Hermann R. Plank brings more than 35 years of hands-on experience in plastics materials, injection molding, manufacturing systems, product development, and failure analysis — assisting attorneys, insurers, and corporations in patent disputes, product liability matters, and complex plastics-related litigation.
Attorneys need experts who can survive cross-examination, explain complex polymer science to a jury without losing credibility, and hold their ground under pressure. Hermann Plank has built a 35-year career doing exactly that — for plaintiffs and defendants alike.
Expert opinions held within a reasonable degree of engineering certainty, anchored in established methodology, peer-reviewed science, and industry standards.
Zero Daubert exclusions — Plaintiff & DefenseLeoben University, Austria — advanced polymer engineering foundation
Manufacturing excellence and process analysis methodology
Consistently ranked among top expert witnesses by Gerson Lehrman Group
Retained by Am Law Top 100 firms on both plaintiff and defense matters
International manufacturing and supply chain litigation capability
Serves both sides — opinions follow the evidence, not the retaining party
Insulin pens, syringes, implantables, inhalers, blood separators, glucose monitoring systems, IV bags, cannulas.
Lighting systems, interior and exterior trim, dashboards, HVAC components, powertrain, mirror housings, sunroof glazing.
Closures, personal care packaging, cosmetic containers, disposable razors, toothbrushes, household appliances.
Injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming, blow molding, robotics, factory automation, tooling and mold design.
"I challenge my own conclusions before opposing counsel does."
Hermann R. Plank — Shadowboxing MethodologyStructured document analysis across large discovery sets, connecting technical facts across thousands of pages with precision that manual review cannot match at scale.
Every opinion is challenged internally using adversarial prompting before opposing counsel has the opportunity. Weaknesses are identified and resolved before they reach the stand.
A four-step analytical sequence — failure mechanism, root cause, contributing factors, liability implication — ensures opinions are cohesive, traceable, and Daubert-defensible.
Early adoption of digital twin methodology for injection molding simulation — providing demonstrable, court-presentable evidence of process conditions and defect causation.
AI is a research accelerator, not a subject-matter substitute. Every opinion still passes the smell test — does this fall squarely within 35 years of direct plastics engineering experience?
In one case, 1,200 pages of scanned discovery contained a single document that won the matter. That document was found by reading every page. No tool replaces the expert who reads the file.
Structured prompting across large document sets surfaces technical inconsistencies, contradictory specifications, and buried facts — faster than manual review at scale, but always verified by the expert.
Before any deposition, AI is used to simulate opposing counsel cross-examination — identifying weaknesses in methodology, gaps in the record, and lines of attack. Opinions are hardened before they reach the stand.
Expert witnesses who abdicate independent judgment to AI-generated answers risk exclusion. Courts distinguish between AI-assisted research and AI-substituted reasoning. This practice does the same.
The quality of AI output is a direct function of the quality of input. Precise prompting, grounded in 35 years of domain knowledge, produces outputs that withstand Daubert scrutiny. Vague queries produce vague answers.
"When attorneys and experts abdicate their independent judgment and critical thinking in favor of ready-made, AI-generated answers, the quality of the legal profession suffers."
Federal Court — Case 0:24-cv-03754
Hermann R. Plank is President of TecnoKal LLC, a plastics engineering consultancy and expert witness firm based in Scottsdale, Arizona. He holds a Master of Science in Polymer Science and Engineering from Leoben University, Austria, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt — with more than 35 years of industry experience spanning polymer science, injection molding, failure analysis, and forensic methodology.
His career includes senior roles with Milacron, Battenfeld, and Tech Group, where he worked directly with world-leading plastics processing equipment manufacturers and conducted manufacturing assessments for multi-billion dollar plastics organizations globally.
Hermann has supported complex engineering programs for leading automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and major consumer product brands — providing the product development and manufacturing process experience that makes his expert opinions concrete and defensible rather than theoretical.
In litigation, he has been retained by Am Law Top 100 firms on both plaintiff and defense matters. His expert witness opinions have never been excluded or limited under Daubert or any equivalent standard.
He is regularly presented by GLG (Gerson Lehrman Group) to major plaintiff and defense firms, and maintains an active conference presence in product liability and manufacturing litigation. Hermann serves both plaintiff and defense counsel — his opinions follow the evidence.
His technical scope covers the full plastics materials spectrum, all major processing methods, and the failure analysis methodologies required to trace a defect from its physical manifestation back to its root cause — whether that cause lies in product design, manufacturing execution, material specification, or intended use.
Initial case inquiries are treated confidentially. Hermann accepts both plaintiff and defense engagements. Retainer structures are established at engagement — please inquire directly.
All inquiries are treated as confidential.