BLAST FROM THE PAST: MARX SLEDS

Occasionally on this blog we reminisce about days gone by and look back at products we manufactured years ago. One such product is the sled we made for the Louis Marx Toy Company.

The one-time toy giant that was based in the United States contracted with us to make these popular blue sleds in the mid-1970s just prior to the Marx Company's 1978 collapse (after it had been in business since 1919). These sleds were sold by the thousands throughout the Northeast and could be found in stores like Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward's.

Many Generation Xers of colder climes remember riding on them and, surprisingly, many of their parents still have the sleds! They have held up to the test of time and 30 years later they can still hit the slopes. That's what you call quality manufacturing ;)

For more information about Louis Marx visit these websites that look back at the history of the company:

http://www.marxmuseum.com/

http://www.marxtoymuseum.com/

NORTH TONAWANDA MAYOR TOURS CPI

The new mayor of the City of North Tonawanda, Rob Ortt, toured Confer Plastics on February 17th as a part of his business & community outreach endeavor.

Rob and his team spoke with Bob Confer about the history and future of Confer Plastics. The Mayor was able to see the factory in operation, with items like kayaks, docks, and pool ladders in production.

Rob is a young mayor -- just 30 years of age -- who brings youth, drive and a positive attitude to the position which bodes well for North Tonawanda's future.

LYNC TOURS CONFER PLASTICS

Since 2001, LYNC (Leadership for the Youth of Niagara County) has brought together youth leaders – high school juniors and seniors - from diverse backgrounds throughout Niagara County for experiential leadership training and character development. Modeled after Leadership Niagara, LYNC is a program designed to equip youth leaders with essential skills and motivation to respond to the challenges facing our community. Students representing every school district in Niagara County participate in the program. The students participate in skill building sessions in diversity, communication, leadership, and personal performance.

LYNC toured Confer Plastics on Thursday as a part of their economy and business day in which they get a chance to experience how the world works. This was a real eye-opener as most kids have never seen how the products they consume are made. They also heard a speech from Bob Confer about the the trials and joys of running a small business.

More information abot LYNC can be found at:

http://www.leadershipniagara.org/lync.php

A MESSAGE TO OUR CUSTOMERS (RE: PRICING)

The plastic materials market is in a very tenuous position.

Low domestic demand, a result of the recession, has forced many resin producers to tighten their belts and therefore their supply. At the same time, international demand has risen courtesy of the growing economies of China and India. To accommodate that shift in market dynamics, the big players in the chemicals industry have focused their efforts on satisfying overseas demand.

All of this led to domestic delivery issues over the course of 2009. Those problems will persist in 2010 and will probably grow in scale as producers actually shut down North American ethylene production facilities just as Dow recently did.

Based on the laws of supply and demand – more manufacturers vying for less material – the price of resin is scheduled to go up in excess of 24% in February and March. Other increases are in the works for the remainder of 2010. It may prove to be a period as volatile as 2007-2008 when material costs exceeded 90 cents a pound.

That said, Confer Plastics will have to revisit pricing throughout the year, even for those who have submitted blanket purchase orders or are hoping for fixed pricing through an entire marketing year. Confer Plastics will have to adjust our quoted prices to you on a regular basis and, depending on the severity and number of the spikes in resin costs, it may occur as often as every 45 days.

We will endeavor to achieve the best possible prices we can in an effort to minimize the financial impact to both you and Confer Plastics. But, please understand it won’t be an easy task. The plastics market was not healthy prior to the recession and with certain facets of the world’s economy becoming healthy the inherent weaknesses of the market will be realized again.

As the market puts out more feelers about the future I will be sure to keep you in the loop.

Sincerely,

Bob Confer