There will be some exciting new videos about plastics on YouTube this fall. I’m talking about the entries in SPI’s “Shaping Your World” student video contest, which is taking entries from now through August 31, 2011. Better yet, these videos will emphasize the materials’ benefits, versatile properties and cool applications since the contest theme is plastics’ innovation. The possible takes on that are limitless and the inspiration is literally all around us.

The contest is part of the 75^th anniversary celebration of SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association, and is held in conjunction with The Future of Plastics Foundation. All college undergrads and graduate students in plastics programs are invited and encouraged to submit original videos.

If you know a student who could enter, give him or her a call or email. It’s for a good cause—plastics being a very good cause—plus the few rules there are leave the door wide open to any and all kinds of creative expression. You can also tell that student that the prizes are good no, really good no, awesome, definitely awesome.

First prize is a 64GB iPad2 with Wi-Fi + 3G, a check for $2,000, and a three-day trip to NPE2012 next April that includes air travel to and from Orlando, FL, hotel accommodations, an NPE2012 pass, and a couple of tickets to Universal Studios in Orlando.

Second prize is a 32-GB iPad2 with Wi-Fi, and a $1,000 check. Third place earns a 16 GB iPad2 with Wi-Fi, and a $500 check. Since concepting, producing, and directing the video should be a lot of fun to begin with, the prizes are like a big, sweet cherry (or maybe Apple?) on top.

The contest is easy to enter – for example, the actual posting is to a YouTube Direct channel. Full info about every other aspect of the contest can be found at http://www.plasticsindustry.org/studentvideos. So click on it, check it out, and start encouraging students. If you are a student, turn up the creative dial and go for it. Orlando is very nice in April and the NPE show is always a knockout. Besides, you’ll be like a celebrity there.

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Rob Neilley, the former Editor in Chief of Injection Molding Magazine, is SPI’s Social Media Specialist.  

I don’t have a bumper sticker about it on my car, but I care deeply about the environment and so does everyone that I know. My problem, however, with so many who publicly profess to love our environment, is that most “would rather curse the darkness, than light a candle.”

A few months ago, I started a new job working for SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association. And yes, I received a few “snickers” from friends as though somehow I’d sold my soul. Having spent almost 25 years in manufacturing, I’d developed a real sense of pride in representing the hardworking people who make things in America, but the environmental criticisms coming my way, were something new altogether.

This past week, I traveled to Arkansas to attend the Walmart Sustainable Packaging Expo and returned with a real education on the environmental progress that is being made. Perhaps more importantly, I returned with my head held high about the plastics industry and the new career choice that I had made.

On Monday morning, about 200 of us descended upon the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport and Rogers, Arkansas for a conference and expo on sustainable packaging. I learned a lot about the Walmart scorecard, attempts to create a common sustainability language and tools to measure progress. I heard about the Coca-Cola Company’s new PlantBottle and Frito Lay’s new chip bags that not only are 100 percent biodegradable, but no longer require the user to wear ear-plugs. I also spent time with SPI members like Berry Plastics and Placon Corp. and learned about all they are doing and hope to do to make their products even greener. These companies, and thousands of others, have made a serious commitment and are spending millions of dollars on research to reduce the amount of plastic in packaging, reclaim and reuse the materials that are out there and develop new formulas for producing polymers.

Sadly, one of the biggest lessons I learned last week had to do with the challenges that come with this commitment to sustainability. Put simply, “it’s not easy being green.” Investing in sustainability is expensive, time consuming and sets companies up for criticism from the naysayers. Too many “recyclable” products end up in landfills anyway. “Biodegradable” only works when a product is processed under the right circumstances. There are issues related to cleaning the materials, removing the glue from labels and educating consumers. In short, there is much more work to be done.

But, personally I’d rather hang around with the people who are doing that work – and making real progress — than the ones who would rather complain about how much further we have to go. What did I see in Bentonville? I saw a whole lot of companies who are lighting candles.

Senator Ron Johnson (right) with SPI President Bill Carteaux

Referring to SPI President Bill Carteaux — but in reality speaking of the entire U.S. plastics industry –  Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) told a crowd of  nearly 150 plastics industry professionals at the SPI Spring 2011 National Board Conference, “Bill’s got one of his own on the inside now.” Indeed, Senator Johnson is a plastics manufacturer himself, having founded Pacur, a PET sheet extrusion company,  in 1979. Speaking at SPI’s  plenary breakfast session yesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona, Johnson discussed his transition from the factory floor to the Senate floor and repeatedly urged his audience to “get involved and stay involved” in matters of public policy and the political process.

In the summer of 1979, Senator Johnson and his brother-in-law started Pacur in Oshkosh, Wis. The company specializes in the extrusion of light and heavy gauge polyester, copolyester and polypropylene resins for a variety of applications, including packaging, printing, medical and electrical. From operating the equipment, to keeping the company books and selling its products, Johnson has been involved in every function of the business.

As a trade association, SPI devotes a considerable amount of time educating elected officials about the business of plastics — the benefits of plastic products, the industry’s significant contributions to the economy, and the challenges that can hinder manufacturing in this country. How unique and wonderful in this case to have a U.S. Senator who already understands the plastics industry because he is part of it!

“I try to relate everything I do in Congress to my business career,” said Johnson, who serves on the Appropriations, Budget, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Aging Committees. ”As a manufacturer you want to find the root cause of things. If  there’s a machine leaking oil or a problem somewhere else in the manufacturing process, you don’t just fix the symptoms, you find the root cause… A business perspective is needed in Washington and that’s the one I bring.”

In his first run for any sort of elected office, Senator Johnson defeated Democratic incumbent Russ Feingold in the November 2010 election. He believes there is a real need for more “citizen-legislators” like himself. “At some point in time, good people need to get involved and stay involved…We need more citizen-legislators in Washington — people who have had a real working life and have raised a family.”

Senator Johnson was asked by an audience member, “What does ’get involved, stay involved’ mean for SPI and the plastics industry?” He responded, “You are vital to providing information to the young staffers of House and Senate members to educate them. That’s what  is important about trade groups: providing information.” 

After discussing issues that ranged from  “the wonder and power of the free market system” to global competition, jobs (“You can’t say you love jobs and then also hate the job creators”), and the national debt crisis, Senator Johnson concluded by telling his plastics industry peers, “This country is something incredibly precious. Will it last? Yes, if good people get involved and stay involved.”

Despite snow and icy conditions disrupting airline flights from Atlanta to Boston, as well as in many Midwest cities, a huge standing room only crowd was in attendance for the NPE2012 Space Draw Marketing Workshop on January 12, 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

More seats had to be brought into the meeting room at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel and Conference Center in order to accommodate the throng  of NPE2012 exhibitors seeking the latest information, tools and resources for how to effectively drive traffic to their NPE2012 booth. Though the international plastics trade show is still more than a year away, the time is now for exhibitors to begin forming their plans. NPE2012, the largest plastics trade show and conference in the Western Hemisphere, will be held April 1-5, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to learning about “Breaking the Mold,” the multi-faceted exhibitor and attendee marketing campain that SPI will employ over the next 13 months, the exhibitors in attendance at the workshop heard a keynote presentation rich in strategic tips for how to use social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) in a B2B environment to garner more leads at NPE2012. Presented by Dr. James Hogg of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida, the session was entitled “How to Use Social Media to Drive Booth Traffic & Find New Customers.” Hogg, who teaches tourism, event and event technology courses, spent 18 years in hospitality operations management with various companies, including eight with The Walt Disney Company. His area of expertise — the use of technology applications for meetings and events — was well-received by the attendees and those watching online, many of whom are just beginning to lead their companies into taking first steps into employing social media for business purposes. “Social media is exactly like sales,” said Hogg. “It’s all about communication and relationships. Nothing has changed, except the delivery system.”

Other highlights from the NPE2012 Space Draw Marketing Workshop:

• A team from Visit Orlando  made a convincing case for why Orlando — which has had reputation as only a family vacation destination connected to theme parks — is actually an excellent location to conduct serious business. The Orlando area is rich with upscale venues for NPE2012 exhibitors to host creative and memorable private meetings, meals and receptions for their existing clients and prospects. And the Visit Orlando team will bend over backwards to help companies develop events , figure out logistics, and much more  – usually at no charge.
• Larry Doyle, chair of the NPE2012 Marketing and Sales Committee (and vice president, global sales and marketing for Conair), outlined for the audience the many Marketing & Promotional Opportunities  (MPO) available to exhibitors during NPE2012. From sponsorships of events to column wraps, banners and other signage, a full menu of opportunities are available to exhibitors to increase their impact at the show and not just “show up, but show-off.” Exhibitors were even encouraged to consider submitting an abstract for a presentation in SPI’s “Business of Plastics Conference” — a full slate of educational seminars and panel discussions that will take place at NPE 2012 and will concentrate on business topics such as sustainability, advocacy, regulatory issues, safety, bioplastics and medical products/healthcare.

Watch the Space Draw Live Online — Thursday, January 13th

Tomorrow (January 13) begins the main event — the central reason these exhibitors have traveled to Orlando: The Space Draw. Something like an NFL Draft for plastics manufacturers seeking the best strategic place for their booth location, the Space Draw will be a wo-day selection process as companies pick the size and location on the show floor for their booth at NPE2012  in the Orlando County Convention Center.  Tune in and watch the Space Draw live beginning at 8:45 a.m. (EST) on Thursday, January 13th by going to NPE.org and using the link to the streaming video.

Twenty years ago, I doubt that anyone at the first SPI Western Region Moldmaker Trade Fair had any idea that the event would still be alive and well in 2010.  Now called the Mike Koebel Western Moldmaker Trade Fair (named in memory of the industry leader who founded Prestige Mold, Inc. with his wife, Donna), the size of the event has ebbed and flowed over the years to reflect the challenges  that have impacted the moldmaking industry.  Through it all, the event has even managed to raise funds  for schools and universities with moldmaking and plastics programs. 

 Tuesday, October 26 is the date for this year’s 20^thAnnual Mike Koebel Moldmaker Trade Fair, which attracts attendees from the moldmaking and molding communities throughout the West and beyond.  It continues to be an outstanding networking event and an economical way for exhibitors to showcase their wares to eager attendees and potential customers. 

 For the second year, the Trade Fair will be at the National Hot Rod Association Motorsports Museum in Pomona, California.  So in addition to visiting the various exhibitors, attendees can feast their eyes on a spectacular array of vintage and historical racing vehicles and memorabilia.    

The success of this program helps the SPI Western Moldmakers Committee continue their goal of giving back to the moldmaking community.  Over the last 13 years, they have donated nearly $80,000 to Western-based schools and universities with moldmaking and plastics programs. 

 Trade Fair registration is open now.  Attend and help us celebrate 20 years of moldmaking in the West!