Catching up with Vince Witherup at NPE2012
March 31st, 2012
At NPE2012 this week you can shake the hand of Vince Witherup the politician--not the auxiliary machinery executive. Witherup retired from Conair Group Inc. in 2007, after a long career. He was Conair's vice president of development. His first day...
What will new crackers mean to plastics processors?
March 29th, 2012
Increasing availability of natural gas in North America has the potential to make a big difference in the plastics industry in the next decade. But how exactly will it change? North American processors may be salivating over the prospects for...
Company has job openings, but says no one wants to work
March 27th, 2012
How many plastics processors can relate to this problem: a thermoset molder in Wisconsin says it has openings for four workers, but can't find takers. The short, first-person story, "I have jobs, but no one wants them," comes from CNNMoney.com....
Orlando is gearing up for NPE
March 27th, 2012
Take this as a sign of Orlando, Fla.'s interest in the plastics industry -- specifically NPE. The Orlando Sentinel posted a story last night about NPE2012, saying North America's largest plastics show "could become the next undisputed heavyweight champion of...
‘The woman the plastic industry can’t beat’
March 26th, 2012
Who's Emily Utter? She's an anti-plastics activist who helped pass a ban on plastic bags in San Francisco, and now she's working to help other cities and towns do the same. Utter is making "huge progress ... in spite of...
Reshoring and ‘buying American’ — Is it a trend yet?
March 22nd, 2012
Anecdotal evidence continues to pile up that some manufacturers are "reshoring" -- bringing work back to North America. The story is becoming familiar. Companies say the advantages of bringing work back from places like China are the shorter supply chain,...
Tips for a successful NPE
March 20th, 2012
In keeping with my "countdown to NPE" theme, I spotted an item today with good tips for exhibitors at any trade show. The source is Mike Thimmesch, director of industry relations for Skyline Exhibits, who wrote "18 Hidden Rules of...
‘This American Life’ retracts story critical of Apple and Foxconn
March 16th, 2012
This is a very unusual story, one of the biggest journalistic "oops" I've seen in a long time: Today Ira Glass and his "This American Life" radio program retracted a major story that was critical of Apple Inc. and its...
Award at NPE to shine a light on product design
March 15th, 2012
Not only is the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. giving out awards to cool products in its triennial International Plastics Design Competition at NPE 2012, but from the same crop of nearly three dozen entries will emerge the winner...
Emerging issue: tsunami debris
March 14th, 2012
On top of the rest of the plastics industry's marine litter problems, get ready for a new twist. Experts say debris from last year's tsunami that devastated parts of Japan are headed for the West Coast of the United States...