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As calendar turns to a new fiscal year, the association plans ahead

Happy New Year! That’s not as good as Christmas in July, but July 1 began the Contract Packaging Association’s new fiscal year.  It is a good time to reflect on where we’ve come from for a few moments and take the time to share what’s new and exciting.

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Since the last letter, two major events have taken place and several improvements in the management of the association have been implemented.

An educational annual meeting

The first event was the annual meeting at the Lowe’s Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, AZ.  Set in the foothills of one of the four mountain ranges that surround the city, the lights of the city shimmered and the lights of ideas radiated during the meeting. Mike “Pinball” Clemons used his expertise as a football coach and Canadian Grey Cup champion to lift the enthusiasm for learning during his keynote address.

And learn we did! While we all felt that employing a temporary labor force was becoming more difficult, Loretta Penn, vice president at Spherion Corp., taught us how the work force has changed, what the values of the new “emergent” worker are, and how the traditional mind-set of employers is approaching extinction.  Then she discussed how to take advantage of the change.  Few employers are structured to attract today’s new talent, and if you were there, you know how to restructure to benefit from the change.

Charles Poirier, partner at Contemporary Supply Chain Management, taught us about the contemporary supply chain and its changes.  Collaboration up and down the chain is mandatory. Though you might say that not everyone is embracing this change, the model is changing. Which is more successful: Southwest Airlines or the legacy carriers; Cirque de Soliel or Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey? As Poirier stated, “The best performing consumer goods manufacturers are the ones with the greatest portion of their sales coming from new products.”  And that demands speed to market, which in turn demands collaboration.

Nina Plastics & Flex Pack taught us about their business model.  This materials manufacturer became a processor, became a co-packer.  All in response to market changes.

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