Five Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) members received the Silver Spark Plug Award during the group's annual meeting in Tampa, Fla., in February, 2012.
Two of the five recipients were Michelin North America Inc. employees Doug Jones and Norm Ball. Silver Spark Plug is among TMC's most-highest honors. TMC is part of the American Trucking Associations.
Norm Ball is Michelin’s MRT training officer and director of franchise business services. He manages the retread business manager group in North America and has been a member of TMC since 1988. He has been active for more than 24 years in the tire and wheel study group that produced respected technical references for tires and wheels. He chaired several task forces, including one on the impact of flammable bead breaking compounds and tire casing data markings.
Jones is Michelin’s customer engineering support manager for North America. He has been a TMC member since 2000. Jones also has been active in the tire and wheel study group, in which he contributed to numerous recommended practices and task force efforts. He chaired a task force on troubleshooting irregular wear in radial tires, served as a panelist for numerous educational sessions, and has shared his knowledge as a guest on the SiriusXM Satellite Radio Show, "Tech Talk With TMC."
To be eligible, candidates must have been active as Full (fleet) and Associate (supplier) members of TMC for at least five years. They must have contributed "ideas, practices, or innovations in the management and maintenance of commercial motor vehicles that have contributed materially to improvement of equipment, its maintenance and maintenance management," say the group's rules.
