A big report complete. With the major load of the work done by Rose Baker, the Penn State Workforce Education & Development Initiative released on 27 June 2998 a report, Benchmarks for Pennsylvania Plastics Industry, a report funded through a contract for the Pennsylvania Plastics Initiative from the Employment and Training Administration of the US Department of Labor. This work has been incubating for almost three years. A companion report, Forecast of Employment and Job Openings in Pennsylvania Plastics Manufacturing, 2004–2017, was delivered to the Department of Labor during Fall 2007.

Although manufacturing, in general, is declining in the United States, plastics manufacturing is growing in many regions of Pennsylvania. Plastics firms in Pennsylvania supply more than one–half of the plastics materials required by Pennsylvania’s fastest growing industries. At the same time, Pennsylvania plastics manufacturers have opportunities to capture an increasing share of the Pennsylvania market for plastics, in spite of strong competition from neighboring counties (Canada and Mexico) and trading partners (Brazil, China, France, German, India, and Japan); out–migration of younger workers; relatively high energy costs; and needs for infusion of new investment and venture capital, for improvement of worker skills to fit the “new economy,” and for reduction of business costs of taxes and real estate.

We have been busy lately. I will chronicle our activities when we can come up for air.