LABOR DAY

Confer Plastics will be closed Saturday, September 1st through Monday, September 3rd in observance of Labor Day and in celebration of everyone who works at CPI. Enjoy Summer's last hurrah!

7100 SWIMMING POOL LADDER GETS A FACELIFT

The popular 7100 a-frame swimming pool ladder is getting a facelift for the 2013 season.

First, the color is being changed from all white to warm grey, the more subdued light grey that is the color used on our 7200 ladder and our Leisure Accents patio furniture line. This will allow the ladder to more match today’s swimming pool colors.

Secondly, the 7100-B will become the 7100-X thanks to an engineering change. The rails have been split in two and connect together with nuts and bolts.

This won’t at all affect the functionality, strength or quality of the product for the consumer, but it will yield lower costs for consumers and dealers/distributors alike.

How so?

But splitting the rails in two, we shrink the size of the carton. What was once 74” long is now 54” long. That means more ladders on a truck (decreasing shipping costs), more products on the shelves (decreasing warehousing costs) and lower UPS/Fed-Ex costs for single ladder shipments. As more dealers add internet stores to their offerings and more internet stores without brick-and-mortar store fronts come into the industry, single unit orders shipped to the end consumer are becoming more common.

Just look at the savings afforded by the modified ladder through UPS…

From our plant to California, what was once $42 is now $33.

From our plant to Florida, what once was $28 is now $20.

From our plant to Illinois, what was $25 is now $16.

Those are some pretty significant savings.

If you’d like more information about the new 7100, please contact Bruce Neubauer at bruce@conferplastics.com

CONFER PRODUCTS CAN BE RECYCLED

A few times a year we are asked if our products can be recycled.

The material used in our products is high density polyethylene (falling under the number "2" recycling logo) and the compounds used to color them are free of heavy metals, ensuring their recyclability if you planned to dispose of your product. 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.

But, we understand that some parts may require disposal -- such as when you convert one of our a-frame swimming pool ladders into a deck ladder. When you do make that conversion, if your local municipality has a recycling program in their waste management systems, they will take the leftover parts.

CONFER PLASTICS NOW HIRING

In the next couple of weeks, Confer Plastics will be bringing on new personnel. We are looking for 3 machine operators for each of our 3 shifts. These individuals will take plastic product from our machines, cut & trim it, conduct light assembly and then package the items.

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 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

You need to apply in a timely fashion. Our "boot camp" will be held on Thursday, August 30th with work beginning on September 4th.

MACHINISTS POSITIONS FILLED

In recent blog posts and listings on the Department of Labor database, we had been looking for skilled machinists. The search has concluded. Over the past 2 months we hired 3 machinists, so now our machine shop is fully staffed.

LITTLE MISS CONFER SHOWS OFF OUR "MADE IN AMERICA" SPIRIT

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY SUMMER CAMP TOURS CONFER PLASTICS

On July 25th, 25 high schoolers who will be entering the 10th grade toured Confer Plastics as a part of Niagara University's Career and College Readiness Camp. These inquisitive and mature teens are all Niagara Falls city residents who are striving to be the first generation of their families to attend College.

They got to learn about manufacturing and the skill sets & educational requirements required for a career in industry, and they got to see our blow molding operations first hand.

The 3-week long Camp was established by NU professor Dr. Roselind Bogner to serve as a springboard to the Smart Scholars Early College High School (ECHS) program. The state-funded initiative pairs institutions of higher learning with public school districts to give select high school students the opportunity to earn up to 30 free college credits.

“Career development is a process that requires students to be self-aware, as well as knowledgeable about the world of work,” stated Dr. Bogner. “In order for students to make a successful transition to a career and college, they must be academically and developmentally prepared to meet many challenges.”

ANNUAL SHUTDOWN WEEK

Confer Plastics will be closed from Saturday, June 30th through Sunday, July 8th. This is our annual shutdown week & plant-wide vacation.

The scheduling of this shutdown gives our coworkers some time to rest and enjoy the summer with their families. It also gives us time to focus on preventive maintenance of our blow molding machines and electrical infrastructure.

No manufacturing or assembly will be occurring during that week. There will, though, be a skeleton crew on site to handle shipping and receiving as well as some basic business functions over abbreviated hours (9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., on July 2, 3, 5 and 6).

If you would like to ensure shipments during this period, please get in touch with your Confer Plastics contact as soon as possible so accommodations can be made.

Enjoy the Independence Day holiday!