Brian D. Thomas, Sr.222 Blackwater Dr • Harvest, AL 35749256-665-6377 •• bdthomassr@yahoo.com

RUBBER SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY EXPERT CONSULTANT

Innovator • Leading Edge • Data Driven

A creative problem solver and innovator for over 30 years, materials specialist, rubber compounder, team leader, R&D manager, corporate rubber operations director and company founder specializing in rubber materials engineering, science and technology focused mainly on tires and windshield wipers. Expertise in product development includes competitive benchmarking; rubber and coatings compounding, mixing and processing; laboratory and functional testing; quality control; continuous improvement. A multi-disciplinary team leader and budget-conscious project manager with a broad range of technical and management skills.

Core Competencies and Skills

• Rubber Compound Design • Molding/Extrusion • Curing• Post Treatments • DOE • Productivity Improvement• Waste/Scrap Reduction • Cost Reduction • Test Development• Physical/Analytical Testing • Product Performance Improvement • Forensic Analysis• Reverse Engineering • FMEA/DFMEA • SPC

Consulting

Forensic analysis of passenger and light truck tires. Directed the development of windshield wiper rubber parts with improved set and low

temperature performance. Developed natural rubber and natural/synthetic blend compounds along with a low friction coating with improved durability.

Generated budgets, reports, schedules, product specifications and customer/management presentations.

Tire Compound Development/Manufacture

Designed all-weather, low rolling resistance, excellent traction /handling rubber compounds (tread, undertread, sidewall, belt, apex, bead, carcass, liner) for Original Equipment passenger and truck tire applications; assumed full responsibility for all aspects from development and manufacture to performance and reliability.

Continuous improvement – Analyzed failed tires, both returned and on site in the field (i.e. tread separations, wire adhesion failure, belt ply delamination, sidewall degradation/ozone cracking, irregular and premature tread wear, etc.). Determined cause of failure using state-of-the-art analytical instruments and methods including TGA, FTIR, GC, DMA, DSC, HPLC, SEM/EDX, then specified corrective action(s) through compound redesign or process modification.

Minimized waste, redundancy, product costs; and enhanced product yield. Experience with decreased plant scrap, calendaring, mixing, extrusion, and curing.

Specified and approved preferred suppliers as a materials specialist.

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Brian D. Thomas, Sr.222 Blackwater Dr • Harvest, AL 35749256-665-6377 •• bdthomassr@yahoo.com

Windshield Wiper Compound Development/Manufacture

Designed low permanent set, high durability, all-weather natural and synthetic rubber compounds, processes and low-friction coatings for Original Equipment and After Market applications – for molding and extrusion.

Developed and set mixing, extrusion and curing parameters. Established friction-reducing surface treatment parameters. Tested product and developed specifications to ASTM, ISO and customer standards,

DFMEA’s, FMEA’s. Process Control – Used SPC to improve production process control of critical characteristics

and solved production related problems in the factory using statistical engineering methods. Waste reduction, yield optimization.

Experience

Sole Proprietor THOMAS CONSULTING • Harvest, AL

Rubber science and technology consulting specializing in tire and windshield wiper compound and process development; project management and personal development.

Develop rubber compounds and processes for tire and windshield wiper applications. Perform material and production data reviews, physical inspections and laboratory analyses

to determine cause(s) of tire failures for several law firms. Generate reports, recommendations, billing, accounting Expert witness – most cases settle favorably out of court.

Director, Rubber Business GroupKYUNG CHANG WIPER COMPANY (KCW) • Daegu, South Korea

International manufacturer of windshield wipers and miscellaneous automotive products.

Directed all rubber related areas, processes and personnel from R&D to production. Designed natural and synthetic rubber compounds for Original Equipment and After Market

applications, for molding and extrusion processes. Assumed full responsibility for all aspects of the compounds from manufacture to performance and reliability. Developed specifications, DFMEA’s, FMEA’s. Improved high and low temperature set by 50% with increased durability resulting in improved wipe quality durability and reduced noise.

Analyzed failed wipers – returned and on site in the field (i.e. pre-mature wipe or noise failure, etc.). Determined cause of failure using state-of-the-art analytical instruments and methods including TGA, FTIR, GC, DMA, DSC, HPLC, SEM/EDX, then specified corrective action(s) through compound redesign or process modification.

Reverse-engineered and bench-marked competitive products from other major companies. Performed extensive research in material properties and effects on performance parameters. Improved production process control and solved production related problems in the factory

using statistical engineering methods.

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Brian D. Thomas, Sr.222 Blackwater Dr • Harvest, AL 35749256-665-6377 •• bdthomassr@yahoo.com

Developed highly trained employees; specified departmental goals and objectives; set priorities; created highly specific project management programs, budgets, capital requests, operating systems, policies and procedures, training programs; performed evaluations. Activated methodologies for workflow and delegation in a multi-disciplinary environment.

Other Experience

Territory ManagerACUSHNET RUBBER COMPANY

Manager, Elastomers Research and DevelopmentTRICO PRODUCTS CORPORATION

Original Equipment CompounderDUNLOP TIRE COMPANY

CompounderGOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY

Affiliations

American Chemical Society and American Chemical Society Rubber Division, SAE

Education

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Alabama A&M University • Normal, Alabama

Continuing Education

Rubber Compounding and Materials, Viscoelastic Properties of Elastomers, Plastics, Analytical Techniques, ISO9000, QS9000

Certifications

Statistical Process Control, Statistical Engineering, Design of Experiments

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