Brian Gilliard

Background

About Brian Gilliard

Brian Gilliard – General Motors (GM) Design release Engineer, Bumpers, Fascias and Grilles BS degree in Metallurgical Engineering - Michigan State University. I have over 30 years’ experience in the automotive industry. 13 years at GM where for 5 years I worked in the development of iron and aluminum casting processes and 8 years designing doors, hoods, deck lids and bumper beams in SMC, RIM and SRIM. 13 years at General Electric Plastics in the engineering design and processing of bumpers, grill opening reinforcements (GOR) and running boards in AZDEL®, polypropylene Glass Mat Thermoplastics (GMT-PP), VALOX® (PBT) and XENOY®PC/PBT. 10 years at Owens Corning Automotive helping OEM, Tier Ones and molders to design, test, process and implement exterior automotive applications such as integrated front end modules, running boards, etc. in long glass fiber reinforced polypropylene and interior applications such as AcoustiMax® headliners and VersaMat® insulators and sound absorbers. In the General Motors Truck group as Quality, Reliability and Durability Lead Engineer I worked with the new vehicle Product Develop Teams to identify possible warranty issues from designs that don’t follow best practices based on knowledge gained from past warranty issues. Responsible for warranty issues with suppliers of TPO fascias, functional black plastic components, chrome plated ABS grilles and chrome plated metal bumpers. Direct the resolution of warranty spills and work with the supplier on a daily basis to find the root cause, contain the bad parts, and replace service stock with the new parts. Develop plans with suppliers to prevent future warranty spills. I am currently the Design Release Engineer for the 2014 Buick LaCrosse and Chevrolet Malibu bumpers, fascias, grilles and wheelhouse liners. Responsibilities include program management, application engineering and launch support in the GM Fairfax Kansas City and Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plants.