VITAE
ROBERT J. BOCKSERMAN
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
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Conatech Consulting Group, Inc.- St. Louis, MO, 1985-Present, Owner and President Technical Consultant to the food, pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetic and chemical industries. Conatech Consulting Group, Inc. is a consulting engineering firm comprised of approximately 42 associates in a network. All of the members of the network have approximately 35 years of experience in either academics or private industry, many with Ph.D degrees who have the necessary expertise and experience covering the areas of product development, package development, manufacturing and packaging line design, quality control and auditing for the food, pharmaceutical, medical device and chemical industries. Our technical consulting work covers recommendations on containers, closures, packaging components, polymer films, additives, laminations, processing and packaging equipment, materials of construction, suppliers of these services, contract packaging firms, independent analytical laboratories, and sources of supply for chemicals. Our research activities for our clients include literature research on products, processes and patents. We teach various manufacturing and packaging technologies to corporations throughout the continental United States as well as conducting safety and environmental audits on products, processing and packaging equipment and plant facilities. Our area of specialization as an expert witness is primarily in product liability. This liability originates from the defective packaging and processing of hazardous products, defective and contaminated products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, cosmetics and chemicals that are capable of causing serious injury or death. We cover injury from defective machinery and out-of-specification products that have been brought to the marketplace. Some of our work involves defective containers, closures and container labels that have important information that is missing or information on the label that is incorrect. Other work involves products that have been contaminated and cause injury or death or with products that are defective and cause serious incidents. We offer technical assistance with patent infringement, trade secrets, design and mechanical patents, and reverse engineering of equipment. Part of our work as expert witnesses is in interpreting Federal Regulations for our clients. Most Federal Regulations covering the products we are asked to review originate in the Code of Federal Regulations or in the Federal Register. We perform a consulting service to law firms, insurance firms and corporations in making recommendations on the merits and feasibility of moving an incident into the first phase of litigation. We offer on-going technical support to law firms, insurance companies and private corporations covering North America. We offer not only research and discovery for our attorney-clients but also offer testimony at depositions and at trial. Some of our cases where we have acted as expert witnesses, end in mediation or in arbitration. Overlock Howe Consulting Group- St. Louis, MO, 1984-1985, Director, Technical Services Responsible for technical consulting services to manufacturing and packaging companies in the areas of product/package development, research and engineering, packaging, manufacturing, material handling, warehousing/distribution and quality control. Overlock-Howe consulting firm was a marketing and graphics design firm. My responsibilities were to develop label format, wording and label design with colors, wording and precautionary statements (if required) on container labels to comply with federal regulations and industry standards. Designed format and wording for technical trade brochures, product and package literature for corporations, distributors and consumers. Performed technical assistance for clients who had problems with product/package incompatibilities. Presented clients with required information and data on materials of construction for containers, closures, packaging components, polymer films and laminations and presented information to clients in choosing the correct and most appropriate primary and secondary packaging for their particular products in order to meet federal regulations and industry standards. Pharma-Tech Industries, Inc.- Union, MO, 1967-1984, Owner and President A full-service contract manufacturing and packaging firm covering processing, blending, manufacturing and packaging of liquids, powders, capsules, tablets, creams and ointments for the food, pharmaceutical, medical device and chemical industries. Other functions were the assembly of diagnostic, surgical and chemical kits. All operations were automated except for the hand assembly of the various kits. In addition to the contract manufacturing segment of the firm, technical consulting was performed for the customers by providing customers with information, data and recommendations on containers, closures, packaging materials, primary and secondary packaging, and label format for their products. The firm had an analytical laboratory, machine shop and a complete quality control and engineering maintenance department providing these services to the three shifts-six days a week. All processing and packaging departments were fully segregated to prevent any possibility of cross contamination between the various products that were processed on a daily basis. The firm gained experience in working with the following government agencies- Food & Drug Administration, Occupational Safety & Health Agency, Drug Enforcement Agency, Office of Defense Supply, Veterans Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Justice Department-Alcohol Division, Consumer Product Safety Commission, United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Transportation. All chemical products were processed, blended and packaged in a building separated three miles from the main plant (for segregation purposes and to prevent cross-contamination). Monsanto Company (Krummerich Plant)- Sauget, IL, 1966-1967, Purchasing Agent Responsible for the purchasing of all the raw materials used in the Monsanto Krummerich Plant for the three operating divisions- Organic, Inorganic and Agricultural Divisions. Also responsible for the purchasing of large volume commodities-containers, packaging components, pallets and commodities such as safety gear, gloves, underwear, safety shoes and chemical suits. Worked as a team member with the department superintendents to resolve problems with out-of-specification raw materials. Reviewed all contracts for raw materials and worked with corporate purchasing on how to obtain short-supply raw materials. Was appointed to the Plant Safety Team and audited various departments for possible and potential problems that could effect the safety of production and supervisory personnel. Also responsible for all engineering service contracts-contracts with individual engineering and service companies for work to be performed at the Krummerich Plant on a contract basis. Responsible for implementing the logistics of the movement of surplus raw materials and containers between the three operating divisions. Responsible for the sale of surplus raw materials, containers and pallets to outside vendors and to national companies that specialize in the purchase of surplus raw materials, containers and out of specification commodities. Worked with department superintendents on quality control problems of incoming raw materials that do not meet the rigid specifications of the Monsanto Company and the prompt notification to suppliers as to what the problems are and what must be initiated to prevent the problem from arising in future shipments. I was given the responsibility on 24 raw materials for the direct negotiations with raw material suppliers, through a bidding process, to obtain for the three Monsanto Company operating divisions, the best price, highest quality, and delivery effeciencies and for the commodities to conform to Monsanto Company rigid specifications. Monsanto Company- St. Louis, MO, 1960-1965, Research Chemist- Agricultural Chemical Division Responsibilities covered the formulation of agricultural chemical products, product development with the use of resins, waxes, additives, solvents, emulsifiers, stabilizers, coatings and polymers. Package development to insure the safe transport of various agricultural chemical products. Development of analytical testing procedures by the use of gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, thermography, centrifugation and chemical microscopy. Analytical testing of new and existing products from various Monsanto plant sites and competitive products to determine if the products meet specifications. Assistance in the training of Monsanto personnel from the United States and abroad in the use of new instrumentation and testing procedures. Chemical process research to develop and modify existing process procedures and to develop new agricultural chemical products and to modify existing products, in the Research Center pilot plant. Research work with the Monsanto Agricultural Chemical Division Engineering and Development Departments on problems involving chemical process. Traveled to various Monsanto contract formulators to work on various plant process and product problems. Basic research on problems involving product blending and transport. Traveled to various suppliers of chemical processing and blending equipment to make recommendations on new equipment and accessories to existing Monsanto equipment in order to improve on products. Engineering research at the Monsanto Queeny and Research Center Pilot Plants on various processing problems. Managed the Wurster Coating Process, (the coating of air-suspended particles) in the research center pilot plant. I had six patents applied for before leaving Monsanto Company, involving coating air-suspended particles, automated blending and coating technologies, continuous processing technologies, and the automated system for the production of emulsifiable concentrates. Performed scale-up and scale-down projects at the Research Center, on Monsanto agricultural chemical products. Allan Drug Company- St. Louis, MO, 1957-1959, Production Manager This manufacturing firm produced pharmaceutical products both prescription and over-the counter. I was responsible for manufacturing, plant operations, securing of blending, and packaging equipment. Supervised all production and maintenance personnel. Designed the processing and packaging lines and supervised the quality control personnel. Quality control personnel checked all incoming raw materials, in-process products, finished goods, packaging components and labels, prepared retained samples as well as samples to be sent to an independent testing laboratory. All products were certified as to meeting specifications before shipping. Made sales calls with various salesmen to analyze product problems and visited stocking distributors, to review problems with the products. Sealtest Corporation- Peoria, IL, 1955-1956, Chemist (Production) Responsibilities included the initiating and improvement of quality control procedures in the Sealtest Corporation Plant, a manufacturing firm for the production of dairy products. The plant processed and packaged milk, cottage cheese, ice cream, and juice products. Developed new analytical procedures for the testing of the various commodities, developed new methods of cleaning and sanitation of the process equipment, blending equipment, process tanks and piping, as well as sanitation of the floors, walls and ceiling areas. Wrote the maintenance manual and the analytical product testing manual for the plant. Developed the protocol for the cleaning and sanitation of all plant process equipment. Worked on product and package development and visited various food warehouse distributors to observe and analyze problems with the products. Worked with the marketing department to solve problems associated with product transportation and distribution throughout the state of Illinois. Assisted the plant manager in the lay-out of new process and packaging lines to improve productivity. Worked with farmers on below-specification and high-bacterial count raw milk, determined sources of bacterial contamination, butter-fat losses in the plant and problems with out-of -specification packaging components. Designed and equipped the analytical laboratory with new instrumentation equipment, formulated a product development department and gave on-going support to the company's distributors and customers with technical information and data. |
EDUCATION
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HONORS CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR
SPEAKER'S BUREAUS Institute of Food Technologists
(National Society) 1989-Present Institute of Packaging
Professionals (National Society) 1984-Present TECHNICAL CONSULTING Technical Consultant to
the Creve Coeur Fire Protection District- CERTIFICATIONS Institute of Packaging Professionals- Certified- ID # 25771 The American College of Forensic Examiners- ID # 17854 Community Emergency Response Team, United States Department of Homeland Security, St. Louis County Sector- 2007 MEMBERSHIPS, PAST AND PRESENT
TEACHING FUNCTIONS
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