valley. 

Rosemary Coates: Supply Chain Management Overview

Litigation Support - As an Expert Witness, Ms. Coates has assisted attorneys in their understanding of relevant Supply Chain Operations and Practices in sourcing, logistics, distribution, manufacturing, inventory, and Chinese Imports. She has worked on legal cases for the past 10 years, writing reports, giving depositions, and testifying at trial.

Case Opinions:

• Chinese Products
• Import / Export Management
• Counterfeit Imports
• Project Management for Enterprise Software
• ERP Software Consulting Implementation Failures and Runaway Projects
• China Sourcing and Manufacturing
• Securities
• Sales Channel Distribution and Compensation
• Supply Contracts
• Inventory Tax
• Global Manufacturing Operations, Contract Manufacturing, CMS, EMS
• Transportation and logistics, 3PLs and Freight Forwarders, Freight Shipping

Areas of Expertise:

Chinese Products / Chinese Imports Chinese Manufacturing Chinese Toys Chinese Plastics Importing/Exporting Electronics Purchasing Operations Planning

Inventory Warehousing Global Supply Chains Distribution Channel Manufacturing Operations Field Service Supply Contracts ERP Systems Implementations

View Rosemary Coates' Consulting Profile.

Randy Phares is an expert in Packaging, specializing in Corrugated, Crating, Baling, Shipping, Warehousing, Manufacturing Safety and Load Securement. He has over 30 years of progressive leadership experience in Packaging, Procurement, Shipping, Lean Manufacturing, Quality, Safety, Productivity, and Business Improvement.

Since he began his career in 1990, Mr. Phares has held almost every job in packaging operations. These include manufacturing, distribution, sales, design, safety, transportation, and running entire multinational business units for a Fortune 1000 Corporation. He has worked on projects in Asia, Jamaica, Afghanistan, Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe, USA, and Canada.

Mr. Phares has run packaging testing labs, design centers managed fleets of trucks, manufacturing machinery, and managed world class packaging manufacturing operations. He is a published international author, and speaker who was the President of the South Texas Manufacturers Association. He is a Packaging and Procurement Subject Matter Expert since 2019 saving over $10 million for SGS-Maine Pointe the #1 Supply Chain Consulting Firm according to Consulting.us and one of America’s Best Management Consulting Firms of 2022 according for Forbes Magazine.

Honors and Awards - Best Achievement of Organizational Business Improvement in Manufacturing Award presented by the Global Six-Sigma and Business Improvement Awards for an extensive plant turnaround for Temple-Inland (now International Paper). Best Performing Plant Award for 4 consecutive years out of 26 plants for Gaylord Container (now International Paper).

Litigation Support - Randy Phares is a leading Packaging and Load Securement Subject Matter Expert relied upon for his experience, knowledge, and in-depth understanding of packaging, logistics, manufacturing, distribution, freight, and intellectual property. He performs forensic analysis and testing of packaging failures, loading, unloading and distribution failures that caused damage or injury. His services include thorough reporting, depositions, consulting, and trial testimony as needed.  

Cases involve crated, palletized, banded or boxed products, or boxed products loaded in railcars, trucks, vans or parcel trucks, warehoused, transported (loaded, or unloaded), or injury using a pallet jack, forklift, or by hand.

 Areas of Expertise: 

Corrugated Packaging Folding Carton Packaging Boxes Crates Pallets Pallet Jacks Warehousing   Packaging Logistics

Packaging Distribution Manufacturing Load Securement Freight - Rail, Trucking, Air Packaging Workplace Safety Packaging Product Liability Packaging Intellectual Property Packaging Design

View Randy Phares' Consulting Profile.

Khalid Sorensen, PhD, is a highly accomplished technology leader in Automation, Mechatronics, Motion Control, Manufacturing, Machine Vision, and Human-Machine Interaction. He has over 20 years of experience developing and deploying world-class mechatronic, motion control, and automation solutions.

Dr. Sorensen has directed the development and implementation of 100s of complex, multi-disciplinary mechatronic systems for high-profile industry leaders including Toyota, Ford, Alcoa, Caterpillar, Boeing, NuScale, and many others, and high-profile facilities including Fukushima and Chernobyl.

Litigation Support - Dr. Sorensen has testified in numerous Product Liability and IP disputes – both at the Federal and District court levels, as well as the ITC, USPTO, and US Customs and Border Protection.

Areas of Expertise:

Automation Dynamics and Control Systems Kinematics Machine Vision Manufacturing Mechatronics Photogrammetry Robotics

Segways Sensors Tire Mechanics Traction Control Wheel Slip Vibrations Warnings See Full List

Career Highlights:

• Founded a technology company where he invented and was the Chief Architect of Expertoperator^TM, Safemove^TM, Automove^TM, and Cranevision^TM – technology known within the primary metals, automotive, and heavy-equipment sectors for enhancing crane safety, productivity, and ease-of-use; Developed state-of-the-art, on-line, time-optimal trajectory synthesis software for Cartesian machines - key drivers in the acquisition of his company 5 years after inception by a global leader in automation.
• Served as CTO at PaR Systems, a world-class supplier of large-scale robotic automation, control, advanced manufacturing, and nuclear-handling solutions.
• Founded Finity Engineering, which provides design, analysis, consulting, and litigation support services in the areas of robotics, automation, and mechatronics.
• Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. Teaches various engineering topics including Dynamics, Controls, Vibrations, Mechatronics, the Design Process, Product Development, Engineering IP, Product Liability, and others.
• Invited talks at premiere institutions globally including MIT, Kumoh National Univ. of Tech, Korea Atomic Energy Research Inst., Hyung Hee Univ., Huazhong Univ. of Science & Tech.

View Finity Engineering's Business Consulting Profile.

Stephen (Steve) T. Hopper, PE, Founder and Principal with Inviscid Consulting, is a Supply Chain professional with extensive experience planning and streamlining warehousing, logistics, and distribution operations.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Hopper has solved supply chain problems for numerous clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. He helps his clients drive down operating costs, boost capacity, improve customer service, reduce risk, implement effective supply chain solutions, and enhance the performance of their supply chain resources: people, processes, inventory, facilities, equipment, material handling systems, transportation assets, and supply chain information technology (IT).

Mr. Hopper earned a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering (BIE) degree from The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). He is past president of both the Atlanta chapter of the Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE) and the Atlanta chapter of the Warehousing Education & Research Council (WERC). He is also a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and a licensed professional engineer (PE).

Litigation Support - Mr. Hopper serves as an expert witness for cases involving Business Operations and Supply Chain issues. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include thorough reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Supply Chain Warehousing Distribution Logistics Material Handling Productivity Automation Industrial Engineering Warehouse Management System Ecommerce Fulfillment

Capacity WMS TMS Warehouse Accident Layout Material Flow Labor Issues Warehouse Safety Software Selection Inventory Control

View Steve Hopper's Consulting Profile.

The experts at Miller Engineering are Ann Arbor-based professional engineers celebrating 30 years of service to University, Government, Insurance, and Industry through research, publications, presentations, and testimony. Miller Engineering has a staff of engineers and experts in the Mechanical, Chemical, Agriculture, Industrial, and Human Factors fields of engineering with specific knowledge in the following areas: 

Vehicles Car/Truck Accident Reconstruction Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) Visibility & Reaction Time Analysis Tires, Trailers, Brakes & Accelerators Truck/Off Road Vehicle Egress/Ingress Traffic Signing and Construction Zones Mechanical & Electrical Safety Product Safety & Analysis Machinery - Metal, Wood, Plastic Molding Machine Guarding & Safety, Robots, Automation Hazard and Risk Analysis Employee Safety Procedures – OSHA Electrical Distribution & Transmission Hazards

Warnings & Instructions Warning Labels & User Manual Design Hazard Analysis & Product Label Designs Medical Device & Drug Warnings & Instructions Inadequate Warnings Analysis Standard Compliance (ANSI Z535) Product Recall Information & Strategies Consumers/Household Safety Appliances & Tools Child Furniture, Choking, Playgrounds Swimming Pools & Exercise Equipment Recreation - ATV, Boats, Bicycles, Boards Ladder, Stair, Step and Railing Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents

Chemicals Safety & Labeling NEW OSHA HAZCOM (2012) & GHS Review MSDS, SDS and Product Label Compliance Toxic Torts - Diacetyl, Asbestos, Benzene, Lead, Carbon Monoxide Vaping & E-Cigarette Health Effects Chemical Exposures & Workplace Safety Chemical Inhalation, Ingestion, Dermal Contact Contamination - Water & Environmental Manufacturing & Process Line Accidents Slips, Trips, Falls, & Entanglements Fires & Explosions Cause & Origin Investigations Gas, Vapor, & Electrical Spontaneous Combustion Vaping & E-cigarette Battery Failures

Agriculture Tractor & Equipment Accidents Chemical Applications & Exposures Crop Storage & Harvesting Accidents Pesticides Construction Vehicle Visibility Accidents Slip, Trip, & Fall Accidents Power Tool Repetitive & Immediate Injuries Scaffolding - Cranes - Hoisting - Fork Lifts Insurance Subrogation & Forensics Accident Investigations Electrical & Fire Causation Chemical Leakage Damage Defective Equipment Injuries Premise and Process Damages

James M. Miller, PE, PhD – Founder Dr. Miller is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan College of Engineering and a registered professional engineer and consultant with over 30 years of experience as an expert witness. He has served as a consultant to industry and government and is highly qualified to give engineering testimony. Dr. Miller specializes in warnings, labeling and instruction manuals, consumer product design, machine guarding, process safety, fire science, vehicle visibility, tractor egress/ingress, pedestrian and worker slip and fall prevention, recreational vehicles (ATVs, boats, and personal watercraft), compliance with occupational safety and consumer safety standards (OSHA, MSDS, CPSC, ANSI, ASTM, UL, etc.).

Mark R. Lehto, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Lehto is a Professor of Engineering at Purdue University. He completed his Ph.D. in engineering at the University of Michigan in 1985, where he specialized in Human Factors Engineering, in particular Warnings and Labeling. He has taught courses at Purdue in human and safety factors areas, as well as decision making and artificial intelligence. He has authored numerous professionally-reviewed articles, and he has authored / coauthored internationally-recognized textbooks in the areas of human factors and ergonomics. Dr. Lehto specializes in knowledge engineering, warnings and instructions, structuring expert systems, accident modeling, accident statistical analysis, consumer product safety, boating safety, in-field national surveys of product usage and product information effectiveness.

David R. Clark, PE, PhD – Co-Founder Dr. Clark is an Emeritus Engineering Professor at Kettering University. He was an engineering Ph.D. graduate from the University of Michigan, where he specialized in human factors engineering and system safety analyses. In particular, his earlier degrees in mechanical and electrical areas have given him a special expertise in electrical fire- and explosion-related accidents. Dr. Clark is also published on the topics of warnings and labeling. With considerable in-plant experience at General Motors, he is uniquely qualified to provide student theses and design projects while teaching at Kettering that deal with many types of mechanical and optimization projects. Finally, he has extensive experience working for loss control companies, performing over 150 fire origin and cause investigations in the past few years.

Leonard J. Backer has over 28 years of extensive and successful Seating, Tables and  Furniture Industry experience in all key areas. Mr. Backer has been directly involved in the design and development of 250+ seating and table collections. He specializes in Private Label Manufacturing, Sourcing, and Product Development expertise. Mr. Backer provides aggressive Expert Witness and Litigation Support services to attorneys, insurers and businesses for Plaintiff or Defense. He performs site inspections, detailed product reviews and incident analyses. He has worked with law firms and insurance companies to develop and coordinate strategies for various types of legal actions and lawsuits. Very strong hospitality background. Mr. Backer has extensive experience with hotel, restaurant, cruise ship, retail store and senior living incidents. Personal Injury and Product Liability Cases. He provides detailed analyses, written opinions, and expert witness reports for clients throughout the U.S. Strong proven deposition and court testimony. Areas of Expertise:

Furniture Based Disputes, Claims, or Legal Actions Chair Failures Seating Product Liability Personal Injury Purchasing Disputes Seating Product Design / Performance Issues Design Knockoffs

Sales Rep. Commission Disputes Designer Royalties Exclusive Distribution Agreements Product Evaluation Warranty Issues Product Launch Failures Private Label Development Agreements Evaluation of Management Performance

View Leonard Backer's Consulting Profile.

Panorama Consulting Group specializes in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems and has multiple testifying experts for failed software litigation. This high-profile firm is called upon to investigate the feasibility of litigation, provide software expert witness testimony, and build background reporting for some of the industry’s highest-profile software lawsuits. They have worked with organizations ranging from multi-national conglomerates to boutique and large law firms, as well as state offices of the Attorney General.

As independent enterprise software experts, Panorama Consulting Group has hands-on experience with hundreds of software vendors. Their firm is not tied to a single law firm or software vendor, allowing them to focus on all types of clients and industries. 

Bill Baumann on Expert Witness Testimony

Listen to Panorama Consulting Group's podcast episode: What Would Your Failed Enterprise Software Implementation Say if it Could Talk?

Litigation Support: The experts at Panorama Consulting Group work for both plaintiffs and defendants, software vendors and system integrators, and their customers. Their differentiator is using a team-based approach to provide expertise beyond just the testifying expert, which is cost-effective and efficient for their clients. They have multiple software expert witnesses available for provision of reports, depositions, and testimonies.

Allegations Addressed:

Fraud and Misrepresentation Breach of Contract “Off-the-shelf” Software Capability Misrepresentation and Claims Undefined Roles / Poorly Executed Responsibilities (Internal project team, VAR, ERP vendor, ERP consultant, or system integrator) Lack of Skills and Competencies Poor Project Management

Poor Benefits Realization Poor Implementation Planning, Resourcing and Budgeting Errors in Customization Errors in Integration ERP Failure Operational Disruption or  Loss Related to the ERP System

View Panorama Consulting Group's Consulting Profile.

Richard L. Hall has nearly 40 years of international experience in On and Off Road Product Development and Management consulting. An expert in product planning and development, process management and reengineering, and design and development engineering, he provides consulting services in the off-road vehicle and automotive industries. Clients include off-road, construction, and agricultural equipment companies.  

Background: Mr. Hall worked with CNH Global/Case Corporation for 34 years. He served as Vice President of Product Planning and Process Improvement from 2006-2009, leading a team of (17) Global Product Managers to create and maintain the Construction Equipment Product Evolution Plan and associated schedules and documents. He acted as the main interface  between engineers and the CNH Global patent office, reviewing all applications from both internal and external sources before they were sent to the company Patent Office.

Mr. Hall also led the Products Liability Support Team (litigation engineers) for Case Construction in North America on and off for nearly 20 years. Among other duties, he was responsible for:

• Global Construction Equipment (CE) Product Portfolio Management and Planning
• Engine Strategy and Program Management
• Telematics and Diagnostics Strategy
• Process Improvement and Engineering
• Tools Development and Deployment

Litigation Support: As president of Product Development Services, LLC, founded in 2009, Mr. Hall offers Technical Expertise in On and Off Highway Mobile Equipment. Providing legal support for many years, his services are available to attorneys for plaintiff and defendant and include, examination thorough reporting, deposition, and trial testimony as needed. 

Areas of Expertise:

Mobile Construction and Earthmoving products Agricultural Products

Material Handling Products Over-the-Road Trucks

Technical Competencies include:

• Powertrain Systems
• Hydraulic Systems
• Systems Integration, Controls, and Interfaces

View Richard Hall's Consulting Profile.