THE ROLL-GUARD IN ACTION

Many people are interested in seeing how the ingenious Roll-Guard feature works on our new 7200 ladder. Here's a video of Bruce Neubauer demonstrating this impressive safety device....

HOLIDAY HOURS

Looking ahead at the end-of-year holidays, Confer Plastics will be closed these days...

Christmas: Closed Wednesday, December 24th through Sunday, December 28th

New Year's: Closed Wednesday, December 31st through Sunday, January 4th

CPI LOOKING FOR SALES REPS

Confer Plastics is always looking for sales representatives for our custom molding operations, both nationally and abroad.

Our agreements are simple: there are no exclusive regional rights for the reps (it's a free market in custom manufacturing) and Confer will handle the collections and all customer relations. It's easy: find us a job and we'll pay you a commission for the entire lifetime of that product at our company.

CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING

Confer Plastics will be closed Thursday, November 27 through Sunday, November 30 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Regular hours will resume on Monday, December 1 at 7:00 AM.

May you and your families have a great holiday!

CPI'S NEWEST PATENT

Title: “Traffic barricade having interchangeable parts”
No.: 7,448,824
Inventors: Lipniarski, David J. (North Tonawanda)
Assignee: Confer Plastics (North Tonawanda)
Date issued: Nov. 11, 2008

Abstract: The present invention is directed to traffic barricade having interchangeable base members and upright members that interconnect to each other. The base member and upright member are identical which allows the base member and the upright member to be interchanged together.

For more information visit this link:

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/7448824.html

LEADERSHIP NIAGARA TOURS FACTORY

40 members of this year's Leadership Niagara class toured Confer Plastics on November 20th as a part of their Small Business Day. The participants were able to walk the factory floor and see products being made.

Leadership Niagara is a year-long leadership training program for adults who represent a cross section of Niagara County; including business, labor, education, the arts, religion, government, community based organizations, ethnic and minority groups.

They meet for daylong sessions held each month addressing diverse, local needs. LN focuses on helping participants to enhance their understanding and recognition of what our community lacks to become a better place to live and work, followed by becoming involved and making it happen. The program provides opportunities for participants to develop their own personal leadership styles and networking opportunities.

INTRODUCING THE 7200 ROLL-GUARD LADDER

New for 2009 from Confer Plastics…

Roll-Guard A-Frame Safety Ladder

Featuring the new Roll-Guard Barrier which prevents unauthorized pool entry when in the closed position and restricts access behind the ladder when in the open position. The Roll-Guard Barrier’s easy and unique roll-up and down design (similar to a garage door) eliminates the need to flip up or spin the outer treads of the ladder to restrict access.

Standard features of the Roll-Guard Ladder:




Aesthetically pleasing contemporary design in beautiful warm gray color

Large 5 inch x 18 inch wide Comfortreads

Curved side rails designed with strength in mind

Inner side rails include integrated side barriers to prevent entry behind the ladder

Easy assembly with minimal hardware

Adjusts to fit pools 48” to 56” tall

Lockable Roll-Guard Barrier (lock included)

Extra large top platform

Just fill side rails with water to prevent floating, no sand or bricks needed

Fits pool top seats up to 14 inches wide

CONFER AT POOL & SPA SHOW

Confer Plastics will be exhibiting its products at the International Pool, Spa, Patio Expo to be held next week in Las Vegas. Stop by our booth (E-553) and say "hi". You will get a chance to see all our goods, including our NEW pool ladder with its impressive RollGuard safety feature.

For information about the show, visit:

http://www.poolspapatio.com/PSP08/public/enter.aspx

NIAGARA'S YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS TOUR CPI

Seven high schoolers, as a part of Niagara University's The Young Entrepreneurs Academy, toured Confer Plastics this week.

The Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA!) is a year-long program that teaches middle and high schools students how to start and run their own REAL businesses. Developed at the University of Rochester in 2004 with the support of a grant from the Kauffman Foundation, YEA! is in its first year at Niagara University.

CONFER SHOWING PRODUCTS AT WATERPARKS SHOW

Confer Plastics will be displaying its Leisure Accents products at the World WaterPark Association's trade show, October 28th and 29th in Las Vegas. Stop by booth 730...we'd love to see you.

For more info about the show visit: http://www.waterparks.org/convention.asp

ROAD IS OPEN

No need to worry about the previous blog post any more. The rail crossing has been repaired and Confer Plastics is completely accessible.

A DETOUR TO CONFER PLASTICS

CSX and the City of North Tonawanda are fixing the rail crossing at the corner of Witmer and River Roads (where our driveway is) and it will be completely impassable from 7:00 AM Thursday, October 16th through 6:00 PM Monday, October 20th (which probably means sometime Tuesday).

So, those who normally use River Road to get to CPI will need to use an alternate route. Here it is….

1) From River Road, access Ward Road (which is the first light to the South and East of Witmer Road on River Road).

2) Turn left onto 429, Ward Road.

3) At the lighted intersection that is the home to Payne Avenue Restaurant, turn left onto Warner Road.

4) At the four-way stop turn left onto Witmer Road

PLANT TOURS ARE WELCOMED

Confer Plastics, Inc. is always willing to take community organizations, school classes, scout troops and the like on tours of the factory. We feel that it's good for people to see that products are still made in the US of A. Seeing machines in operation and people working with their hands always impresses people! If you'd like to tour the facility send an e-mail to Bob Confer at bob@conferplastics.com

THE NEW LEISURE ACCENTS PICNIC SET

Confer Plastics is pleased to announce a new addition to their Leisure Accents Patio Products line. The Leisure Accents Picnic Table Set, which consists of a 2ft x 6 ft table and two coordinating benches, accommodates up to eight people. The contemporary styling and four color combinations are designed to enhance any patio or backyard setting while adding practicality. The all plastic construction means strength, durability, no maintenance and easy clean up. Benches can also be purchased separately.

CONFER TO ATTEND MOTIVATION SHOW

Confer Plastics will be displaying its Leisure Accents furniture products at the Motivation Show to be held in Chicago, September 23 to 25. Our booth # is 3823.

For information about the show, visit:

http://www.motivationshow.com/

PROTECTING OUR TROOPS

The Whisprwave has been mentioned a few times on this blog. This versatile defense product has had numerous applications throughout the world. Five more containers of them are being shipped this week, heading overseas to Iraq where the United States Marine Corps will use them to protect our troops in an Iraqi port.

Here are some of our coworkers preparing the units for shipment....

NEW WEBSITE

Confer Plastics' website - www.conferplatics.com - recently received a major facelift. Please let us know what you think. Do you like the new site? How can we make it more user-friendly? Our e-mail is plastics@conferplastics.com

Your input is greatly appreciated.

GAZEBO & PAVILION LINE IS DISCONTINUED

Effective 02 September 2008, Confer Plastics, Inc. has discontinued the manufacturing and sale of its gazebo and pavilion product line.

Due to rising material costs and the high cost of transporting the system it quickly became much too expensive for the average homeowner, tempering demand.

CPI will continue to recognize any warranty issues associated with the product.

CPI CLOSED ON LABOR DAY

Confer Plastics will be closed for the day on Monday, September 1st in observance of Labor Day.

YOUTH CADETS TOUR CPI

On Friday, August 22nd Confer Plastics was visited by 30 youth representing the Niagara Falls Junior Military League Cadets. The Cadets toured the factory and were able to see a wide variety of products being manufactured.

The Cadets are part of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Youth Citizenship Education Program, the mission of which is to positively impact America's future by providing quality youth education programs for boy's and girls, ages 8 through 14, nurturing and developing its members into responsible citizens who enjoy and promote a healthy drug-free lifestyle.

BOB CONFER NAMED TO "40 UNDER FORTY"

Bob Confer, vice-president of Confer Plastics, Inc, has been awarded one of Business First's prestgious "40 Under Forty" awards. Here's the newspaper's initial news release...

'40 Under Forty' class revealed'

A diverse group of honorees ranging from private-sector leaders to educators and a top executive at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel make up the 17th annual Business First "40 Under Forty" class.

The 40 honorees - all under the age of 40 - are being recognized for their records of professional success and community involvement. A six-member panel made the selections.

"Once again, I am overwhelmed by the quality of this year's 40 Under Forty class," said Jack Connors, Business First publisher and president. "Our community is fortunate to have these 40 individuals active and involved. My congratulations to all of them and thanks for all they do."

This year's 40 Under Forty honorees will saluted at a luncheon Nov. 13 at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. More than 800 people are expected to attend.

The panelists - all past 40 Under Forty winners - included chairperson Carol Houwaart-Diez, president of the United Way of Niagara; Brett Begley, owner, ABC Hardware & Rental, Buffalo; James Domagalski, partner, Hiscock & Barclay LLP, Buffalo; Michael Faso, vice president of finance and business development, Independent Health; Fatima Morrell, principal on assignment, Buffalo Public Schools; and Connie Stives, Computer SOS, Buffalo.

Houwaart-Diez was selected in 1994, Begley in 1999, Domagalski in 2001, Faso in 2002, Morrell in 2004 and Stives in 2005.

This year's event is sponsored by Hodgson Russ Attorneys LLP and Citizens Bank.

Tickets for the event are $50 or $500 for a table of 10. For tickets and information, contact Kim Schaus at 541-1656 or kschaus@bizjournals.com.

ANNUAL COMPANY VACATION

Confer Plastics, Inc. will be closed Saturday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 10th for our annual one-week plant shutdown. Regular business will resume on Monday, August 11th.

CONFER'S NEWEST MACHINE STARTS PRODUCING

A few months ago Confer Plastics, Inc. purchased a used but pristine blow molding machine which is now in full service at our factory. The first production run began today from this machine, a machine that adds considerably to our molding services by giving us dual-head capabilities (in 20-pound shot weights). This is the 15th blow molding machine in operation at CPI.

PROTECTING THE OIL SUPPLY

Nigeria is the fourth largest supplier of oil to the United States. That supply is always at risk as the Associated Press reported last week....


Royal Dutch Shell said it shut down production from an offshore oil field that produces about 200,000 barrels per day after the most powerful militant group in Nigeria launched an attack on an installation there Thursday. Oil prices rose in Asia on the news, which raised concerns about possible supply outages in Africa’s largest oil producer.

The group also said it captured an American worker on a supply vessel in the area of the rig.A leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta told The Associated Press that militants attacked the Bonga oil field more than 85 miles from land. But the fighters weren’t able to enter a computer control room, which they had hoped to destroy.The militant leader spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid punishment by authorities. “The location for today’s attack was deliberately chosen to remove any notion that off-shore oil exploration is far from our reach,” the group said in a subsequent statement. “The oil companies and their collaborators do not have any place to hide in conducting their nefarious activities.”

Olav Ljosne, a spokesman for Royal Dutch Shell, confirmed an attack, but gave no details. He said production had been stopped from the field, which normally produces about 200,000 barrels of crude per day. That accounts for about 10 percent of Nigeria’s current daily output of about 2 million barrels per day production — already significantly off the amount produced before years of militant attacks on crucial oil infrastructure.

The turmoil in Nigeria’s south has helped send oil prices to historical heights, giving the militants more leverage in their drive to force the federal government to send more oil industry proceeds to their areas. Despite being the home of almost all of Nigeria’s petroleum reserves, the country’s south is as desperately poor as the rest of the country, which is Africa’s most populous with 140 million people. But criminality and militancy are closely linked, with many of the militant groups accused of stealing crude oil from wells and pipelines for sale in overseas market and helping politicians rig elections.



Confer Plastics has been called upon to inhibit the attacks on the oil infrastructure in Nigeria. In an earlier blog post we mentioned how a product we manufacture -- the Whisprwave -- is used to protect the Port of Los Angeles. Well, the picture below shows a portion of two shipments of Whisprwaves heading to Nigeria next week that will be put to use in keeping terrorists and militants away from oil delivery systems.

PLASTIC GOING UP, UP, UP

Plastics are a carbon-based compound, so, as you see oil, gasoline, and home heating fuel going up in price, you can count on plastics doing the same. At the end of 2007 a pound of material cost us about 57 cents. Now, that same pound costs us 75 cents...a 32% increase. Being that most of what we manufacture are large parts (10 pounds and over) this is a significant cost factor for us and the customers whom we must pass that on to.

Today, it is reported that plastics will be going up even more. The following briefing is courtesy of the National Association of Manufacturers:


Dow Chemical to raise prices by as much as 25 percent.

The New York Times (6/25, Bhattarai) reports that, on Tuesday, Dow Chemical announced "it was raising prices for the second time in a month to offset a 'relentless rise' in energy costs, a sign that companies may increasingly have to pass on price increases to their customers." The increases will amount to "as much as 25 percent -- the largest in the company's history." In May, Dow increased prices by 20 percent, but "the company said [that] did not go far enough given the continuing surge in energy prices."

The price increases will take effect on July 1, according to the Wall Street Journal (6/25, B3, Kardos, subscription required), and will include "new freight surcharges," as Dow idles "certain plants and plans to sell its automotive-paint-sealer business. It will also cut 200 more jobs, bringing the total to 1,200 since November."

Dow CEO Andrew Liveris noted "that prices for energy and oil and natural-gas derivatives have surged by 30 percent since last year," the Detroit News (6/25, Shepardson) reports. Liveris said, "The staggering increase in our costs over the past few months have forced us to take these further measures in order to restore our margins."

The AP (6/25, Prichard) adds that the company said "that leaders in Washington must immediately create a comprehensive energy policy that includes more domestic drilling for oil and natural gas, more money for alternative energy research, and greater emphasis on efficient energy use."

Bloomberg (6/25, Kaskey) points out that some analysts fear these rising prices will eventually "win[d] up in the lap of the consumer," and are "going to eventually filter through to those core inflation numbers." While "Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke has [also] voiced concerns about inflation and the slumping dollar," Bloomberg points out that "all 101 economists in a Bloomberg News survey said the Federal Open Market Committee will keep the benchmark lending rate unchanged at two percent at the conclusion of a two-day meeting tomorrow. Raising rates may exacerbate the U.S. economic slowdown."

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (6/25, Barrett), Wisconsin manufacturers are using "a mix of strategies" to adapt to the price changes, "including raising prices, replacing the plastic they use with alternatives, or reducing the amount of plastic content altogether." Chuck Hamley, president of Advanced Extrusions Inc., a plastics manufacturer in Wisconsin, explained that "[w]hen raw-materials prices rise dramatically, there's a race to synchronize supplies, costs, and promises to customers" He noted that "it's a belt-tightening exercise that can result in lower profits."

WATCH OUT FOR CHINESE RIP-OFFS

It has been said that you can consider it flattery when a competitor copies your design.

That it may be, but it’s also frustrating. Stealing one’s intellectual property is very bad business, completely unethical, and it’s upsetting to a company like ours that is always fair and on the up-and-up.

Late in 2007, one of our competitors copied almost to a “t” both our Step-1 pool step and our 8000 ladder. Below is a photograph of our step, which we introduced in 1998.

Here is the step -- the “Easy Step” -- introduced by competitor John Bonelli (under the company names of "Island Recreational" and "The Asia Connection"). Note how blatant of a rip-off it is. The only changes in design versus ours are the spindled uprights (ours are straight) and the connection points where the steps connect to the walls (the only item that was patented in our design).

So, be careful out in the marketplace if someone tries to pass these steps off as Confer products. They’re not. The competition’s quality is much lower, their steps are much weaker, and their products are made in China.

If you see someone advertising the rip-offs as Confer Plastics steps, please contact Bob Confer at bob@conferplastics.com

PROTECTING OUR PORTS

We manufacture for one of our clients a device called the Whisprwave. Orginally intended as a breakwater, this item found a new use in this age of global terrorism. It's used as a floating barrier to keep small boats rigged with explosives from approaching and doing damage to battleships, docks, and oil rigs. A 5,000 ft. long Whisprwave system was recently put to use at the port of Los Angeles in a terrorism drill. Watch the TV news story below....

CONFER PLASTICS IN THE BUFFALO NEWS

Last week the Buffalo News ran a front page expose on the New york Power Authority, citing the following...


Even though high utility rates are blamed for hurting the local economy, one-fifth of the low-cost power generated at the state power project in Lewiston and earmarked for local industry has gone unused by area businesses over the past four years, a Buffalo News investigation has found.

Instead of helping the local economy, the cheap power has been sold by the New York Power Authority for an estimated $161 million and used mostly to subsidize businesses outside the region and fund authority operations statewide, The News found.

What’s more, profits at the Niagara Power Project more than tripled the past four years. The Lewiston facility once accounted for a quarter of the profits generated at the 18 power plants the authority operates. But thanks to the explosion in profits — nearly $1 million every other day — the Niagara River facility last year provided nearly two-thirds of profits generated by authority plants statewide.



Confer Plastics was featured in this story which included a photo of our factory...

....business owners who tried unsuccessfully to get hydropower from the authority voiced frustration over the surplus.

Bob Confer, vice president of Confer Plastics in North Tonawanda, said his company approached the authority last year, seeking an increase in its 300-kilowatt allocation. The company employs about 130 people to manufacture molded plastics for industry, the military and consumer products, and was trying to cut its electricity bills.

Confer’s bills average 11.5 cents per kilowatt, more than double the rates paid by his major competitors in Ohio. The authority turned down the request, saying the company’s application didn’t meet the program’s criteria.

“This is quite frustrating,” Confer said after being told of the authority’s unused power.

“It seems to me the state tends to bend over backwards to serve the new companies coming into New York but does nothing for those already here.”



To read the article in its entirety, visit the Buffalo News at:

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/365785.html?imw=Y