David Ball Email & Phone Number

Canton, Ohio

Manage a technical team responsible for providing applications engineering assistance to all new and existing customers of heavy-duty trailer air suspensions. Responsible for working directly with OEM customers, fleets, repair shops, and end users to specify appropriate Hendrickson INTRAAX®, VANTRAAX®, ULTRAA-K®, HT, or CONNEX™ suspension systems based upon specific customer applications. Where existing products are not adequate, Applications Engineering works with the customer as well as internal design, development, quality, and manufacturing resources to find and implement innovative solutions in a timely fashion.Assist customers with technical questions related to air suspension performance, proper suspension installation, and testing/validation of new trailer designs and suspension installations. Support Hendrickson’s online literature to assure that the technical documentation is clear and concise. Manage confidentiality agreements with customers and provide custom made 3D models built to customer specifications.

Canton, Ohio

Work directly with trailer manufacturers to help design new suspensions or specify the proper existing suspension for a given application. Provide technical support to existing customers in the vocational trailer market that utilize INTRAAX® suspensions.

Fairlawn, Ohio

Managed a team of engineers located in Ohio and San Luis Potosi, Mexico. Responsible for OEM and aftermarket development of air springs for the truck & trailer, industrial, and agricultural markets in North America, South America, and Asia. Collaboration with manufacturing and design facilities in Mexico, Slovenia, Brazil, and China. Major initiatives include increasing sales generated from new products & evaluation/implementation of redesigns and material substitutions for cost savings.Responsible for training and development of new engineers. Development of design validation plan and report (DVP&R) to assure robust new designs. Wrote all department procedures and work instructions.Note: Goodyear sold their Engineered Products division 8/2007. The company worked as Veyance Technologies until being acquired by Stemco 7/2015.

Green, Ohio

Managed and led team of two engineers responsible for global development of all sleeve products (seat & cab air springs, rubber sleeves for shock absorbers, agricultural seeder applications, small bellows products for industrial applications). Interviewed and trained new engineers and technicians. Conducted annual performance appraisals for engineers and technicians. Major accomplishments include successful six sigma project to reduce air spring rubber thickness yielding $300K annual savings, design of new cab spring construction yielding over a 50% material cost savings with improved product performance, developed air sleeve products for use in high temperature applications. Wrote development procedures and trained staff for QS9000, ISO9000:2000, and TS16949.Managed development laboratory and four lab technicians responsible for verification and validation testing of all new air springs and component designs (durability testing, performance testing, strength testing, environmental testing). Created technical specifications and prepared capital justifications for all new test lab equipment. Submitted purchase order requisitions for lab operations.

Green, Ohio

Designed and developed air springs for heavy truck and industrial market vibration isolation and actuation applications. Skills include rubber extrusion, calendering of rubber and fabric, curing with steam jacketed molds, compression molding, transfer molding, component design using steel, aluminum, zinc, thermoplastic, metal coatings, assembly operations. Design, quotation, development, and ISIR/PPAP of product. Responsible for all product and process changes for the life of the design. Redesigned cab spring products increasing durability over 400%. Designed unique tensile force air spring. Design & development of contoured air sleeves for automotive air shocks.

St. Marys, Ohio

Design, cost estimating, and development of new vibration isolation injection and transfer molded automotive and custom products. Rubber to metal bonding - shock mounts, engine mounts, bushings, etc. Generation of performance specifications, testing, prototype fabrication, vendor selection/approval. Facilitation of advanced product quality planning activities (APQP). Member of 6 man team responsible for driving the plant to successfully achieve QS9000.

St. Marys, Ohio

Product & process responsibility for current production Ford, GM, Chrysler, and Custom injection molded rubber products. Implementation of all product/process changes. Proactive/reactive customer assembly plant visits. Writing and maintenance of all quality documents, working specifications, inspection standards, part & gauge drawings, etc. Manufacturing process & machinery layout design for future products.

St. Marys, Ohio

Developed new quality systems: first piece inspection, tagging & traceability, process monitoring. Designed/implemented poka yoke (error-proofing) systems. Resolution of customer complaints, proactive customer visits, training of new engineers. Familiarity with QA tools: FMEA, control plans, process flow diagram, production part approval process (PPAP), ISO/QS9000 internal auditing, 8D Reports.