For more information, contact:
Robert Grace, Conference Director
1725 Merriman Road
Akron, OH 44313-5283
Tel. (330) 865-6151
AKRON, OHIO (May 7, 2001) — In times of economic uncertainty, timely information is more crucial than ever to decision makers. Top-level plastics industry execs can get the market data and management insights they need at the June 19-21 Plastics Encounter Cleveland business conference, held in conjunction with the show's exhibits and networking opportunities. The conference will be held at the I-X Center Tuesday and Wednesday, June 19 and 20, 2001, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., and Thursday, June 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Some of the highlights include:
Big-name keynoter – Tom Murdough, CEO and founder of rotomolding giant Step2 Corp., will dispense some of his renowned managerial and marketing wisdom.
Economic outlook – Fresh economic data and indicators from CIT Group's Michael Paslawskyj and Society of the Plastics Industry's Lori Anderson help take the pulse of key plastics markets, assess newly available materials and plastics machinery statistics, and forecast second-half prospects.
Resin distribution & compounding – Industry leaders such as PolyOne's Michael Rademacher and Lance Mitchell, Ferro's Jay Finch, Entec Engineered Resins' David Der Hagopian and General Polymers' Dave Bening are among those who will debate the impact of globalization, consolidation and the Internet on supplier-processor relationships.
Workforce development – Moderated by Troy Nix, executive director of the Mid-America Plastics Partners, this interactive session will feature several processor officials and explore innovative training and management initiatives that can help employers do more with less by retaining, developing and motivating good employees.
Mold-maker survival strategies – This panel will take an unflinching look at business trends and global competitiveness issues for North America's tool makers. Panelists are Delta Tooling's Pete Mozer, StackTeck's Dave Brown, Midwest Tooling Group's Mark Teague and Hong Kong-based Colin James of Incoe Corp.
Automotive supplier challenges – Plante & Moran's Jeff Mengel will moderate this panel of senior execs from Donnelly Corp., Meridian Automotive Systems and NYX. They'll assess key issues confronting mid-tier auto suppliers – from warranty responsibilities and controversial "givebacks" to online and minority procurement.
Materials outlook – Experts will examine volatile supply/demand and pricing trends for polyolefins.
Separately, shop-floor injection molding and extrusion personnel can receive vital operator training:
Injection Molding Training Seminar – A 2-day, hands-on spin on Paulson Training Programs Inc.'s advanced injection molding simulation software.
Extrusion Training Seminar – This 2-day course from Compuplast International Inc. will help all types of extrusion machine operators and supervisors to analyze, design and troubleshoot the process.
The business conference fee is $395 for three days, or $195 for a one-day pass; the training seminar fees are $395 for each two-day seminar, with free admission to the Tuesday conference. Admission to the accompanying exhibits is free. For a current agenda or to register, visit www.plasticsencounter.com/cleveland.
Crain Communications Inc., publisher of Plastics News (www.plasticsnews.com), the leading plastics industry publication, purchased the Western Plastics Expo and Plastics Fair from Advanstar Communications last year and has relaunched the shows under a new name and philosophy.
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