Expert Witness
Packaging Expert Witness
Packaging failures cause injuries, damage cargo, and generate litigation across the entire supply chain — at the plant, in the warehouse, on the trailer, and at the point of delivery. I analyze why the packaging failed and explain it clearly to attorneys, judges, and juries, grounded in the governing industry standards and in three decades of running packaging operations. I am retained by both plaintiffs and defendants.
Packaging I Analyze
My work covers the full range of paper-based and protective packaging, including:
• Corrugated shipping containers — regular slotted containers (RSC), Bliss boxes, die-cut boxes, bulk bins, and heavy-duty double- and triple-wall board
• Folding cartons and paperboard packaging — including litho-laminated and printed cartons
• Pallets and unit loads — wood, corrugated, and plastic; stretch-wrap and banded unitization; tie sheets and slip sheets
• Crates and wooden containers — for glass, curtainwall, signage, machinery, and industrial products
• Protective and cushioning packaging — foam, molded pulp, corner boards, dunnage, and void fill
• Consumer and retail packaging — beverage carriers, clamshells, blister packs, and handhold and carry features
• Parcel and e-commerce packaging — envelopes, mailers, and single-parcel shipments
• Distribution packaging systems — the complete package-plus-product system as it moves through the distribution environment
How Packaging Fails
A package can fail because it was designed, manufactured, specified, loaded, stored, or handled in a way that did not match the demands placed on it — and responsibility is often shared across the manufacturer, the shipper, the warehouse, and the carrier. I evaluate the packaging and the distribution environment it had to survive: box compression and the effects of stacking, misalignment, moisture, and creep; caliper and edge crush relative to specification; pallet patterns, overhang, and unit-load stability; handhold and carry-feature construction; and the match between the packaging and the real-world handling it received.
Testing & Standards
Packaging performance is measured against recognized industry standards. The principal bodies and what their methods address:
• ASTM International — standardized test methods for packaging and shipping units, including box compression (ASTM D642) and performance/distribution simulation of shipping units (ASTM D4169).
• ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) — a series of procedures that simulate the hazards of the distribution environment — shock, vibration, compression, and handling — to evaluate how a packaged product performs in transit.
• TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry) — the original containerboard and box test methods, including compression testing of fiberboard containers (T804) and the edge crush test (ECT) used to characterize board strength.
• FEFCO (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers) — the internationally used codes for corrugated and carton construction (box styles and designs) and associated European test methods.
I test and measure exemplars against these standards rather than assume — the same methods the industry itself uses.
Packaging Intellectual Property
I also serve as an expert in packaging-related intellectual property — patent, trade secret, and trade dress. As the holder of a U.S. packaging patent (#5,672,412, a recyclable corrugated pallet) and a former general manager who developed proprietary designs and processes, I have been retained in trade-secret and misappropriation matters involving corrugated pallet designs and proprietary packaging information, and I can speak to packaging design, specification, manufacturing process, and industry practice in an intellectual-property context.
The Supply Chain Doesn't Stop at the Box
Packaging rarely fails in isolation. A packaging defect frequently becomes a warehousing failure (a pallet load that collapses in racking), a shipping and load-securement failure (product that shifts or falls when a trailer is opened), or a distribution failure (damage accumulated across the transportation environment). I analyze all of these.
Have a packaging matter — a failed box, pallet, crate, or unit load? Arrange a consultation with a packaging and load-securement expert. Same-day conflict checks.
(775) 443-5529
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), and Certified Quality Manager (CQMgr) — American Society for Quality
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor — trained at the Rochester Institute of Technology
• Inventor, U.S. Patent #5,672,412 — a recyclable corrugated pallet
• Technical Voting Member (2019–2021), ASTM Packaging Division; TAPPI and IOPP member; former Vice Chair, IOPP Packaging Consultants Council
• Founder of a LinkedIn packaging community of over 58,000 professionals across 30+ countries
• Retained in 51 matters — 35 for plaintiffs and 16 for defendants; opinions never restricted
Facing a packaging, warehouse, or load-securement matter? Arrange a consultation with a packaging and load-securement expert — same-day conflict checks.
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