Kickstart: Exceptional manufacturing

Plastics News knows that Hoffer Plastics Corp. is an exceptional company. That's why it received PN's Processor of the Year award in 2012. And why it was named a Sustained Excellence winner — available only to POY honorees — for 2022.

It seems Industry Week agrees.

Hoffer of South Elgin, Ill., is one of only two companies to receive an Industry Week 2024 Best Plants Award. Battery supplier HindlePower of Easton, Pa., is the other inductee in the 34th year of the Best Plants recognition.

IW says it will have detailed stories on its winners later this year, but it briefly defined what it means to be "best."

"These facilities' workforces have taken 'good' and stepped it up to 'exceptional.' While their methods may vary, their underpinnings are solidly in sync: They embrace teamwork. They forge partnerships with their suppliers and customers. They value training and education. They recognize that continuous improvement doesn't rest," IW wrote.

Hoffer is an injection molder that developed a proprietary closure, called Trus-T-Lock, for the food and beverage industry.

The company was founded more than 70 years ago by Robert A. Hoffer Sr., now a member of the Plastics Hall of Fame. A third generation of the family runs the firm now.

The Society of Plastics Engineers thermoforming division is on the hunt for its next Thermoformer of the Year and accepting nominations until Oct. 18.

The award is for "an individual who has contributed significantly to the thermoforming industry in a technical, educational or managerial capacity," SPE said.

The division's board of directors will evaluate nominees and select its winner later this year. The award will be presented at the SPE Thermoforming Conference, set for May 19-21, 2025, in Atlanta.

More details and the nomination form are available at the division's website.

Dennis Hagan of Hagans Plastics received the award in 2023.

TikTok isn't just for viral dance moves. It's also a vital marketing tool that can catch consumers' eyes and move products.

Don't believe me? That's fine. Would you trust global consumer company Unilever plc?

Unilever has been working with influencers within the "#CleanTok" subset of TikTok users for the past year to introduce them to products, hints, tips and sustainable packaging options such as refill and reuse systems.

During the Plastics Recycling Show Middle East and Africa in Dubai this week, Waseem Jeenah, the head of research and development in personal care at Unilever, told Beatriz Santos from our sister paper Sustainable Plastics that some of the best consumer response it has received for refillable packaging came in association with a TikTok user in Turkey who used the Cif ecorefil spray to create colorful swirls. Once the TikToker captured their attention, they were able to explain how the product would be beneficial for them and the planet.

Social media also can focus on localized audiences for far less money than traditional advertising, he said.