By R. Sam Michael, Ph.D., PlasticsJobs Network, SANINC Search Associates Network In the North American plastics industry, independent chemical and resin traders/distributors play a vital role that goes far beyond simply moving material from point A to point B. While large integrated resin producers dominate overall production volumes, traders and distributors provide … [Read more...] about The Strategic Role of Chemical & Plastics Traders in North America
Articles
Plastics Business Celebrates 20 Years
By Dianna Brodine, vice president of editorial, Plastics Business Those who know me well have probably heard me tell two stories about the early days of Plastics Business magazine. The first cover story featured Makuta Technics (now Makuta, Inc.), a precision micro molding company in Indiana led by the fantastic Stu Kaplan. While I had writing and interviewing … [Read more...] about Plastics Business Celebrates 20 Years
Breaking AI Out of the Box: How to Create an AI-Augmented Workforce
By Derek Moeller, president, CognitionWorks Talk with the team at Fabrik Plastics, based in McHenry, Illinois, about its generative AI initiative, and one topic keeps coming up: speed. “We can sit in a meeting now, and a question comes up, and we have the ability to ask that question using AI and get the results right in that meeting without reports, without opening … [Read more...] about Breaking AI Out of the Box: How to Create an AI-Augmented Workforce
Why a Quality Sales Onboarding Program Isn’t Optional: A 90-Day Plan to Make the Most Out of New Hires
By Troy Harrison, sales navigator and author What does “onboarding” mean? If onboarding a salesperson consists of doing the HR paperwork, giving a facility tour, a few days of shadowing existing salespeople and then expecting the salesperson to “hit the ground running,” they are not alone. Entirely too many sales managers feel that way – and then they wonder why they don’t … [Read more...] about Why a Quality Sales Onboarding Program Isn’t Optional: A 90-Day Plan to Make the Most Out of New Hires
Understanding Today’s Volatile Economy
By Chris Kuehl, managing director, Armada Corporate Intelligence The textbook definition of volatile says it all: “likely to change rapidly and unpredictably – especially for the worse.” It has been a volatile year, and so was last year. Business leaders are not unaccustomed to change; that is the norm, as competitors evolve and consumers remain notoriously fickle. … [Read more...] about Understanding Today’s Volatile Economy