Kickstart: Giving a lift to potential employees

A few years ago, a story about a Detroit man who had to walk 21 miles each day for his work commute — because bus routes covered only part of his route and he couldn't afford a car — went viral. A fundraising effort eventually paid for a new car (although there were other complications along the way), and a lot of people talked about what a great example he was for work ethic.

To me, the bigger question was this: Why don't suburban companies seeking workers do more to get affordable transportation options into areas where potential workers live?

There have been efforts, of course. Injection molder Primera Plastics Inc. of Zeeland, Mich., bought a bus, while Cascade Engineering Inc., long honored for its work in "welfare to career," has sought bus lines to add its plants.

Now materials giant Avient Corp. and molder Thogus Products Co. have joined an effort supported by transportation and social support organizations in Lorain County, Ohio, to provide free bus service for workers for up to six months.

While nearby Cleveland has public transportation options, Lorain — just west of Cleveland — lacks the same infrastructure, Sharon Pearson, Lorain County mobility manager for United Way of Greater Lorain County, told The Morning Journal.

The Lorain County Urban League will host an open hiring event for Avient and Thogus as part of the efforts Feb. 10 in South Lorain.

Injection press maker Sumitomo (SHI) Demag has been busy building up its exposure to medical molders.

The German company, with U.S. offices in Georgia, has developed partnerships with injection tooling mold maker Westminster Tool Inc. of Plainfield, Conn., and molder Beacon MedTech Solutions.

At Westminster's facility in Sterling, Conn., a new 354T SE-EV-A-HD model press has been added to supplement its fleet and offer more sizes and configurations to try out tools for medical molders that will allow them to begin production quickly.

For Beacon MedTech's Leominster, Mass., site, the new presses will allow it to meet increased demand for single-use medical disposables.

The auto industry has been hard to predict recently. There are some major trends, such as electrification, which have been building steadily, but I don't think anyone fully understood the impact of COVID-19 or the computer chip shortage.

Regardless, the Society of Automotive Analysts' Automotive Outlook Conference each January attempts to look ahead to the coming year.

Among the predictions, as rounded up by our sister paper Automotive News: We should expect continued shortages in the number of cars produced, possibly until 2023; an interest rate hike is likely in the coming months; and the supply chain will continue to struggle to provide parts for both traditional vehicles and electric cars.

Above all, Sheryl Connelly, chief futurist for Ford Motor Co., says feeling a little bit out of control may be the new norm.

"Our theory is this: It's that consumers have gotten accustomed to this low-grade fever of anxiety. And I think that's really important for every business to understand in the marketplace today. That living in a world that feels chaotic, disrupted, sometimes out of control, is becoming the norm for a lot of consumers across all industries," she said.