The 2020 Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference will be held virtually.
Please watch a message from Tim Capps, president, Par 4 Plastics and MAPP board president, and Troy Nix, MAPP executive director, here.
Please read our press release about the virtual Conference here.
The goal of the Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference is to help plastics companies improve their operations and tactics in order to impact bottom-line profits. This year’s Benchmarking and Best Practices conference will address leadership, operational best practices, the latest financial benchmarks, sales and marketing, and the impact of employees on the bottom-line and much more.
The Conference staff has created a schedule packed with best practices, leading-edge benchmarks, expert presentations and the best networking opportunities in the industry.
OPERATIONAL BEST PRACTICES
LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES
SUPERIOR NETWORKING
FINANCIAL BENCHMARKS
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT!
Member Pricing: grants access for the individual to the entire week of live programming and unlimited access to the event library
$379 — Member pricing through August 19, 2020
$449 — Member pricing after August 19, 2020
Company-wide Pricing: grants access for every individual in the company to the entire week of live programming and unlimited access to the event library
$1,796 — Company-wide pricing through August 19, 2020
$1,949 - Company-wide pricing after August 19, 2020
Processors Only
Non Member Pricing: grants access for the individual to the entire week of live programming and unlimited access to the event library
$559
Industry Service Providers (or sponsors):
If you are a company that provides a service to the plastics industry please contact Letha Keslar about attending this event. You can reach Letha at 317-913-2440 or lkeslar@mappinc.com
PLEASE NOTE THE TIMES ARE EDT
MONDAY - OCTOBER 19
11:00 Break It Down – A Survival Tactic for a Better You!
Troy Nix, Executive Director
The year 2020 has been full of challenges and has created difficulties for nearly everyone in our society. In fact, a recent study has revealed that the domino impact of the pandemic and social unrest has profoundly impacted the personal lives of Americans where nearly nine-in-ten adults say their life has changed in some way. During his opening keynote presentation, Troy Nix will help conference participants understand the value of being mentally and physically tested and how the results of being personally challenged can have a powerful impact and brighten our futures.
11:30 AM The Unpardonable Sins of Leadership
Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP, CPAE
Traditionally, conferences provide attendees advice on how to improve professionally. However, sometimes the traditional conference leaves out some of the most important skills that a leader needs to improve upon – or the key mistakes all leaders make. The 2020 Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference keynote, Philip Van Hooser has committed all the leadership mistakes and shares his poignant story during his keynote “Unpardonable Sins of Leadership."
During Van Hooser’s high-energy keynote he will highlight three behaviors leaders should recognize and avoid -- now and forever. Practical, focused, and timely, Van Hooser is sure to get each and everyone one of us reflecting on how we empathize, engage, motivate, and capitalize on talents and knowledge in the face of adversity.
Sponsored by INCOE, MBS Advisors and PolySource
1:00 PM 2020 BC LAB 1
The BC LABS are comprised of a series of parallel presentation sessions or learning tracks suggested for each functional area below. Each BC LAB is designed to equip attendees with indispensable insights, advice, and tools to achieve the mission-critical priorities of today and build the successful organizations of tomorrow.
Below are the learning tracks for the 2020 Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference LABS:
Since the theory is different than practical implementation, many of the BC LABS will be presented by processors. Attendees will learn from their peers.
Labs for this session include:
2:00 PM Expo Hall
Traditionally the Benchmarking Conference exhibit hall is known for being a dynamic gathering of MAPP Sponsors. We might have just (virtually) shrunk the “roof” a bit, but we’re still gathering our partners to showcase their products and services and engage with you during the live event. You’ll have the opportunity to visit various sponsors in our Virtual Expo Hall. And if you’re lucky, you could win some fabulous prizes from our sponsors during the event (not virtual prizes either – the real deal!)
The sponsors can be visited at any time during this weeklong conference.
The 2020 Virtual Conference & Expo allows you access to booth content, including education videos and product brochures, virtually all year round.
2:30 PM Peer-to-Peer Exchanges
This session is back by popular demand! Growing peer-to-peer networks is a primary component of the Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference. Attendees will have the chance to interact with peer groups during this session on topics that are unique to their job functions in their specific groups. Driven by past attendee feedback, these focused sessions have been highly requested and are expected to be one of the biggest hits of this year’s conference. They are a perfect way for professionals to find new ideas, expand their professional networks and explore new methods of improvement. Areas covered will be finance CFO/ERP/IT and Quality
4:00 PM 2020 BC LAB 2
Labs for this session include:
4:50 PM End of Day Recap
TUESDAY - OCTOBER 20
Brought you by Stout, VIVE & Yushin
9:00 - 10:00 AM Pre-Con Session presented by Chase Plastics Services
Understanding Plastics Datasheets
MAPP Members across the United States have expressed the desire to engage with one another in order to maximize the use of their ERP systems to improve manufacturing processes and support growth. MAPP has partnered with DELMIAworks to host a 90-minute interactive pre-conference virtual session, along with the opportunity to create and expand personal networks with other DELMIAworks customers.
This session will include a:
9:30 - 10:45 AM MAPP Young Professionals Pre-con Session One
“Opportunity is Knocking” Peer Networking
The first Young Professionals Pre-Conference Session will be a peer networking exchange focused on identifying and taking advantage of opportunity. Attendees will be able to discuss with peers the challenges of opportunity, potential benefits, and their own experiences, all while growing their network!
10:30 AM Expo Hall11:00 Above and Beyond and Champion Celebration
In addition to recognizing MAPP member companies, MAPP believes that it is the individuals inside the organizations that make the company and MAPP better! To that end, MAPP takes time during the year to celebrate these individuals.
MAPP CHAMPION: Each year, MAPP identifies approximately 100 individuals as MAPP Champions. MAPP Champions are the MOST engaged members.
Being identified as a MAPP Champion means that you exemplify the values and ideals of MAPP, including the spirit of sharing and camaraderie, individual contributions that build collective intelligence of the MAPP network, and business ethics of integrity and responsiveness.
Above and Beyond: 2020 was not a normal year for anyone, and individuals at companies across the United States have had to step up and take on new challenges like never before. This year, MAPP wants to recognize those individuals who made a difference at their organizations in a big way. Leadership, innovation and ingenuity happen at all levels of an organization, and MAPP believes that it is more important than ever to celebrate those team members who heard opportunity knocking and answered the door.
The recognition is given by nomination only - which means that these individuals have been recognized by co-workers at their organizations to be essential to success.
11:15 Rebound or Retreat: Ten Trends for 2020 and Beyond
Chris Kuehl
Rebound or Retreat: Ten Trends for 2020 and Beyond - As the world contends with the dual threat of a pandemic and a global recession the business community faces a different set of future patterns. What will the "new normal" look like for sectors such as medical, automotive, light industrial and the overall consumer industries. Was there ever an "old normal". There will be both threats and opportunities and it will call on leaders to become highly strategic. This session looks at the ten most likely developments that are facing the Plastics Industry.
Sponsored by INCOE, MBS Advisors and PolySource
12:30 PM Peer-to-Peer Exchanges
This session is back by popular demand! Growing peer-to-peer networks is a primary component of the Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference. Attendees will have the chance to interact with peer groups during this session on topics that are unique to their job functions in their specific groups. Driven by past attendee feedback, these focused sessions have been highly requested and are expected to be one of the biggest hits of this year’s conference. They are a perfect way for professionals to find new ideas, expand their professional networks and explore new methods of improvement. Areas covered will be Operations, HR and Safety
12:30 PM Expo Hall
2:00 PM Ignite Session
Conference Ignite Sessions are set up to share best practices and spark creativity among attendees. These brief 7-10 minute sessions highlight the heart of the annual Benchmarking Conference: members helping other members. These sessions help attendees become better processors and solve common problems without reinventing the wheel.
During Ignite Sessions, industry peers openly share one best practice they have found to improve their businesses, allowing attendees to hear new and creative ideas they can implement in their operations. Ignite Session topics cover a variety of best practices from different business functions. While not every solution may directly translate to every organization, these sessions help attendees brainstorm new solutions they can adopt at their facilities.
2:30 PM 2020 BC LAB 3
Labs for this session include:
3:30 PM 2020 BC LAB 4
View all BC Labs descriptions here
4:30 PM Connects – HAPPY HOUR
Missing the opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones during the Benchmarking Conference receptions? Perhaps you are looking to connect with people in a particular field or with a certain set of expertise. Attendees can now participate in this year’s Connect Sessions to meet other great professionals in this fast, fun, and productive virtual networking experience.
It’s networking and connecting that’s natural, not awkward.
Want to get new ideas for your organization? Have some best practices to share? Just want to actually meet some new people in your field? The Conference Team has you covered with the Connect Sessions.
This isn’t about just exchanging business cards. It's designed to get people to engaged and find real value in connecting. You’ll meet other great manufacturing professionals who understand you and what you are going through. And even introverts will tell you this year’s Connect format is great. Join us Tuesday and Thursday for this year’s CONNECTS!
WEDNESDAY - OCTOBER 21
Brought you by Chase, Progressive & Waypoint
9:30 - 10:45 AM EDT Pre-Con Session Presented by ID Additives
What does Industry 4.0 mean for your toolroom and maintenance team?
It is very common for facilities to simply tackle whatever fire is present when their shift begins, which will prove to be costly as many situations will simply be a band-aid fix to move to the next obstacle. This will continue to be the case until the appropriate personnel sit down to review current practices and then establish an effective game plan to move forward.
9:30 - 10:45 AM MAPP Young Professionals Pre-Con Session 2
"Earning the Right To Be Heard" With Conference Keynote speaker Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP, CPAE
This practical, high-energy session will successfully get you inside the head of decision-makers in order to address the questions they must have answered to deliver what you want. You will learn a proven method for preparing and communicating high-quality ideas, professionally, thus earning you the right to be heard!
10:30 AM Expo Hall
11:00 AM Moments That Matter
Brigadier General (BG) (Ret.) Maureen LeBoeuf
Brigadier General (BG) (Ret.) Maureen LeBoeuf began her life’s journey in a small town in Western New York as the middle child of nine and became a competitive swimmer and ultimately an officer in the United States Army. In the Army, she flew helicopters, led soldiers, earned advanced degrees, taught in and ultimately led the Department of Physical Education at the United States Military Academy. In fact, when she was selected as the first woman to chair a department at West Point in its then entire 195 years history.
In her Keynote address, BG LeBoeuf will reflect upon pivotal moments in her life, those Moments that Matter, that shaped her into the leader she is today. The keynote will challenge the audience to pause in introspection and consider the moments in life, big and small, that have led them to where they are today. BG LeBoeuf will encourage participants to leverage these experiences in order to be intentional leaders who embrace their leadership journey and appreciate those individuals and experiences that had a hand in shaping them – and to consciously shape those that they lead. By sharing the moments that have mattered in her own life, the audience will be inspired to be more self-aware and cognizant of when opportunity is knocking, even in the midst of the chaos, complexity, and ambiguity that plastics leaders are navigating in these unprecedented times. Through entertaining stories infused with humor and candor, Brigadier General LeBoeuf will leave the audience inspired to lead with character, listen for the opportunities knocking and and create a legacy.
Sponsored by INCOE, MBS Advisors and PolySource
12:00 Innovation Award Ceremony
To celebrate a commitment to innovation, MAPP instituted its annual Best Practices Awards series, dedicated to honoring companies that are doing the “small” things that it takes to get ahead in an increasingly competitive marketplace and elevate the industry as a whole.
To celebrate a commitment to innovation, MAPP instituted its annual Best Practices Awards series, dedicated to honoring companies that are doing the “small” things that it takes to get ahead in an increasingly competitive marketplace and elevate the industry as a whole.
12:30 PM 2020 BC LAB 5
Labs for this session include
1:30 PM Peer-to-Peer Exchanges
Areas covered will be Sales/Marketing & Executive Stakeholders
1:30 PM Expo Hall
3:00 PM 2020 BC LAB 6
Labs for this session include:
4:00 PM 2020 BC LAB 7
Labs for this session include:
4:55 PM End of Day Recap
THURSDAY - OCTOBER 22
Brought you by Id Additives and JSW
9:30 – 10:45 AM EDT MAPP Young Professionals Pre-Con Session 3
Small-Group Mentoring Session
The Young Professionals Network began a Mentorship Program in January 2020 and has had over 30 successful mentoring relationships develop. 10+ of these mentors are willing to offer their time to young professionals in a small group setting. Those that attend this session will have the opportunity to interact with senior leaders in the industry and pick their brains for lessons and experience, receive advice on current challenges, and be impacted by our mentors.
10:30 AM Expo Hall
11:00 AM Hot Topics
Hot Topic & Coffee Chat sessions focus on emerging technologies and important business topics for manufacturers. Hot Topic sessions are led by industry peers who have become experts in a particular subject area and Coffee Chats feature industry leaders who are able to share guidance and best practices on their topic. During these sessions, attendees will hear valuable takeaways, practical advice and new ideas from those with real-life experience. Experts in these sessions will answer pressing questions from you – the processor!
Not only will attendees have the chance to hear from these experts, they will also have the ability to ask their own questions and get custom advice and feedback from the experts and other attendees. Each session will be unique and attendees are encouraged to sit in on as many sessions as possible to make the most of the vast amount of experience available from these industry professionals.
Hot topics:
Automation/cobot with Motoman
Industry 4.0 with Noble Plastics
12:00 PM Expo Hall
12:30 PM Peer-to-Peer Exchanges
Areas covered will be Engineering & Senior Leaders
12:30 PM Expo Hall
2:00 PM 2020 BC LAB 8
Labs for this session include:
View BC Labs descriptions here
3:00 PM Ignite Sessions
3:30 PM 2020 BC LAB 9
Labs for this session include:
View BC Labs descriptions here
4:30 PM Connects – HAPPY HOUR
FRIDAY - OCTOBER 23
10:30 AM Expo Hall
11:00 PM Coffee Talks
Hot Topic & Coffee Chat sessions focus on emerging technologies and important business topics for manufacturers. Hot Topic sessions are led by industry peers who have become experts in a particular subject area and Coffee Chats feature industry leaders who are able to share guidance and best practices on their topic. During these sessions, attendees will hear valuable takeaways, practical advice and new ideas from those with real-life experience. Experts in these sessions will answer pressing questions from you – the processor!
Not only will attendees have the chance to hear from these experts, they will also have the ability to ask their own questions and get custom advice and feedback from the experts and other attendees. Each session will be unique and attendees are encouraged to sit in on as many sessions as possible to make the most of the vast amount of experience available from these industry professionals.
Marketing with Teresa Schell from Vive and Shelly Otenbaker from Waypoint
M&A with Joel Minnick and Jonathan Soucy from MBS Advisors
12:00 PM 2020 BC LAB 10
This BC Labs session will replay some of the week's most popular BC Labs! Stay tuned.
1:00 PM Member Award Ceremony and “Opening the Door of Opportunity”
Troy Nix, Executive Director
This year’s conference format was designed to help attendees understand and see new opportunities. The preceding week of programming successfully provided an enormous exchange of knowledge, information, and best practices for over 1000 attendees. With the transfer of knowledge comes the responsibility to implement lessons learned in order to improve. Join Troy Nix, MAPP’s Executive Director, as he reviews several incredible lessons and takeaways shared by attendees along with their plans to impact their organization moving forward. Opportunity knocked for these attendees, and they opened the door. Will you?
1:30 PM Conference Adjourned
The Conference team is pleased to welcome the following keynote speakers to the event:
Troy Nix, Executive Director
Troy Nix serves as the Master of Ceremonies for the Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference. Known for his spirit, enthusiasm, and belief in American manufacturing, Nix will deliver an opening address that will focus on lessons in leadership and the importance of becoming more in tune with one’s inner self. Professionals over the last decade who have heard Nix deliver his opening address know that the first 30 minutes of the conference will spark emotion in each attendee’s inner core. This year’s message will focus on the tapping into that internal fuel source to inspire, motivate and overcome obstacles encountered every day. Nix’s tag line “America Is What America Makes” is an essential ideal that motivates those attending the conference to strive for excellence.
Phil Van Hooser
Phillip Van Hooser’s approach to leadership training, employee relations and communication skills development is drawn from his own leadership experience in community banking, FORTUNE 500 manufacturing and consumer products companies.From his roles in employee relations, training, and human resources, Van Hooser knows firsthand the very real impact authentic, respected, engaged employee relations have on productivity and profits. He knows the practical, commonsense strategies leaders, managers and supervisors can implement to win credibility, communicate effectively, engage confidently with employees while reducing conflict and reaching organizational goals.
An engaging keynote speaker, leadership training expert, accomplished business writer, and mentor to emerging Millennial and Gen Z leaders, Phillip Van Hooser is committed to delivering keynotes and professional development training that helps companies and organizations experience stronger, more productive leader / employee relations, greater teamwork, trust, communication and collaboration, and improved bottom-line business results.
Dr. Chris Kuehl
Dr. Chris Kuehl is a managing director of Armada Corporate Intelligence. He provides forecasts and strategic guidance for a wide variety of corporate clients around the world. He is the chief economist for several national and international organizations – Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, National Association of Credit Management, American Supply Association, Chemical Coaters Association International, Industrial Heating Equipment Association and others. He is also the economic analyst for several state accounting societies – Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Dakota, Minnesota and Kansas.
Prior to starting Armada in 1999 he was a professor of economics and finance for 15 years – teaching in the US, Hungary, Russia, Estonia, Singapore and Taiwan. He holds advanced degrees in economics, Soviet studies and East Asian studies.
Kuehl is the author of Business Intelligence Briefs and Executive Intelligence Briefs - both publications from Armada. He is also responsible for the Credit Manager’s Index from NACM and Fabrinomics from the FMA.
Brigadier General Maureen LeBoeuf, U.S. Army, retired, ED.D.
Maureen LeBoeuf spent 28 years in the U.S. Army, where she held various staff and leadership positions, as well as flying UH-1 helicopters in the continental United States and Europe. Most noteworthy was her assignment as the Professor and Head of the Department of Physical Education from 1997 until her retirement in 2004. Her position carried the unique title “Master of the Sword.” She was the first woman to chair a department chair at the U.S. Military Academy since it was founded in 1802. Upon her retirement, LeBoeuf was advanced to the rank of Brigadier General. She served as the Executive Director of the Feagin Leadership Program at Duke Sports Medicine, and currently serves as the Chair of the USO of North Carolina.
Maureen Leboeuf’s research interests have focused on leadership, as well as fitness and wellness. She served as co-editor of Fit & Active: The West Point Physical Development Program. In 2016, she was selected as the University of Georgia Department of Kinesiology Distinguished Alumnus, as well as inducted into the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps National Hall of Fame. She published the book, Developing Your Philosophy of Living & Leading: One Moment at a Time in 2019.