By Steve Bieszczat, chief marketing officer, DELMIAWorks Running a plastics processing operation – with its constant flow of materials, people, machinery and information – is one of the most demanding management jobs in the world. Without proper supervision and control, the operation can slip into inefficiencies and delays that drive up costs while lowering customer … [Read more...] about Strengthening Plastics Manufacturing Performance via Management by Exception
Leadership
Booklist: Step Back to Let Others Lead
By Dianna Brodine, vice president, editorial, Plastics Business A few years ago, I was invited to participate in a three-day leadership experience at the Kansas Leadership Institute. It was a mentally exhausting examination of what I believed about leadership, how my personal style helped or hindered the people around me, and the ways in which I could thoughtfully change the … [Read more...] about Booklist: Step Back to Let Others Lead
Leaders Drive Success by Asking the Right Questions
By Jim LeGacy, president and CEO, Orion Performance Compounds As a commercial leader, I’ve been in a unique position, visiting hundreds of facilities and witnessing the companies that are doing everything correctly, and the companies that are not. In most cases, a lack of clear objectives and leader reinforcement is the downfall. This leads to lower productivity, low employee … [Read more...] about Leaders Drive Success by Asking the Right Questions
Walk a Mile in Their Shoes to Lead with Empathy
Summarized by Liz Stevens, writer, Plastics Business Gains in efficiency, quality, throughput and profit can be realized by immersing oneself in the day-to-day activities of one’s team. Jeff Ignatowski, president of Champion Plastics, Auburn Hills, Michigan, walked through a real-world case study during the 2022 MAPP Benchmarking Conference in Indianapolis, sharing steps and … [Read more...] about Walk a Mile in Their Shoes to Lead with Empathy
“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