CHICAGO — Results of a follow-up study on the effects of the Internet on the U.S. plastics industry will be revealed in a June 21 news conference at NPE 2000, to be held at McCormick Place in Chicago. The study, due to be mailed this week, is querying 10,000 U.S. plastics industry officials about their use of electronic communications and the Internet. Survey recipients will include 7,000 officials at plastics processing companies, as well as 1,000 individuals each at resin supplier, equipment supplier and original-equipment manufacturer companies — all drawn from the Plastics News subscriber list.
The survey will compare how usage trends have changed since the same parties conducted a similar study three years ago. That research revealed how the plastics industry was lagging in its adoption of Internet-based technologies.
Additionally, the study will again assess how the Internet is affecting the lines of communication among customers, distributors and manufacturers, and how the roles of each may change when it comes to information distribution.
Study sponsors include Plastics News of Akron, Ohio; Honeywell Inc., a Morristown, N.J., producer of nylon resins; the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. in Washington; and USA Chicago, a marketing and communications agency specializing in the plastics industry.
DePaul University in Chicago is conducting and writing the study. Thomas Muscarello, director of external programs and research in DePaul's school of computer science, telecommunications and information systems, is spearheading the research.
For more information, or to obtain a faxed copy of the survey form, contact Chris Dowd at USA Chicago by calling (312) 444-9570, ext. 15, or e-mailing him at [email protected]
