How's business? It sounds like an innocuous icebreaker. But when I ask plastics company managers, I'm often surprised by the answer.
In the plastics industry, it seems like everyone is always trading information. How are you dealing with the tight job market? What are your customers saying about the next few months?
Anecdotally, I think 2023 is shaping up as a back-to-normal type of year. That's not saying it's a walk in the park. The supply chain chaos, skyrocketing resin prices and pandemic-related disruptions may be over. But so is the Paycheck Protection Program, which seemed to help keep some companies afloat through the height of COVID-19.
Now we're starting to see some companies downsizing or even failing — things we hadn't seen for a few years.
On the other hand, many companies are doing great. They're expanding, upgrading equipment and making acquisitions.
If you work at one of the many companies that are having a great year, then you should consider nominating your company for Plastics News' 2023 Processor of the Year award.
POY, as we refer to it internally, is the most prestigious honor for North American plastics processors. Only 28 companies have held the title, and it's quite a list of blue-chip companies.
I've helped judge the nominees and finalists for the entire history of the award, which dates back to 1996. It's a big project and a lot of work, but it's also inspiring to get a chance to visit some of the best plastics processors in North America. I always come away impressed — and with lots of ideas and best practices to share with readers.
The competition is open to all private and public companies or corporate operating divisions engaged in North American plastics processing for at least the past five years.
We don't allow repeat winners, although previous POYs are eligible for our Sustained Excellence award.
The deadline for nominations is Aug. 31, and the deadline for final submissions is Oct. 1. Nominations are easy, and you can nominate any company, including your own. You can find the nomination form online at www.plasticsnews.com/poy.
Submissions require a detailed report about your company, with an emphasis on how it excels in our seven criteria: financial performance, quality, customer relations, employee relations, environmental performance, industry/public service and technological innovation.
Most companies treat it like a college group project, with a team of people collecting all the information and one person pulling it all together. There's no form on our website to fill out; the format of the final submission is up to you.
We have more information online at www.plasticsnews.com/topic/processor-year, including an FAQ and tips for putting together a winning submission.
After we get the submissions, we research and evaluate all of the data, we contact customers and we ask follow-up questions. Eventually, we narrow the field down to several finalists and we visit each one in person.
We'll announce the finalists in a January issue of PN and the winner at the 2024 PN Executive Forum, which will be held March 11-14 in Clearwater Beach, Fla.
It's a very thorough process, but we always get feedback from the companies that participate saying that they enjoy it — win or lose — because it helps them to become better companies.
Don Loepp is editor of Plastics News and author of the Plastics Blog. Follow him on Twitter @donloepp.