by Dianna Brodine, Plastics Business The lessons of the past decade still ring loudly for most manufacturers. Today's growth in sales and production volume has been welcomed, but a healthy dose of suspicion comes along with it. No one wants to return to the days when machines sat idle, but filling the pipeline with the wrong type of work isn't the answer either. As … [Read more...] about Sales Management: Growing with an Eye on “Fit”
2014 Summer
Why Veterans are Ideal for Manufacturing Careers
by Rodrigo Garcia, Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs For those of you who've seen the classic film "The Graduate," you probably got a kick from the sage advice given to Dustin Hoffman's character at the start of the movie... "Son, I just want to say one word to you: plastics." As influential members of the plastics industry, I now want to say just one word to you: … [Read more...] about Why Veterans are Ideal for Manufacturing Careers
Lockout/Tagout Procedures
by Jen Clark, Plastics Business Any manager whose company has ever been the target of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) investigation knows the process can be pretty stressful. Most inspections are conducted without prior notice, but there are a few instances in which OSHA may give notice to the employer – normally less than 24 hours, however. Among … [Read more...] about Lockout/Tagout Procedures
Trends in Compensation and Operational Practices for Plastic Processors
by Troy Nix, MAPP, Inc. The Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) has just released its latest report on compensation and benefit trends in plastics processing. Known as the most comprehensive study in the industry, MAPP's 2014 report is one that has evolved over the last 11 years and remains the only report completely devoted to the plastics manufacturing … [Read more...] about Trends in Compensation and Operational Practices for Plastic Processors