Regarding Helmut Mueller's April 29 Perspective “Mold buyers need big picture,” Mr. Mueller´s points are well-taken and very importantly need to be conveyed to our elected officials by each and every one of us in this industry.
Other related industries are affected in the same way by so-called fair-trade policies. Look at injection machinery´s decline of 50-70 percent in the past year or two. This affects the electronic controls business, the hydraulic components suppliers, the machine job shops, the hundreds of sales and engineering professionals as well as all folks in the resin business.
Small businesses like screw and barrel repair, hot-runner controls, mold component suppliers, bulk resin-handling equipment, scrap granulator companies, etc., are all hurt. The list goes on and on.
I´ve seen the plastics industry in steady growth from the mid-1950s until our government´s new policies went into effect. The results have been devastating for so many here in the United States. China and some other nations are grinning, but what about the United States? It´s not fair trade unless it´s fair for both sides. Let´s write our representatives now.
Jim Woodward
Woodward Plastic Machine Co.
Denver
