Dr. Luis Proenza, president of the University of Akron, is a noted authority on development of industry clusters. Photo by Bruce Ford

Education Key to Cluster Growth

A major engine propelling plastics' rise in the Southeast is the movement of the auto industry into the region in recent years. "All sorts of plastics makers have moved into the Tuscaloosa, Ala., area because of the Mercedes plant," Underwood says.
        Location, infrastructure and availability of training programs are among the forces promoting industry cluster growth.
        "States such as Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Texas have recognized the need for technical training," Underwood explains. "They have recognized that plastics is a manufacturing sector that is actually growing and have put together technical programs targeted to plastics."
        North Carolina boasts a major asset for attracting new and helping existing industry: The Polymers Center for Excellence (PCE) in Charlotte. A private, not-for-profit organization, PCE (www.polymers-center.org) is funded by the state university system and by manufacturers. Its mission includes workplace training, R&D and physical testing.
        Dennis Hayford, a 30-year industry veteran, is PCE's executive director. He cites work force development as PCE's strongest suit. PCE is also a member of the Plastics Learning Network (PLN), a consortium with SPI and South Carolina Educational Television. PLN provides nationwide satellite presentations on polymer technology.
        Florida is also garnering kudos for its plastics industry training efforts. The Florida Plastics Learning Consortium, a partnership between SPI and Workforce Florida, recently received the Theodore E. Small Distinguished Honor Award from the National Association of Workforce Boards. The nomination was based on the Consortium's success in building a coalition that used federal Workforce Investment Act funds to train and certify hundreds of plastics machine operators.
        Ohio, considered by many to be the plastic industry's birthplace, also offers innovative work force training programs. Ohio's Tech Prep program worked with the Ohio Board of Regents, the Ohio Departments of Development and Education and more than 90 industry representatives to develop a statewide plastics core curriculum for high school and college.
        One of the leading centers of plastics higher education is the University of Akron's College of Polymer Science & Engineering. The university's president, Dr. Luis Proenza, is a member of a Council on Competitiveness committee studying industry clusters.
        "We in Northeast Ohio have taken innovative steps to enhance this strong cluster to provide the bases for enhanced economic opportunities," Proenza says. Included is the formation of Polymer Ohio, an organization dedicated to the promotion of the plastics industry. Proenza says Ohio's plastics growth is coming from both existing companies and new companies moving to the region to take advantage of what the cluster provides. The University of Akron is committed to doubling the size of its polymer science program, while further regional support comes from a similar program at Case Western Reserve.
        There is at least one private effort to train the industry's workers of the future. Indiana, a familiar state among any plastics Top 10 list, employs nearly 75,000 in the industry. Seeing a need for more training at an earlier age, Lyndon Tucker, owner of Fremont Plastics, which manufactures packaging for medical procedure products, helped found the Plastics Technology Center in Angola, Ind.
        "It's the only private training center trying to do this," Tucker says. "This is a must with the industry, since 85 percent of employees are on the floor."
        While early participation has been disappointing, Tucker says high school educators need a better understanding of the industry's importance to his state. Plastics continues to be a growth industry in Indiana, primarily due to proximity to the automotive industry.
        "We are very well located for automotives," Tucker says. "And we have good transportation systems and good roads. Indiana also has some tax structure advantages that some other states don't have."

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