ORRIS H. JOHNSON
JOHN FISKE BROWN ASSOCIATES, INC.
Forensic Engineers
637 Valley Avenue
Solana Beach, CA 92075.2428
Fax: 619.481.0980
Phone: 619.481.1990
ORRIS H. JOHNSON
OCCUPATION
Tire Engineer and Tire Consultant
EDUCATION
1949, B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
CONSULTING EXPERIENCE
1985 to present: Identifying the cause and mechanism of tire failures;
conducting tests and experiments to validate or contest claims asserted in law
suits; working with attorneys on discovery, interrogatories, deposition, and
preparation for trial testimony; investigating 400 or more individual tire
failure cases for plaintiff and defense. Types of
tires
have encompassed passenger,
light truck, truck-bus, farm tractor, industrial, bicycle, motorcycle, and
retreads, including radial, bias, tube, and tubeless constructions. Qualified as
expert witness in municipal and superior courts for both civil and criminal
cases.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
GENERAL TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, AKRON, OHIO
1971-1985: Manager, Manufacturing Tire Engineering, Tire Division. Coordinated
the manufacture of tires
in seven producing tire
plants to insure highest quality, most cost-efficient
tires;
served on committees for tire
development, plant engineering, and quality assurance, to improve radial tire
building machines and reduce tolerance variations; coordinated development test
tire building in plants to insure production compliance to tolerance and
standard changes; served on task forces assigned by management to resolve
specific problems affecting quality, efficiency, or profit improvements; planned
organization and staffing of departments at staff and plant levels; developed
and evaluated technical personnel, assisting in hiring and transfers; attended
development meetings which reported test results of new concepts in tire design,
construction, compounding, and production. Consulted with Development and
Quality Assurance Departments on returned production tires to identify causes of failure.
1963-1971: Manager, Tire Construction Akron Plant. Monitored daily all tire
production to insure highest quality; investigated reasons for tire failures;
supervised and trained newly hired college graduates to develop technology;
supervised the issuance of engineering specifications for compliance with plant
and government testing standards; developed standards for manufacturing
tolerances.
1952-1954: Group Leader for Truck, Off-Road, and Airplane
Tires;
and 1951- 1952: Group Leader
for Passenger, Light Truck, and Industrial Tires.
Gained experience in development of new designs and constructions for General's
complete line of tires;
responsible for releasing of
new tire mold drawings, engineering specifications, and testing of new designs;
complete inspection and analysis of all returned test and production
tires
to identify cause of failure.
1950-1951: Tire Engineering Technical Service. Gained practical factory
experience in all lines of
tires; analyzed scrap
tires
on a daily basis to identify
cause of failure and changes needed in tire development.
1949-1950: Training Program. Formal program covering all departments in tire
manufacturing and administration. Manufacturing included actual building of
passenger and truck tires.
Operated machinery in
preparation for tire components. Administration included legal, purchasing,
cost, billing, transportation, and personnel. Each department head explained
responsibilities and how departments functioned.
SIEBERLING RUBBER COMPANY, BARBERTON, OHIO
1954-1958: Assistant Manager, Tire Design. Duties and responsibilities in
manufacturing quality
tires
at lowest cost were similar
to those at General Tire & Rubber Company (see above).
1958-1962: Manager, Tire Design. Duties the same as Assistant Manager plus
additional responsibility within the drafting and test departments; represented
Sieberling at Tire and Rim Association meetings, serving on various committees;
chaired development of radial truck committees among five rubber plants at Lee,
Dayton, Mansfield, Gates, and Sieberling.
LEE RUBBER COMPANY, CONSHOHOCKEN, PENNSYLVANIA
1962-1963: Started as Manager of Tire Construction, same duties as when Manager
of Design, Sieberling; six months later promoted to Director of Tire Development
which included the chemical departments.
MILITARY SERVICE
Pilot, U.S. Navy, World War II
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Society of Automotive Engineers
Akron Rubber Group
Forensic Consultants Association
American Arbitration Association