EDITORIAL
The ‘K’ catalyst
T
he timing seems to be just right! With K 2010 - the biggest show on earth for the plastics & rubber fraternity – returning this month after three years, it is heartening to see brisk economic recovery in the global mega trends, especially that of the emerging markets. Beyond the slowdown, it is more reassuring to observe that the pace of business revival has been quite faster than the rate at which it slumped last year. As the market dynamics evolve, innovative products along with state-of-theart manufacturing processes will harbinger added change. The focus will be on leveraging highly flexible and customised manufacturing processes to substantially raise productivity levels coupled with better product quality and less downtime. However, at the moment, ensuring product availability and maintaining delivery timelines with necessary service support seem to be the main focus of the industry. The question is – how does an organisation make that differentiation and get an edge over the competition? Well, going by the changing user perspective, the answer lies in delivering complete solutions rather than merely supplying some products. Besides, with eco-awareness on the rise, it is imperative for the industry to continuously
trim down the carbon footprint on the part of both producers and end-users. Technology upgradation is another area that calls for immediate attention as well. In a holistic view, it is essential to practise continuous improvement in all aspects of business. While the sudden slump of last year has thrown several unique challenges, it has also brought in many new prospects. As ‘constantly changing customer needs’ is the only ‘constant factor’ in the manufacturing arena, the role of visionary organisations that pursue innovation (in products & processes) and smart talent management may provide that additional winning edge. This Special Edition reflects all these and more! Turn to the exclusive ‘Leaders Speak’ section in ‘K Special’ to discern what some of the captains of the global plastics industry have to say. Believe, you will gain from exploring this eclectic mix of latest news, views and analysis as much as we enjoyed putting it together! At this ‘K’, our coordinates are Hall: EN1 / Booth: 03. Hope to see you there!
Editorial Advisory Board A E Ladhabhoy Plastics Technologist
Dr Sushil K Verma Former Director General, CIPET
Dr Swapan K Dhara Regional Technical Head, Basell Polyolefins India Pvt Ltd
Mohan K Jain MD, Indoplast & past president, AIPMA
P P Kharas Chairman, Ecoplast
Raman M Patel Chairman, Industrial Products Mfg Co
Vijay Merchant President, Polycraft
Manas R Bastia
Editor manas@infomedia18.in
Associate Vice President Sudhanva Jategaonkar
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