What types of plastic failure cases does Plastic Expert Group handle?

Plastic Expert Group handles plastic and polymer failure cases across two broad tracks: litigation-related work (forensic failure analysis and expert witness for insurers, reinsurers, subrogation counsel, and attorneys) and preventive engineering work (design and materials consulting for manufacturers and OEMs). Its stated loss categories include CPVC fire sprinkler failure, PEX plumbing failure, other pipe or water-loss failure, data center and mission-critical piping, medical device failure, consumer product and equipment failure, automotive plastic failure, plastic molding or part defects, and construction or building defects. For every case, the framing is the same: what failed, why, and who is responsible.

The loss categories it resolves

The site lists these categories directly:

• CPVC fire sprinkler failure — a recurring source of property and subrogation claims.
• PEX plumbing failure — supply-line and system failures in residential and commercial plumbing.
• Other pipe or water-loss failure — broader piping and water-damage losses beyond CPVC and PEX.
• Data center or mission-critical piping — failures where downtime and business interruption raise the stakes.
• Medical device failure — polymer components in devices and related products.
• Consumer product or equipment failure — failed plastic parts in products and machinery.
• Automotive plastic failure — polymer components in vehicles.
• Plastic molding or part defect — manufacturing and processing defects.
• Construction or building defect — plastic-related defects in buildings and installations.

If your case is a polymer component that failed and someone needs to know the cause, it likely falls inside this list. If the question is purely about non-plastic materials or a dispute with no polymer component, this is not the right fit.

Who each category is for

The same failure can be handled for different clients depending on where you sit:

The site states it does not sell materials or products, so the engagement is analysis, testing, consulting, and testimony rather than supply.

Litigation support vs. preventive engineering

These are two distinct reasons to engage the group, and it helps to know which one you need.

Litigation-related work is for cases already in dispute or heading there. The group reports 580+ litigation-related projects and 2,000+ client matters, with findings described as court-ready. This track suits insurers, subrogation counsel, and attorneys who need a defensible root cause.

Preventive engineering is for product teams that want to predict how a part will fail and fix the design before losses occur. This track suits manufacturers, OEMs, and design engineers.

Some matters start as one and become the other — a manufacturer facing a claim may also want the design fix. The initial review form asks you to select a topic and role, which routes the request accordingly.

What to expect when you reach out

The site describes a no-cost initial assessment with no upfront commitment, and a confidential one-business-day reply. Requests are accepted for consulting, testing, legal, or expert-witness work only. The intake form asks for your role, the topic, and a brief description, so have the failure context ready: what the component is, where it failed, and what outcome you need (cause determination, testimony, or design guidance).

Credibility signals worth weighing

• 70+ experts with backgrounds from Dow Chemical, DuPont, Bayer/Covestro, 3M, General Motors, and IBM, among others.
• Independent, accredited affiliate-lab network used for testing.
• 20+ years in practice, with teams in the US, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
• Featured on CBS 60 Minutes; the site links an interview with cofounder and CEO Dr. Duane Priddy Sr.
• Founded one of the largest plastics technical communities on LinkedIn, with 58,000+ members across five groups since 2008.

These are the group's own claims; treat them as selection criteria to verify against your specific case rather than as independent endorsements.

How to decide if this fits your case

Use these conditions:

• Fits if a plastic or polymer component failed, you need to establish cause, and the outcome is a claim, a dispute, a legal proceeding, or a design fix.
• Fits if you are an insurer, attorney, manufacturer, or facility operator dealing with one of the listed loss categories.
• Does not fit if you need materials or products supplied, or if the failure involves no polymer component.

If you are unsure, the no-cost initial assessment is the low-risk way to find out — describe the failure and the decision you need to make, and let the intake routing determine whether it is in scope.