’Tis The Season

I used to dread this time of year. Rushing here and there, shopping until you drop and partying until your eyes roll back in your head, often times it seems like only a blink between Halloween and New Years.

That all changed several years ago when my son was born. My wife and I were too busy being new parents to worry about the hustle and bustle of the holidays. We were grounded, but at the same time thankful for the gift of a healthy baby and felt the spirit of the season renewed within us.

As our family has grown with the addition of two beautiful daughters, we enjoy seeing the world through their eyes and know that we have truly been blessed. One thing that makes us very thankful is having the freedom to work, worship and live as we choose. And while we are fortunate enough to live in a country founded by individuals who sought and fought for tolerance and freedom, the world is unfortunately still struggling to achieve tolerance and freedom in many regions.

This holiday season, we hope that you make the time to enjoy your family and thank God for the good things in your life.

Reports are still very positive across the board and while the GNP is expected to be up 7% this year, unemployment still lingers behind our ever brightening economic horizon. One positive result of an economic downturn, like the one we have lived through the past several years, is an increase in productivity. We have all learned to do more with less. Leaner and more productive, business owners continue to look for ways to grow and rise above their competition. One way to do this is by exploring new markets that can utilize your products and services.

Inside this issue our feature articles include growing new markets for plastic welding, technology to aid in material positioning and machine set-up, answers to common routing problems, management practices that can streamline your business and new products that will open up new markets for thermoformers. We know you will find ideas in this issue that can help you grow your business.

Finally, we would like to take a moment and thank you, our readers for your interest in our magazine, our advertisers for their support and our contributors for their thought-provoking articles this past year. May your holidays be blessed with the spirit of love, tolerance and freedom. Happy Holidays from all of us at Plastics Distributor® & Fabricator. May the new year bring much happiness, good health and prosperity to you and yours.

Enjoy the issue.

David Whelan
Editor / Publisher