How U.S. processors cope.Globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation . To many domestic processors, it signifies "cheap imports" and "outsourcing" and is about as welcome as bird flu bird flu: see influenza. bird flu or avian influenza viral respiratory disease, mainly of birds including poultry and waterbirds but also transmissible to humans. . Number one on these processors' list of worries is foreign competition in regions of lower labor cost that can steal away Verb 1. steal away - leave furtively and stealthily; "The lecture was boring and many students slipped out when the instructor turned towards the blackboard" slip away, sneak away, sneak off, sneak out domestic customers. But globalization need not be a dirty word. A number of firms see it as an opportunity as well as a challenge: They have taken the initiative to set up plants, joint ventures, or alliances abroad to take advantage of fast-growing local markets and capture a competitive advantage to benefit their existing OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) The rebranding of equipment and selling it. The term initially referred to the company that made the products (the "original" manufacturer), but eventually became widely used to refer to the organization that buys the products and customers. Not every processing business is vulnerable to overseas competition. Some products are too bulky to ship across an ocean; some are made in too-small quantities; some have short product lives and frequent changes; and some need delivery on too-short notice. Some processors have deliberately sought out such market niches to insulate themselves from foreign competition. Others gird themselves against overseas competitors by adopting technologies that give them an edge in efficiency, productivity, and quality. To explore this variety of strategies and how they are being applied, PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY editors interviewed processors in the fields of injection molding injection molding n. A manufacturing process for forming objects, as of plastic or metal, by heating the molding material to a fluid state and injecting it into a mold. (p. 48), extrusion (p. 53), blow molding (p. 57), and thermoforming (p. 61). Their approaches may give others ideas for how to meet the global challenge. --Matthew H. Naitove, Editor |
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