Acrilex Inc., a producer and distributor of custom-colored acrylics, announced a major social media initiative this week, include sites on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The company hopes the platforms will help generate discussions on key trends with important customers including distributors and store fixture designers.
On a related front, Plastics News staff reporter Rhoda Miel wrote about a new iPhone app that DuPont Co. is using to reach out to designers, to let them know about available color samples in its Corian cast acrylic product line.
It takes time and effort for companies to create compelling social media sites -- I've seen plenty of blogs created by plastics companies wither after a few months, for example.
Still, there are a lot of exciting things happening. Some companies -- like Acrilex -- are jumping in with both feet, while many others are just dipping a toe in the water.
]]>The half-day forums will begin at 1:30 pm on three successive days of the May 16-20 conference in Orlando, Fla:
Joseph writes in his blog that plastics industry representatives were worried that Orlando didn't have appropriate restaurants to wine and dine business clients. One in particular asked,"What are we supposed to do, have all of our client meetings in Golden Corral?"
And there we were, back at the same stereotype that the rest of the world has about Orlando restaurants. Most people see us as a city of theme parks with little more than corn dogs and turkey legs to sustain us. All-you-can-eat buffet restaurants represent haute cuisine, if any of us even knew such fancy words.
To battle the stereotype, Orlando's team took Joseph along on their trip to the SPI's national board meeting last month in Washington. His mission -- to convince the plastics industry exhibitors that Orlando's restaurants had a lot of offer.
Joseph writes that "all of the people associated with the plastics board were very nice, and they all said they were pretty sure Orlando would get the show...."
Still, it took another four weeks -- and another visit to Orlando -- before today's announcement sealing the deal. (Another stumbling block was assurances that local roads could withstand the weight of the house-sized manufacturing equipment that will be transported from railroad to the convention center.)After no phone calls all those years from Chicago's Mayor Daley, the plastics board members were most appreciative that Mayor Crotty took the time to come along. And during the pre-dinner reception, Crotty called two of the organization's leaders into an unoccupied meeting room and handed his cell phone to them. On the other end of the line, Governor Charlie Crist extended a personal invitation to them to bring their convention to Florida.
So that's some of the backstory about how Orlando landed the NPE. Congratulations to the efforts of Sain and his team -- they impressed me with their dedication and vigorous pursuit of the prize. And congratulations to Central Florida's restaurant scene for being tout worthy. And that's just today -- imagine how much more vibrant and exciting the restaurant community will be by 2012.
Great insider stuff... thanks for sharing that. It's nice to have a fun NPE-related blog post.
Meanwhile, there's more bad news for McCormick Place today. The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the National Restaurant Association is considering taking its 2012 trade show to Orlando or Las Vegas.
]]>Gordon Lankton of Nypro Inc., Jack Welch of General Electric Co., and Charles Holliday Jr. of DuPont Co. were among 10 men honored.
According to a news release, the hall of fame's purpose is to recognize individual leaders in the manufacturing community "whose vision, leadership, and legacy not only provided value to their individual organizations but also beneficially impacted the larger business community and our society."
During the span of their careers, these 10 leaders have helped to shape a historic and challenging era of change in the manufacturing enterprise. Companies have become increasingly global, sourcing their products across continents, seeking new markets in developing nations and welcoming talent from around the world. They have invested in new technologies that have made manufacturing operations faster, more flexible, leaner and more productive. At the heart of many of these changes has been unprecedented access to, and use of, communications and information technology, allowing component orders placed in Atlanta to be processed in Bangalore, manufactured in Shenzhen and shipped to Seattle with increasing precision, speed and clarity.
Lankton, Welch and Holliday are in good company -- others in the class include George David of United Technologies Corp.; Joseph Engelberger, the "father of robotics,"; William George of Medtronic; Andrew Grove of Intel; Lee Iacocca of Chrysler; Steve Jobs of Apple; and lean manufacturing guru James Womack.
Congratulations to all, especially the three with strong ties to the plastics industry.
]]>"It's a very serious loss. It's a major show," he told the Chicago Sun-Times. "They were very upset with a lot of the rules and regulations that McCormick Place has. When I met with [SPI President and CEO Bill Carteaux] and others, they were very concerned about the cost factor compared to Orlando, Atlanta and Vegas," Daley said.
"McCormick Place has a difficult chore in dealing with keeping shows and trade shows unless they get their costs down," he said.
The story also quotes Chicago Federation of Labor President Dennis Gannon, who said the unions understand their role -- but he didn't jump at the offer to make more concessions.
"Organized labor has made significant changes in work-rules at McCormick Place. We've done more than our fair share. We have showed we care about the investment in conventions and tourism through our actions," Gannon told the Sun-Times.
I'll definitely miss having NPE in Chicago -- the location is part of what's always made NPE special for me. But now it's time to start looking forward to Orlando. Put the dates on your calendar: April 1-5, 2012. It will be interesting how the show changes with the new dates and venue.
]]>Plastic pallets aren't the only things being stolen for the scrap value, he says, pointing to a story from the Baltimore Business Journal about a wave of scrap metl thefts at an industrial park in southwest Baltimore.
According to the story, thieves have stripped copper parts from Maryland Thermoform's rooftop air-conditioning units twice in the past 18 months, causing more than $100,000 in damages.
"In all fairness to the police, they're professional, courteous and hardworking, but they're overworked," MacDonald said. "They don't have enough resources. More patrols would stop this, but I don't think the city is going to put the money into it," he told the newspaper.
Wow. I guess people will steal anything that's not nailed down... or in this case, even things that are attached. I've heard of people stealing copper plumbing from vacant homes, but nothing like this.
MacDonald suggests that other plastics processors take steps to guard against this sort of vandalism.
]]>The awards are pretty big in the packaging sector -- DuPont touts them as the industry's longest running, independently judged competition.
As you'd expect, sustainability is an important criteria this year. The company also is looking for products that are innovative, and packaging that helps customers (and consumers) reduce cost and waste, according to Carolann Haznedar, global business director for DuPont Packaging.
Entry forms and guidelines are available at www.packaging.dupont.com.The deadline for entries is Feb. 12. There's no fee for entry, and DuPont materials do not need to be in the packaging structure.
]]>According to several reports today that are very likely to be picked up in other news media, Prince Georges County State's Attorney Glenn Ivey and representatives from a Coca-Cola bottler and a Baltimore bakery today announced the indictment of five people suspected of stealing the containers from retail and industrial businesses.
Allegations of milk crate banditry aren't new -- I had a similar blog post back in 2007.
Just like the last time, the authorities in Maryland say the alleged thieves were selling the pallets and containers to overseas recyclers, who grind them and use the plastic to make new products.
The authorities claim that nearly $10 million in losses from plastic pallet theft have occurred in Maryland in the past year.
Really? $10 million in stolen plastic pallets? Sold to apparently unsavory overseas recyclers?
This just sounds too much like a bad script for "CSI New York."
]]>The exhibit, dubbed Electric Avenue, will include advances in lighweight design and battery technology. It will include almost 20 vehicles, plus related symposiums and special events on an adjacent stage.
"We believe developing and commercializing next generation battery technology, for example, will help ensure the sustainability of the automotive industry while meeting the nation's energy and environmental goals and generating tens of thousands of green collar jobs in Michigan and throughout the nation," Dow's Heinz Haller, executive vice president for performance systems, said in a news release.
The auto show will be here before you know it -- the press preview starts Jan. 11, and the industry preview on Jan. 13.
]]>The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society has decided to hold its 2012 gathering in Las Vegas, instead of Chicago, because of the high cost of labor at McCormick Place, according to a story on the Chicago Tribune's Web site.
The story quotes an unnamed source, and describes the annual show as "a choice piece of business for the city. It draws 24,000 delegates and generates about $52 million in spending locally."
The show rotates between cities -- the next one is scheduled for March 1-4, 2010, in Atlanta.
2012 had been the next time it was scheduled for Chicago.
The medical society's decision "comes less than a month after Mayor Richard Daley told the Tribune editorial board that he will seek a major overhaul in the way Chicago markets itself as a destination for tourism and conventions," the story says.
This decision seems to put more pressure on Chicago to put together a proposal to keep NPE in Chicago in 2012 and 2015.
Plastics Blog readers know SPI plans to choose between Chicago and Orlando, Fla., soon.
]]>Correspondent Jay Levine noted that the $345.39 that Hanrahan paid for four cases of Pepsi products at NPE2009 "could cost Chicago a major trade show."
Most notably, Levine got Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley to comment about plastics company complaints about the high prices at McCormick Place:
"People don't realize that they become very, very selfish. They can't be. You can't have selfishness out there," Daley said.
He added: "There has to be reorganization at McCormick Place ... because it deals with less and less shows coming in town."
Interesting that Daley didn't fall into the trap of actually defending the $345.39 Pepsi.
Is change coming? Chicago blogger John Ruberry doesn't think so. In his Marathon Pundit blog, he recently posted an item headlined "Union extortionists may drive another trade show from Chicago":
Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley, still smarting from the Olympics debacle, met with the CEO of SPI in hopes of convincing him to keep the Plastics Show in the city on the lake.]]>But don't expect much. Big labor is a major financial contributor to his political war chest.
That Pepsi won't taste any better if NPE moves to Orlando, but it will seem that way.
The story focuses on Tech Molded Plastics Inc. in Meadville, but it must apply to many other U.S. molders and toolmakers. Plastics News had a story as recently as 2007 touting the availability of the tax credits.
According to SmallBiz, Tech Molded, on the advice of its CPA, filed for $89,078 in tax refunds, claiming that the company "had spent that money developing molds for customers who used them to create complex plastic parts."
But the IRS ended up auditing the company, and then denying the claims. Why? IRS would not discuss the case, but the story quotes experts who say that the agency believes that small companies often do not include enough information to support their claims.
In fact, according to IRS, many small firms have filed prepackaged tax claims that lacked "concrete documentation of hours spent or costs incurred," according to the story.
In most cases, after the IRS denies an R&D tax credit to a small company, that's the end of the story.
But Tech Molded decided fight back.
"Right is right, and wrong is wrong. If we were to roll over every time we hit adversity, we wouldn't last long," Tech Molded President Mark Hanaway told SmallBiz.
The company's accountant estimates his firm has spent 500 hours defending Tech Molded's claim, and the Hanaway family has spent as much money defending the credits as they got for claiming them in the first place.
We don't know yet how this will turn out. Common sense tells us that Tech Molded is probably right. Congress passed the R&D tax credit -- in part, at least -- to help small manufacturers.
For now, neither side is backing down. Other toolmakers and plastics processors that have taken the R&D tax credit should be keeping an eye on this case.
]]>But it's noteworthy that -- to Times readers at least -- the column seems to be getting a lot of attention. The column has been hovering near the top of the newspaper's Web site list of most popular stories most of the day.
Since many readers look to Kristof for his opinion, here's what he has to say about BPA:
While the evidence isn't conclusive, it justifies precautions. In my family, we're cutting down on the use of those plastic containers that contain BPA to store or microwave food, and I'm drinking water out of a metal bottle now. In my reporting around the world, I've come to terms with the threats from warlords, bandits and tarantulas. But endocrine disrupting chemicals -- they give me the willies.
BPA safety is a pretty high priority issue these days -- not as "hot" as global warming, of course. But between BPA and marine debris, there's no doubt that plastics will continue to face plenty of legislative, and regulatory, pressure in 2010.
]]>Ad Age readers voted for the winner, carmaker Hyundai, which got 40 percent of the votes.
Still, it's noteworthy that Lego made the final cut, and won 10 percent of the votes. In addition to the winner, Lego was up against Wal-Mart (which got 30 percent); McDonald's (14 percent) and Amazon (7 percent).
Here's part of what the Ad Age judges liked about Lego:
Deep into a video-game era, Lego should have long ago seen its empire of bricks reduced to heaps of multicolored plastic rubble, and apocalypse did almost come to Legoland. In 2004, losses totaled nearly $300 million, as the Danish company was caught between a past where children's playtime was all about using imagination and a present of "Rock Band," games, movies and TV shows that don't allow for stretching the imagination. Yet, in a relatively short time Lego has bounced back. Going against the grain of a toy industry in decline, Lego saw sales spike 18% last year and, in the first half of 2009, sales were up 23%.Success has come along multiple fronts. First, Lego slashed the amount of time it takes to develop new toys and, more importantly, the toys it already makes, to gel well with contemporary culture, linked then to popular movies such as "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones." That means Lego's owners had to overcome a long-held resistance to creating movie-themed sets that often had violent accoutrement such as guns and knives. Now, by some estimates, licenses make up more than half of sales.
Ad Age also featured these comments from readers who voted for Lego:
By Rodney33, FRISCO, Texas:
Lego is the only product on the list that is not favored by prevailing economic and technological trends. It has also shown the most adaptability and the most market-leading use of communication technology. Of all the brands listed as finalist, Lego is the most attuned to where marketing is now and where it's headed over the next 10 years. Its platforms are on mobile, viral video, digital games, social networking, experience, shopper marketing and CRM. Video games, which were not only counter to their business model but their biggest threat, have become a franchise growth engine.
By mtalbott, Dallas:
I have to vote Lego -- for continuing to provide a top-quality product in line with their brand, staying relevant and using new technologies to create new customer experiences in a kids' toy market that's moving away from brands with a "low-tech" heritage. This is a company that inspires others to a higher standard. Who can vote for a company that continues to drive quality down to get to a cheaper price?
In a sidebar to today's story about Hyundai, Ad Age also noted that "Lego never outsourced manufacturing to China. That means it avoided the lead-based-paint scare of 2007, which hurt many rivals."
Lego did pursue an outsourcing strategy for a while (but not in China), although last year the company reversed course and said it was ending a 2-year agreement with Flextronics International Ltd. to mold its products.
The strategy seems to be paying off. Congratulations to Lego for its marketing -- and manufacturing -- efforts.
]]>The financial press has already linked Reliance to a potential deal, although LyondellBasell has made it clear that it plans to exit bankruptcy in a few months and launch an equity offering sometime in 2010.
The story in The Economic Times does not quote anyone from Reliance confirming the news, but notes that its reporters talked to "people with direct knowledge of the deal."
ET spoke to a number of bankers and analysts to ascertain the possible size of the transaction. One banker said the transaction could be in the region of $6 billion and may include both the US and the European assets of LyondellBassell.
Will this deal get done? It's clear from this report, and others in recent weeks, that there are some negotiations taking place. But it is noteworthy that Reliance in the past has expressed interest in some big global chemical company assets -- remember its interest in GE Plastics?
Will this be the deal that Reliance actually delivers? It certainly does seem like a better fit.
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