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For SPI Members Only — March 10, 2006 In This Edition
SPI explores feasibility of group health insurance benefits. . . Responding to the single most requested benefit, SPI is exploring the possibility of offering group health insurance for member companies. By putting together a large pool of many member companies and their employees, SPI could be able to help companies enhance employee benefit packages and lower overhead costs by garnering more cost-efficient group rates and multiple plan designs. We need your input to assess the feasibility of implementing this type of program, including basic demographic data from your company. If your company is interested, please have your Human Resources Department complete our survey form and email it by April 7, 2006, to SPI’s Director of Human Resources Anne Clark at hr@socplas.org. Please note: The survey does not request any personal information such as employee names or social security numbers. All data requested is generic and anonymity is protected. If you have any questions about the concept or the data being requested on the survey form, please contact SPI’s Anne Clark at (202) 974-5289. SPI welcomes new member companies. . . Last month eight new companies and one professional joined the ranks of SPI membership. The new companies include five processors, one resin and materials supplier, one moldmaker and one machinery and equipment company. Please join SPI in welcoming the following newcomers:
SPI lauds Senate committee for passing energy exploration bill. . . A bipartisan bill (S. 2253) that would require the Secretary of the Interior to offer the 181 Area of the Gulf of Mexico – approximately 3.6 million acres – for oil and gas leasing won passage from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on March 8. SPI released a statement commending the Committee that read in part: “SPI strongly supports actions taken by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee yesterday to address the natural gas crisis that is adversely impacting U.S. manufacturers, including the plastics industry.” Calling the bill “a good first step,” SPI President William Carteaux stated that “Enormous natural gas reserves lie in the section of the Gulf of Mexico that this legislation addresses, and it can be efficiently obtained with environmentally-safe technologies while also taking advantage of existing infrastructure in the region to deliver the gas to the marketplace. . . . SPI strongly urges the full Senate to pass S. 2253 as soon as possible in order to increase domestic natural gas supplies and begin to lower energy costs. We also encourage Congress to enact additional legislation that would open other parts of the Outer Continental Shelf to energy development.” For more information, contact SPI’s Senior. Director of Government Affairs Chris Brown at cbrown@socplas.org or (202) 974-5228.
SPI-led coalition to focus on appropriations process to restore funding for FCN program. . . This week SPI reconvened the Food Packaging Industry Coalition as a first step toward restoring funding for the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Food Contact Notification (FCN) Program. The Coalition’s launch meeting with allied industry associations was a success. All participants agreed that the Coalition’s primary mission is to use the congressional budget appropriations process to restore funding to the FCN program. As reported here last month, FDA’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget request did not include funding for the FCN Program. While the almost $2 trillion Federal budget would increase from 2006, new priorities would eclipse the future of the $6M FCN Program. Elimination of this program, which creates innovation, efficiency and U.S. global competitiveness, would be an enormous detriment to manufacturers seeking clearances for new food-contact materials to be introduced in the U.S. marketplace and in other countries. For more information, contact SPI’s Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Packaging Materials Committee Executive Director Susan Howe at (202) 974-5223 or showe@socplas.org. If you would like to get your company’s Washington, D.C., representative involved in this project, have them contact SPI’s Senior Director, Federal Government Affairs Chris Brown at cbrown@socplas.org.
Here’s how it works. . . Once you register, you’ll receive an e-mail alert linking to your myNPE® Web portal. Answer the questions on the Attendee Justification Report pertaining to the types of equipment, materials, workshops, people, and events that interest you. myNPE® automatically searches the entire NPE 2006 community and updates the information it gathers for you so that week by week your profile builds and more connections are recommended. Plan your experience from your desktop. . . myNPE® lets you connect with the people you need to meet before the show. Based on your answers to questions regarding who you want to meet and why, myNPE® sends you the contact information of the people who have the information, products and equipment you need. My Event Plan is your personalized event planner in myNPE® that maintains an up-to-date list of companies, products, sessions, people and other resources that directly benefit your business. You can add any of these items to your Event Plan with just a click of a button. The tool also allows you to print your personalized itinerary and show map illustrating how to most efficiently get to where you need to be for your pre-scheduled meetings. For more information, contact SPI’s Adam Krumhansl at akrumhan@socplas.org or (202) 974-5235. SPI member companies receive exhibit space benefits – don’t let your membership status lapse. . . SPI member companies that are also exhibiting at NPE 2006 must be sure their membership remains in good-standing throughout the show in order to receive a 50 percent discount on exhibit space fees and a higher position in the space drawing than non-members. These are key benefits of an SPI membership. Members who allow their SPI membership to lapse will lose the 50 percent discount, be required to pay the non-member rate, and may, at the discretion of show management, have their booth space reassigned. NPE 2006, set for June 19–23, 2006 in Chicago, IL, promises to be the best show ever. If you have questions about this policy or your membership renewal, contact Wilda Von Stein, phone: (202) 974-5241.
Machinery Division releases safety standard revision for public review. . . SPI’s Machinery Division released Safety Requirements for the Manufacture, Care and Use of Horizontal Injection Molding Machines – ANSI/SPI B151.1 2006 (HIMMs) for public review on February 10. The standard is being revised to provide additional details on electrical requirements and definitions as well as additional explanatory materials and illustrations to improve clarity and intent. The standard was sent out to the machinery and molder members for approval and/or comments. If you would like to review the proposed revision, please contact Jennifer Jones at (202) 974-5231 or jjones@socplas.org. Call for Entries for SPI Safety Statistics and Awards Program. . . SPI’s Occupational Health and Environmental Issues Committee is now accepting entries for its annual Safety Statistics and Awards Program. The benchmarking data generated by the program reflects safety rates by process, such as extrusion, thermoforming and injection molding, or by general category, such as processor, material supplier and machinery/auxiliary equipment, and is made available only to those SPI members who participate in the program. The data is also sorted by types of plants, to allow for comparison within a given sector of the industry and with the industry as a whole. Companies with excellent safety records are recognized in four awards categories: Distinguished Safety Award, Achievement Safety Award, Merit Safety Award and Special Recognition Award. For more information see the program link above or contact Susan Howe at (202) 974-5223 or showe@socplas.org.
Showcase your company at SPI headquarters. . . SPI wants to showcase your company ads and photo images in the hallways of our headquarter offices. SPI’s “Walls of Fame” will showcase member companies from all segments of the industry, where they are and what they do. The selected artwork pieces will be framed (approx. 22" x 28") and displayed for all visitors – members and nonmembers – to see. Some examples of the different items appropriate for submission include company or product advertisements that you’ve published in trade journals, grouped staff photos, photos of employees on your plant floor, or images of your building – just to name a few. The artwork should be submitted on CD in high-resolution tiff (at least 300 dpi) or as an Illustrator EPS file no later than April 11. For more information, contact SPI’s Patrice Lee at plee@socplas.org or (202) 974-5331.
SPI, business units and regions offer full line-up. . . This year SPI’s 2006 events calendar includes a full line-up of educational opportunities, trade shows, management and technical training. Follow the link above to view the complete calendar of events or see below for highlights of upcoming meetings. Come to the nation’s capital in March for the next OHEIC meeting. . . SPI’s Occupational Health and Environmental Issues Committee (OHEIC) invites SPI members to participate in their next meeting, to be held March 29–30 in Washington, DC. Topics will include OSHA’s recent haxavalent chromium rulemaking, environmental compliance auditing, restricted use of certain substances in products and requirements for disclosure of product compositions. OHEIC is a technical forum for SPI members and encourages the participation of those with expertise or interest in worker health and safety, environmental and product regulatory topics. For more information, contact SPI’s Marie Martinko at mmartinko@socplas.org or (202) 974-5330. Midwest business and technology conference to focus on value. . . SPI’s Midwest Region will hold "Building Value Strategies: Best Practices for Distinguishing, Adding and Retaining Value," a business and technology (BAT) mini-conference on April 27, 2006, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago. SPI members Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP, Plante & Moran PLLC and P&M Corporate Finance LLC are sponsors of the mini-conference. SPI President Bill Carteaux will deliver the keynote address on “Protecting the Industry.” The program will include sessions on industry performance in turbulent times; intellectual property and practices; information systems; unique and innovative technology; strategic and transactional considerations; entrance, exit and succession strategies; and valuation and positioning considerations. It will also include panel discussions featuring the CEOs of Titan Plastics, Solar Corp, KAM Plastics, and other industry leaders discussing their perspectives on building and retaining value. The conference will close with the presentation of the SPI Midwest Region’s Founders Award, to recognize exceptional individual service to the SPI Midwest Region. Follow this link to register. Machinery, Molders and Moldmakers Joint Spring Conference to Convene in Naples, Florida. . . Conference registration is in full swing for this joint annual business conference being held May 7–10 in Naples, FL. To register, please visit the Machinery Division Web site. Bill Wood, Senior Economist at Mountaintop Economics & Research, will provide insight into the current economic outlook for the plastics industry. Howard Rappaport, Global Practice Leader, Thermoplastics at CMAI, Inc., will offer his analysis of resin pricing and its effect on the plastics industry. Take advantage of the early registration discount by registering today! For more information, contact Jennifer Jones at (202) 974-5231 or jjones@socplas.org. For mail list changes, additions or deletions, please e-mail comm@socplas.org and include "SPI Link" in the subject line. Please remember to include your e-mail address in the body of the e-mail message. © Copyright 2006. The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. · 1667 K St., NW, #1000 · Washington, DC 20006. All rights reserved. |
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California lawmakers consider new polystyrene bans to control litter. . . California Assemblywoman Betty Karnette has introduced a bill that would prohibit a state facility, as well as any agent, partner or subcontractor it does business with, from selling, possessing, or distributing an expanded polystyrene food container on and after January 1, 2008. Karnette believes the bill will help address the ongoing litter problem in the state. SPI is drafting a letter to the Assemblywoman on opposition to the bill and product bans in general. The California Integrated Solid Waste Management Board was directed by the legislature in 2001 to study the use and disposal of polystyrene in California and made recommendations that SPI believes have merit. These anti-litter recommendations will be reiterated to Karnette along with an offer to meet with her to discuss the recommendations and a path of action forward. Contact SPI’s Jane Adams at 
Share your concerns about Korean market access with SPI. . . Now that the U.S. has launched trade talks with South Korea, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) needs input from U.S. industries and businesses to help establish priorities for the free trade negotiations. In addition to the elimination and/or reduction of tariffs on U.S. goods, USTR will seek removal of other barriers that hinder access to the Korean market. If your company has experienced any difficulties either operating in or exporting to Korea, SPI would like to hear from you by March 17, 2006. Please 
NPE 2006: Plan your show, your way. . . On March 8 SPI launched a new online tool to help attendees and exhibitors alike meet their challenge of connecting with 75,000 industry colleagues while exploring 2,000 exhibits that span 1 million square feet. Called 
