By Maggie Taylor, writer, Plastics Business Coming off three very unpredictable years, the plastics industry is gearing up to enter 2023. Many manufacturers report coexisting sentiments of optimism and realism as they navigate the uncertain waters of economic change, supply chain issues and more. “The past two years have been tough, and I don’t see it getting any easier,” … [Read more...] about Looking Ahead to 2023: Markets, Staffing and Investments
2023 Issue 1
Plastics Processors Indicate Slower Than Expected Q4 2022, Temper Expectations for 2023
By Andrew Carlsgaard, business relations manager/analytics director, MAPP Over the past year, there has been a significant fluctuation in the global economy in the prices of goods, services, and labor across all sectors due to the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, supply chain issues, labor shortages, oil prices, war and government intervention only have … [Read more...] about Plastics Processors Indicate Slower Than Expected Q4 2022, Temper Expectations for 2023
“Future Proofing” Your Production Workforce – Confidence and Knowledge Are the Keys to Handling Change
By Daniel Stephens, vice president, Routsis Training LLC In production environments, the most important goal is maintaining “productive uptime.” This means that product is being produced at a rate that is profitable, and the customer base is satisfied with its quality level. One of the biggest factors that interrupt productive uptime is change. Examples of change can be new … [Read more...] about “Future Proofing” Your Production Workforce – Confidence and Knowledge Are the Keys to Handling Change
North American Outlook: Inflation Is the Focus
By Chris Kuehl, managing director, Armada Corporate Intelligence There has been a great deal of mood shifting as 2023 gets underway. At this juncture, it is as easy to find a pessimist predicting a deep and long recession as it is finding an optimist asserting the downturn will be mild. Why the variability? The easy answer is that some very significant motivators for the … [Read more...] about North American Outlook: Inflation Is the Focus