Problem Solver
Rick Jezzi 
Proven Solver
Conceptual blockbuster and out of the box thinker with a long history of problem solving. I enjoy the challenge of brain teasing problems and the excitement of solving them. The example of solution #5 is one that describes me best-- that is taking an area totally foreign to me (i.e. surf board wax) and being able to identify a solution to the clients' problem on how to make the wax "lumpy" on application and also less expensive while still retaining its "organic" classification. By using past knowledge from two totally unrelated areas (pressure sensitive adhesives and microporous breathable films) we were able to come up with a solution that met the clients needs. This is my idea of a fun assignment. We also have received three awards on Innocentive for solving technical challenges posted on that website.
Areas Rick Jezzi is Knowledgeable in:
NonWoven fabrics, technical textiles, paper, board, pulp, film, polyolefin extrusion, all patent related issues, absorbent products, medical fabrics, construction fabrics, moisture and water transfer problems, superabsorbents, hot melts, flexographic printing, flexible packaging, converting and manufacturing processes.
Techniques Rick Jezzi Uses:
Synectics, Kempner Tregoe
Rick Jezzi's Problem Solving Skills:
- Environmentally friendly materials and polymers
- Packaging
- Intellectual Property management
- Market and Product Research
- Flexographic printing
- Absorbent products
- Process development- roll goods manufacturing
- Material Development- fabrics, non-woven, textiles, films and laminates
- Emerging Market Development
- Consumer Product Development
Rick Jezzi's Problem Solving Experience:
- Recommended a solution on how to recover oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez in Alaska that was submerged below the surface. We suggested a method to densify a meltblown fabric into a pledget which was weighted down so that it could sink below the water surface. After the fabric (hydrophobic polypropylene is highly lipophillic) absorbed the oil it could be fished out of the water and ultimately processed for recovery.
- Developing the correct formulation for an organic surf board wax to make it "sticky enough for traction", and have it lumpy when applied as well as reducing its cost. We took learnings from the composition of pressure sensitive adhesive formulations, and microporous films which had inorganic minerals in their composition, and were able to deliver a wax that matched the market leader in performance while reducing its cost by 40%.
- Developing a co-extruded film that would not be self binding when wound, which corrected the affinity of the film to stick to itself and blocking.
- Patent claim circumnavigation for non-infringement. Too many examples to list. One example is splitting the silicone coating on a tape release reinforcing tape to be outside of existing patent claim.
- Recommended various options on how to curb the increasing number of disposed sachet shampoo packets in an emerging market nation by providing alternative packaging and material solutions to the one currently being used.
- Correcting a fabric adhesion problem to a through-air-dryer carrying wire by identifying a release agent application system to the carrying wire which prevented the bonding of the fabric to the dryer carrying wire. Processing speeds were tripled as a result.
- Developing and patenting an apparatus to uniformly distribute the fibers in an airstream in the cross direction, and modularizing these so that machine width could be as wide as wanted.
- Identifying the cause for what created "bubbles" on a porous fibrous web as it went around a smooth roll (was centrifugal force) and then developing a different geometry for the transfer of the web at speeds over 1000 fpm which corrected the problem and thus de-bottlenecked the process.