Kickstart: A good time to 'make stuff'

It's a good time to be in the business of making "stuff."

At least that's what Bill Wood, Plastics News economics editor, says. During the June 27 Numbers that Matter Live webinar, he said that there will continue to be a demand for manufacturing of things close to home. That's good news for the plastics industry.

"We are going to have to make stuff and we are not going to be able to rely on anybody else to make that stuff here," he said.

Having good trade partners is important, he said, but that also relies on partners with strong positions on both making and selling items.

"Overall, most of our major end markets are in long-term expansionary phases," he said. "This is a good time to be in America, investing in America."

Wood also noted that he still does not believe a big recession is imminent, although for the next few months any growth will be very small and limited to individual end markets.

"There are still some risks to the growth trend," he said. "We have some risks that you can't ignore [and] you can't discount."

But the overall picture is good. PN subscribers can watch the full webinar here.

We're getting more details on how a cyberattack of composite boat and marine motors maker Brunswick impacted the company.

Our sister paper Crain's Chicago Business writes that boat dealers could access Mettawa, Ill.-based Brunswick's parts ordering division operations, the company website was down and its plant in Fond du Lac, Wis., had to temporarily shut down.

The impact of lost orders and production will last into the fall, the company said.

Everyone needs to take extra cybersecurity precautions because of an increase in ransomware attacks. Matt Hull of NCC Group told Crain's Chicago that IT attacks up are 55 percent vs. the same period in 2023.

One thing that may be of note for people who prefer the old way of doing things: One dealer told CCB that he was able to get business done only because he had an old paper parts catalog that had a salesperson's cellphone number on it.

Plastic film came to the rescue when heavy rains hit Berlin a few days ago, leading to a leaky roof that risked damaging a 17th century Rembrandt painting.

Staff at Berlin's Gemäldegalerie quickly covered the 1641 Portrait of the Mennonite Preacher Cornelis Claesz Anslo and his Wife Aaltje Gerritsdr Shouten with clear film and duct tape as water splashed into a plastic bucket in front of it.

"A monumental Rembrandt covered in plastic and duct tape while a steady patter of drops land in a bucket an inch or two in front of the painting. Stressing me out," David Grubbs, a professor at Brooklyn College who noticed the leak at the Berlin museum last week, wrote on Twitter.

The painting is nearly 7 feet wide and more than 5 feet high.