by Matt Stekier, principal, and Ryan Muneio, manager, Plante Moran Good supply chain forecasting – working hand in hand with sales and operations – will help a company right-size stock levels, minimize lead times and optimize order management. Done right, the result will be increased efficiency, better information across the team, reduced costs, faster time to market and … [Read more...] about Four Steps to Improve Supply Chain Forecasting
Industry Resources
Applying TQM to Sales
by Lewis Yasenchak, senior plastics consultant, P&Y Management Resources On March 7, 2022, 175 countries unanimously agreed on a United Nations framework to fight global plastic pollution from cradle to grave. For contract manufacturers supplying plastic products to OEMS and end users, that framework signals a change in how the industry needs to do business. For … [Read more...] about Applying TQM to Sales
US is More Profitable Than China for Plastics-Based Manufacturing
by Greg Kozera, director of marketing and sales, Shale Crescent USA A new study by Shale Crescent USA and Jobs Ohio directly shows the United States is the most profitable place to manufacture plastics products. For the past four decades, US manufacturers have migrated overseas to China primarily due to cheaper foreign labor and a decreasing US energy supply. Times have … [Read more...] about US is More Profitable Than China for Plastics-Based Manufacturing
Reshoring Gains Momentum
by Hallie Forcinio, writer, Plastics Business Reshoring is gaining momentum. Bringing manufacturing back from overseas appeals to national pride; counters increasing costs offshore; minimizes risks related to lack of domestic production, geopolitical uncertainties and currency fluctuations; protects intellectual property; shortens supply chains; and eliminates quality issues … [Read more...] about Reshoring Gains Momentum
What’s New and What’s Possible in Additive Manufacturing for Plastics, Metal and More
by Liz Stevens, writer, Plastics Business 3D printing has come a long way from its origins in the 1980s when researchers, inventors and entrepreneurs in labs and garages imagined ground-breaking methods and built the first machines. At first a novelty and then embraced primarily by hobbyists, additive manufacturing has matured and become a workhorse in a growing variety of … [Read more...] about What’s New and What’s Possible in Additive Manufacturing for Plastics, Metal and More