CONFER PLASTICS IS HIRING

We're starting the new year right: On January 4th we're planning to bring on 15 new coworkers in a temp-to-perm manner. If you know someone looking for a steady gig (40 hours/week plus voluntary OT) send them to the Adecco offices in Lockport or Niagara Falls THIS week and mention Confer Plastics.

CPI GETS NEW TRADEMARK

Confer Plastics has received US Trademark # 3,725,481 for "Roll-Guard", the name of the patented tambour feature on our 7200 swimming pool ladder.

CPI TO ATTEND NESPA SHOW IN JANUARY

Confer Plastics will be displaying its wares at the Northeast Pool & Spa Association's annual trade show in Atlantic City, January 26 - 28. Stop by booth 1725 where you can meet Dennis Lederhouse, Bruce Neubauer and our sales team. For more information about the show, visit http://www.nespapool.org/

EXPANSION UPDATE

Here's an update on our expansion. It's not a good one...

The most important part of the head, the hydraulic cylinder, was sent out for repair/rebuild to make sure this used machine was as-new. We received the quote this morning...the lead time is 16 to 18 weeks.

So, our 100-pound machine won't be running until mid-April.

HOLIDAY HOURS

Please be advised of our holiday schedule. The plant, office and warehouse will be shutdown as follows:

Thanksgiving holiday: Closed Thursday, November 26th and Friday, November 27th

Christmas holiday: Closed Thursday, December 24th and Friday, December 25th

New Year’s holiday: Closed Thursday, December 31st and Friday, January 1st

We appreciate your business throughout this past year and wish you a happy holiday season.

POOL/SPA/PATIO EXPO

The annual International Pool/Spa/Patio Expo will be held next week, November 16 to 18, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For the first time in decades, Confer Plastics will NOT have a booth at this show. This is for a variety of reasons, the primary one being that it represents a very poor investment since Las Vegas has become a tired, under-attended destination for the Expo. Sadly, the Expo has become but a shell of its former self in terms of importance to the industry.

Regardless, all of our sales rep firms will be at the show as will Dennis Lederhouse, our VP of Sales. If you would like to talk business with Dennis while in Vegas shoot him an e-mail at dlederhouse@conferplastics.com

CPI IS IN THE TOP 12% OF PLANTS

There are 573 blow molding plants in North America. Confer Plastics is the 67th largest in the Plastics News' rankings which came out today. That’s pretty significant for our niche since 79% of blow molders only make bottles.

Check it out at: www.plasticsnews.com/data

THE 7200 GATE

Here's a drawing showing what the new gate for the 7200 ladder will look like...

DEALER DIRECTORY

We're in the process of updating the dealer directory on our website. If you sell Confer Plastics' pool, spa, and lawn/garden accessories please e-mail the following to John in customer service at john.schneider@conferplastics.com:


Store name
Physical address (or addresses)
Phone number

Website
Email
Confer products carried

NEW PRODUCT COMING

CPI is introducing a self-closing gate for the popular 7200 pool ladder. This will allow it to meet building codes specific to the northeast. This product will be available in the early spring. More to follow.

CONFER HIRES THROUGH ADECCO

Occasionally throughout the year Confer Plastics brings on new personnel, usually one or two in a two-month span. In an effort to ramp up for 2010 production of swimming pool accessories and kayaks, we are currently hiring 11 new employees.

Those interested in becoming a machine operator should contact the local job placement agency, Adecco. We don't hire direct, but we do work with Adecco personnel with the full intent of going temp to perm.

Adecco's two locations in Niagara County are:

511 Bewley Building
Lockport, NY

1700 Pine Ave.
Niagara Falls, NY

CONTAGIOUS ILLNESS POLICY

The outbreak of, and media hysteria associated with, the H1N1 swine flu has prompted many businesses to institute contagious illness policies to prevent the spread of the disease.

This is old hat to Confer Plastics. We have had such a policy in place for years. We strongly believe that outbreaks of illnesses (cold, flu, etc.) within a business are detrimental to the physical and financial health of coworkers, clients, and their families and such outbreaks must be prevented.

Our policy is as follows:

In a work environment such as ours where people are working in close proximity to others, preventing the spread of the common cold and influenza is key to maintaining a healthy - therefore productive - workforce. During the cold/flu season it is best that infected personnel stay at home to rest up and to protect their coworkers from contracting said illnesses. Therefore, please stay home if ill and bring with you a doctor’s note upon your return. Along those lines, if someone is deemed to be ill while on the job he/she will be sent home by their supervisor.


This practice applies to visitors as well. We cannot put our workforce and customers at risk and we ask, if not require, that all ill people stay away.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: REEBOK STEP

Occasionally on this blog we reminisce about days gone by and look back at products we manufactured years ago. One such product is the Reebok Step.

In 1989 personal trainer and entrepreneur Gin Miller "invented" step aerobics and the Reebok Company, the athletics apparel giant, bought into the concept. Reebok worked in conjunction with Miller on the development of the now famous Reebok Step, the ubiquitous exercise device found in fitness centers and homes the world over.

Confer Plastics manufactured for a four-year period in the early-1990's the first generation Reebok Step with its recognizable blue-green matted platform and multi-colored bases. We were fortunate to make these at the peak of the step craze and in those few years we produced tens of thousands of them. We were so busy, as a matter of fact, that the production and assembly of this product took place on Sundays (the only period in our history in which we were open on Sundays).

So, the next time you're in a gym, sweating to step aerobics, think of us....there's a very good chance we manufactured your step.

NEW MACHINE INSTALLATION

As promised, here are some photos showing the progress on our expansion....

This photo shows the area prior to the machine's arrival


This photo shows the machine under construction


The installation continues next week with the delivery of the press. The head will arrive in a couple of weeks.

2009-2010 PRICING

Dealer and distributor pricing for the 2009-2010 pool/spa season is now available. Contact our vice president of sales, Dennis Lederhouse, for complete information. His e-mail address is dlederhouse@conferplastics.com

CPI SUPPORTS LOCAL CAUSES

If your Western New York community organization or cause is looking for a door or raffle prize to give away at a fundraising event, please feel free to contact Confer Plastics. Every year we give away many of our patio sets (table & two stools) to such events.

If you have a need for one of these send an e-mail to Bob Confer at bob@conferplastics.com

EXPANSION UPDATE

At the end of July Confer Plastics purchased a 100-pound blow molding machine, one of the largest machines in North America. The last of the parts for this machine will be delivered the week of October 11th during which the erection of the machine will commence. We'll be sure to post pictures here showing the assembly.

LONG-TIME EMPLOYEE DOUG KITTINGER PASSES AWAY

On Tuesday night the Confer Plastics family lost one of its longest-tenured and unique employees. CPI retiree Douglas Kittinger passed away at the age of 70. Doug died at home while under the care of Hospice.

Doug was diagnosed with lung cancer only a few weeks ago, something he attributed to 57 years of smoking. That's the kind of guy Doug was. He told it like it was. You could always count on him to say something curmudgeonly or hilarious. Despite his tough guy exterior he was really a softie inside.

Doug was a jack of all trades in his 20 years at Confer Plastics (which ended in 2006). He was a machine operator, material handler, quality assurance inspector and shipping & receiving assistant.

Doug was a longtime North Tonawanda resident who was a wonderful cook, specializing in seafood. That was a trick he picked up while living in Bar Harbor, Maine. Speaking of Bar Harbor, one of Doug's favorite stories was the time he was working as a painter in that town. He was painting a house when someone on the second floor invited him in for an afternoon of beer. His newfound drinking buddy was none other than Bob Denver, Gilligan from Gilligan's Island.

Kittinger will be missed. He was one-of-a-kind.

PHONE SERVICE AT LIBERTY DRIVE

If since mid-last week you've found it impossible to phone or e-mail our distribution facility on Liberty Drive in Wheatfield, we are sorry for the inconvenience. Verizon has an issue with the cable that feeds our facility. They will be repairing that underground line over the coming days and we hope to be connected again soon.

LABOR DAY HOLIDAY

The company will be closed on Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend!

CONFER PLASTICS AWARDED NEW PATENT

On August 25th Confer Plastics was issued patent 7,578,632 for a secure interlocking system for plastic materials. This interesting design is the brainchild of our engineer David Lipniarski and can be seen in use on our HS2 spa step.

The abstract can be viewed online at the patent office's website: http://patft.uspto.gov/

There are countless applications in which this locking system could be used. If you'd like us to manufacture your product with it -- which would make your end consumer's product assembly so easy -- please contact us.

PLASTICS TODAY REPORTS ON OUR EXPANSION

PlasticsToday.com offers this report on our expansion:

http://www.plasticstoday.com/articles/confer-plastics-adds-large-blowmolding-machine

FOLLOW CPI ON TWITTER

In an effort to keep connected with our friends and business partners, Confer Plastics has opened a Twitter account. You can follow us here:

http://www.twitter.com/conferplastics

CONFER FEATURED IN BUSINESS FIRST

This week's issue of Business First, Buffalo's premier business weekly, profiles Confer Plastics. You can read the article here:

http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/buffalo/stories/2009/08/17/smallb1.html

CONFER PLASTICS BUYS LARGE MACHINE

Confer Plastics, Inc. is expanding.

The company has purchased one of the largest blow molding machines in the USA, a mammoth machine with a 100-pound head. This machine will be up and running at Confer Plastics later this year and is key to the continued advancement of Confer’s status as North America’s premier large-part blow molder.

PLANT SHUTDOWN WEEK

Confer Plastics will be closed from Saturday, August 8 through Sunday, August 16 for our annual one-week, company-wide shutdown and vacation.

CONFER & THE ENVIRONMENT

Many potential clients are curious about Confer Plastics' green practices. It's a common -- and worthwhile question -- in this day and age. Therefore, we have added a "Confer & The Environment" page to our website. It reads as follows...



Many manufacturers and consumers have recently taken it upon themselves to approach the free market in an environmentally-conscious manner. They have developed an awareness of how their business and buying decisions affect the world around, striving for conservation and sustainability.

This is a relatively new endeavor for most. Not Confer Plastics. We have a long history of supporting green practices.

It starts at the top.

The company president, Doug Confer, is a man of the Earth. He was raised on a farm in rural upstate New York where he gained an appreciation for the land and the plants and creatures that thrive upon it. It’s an appreciation that he carries with him to do this day: He still lives on that spread and, through the years, has developed it into a wildlife haven where he maintains woodlots and pastures. He has also built three large ponds which are frequented by all sorts of rare migrating birds. Doug also owns a forest in the Allegheny Mountains of New York that is carefully managed to support its own diverse and fragile ecosystem that includes orchids, boreal songbirds, bears, and salamanders.

His son, Bob, has followed a similar path. He, too, has a keen interest in the environment. He has aided various programs in the mapping and tracking of birds, reptiles and amphibians in New York State and every year since the mid-90’s he has spent a couple of days with local elementary school students educating them on the unique flora and fauna of their hometown.

This is a mindset that the Confers have applied to their business. They have instituted a consistent, concerted effort to minimize their environmental impact.

You’ll notice that upon arriving at our facilities, which are just a stone’s throw away from the mighty Niagara River. Both of our tidy complexes are surrounded by woods and our headquarters is home to a marsh. These sites have become virtual refuges for animals of all sorts as they are the few woodlots in the city and residential areas in which we are located. It’s not uncommon to see deer, coyotes, hawks, herons, and songbirds of all sorts at our factory, right in the city limits.

Those facilities are cleaner than what people typically might envision. When someone hears “manufacturing” they think smokestacks and billowing clouds of smoke. Not at Confer Plastics. We don’t have smokestacks, nor do we put pollutants into the air. We have a clean and safe process that meets all state and federal emission standards.

Our operations are powered by clean energy. We don’t have solar panels or windmills, but almost all of our power comes from the Niagara Power Project that uses the Niagara River to create hydroelectricity. It’s among the cleanest energy sources in the US - no coal, no nuclear, no natural gas - just the power of Mother Nature herself. We have practices in place that minimize waste of that precious energy by conserving energy and investing in state-of-the-art capacitors and equipment.

We also do a lot to conserve materials. All of our plastic scrap is used in-house. It doesn’t go to a landfill. We closely monitor the usage of this material (called “regrind”) to ensure that there is little left over. Any regrind that is left over is used on a few jobs that can consume all of it.

The material used in our products is high density polyethylene and the compounds used to color them are free of heavy metals, ensuring their recyclability if you planned to dispose of your product…which we hope you don’t. Confer Plastics does not manufacture commodity or disposable items. We manufacture only durable goods of the highest integrity. Unlike many products on the marketplace, all of our goods are manufactured with long-term UV additives which ensure they do not fade or become brittle because of the sun’s rays. We don’t want our products in a dump because of poor quality. We want them – and expect them – to last a lifetime.

Many of those products that we produce for our clients have a special relationship to the environment. We manufacture for three different companies various styles of plastic gourds that are used to house purple martins, birds that have become totally dependent on human assistance in nesting. We manufacture a floating/suspended breakwater the environmental benefits of which far exceed a standard break wall. And, perfect for the marketplace’s newfound environmental awareness, we produce for a client their various composters, compost tumblers and rain barrels.

If you would like more information about these and other environmentally-friendly behaviors and practices utilized by Confer Plastics, please do not hesitate to contact us.

BOB CONFER GETS NEW WEEKLY COLUMN

Since 2005 Bob Confer, the vice-president of Confer Plastics, has written a weekly column for the Greater Niagara Newspapers, focusing on small government, free markets, and personal responsibility. These columns can be read at www.BobConfer.net

Bob is getting another column beginning next week, this one with national exposure. He will contribute a weekly editiorial to the online and print versions of the New American at www.thenewamerican.com

UPCOMING HOLIDAY

In celebration of Independence Day, Confer Plastics will be closed on Friday, July 3rd. Regular business hours will resume on Monday, July 6th.

ANOTHER CONFER PLASTICS DESIGN

Confer Plastics' engineer, Dave Lipniarski, worked with one of our customers in the design of a new product application. It's a crowd control barrier with rotatable legs. Patent No. 7,540,682 was issued yesterday. It was invented by Dave and Marc Christensen of Salt Lake City.

You can read about the patent here:

http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/7540682.html

This is our staff's third patent in two years.

CONFER PLASTICS HISTORY

A new page was added to our website looking at the history of Confer Plastics and the Confer family. Give it a look here: http://conferplastics.com/about.php

ATLANTIC DESIGN & MANUFACTURING SHOW

Confer Plastics will be an exhibitor at the upcoming Atlantic Design & Manufacturing Show to be held in New York City.

Dennis Lederhouse will be on hand to answer any questions that you may have about our custom blow-molding operations. Pay him a visit at booth # 262 where you'll be able to see a variety of the products -- both large and small -- that we manufacture.

If you'd like some information in advance about our custom molding processes check out our website at:

http://conferplastics.com/custom.php

POOL & SPA NEWS MISPRINT

The May 29th, 2009 edition of Pool & Spa News featured a section on pool and spa enclosures. Among the items that they highlighted....

This is a misprint. We discontinued our line of gazebos and pavilions in the Fall of 2008.

We are sorry for any confusion.

NATIONAL HARDWARE SHOW: MAY 5 - 7

Stop by our booth and visit Confer Plastics at the National Hardware Show, May 5 - 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada. We can be found in the Lawn, Garden, and Outdoor Living section at booth number 12257.

On display will be the complete line of Leisure Accents furniture: bistro tables, pinic tables, bars and more.

For more information about the show, visit:

http://www.nationalhardwareshow.com/

We look forward to seeing you!

CPI HAVING PHONE/E-MAIL PROBLEMS

If you've had a difficult time calling and e-mailing Confer Plastics on Wednesday, April 15th, you are not alone. The phone lines and internet connections have been down most of the day -- as they have throughout the area -- due to an operational issue at the local Verizon center. This MAY continue into Thursday, but Verizon is hoping to have the problem rectified soon.

THE 7200 LADDER: ONE OF 2009'S TOP NEW PRODUCTS

Our #7200 ladder -- with its patented roll-guard safety feature -- was selected as one of Pool & Spa News’ Top 50 Products of 2009. It will be highlighted in their May 15th issue.

If you are a pool/spa dealer or distributor interested in adding this swimming pool ladder to your products offered, please contact us at:

plastics@conferplastics.com

CONFER LADDERS & STEPS MEET CODE

A few of our competitors manufacture swimming pool ladders and steps that are not code-compliant.

Confer Plastics' products, on the other hand, do meet code.

Our self-closing, self-latching gate, when properly installed on the following products, will satisfy most building inspector requirements: Double Pool Entry System with gate, Step-Enclosure System with gate, and SIG System.

Our current models of A-frame ladders and Inpool (Deck) ladders all meet the current ANSI/APSP standards.

But, be aware that the above statements are no guarantee that a local building inspector will not impose additional requirements on the homeowner.

LEADERSHIP NIAGARA TOURS CONFER PLASTICS

28 members of this year's Leadership Niagara class toured Confer Plastics on March 19th 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.


If your community organization would like to tour our factory send an e-mail to Bob Confer at bob@conferplastics.com

BUY AMERICAN!

When you're buying Confer Plastics products you can rest assured that all of our products are blow-molded right here in the good ol' US of A. You can't say that about our competitors' products...many of their spa steps and swimming pool ladders/setps are made in China.

With American-made goods you get quality, service, and safety...and you keep your fellow Americans employed, truly stimulating our economy. You can't say that about Asian-made goods.

CPI's vice-president, Bob Confer, is a columnist for the Greater Niagara Newspapers. In this week's column he wrote about the importance of buying American. Here it is...



BUY AMERICAN, BUY LOCAL
By Bob Confer

The American Experience is defined by our unprecedented combination of brain and brawn. Our predecessors, dreaming dreams of Manifest Destiny, tamed a wild land, giving up blood, sweat, and even their lives to make a better world for their children and their children’s children. From those seeds of the American Dream, great metropolises sprung up like forests of concrete and steel, fitted with impressive architecture and ever-evolving factories that gave housing and goods to our burgeoning population. Those modern marvels and what they wrought have continued to develop over the years, and, without a doubt, they have made America the most powerful economic engine that the world has ever seen.

The path that got us to that level, one that took our nation from nothing to everything, was paved by ingenuity and work ethic that was without peer. The infrastructure, technology, science and products that provided the riches of the past and present were once but thoughts, fully developed and ultimately realized by some of the keenest minds ever, made real by some of the hardest-working hands and backs ever. America was made - and it is made - by Americans.

It is important that we never forget that. But, now, it must take on an even-greater meaning.

Our economy is in tatters with consumer confidence at record lows and the stock markets a daily roller coaster of misery. Millions of workers have lost their jobs in recent months. Many more live in fear that they, too, might become jobless this year or next.

How do we stave off this recessionary monster and the economic and mental depression that comes with it? How do we reignite the fire within our markets? How do we keep people employed and give them the confidence to buy?

Those questions have been asked time and time again for almost a half year now. Businessmen, civic leaders, and regular folk alike, all deeply affected by this tragedy, want answers, answers that will pan out in the end and put America on the fast-track to recovery. They’ve all thrown around ideas, imposing some while debating many, concepts from bailouts to rebates to nationalization to stimulus packages.

They’re all wrong. The economy doesn’t start with Uncle Sam. It begins at home. It’s we as consumers in a free marketplace who save, invest, and spend our money on products and services.

Realize, though, that it begins at home in more ways than one. The very best stimulus that our economy could ever have is from our consumers focusing on buying American and buying local. That is what made our country great and that’s what will bring us out of our supposed demise. It was Americans building and selling things to Americans that created our prosperity and the quality of life we have appreciated. History proves that.

We’ve lost sight of that importance. In days gone by we did not rely on foreign production as we do now. Historically, we never had trade deficits that were not in our favor. We did not toss away American workers and decent products for inferior, foreign-made goods to save a few dollars here and there. We did not buy our products in cold, multinational department stores. No, in the past, we as a people made what we bought, and we bought those goods in stores owned and run by our neighbors. We looked out for one another by basing our buying decisions on pride of workmanship, quality, and Country.

We need to get back to those roots. We must frequent the mom and pop stores, the locally-owned franchises and roadside stands, putting the global corporate conglomerates at a distant second. We must analyze the labels of everything we buy from them, from food to clothes to durables to cars, ensuring that they were made on America soil by American hands and American minds.

As buyers become tighter with their dollars and buy less of many yet more of quality they’ll find that American products will make the best investment of their spending dollar, not only in terms of a better-made product, but also to the bigger picture of investing in our national well-being. It is such a simple and effective stimulant: if we buy goods that are made in America we employ American workers, managers, designers and farmers all who extract American resources and turn them into the goods we need and want. So, please buy what they make, keep money in America and ensure that they - our friends, families, and fellow citizens – are all gainfully employed. The payback of buying patriotically is an economic, emotional, and national victory.

CPI TO ATTEND ATLANTIC CITY SHOW

Confer Plastics will be at the NESPA Atlantic City Show, to be held January 27 & 28 (noon to 6pm) and the 29th (10am – 2pm).

Stop by and visit us at booth # is 3127. We will be featuring our new #7200 Roll-Guard A-frame ladder and displaying our SIG Step/Inpool/Gate system as well as our Leisure Accents Spa and Patio products.

We look forward to seeing you.

CONFER PLASTICS TURNS 36!!

Confer Plastics, Inc. celebrates its 36th anniversary on January 22nd.

Confer Plastics was founded in 1973 by the late Ray Confer and his son Doug. The company invented the first plastic swimming pool ladder back in the 70’s. The company continues to manufacture pool ladders and steps and, about 10 years ago, Confer Plastics delved into the spa industry, manufacturing a line of spa steps, spa pads, gazebos, and patio furniture.

Bob Confer, the third-generation vice-president of Confer Plastics, says, "36 years is a remarkable achievement, especially in this day and age of global economies and an ever-changing business climate. What makes it even more special is the fact that we’re still making everything right here in the US. All this success couldn’t be achieved were it not for some really great customers and coworkers."

Confer Plastics also manufactures custom OEM goods, ranging from items as small as toner bottles to as large as kayaks. The company employs 110 people in its two facilities in the Niagara Falls, NY area.

More information about the company can be found at www.conferplastics.com

CONFER PLASTICS IS NOT HIRING

With the economy like it is, many folks who are now unemployed have recently stopped-by or called the factory looking for a job.

Unfortunately, we cannot help any job seekers. There are enough unknowns in the economy that we are keeping our employment levels where they are and we're instituting a hiring freeze for 2009.

Good luck in your job-seeking endeavors.

BLAST FROM THE PAST: THE COL. SANDERS PIGGY BANK

Once a month on this blog we’ll look at a product that was manufactured by Confer Plastics, Inc. in days gone by. For our initial installment we’ll look at the Colonel Sanders piggy bank.

We manufactured this product in 1977 and 1978 for the Margardt Corporation which was run by the Colonel’s daughter, Margaret Sanders. Known as his “Spicy Daughter”, Ms. Sanders, who once went searching for the lost city of Atlantis, toured our facility which at the time was housed at the end of the Roblin Steel complex.

The piggy bank was available in three different colors: red, yellow, and white and it was the classic Colonel pose…bespectacled, cane in hand, holding a bucket of KFC. It stands about 8” high and has a coin slot in the bank.

The banks were distributed as giveaways at Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants throughout the United States. Over the life of the project we made tens of thousands of these banks. Many of them can now be found as collector’s items on EBay, selling in the $5 to $12 range.