plastics community study
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2016 Plastics Community Study
PlasticsToday Meets Readers Needs
How would you rate PlasticsToday in each of the following areas?
alerting you to suppliers and products you were previously unaware of
helping stimulate ideas for new or different technological solutions
alerting you to specific products/services that may address problems or opportunities
69%
70%
75%
Readers Turn to PlasticsToday First
What is your level of agreement with the following statement about PlasticsToday?
agree44%
strongly disagree2%disagree
7%
neutral37%
strongly agree10%
Topics of Interest
What topics would you be most interested in reading about in future issues of PlasticsToday?
people on the move (e.g., job changes, promotions)
opinion pieces
plastics in building/construction
troubleshooting
product introductions
industry trends/analysis
materials research
breaking industry news
13%
15%
21%
44%
54%
60%
62%
66%
Other Topics of Interest
What topics would you be most interested in reading about in future issues of PlasticsToday?
Topics of Interest
Which of these industry trends/topics interest you the most?
industry association news
employment trends/challenges
mergers and acquisitions
market statistics
education/training news
industry trends and analysis
equipment news
end-use applications (automotive, medical, packaging, building and construction, etc.)
product design
new products and services
emerging technologies (e.g., 3D printing, Industry 4.0)
14%
18%
21%
25%
37%
38%
46%
49%
52%
72%
75%
Satisfaction of Website Features
How would you rate PlasticsToday's website, PlasticsToday.com, in each of the following areas?
ability to interact/engage (e.g., commenting)
quick poll
end-market coverage
functionality
overall design
navigation
topics selection
44%
45%
54%
60%
60%
60%
60%
Monthly Use of Resources
About how often do you use each of the following resources for work-related purposes?
industry conferences/trade shows
online communities (e.g., chat rooms, bulletin boards, blogs/user groups)
industry analysts/research organizations (e.g., Frost, Gartner)
direct mail
case studies/white papers
online supplier directories
webcasts/webinars
suppliers' sales reps
suppliers' e-newsletters/emails
online catalogs
social media (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter)
online engineering tools/calculators
videos (e.g., product demos, corporate profiles)
trade publication: e-newsletters
trade publication: websites
trade publications: print format
suppliers' websites
trade publications: digital format
word-of-mouth/peers/colleagues
20%
23%
29%
35%
40%
41%
42%
46%
48%
49%
50%
52%
59%
60%
61%
62%
66%
67%
67%
First Place to Learn of New Technology
Through which resources do you typically FIRST hear about new work-related technologies, products, or companies?
industry analysts/research organizations (e.g., Frost, Gartner)
online supplier directories
videos (e.g., product demos, corporate profiles)
online communities (e.g., chat rooms, bulletin boards, blogs/user groups)
online engineering tools/calculators
case studies/white papers
online catalogs
direct mail
webcasts/webinars
suppliers' e-newsletters/emails
social media (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter)*
suppliers' websites
industry conferences/trade shows
suppliers' sales reps
trade publication: websites
trade publication: e-newsletters
word-of-mouth/peers/colleagues
trade publications: print format
trade publications: digital format
5%
7%
8%
8%
9%
12%
12%
12%
14%
16%
17%
18%
22%
23%
25%
34%
36%
44%
49%
Trade Show & Conference Attendance
About how many of each of the following industry events do you attend in a typical year?
conferences: paid
conferences: free
trade shows
1
1.4
1.8
Trade Show & Conference Attendance
Assuming the content is interesting and relevant, how likely would you be to attend an industry TRADE SHOW/CONFERENCE in each of the following scenarios?
the conference offers continuing education credits
you have to fly to the location
the event sponsors evening/after-event networking activities
the conference location is beyond 300 miles from your home
the event is multiple days (requiring overnight stay)
the trade show location is beyond 300 miles from your home
the city/destination of the event is appealing to you
you can travel by car to the location within a day
travel/lodging is paid for by your company
18%
21%
23%
23%
24%
28%
32%
52%
53%
Trade Show & Conference Attendance
In the past two years, what trade shows or conferences have you and/or your company attended (either as attendees or as vendors)?
Plastindia
Biopolymers Symposium
JEC
FAKUMA
Medical Grade Polymers
Plastimagen
Plastics Recycling Conference
INTERPLAS
BIOMEDevice
Chinaplas
Interpack
ANTEC
K-Show
Design & Manufacturing
PACK EXPO
MD&M
PLASTEC, PLAST-Ex, Expoplast
NPE
2%
2%
2%
4%
4%
5%
6%
6%
9%
9%
12%
15%
16%
18%
25%
28%
30%
35%
Primary Job Function
Which of the following best describes your PRIMARY job function?
corporate man-agement
18%
sales/marketing18%
production/manufac-turing
9%plant management
4%purchasing
3%QA/QC
2%
none of these6%
engineering40%
Primary Business Activity
Which of these best describe the primary business activities of your company?
blowmolding
extrusion pipe and profile
thermoforming
extrusion film and sheet
moldmaker/moldmaking services
materials/resins/additives/colorants
injection molding
9%
10%
10%
14%
15%
23%
39%
Approved Vendor List Use
Does your company currently work with an approved supplier/vendor list?
no21%
no answer2%
yes77%
Involvement with Vendor Selection
When your firm seeks to identify and evaluate suppliers/vendors, how are you typically involved?
other
prepare reports/presentations on the alternatives
participate in planning/budgeting
involved in or supervise the evaluation process
involved in the final decisions/approve recommendations of others
research/recommend suppliers to evaluate
identify specific needs for a new or different technology
meet with suppliers
6%
22%
26%
34%
39%
52%
54%
58%
Final Decision in Vendor Selection
When selecting suppliers/vendors, how important are the following factors in your final decision?
brand recognition
word-of-mouth reputation
number of years the supplier has served the market
qualifications (e.g., ISO, GMP)
price
technical abilities
quality of product/service
35%
54%
59%
68%
77%
90%
92%
Purchase Timing in the Next Two Years
When is your company planning to purchase items and/or services in each of the following categories?
Time Frame Auxiliary Equipment MachineryMaterials (E.G., Resins, Additives, Colorants) Mold/Dies
2 years or later 6% 9% 4% 4%1 up to 2 years 17% 21% 6% 11%within 12 months 28% 28% 55% 36%never 10% 10% 9% 16%don't know 33% 28% 22% 28%no answer 6% 4% 4% 5%
Age of Equipment
How many years has your company had its major manufacturing equipment/systems for plastics processing?
10 years or more60%
5 - 9 years11%
fewer than 5 years23%
no answer6%
28% of companies
plan to replace equipment within two
years
Business Challenges
In what areas is your company experiencing challenges?
mergers/acquisitions of firms
integrating the activities of our departments, facilities, and/or suppliers
responding to pressures for custom products/services
re-engineering our business process
needing to open new revenue streams/markets
introducing higher quality products/services
more competitors/more aggressive competitors
dealing with regulatory issues (e.g., safety, environment)
conducting business globally
staying current with rapidly changing technology
effectively implementing technological improvements
responding to pressures for less costly products/services
less experienced/less educated work force
increased pressures for productivity
creating products/services that have a competitive edge
shortening development/process/production time
increased pressures for profitability
9%
12%
13%
14%
16%
17%
22%
23%
24%
25%
25%
27%
29%
29%
30%
33%
40%
Time in Industry
Approximately how many years of experience do you have working in the plastics processing industry, in any role and for any employer?
40 or more11%
30 - 3922%
25 - 2912%
20 - 2411%
15 - 1913%
10 - 1411%
5 - 98%
1 - 46%
less than 15%
no answer1%
The average age of the
community is 53.5 or
older
Methodology
The findings cited in this report are based on a survey sponsored by UBM. The purpose of this researchproject was to measure engagement with and opinions of various media channels among the audiencestudied, as well as to learn about their involvement in the plastics industry.
The survey sample of 18,812 included two audience segments within UBM’s plastic industry database:• all emailable, domestic, non-UBM-employee (based on email address) recipients of PlasticsToday who have
opened an email from Plastics Today at least three times in the last 6 months• all emailable, domestic, non-UBM-employee (based on email address) individuals who registered for or attended
a UBM plastics event (PLASTEC, PLAST-Ex, and/or Expoplast) in the last 12 months
The survey was designed jointly by PlasticsToday and Readex. Placement of the survey on a web page, distribution of the electronic survey invitations, and tabulation of the results were handled by Readex. On August 22, 2016, Readex contacted all sample members via an email in the name of UBM’s marketing manager, which included a link to the survey, asking for their participation in the study. As an incentive to participate, respondents were able to enter into a drawing for a chance to win one of two $100 Visa gift cards. Reminder emails were sent on August 25 and 29 to those with deliverable email addresses who had not yet responded.
In an effort to understand the impact incentive language within the subject line of an email has on response, UBM and Readex agreed to deploy a test during this study. The sample was randomly divided into two segments: one segment with a typical subject line (i.e., no mention of incentive), while the other received an email which included the mention of the incentive giveaway in the subject line. With the exception of the presence (or absence) of the incentive language in the subject line, the survey and correspondence were otherwise identical.
About Readex Research• Readex Research is a nationally recognized independent research
company located in Stillwater, Minnesota. Its roots are in survey research for the magazine publishing industry, but specialization in conducting high-quality survey research (by mail and/or the Internet) has brought clients from many other markets, including associations, corporate marketers and communicators, and government agencies. Since its founding in 1947, Readex has completed thousands of surveys for hundreds of different clients.
• As a full-service survey research supplier, Readex offers professional services, and in-house processing of all phases of each project (traditional mailing, broadcast emailing, and data processing) to ensure complete control over project quality and schedule. Analytical capabilities include a range of multivariate statistics and modeling techniques in addition to the more traditional stub-and-banner tabulations.
• This survey was conducted and this report was prepared by Readex in accordance with accepted research standards and practices.
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