Quality Management Forum Held in March 2020
A suggestion by members that there were not enough resources for quality professionals in the marketplace led the MAPP team to create the Quality Management Forum. Held at PTA Plastics in Connecticut on March 11 and 12, attendees heard presentations, engaged in peer exchanges, problem-solved real-life scenarios and toured a world-class facility.
“In terms of having tangible, actionable takeaways that we could implement immediately, this is the best event I’ve attended,” said Josh Romero, Natech Plastics. “The networking and education already have impacted our organization, and we’ve begun make big changes based on what we learned during these two days.”
Attendees heard four presentations of best practices from their industry peers and were able to learn the “how” behind critical quality management issues and techniques. Presentations included best practices on culture, operators leading quality, qualitative risk management and lean manufacturing systems, and continuous improvement processes. Overall, the MAPP team hopes to continue the success of this event into 2021 and beyond.
MAPP Members Step Up in the Crisis
COVID-19 has shaken the world, but MAPP members have been looking to each other (the MAPP network) for help. Since the pandemic began, members have been reaching out for help and offering assistance across the US. Members have been discussing topics such as: temporary COVID-19 bonus pay and benefits, communicating short- and long-term planning, best practices for facemasks, urgent need for screw and barrel assembly, estimating mold cycle times and much more.
Members have been successfully utilizing the Emergency Alert System, as well as the MAPP Discussion Forum, to turn to each other for parts, assistance, questions and business. The MAPP Emergency Alert system deploys an email that goes out to the membership instantly, connecting members to the network with a click of a button. Similarly, the Forum houses questions and answers for the membership that others can weigh in on and gather answers over time. Check out these benefits at mappinc.com.
COVID-19 Crisis Management Series and Crisis Resources
MAPP has been working tirelessly to curate the most up-to-date tools and resources for members during this pandemic, including the following:
The Resources Hub: COVID-19 Crisis Guidance, benchmarking, resources and important links and action items can all be found in one place directly from the home page on mappinc.com.
Expanded Online Events: Members can connect with others facing similar challenges by making time for one of many online events. Brush up on a topic through expert-led webinars or have a discussion with industry peers during an online roundtable. Registration and more info can be found at mappinc.com/events.
The Plastics Discussion Forum allows members to post questions and concerns to the whole membership. Members who see the post have the potential to help other members by sharing their own experiences and knowledge. To get to the Plastics Discussion Forum, visit the homepage at mappinc.com.
Extensive Event Recaps: Whether you missed a recent MAPP COVID-19 event, attended a recent event and want to get a refresh or want to show a webinar to your team, event recaps are located all in one place for you to review. Check them out at mappinc.com/members/event-recaps-archive/.
MAPP Hosts Weekly Virtual Leadership Exchange
To bring processors across the industry together to share best practices and problem-solving, MAPP initiated weekly roundtable calls as the COVID-19 pandemic grew. For the course of four weeks starting in April, MAPP hosted a weekly virtual peer networking exchange for leaders in the plastics industry. Each Thursday, industry leaders joined the call to discuss best practices, common challenges, ideas and solutions to the common management and leadership hurdles being faced in the wake of the current crisis. During each exchange, leaders had the opportunity to submit their own questions for group discussion. Additionally, MAPP encouraged focused roundtable discussions on a specific topic each week. The first call involved leaders discussing managing the change in their business, and focused specifically on how they are improving themselves, their companies and their teams during this time. Find upcoming events on mappinc.com/events.
MAPP Welcomes New Members and Sponsors
- AKKA Plastics, Inc. – Mitchell, Indiana
- Alwin Manufacturing Co., Inc. – Green Bay, Wisconsin
- Balda C. Brewer, Inc. – Ontario, California
- Bear Industrial Group – Mt. Clemens, Michigan
- Cortina Tool & Molding Co. – Franklin Park, Illinois
- DCT – Forest City, North Carolina
- Engineered Molding Solutions, Inc. – McHenry, Illinois
- Ensinger Precision Components – Putnam, Connecticut
- GERH Plastics – Boothwyn, Pennsylvania
- Motoman Robotics Division – Miamisburg, Ohio
- MPR Plastics, Inc. – Elgin, Illinois
- North American Lighting – Paris, Illinois
- OMG Tooling – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- RapidPurge – Essex, Connecticut
- Reed City Group – Reed City, Michigan
