I like playing with statistics, and there’s no richer trove of new statistics about plastics than the SPI study, The Definition, Size and Impact of the U.S.
If you’re the sort of manager that can’t resist checking up on your plant after you go home for the night, now you can click on your web browser and read out mold temperatures right there on your PC.
The big show in Chicago presented more new loaders, feeders, blenders, and conveying controls than you could count. They’re more flexible, easier to maintain, and easier to control. Many are web-enabled, and some are lower in cost.
Last month’s Big Blackout is still very much on my mind, not least because as I write this, my office still struggles without telephone, e-mail, or internet service.
Senior Editor Lilli Sherman’s feature this month on “The New Polypropylenes” is not only chock-full of new product developments—it also gives some insight into the industry that makes the largest-selling resin in the U.S.