CHICAGO - The Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.'s Molders Division, which kicked off its campaign to create industrywide employee certification earlier this year, demonstrated an early prototype of a test on a computer at Plastics USA in Chicago. Plastics USA marked the first time the division promoted certification at a trade show, said Drew Fleming, director of the division.
The next step is to create something Fleming called a logical analysis. That will list the scope of jobs in an injection molding plant and develop very basic job levels. In the first half of 1996, the division will begin to develop detailed job descriptions.
By the first quarter of 1997, SPI hopes to have the first employee tests available, for two job levels. Tests for other job levels will follow.
A national market study SPI released in July showed 87 percent of U.S. injection molders believe certification is needed, and of those, more than one-third see a high need for certification.
SPI is now raising funds to continue the effort.
