While work on the first issue of 2023 is well underway, we paused to see which Plastics Business articles from 2022 caught the eyes of our readers. The following stories were the top reads from 2022 for visitors to the website.
1. New Facility Construction: Designing for the Future
For blow molders and injection molders whose businesses are outgrowing their available space, building an additional facility is not a new project to be taken lightly. The recent plant construction projects undertaken by Plastikos Medical and Schoeneck Containers demonstrate that taking the leap of faith to build a new facility can be a successful, rewarding experience.
2. Monitoring Health Benefits Costs: What is the Magic Number?
Insurance reporting is full of charts and graphs that document figures, percentages and acronyms that can be difficult to understand in terms of cause and effect. However, those varied sources can be simplified to a single metric that links to what business leaders care about – cost! So what’s the “magic number”? Total Cost Per Employee Per Month (PEPM).
3. Q&A: Automation in Plastics Molding Plants
Production efficiencies achieved through automation can be the difference between a healthy bottom line and one that leaves little room for growth. To provide some insight into automated production opportunities, four injection molding professionals shared their companies’ goals, decision-making processes and application knowledge with Plastics Business.
4. Plants Experiment with Alternate Work Schedules
Staffing operations, a challenge before the pandemic, is more difficult than ever. A shorter workweek, often a four-day schedule, already is in place in parts of Europe and experiencing growing interest in the United States.
5. Five Common HR Challenges in the Plastics Industry
Five of the most common human resources challenges companies face in the plastics industry include job applicant “ghosting” – when one person in a relationship ends all communication without explanation – and employee attendance policies.