Plastics additive maker Carolina Color has a unusual workforce pipeline: the local prison. Two-thirds of its factory employees are former inmates. We look at how that both helps the company's bottom line, and helps employees get their lives back on track.

After several years of increased sales, Hansen Plastics Corp. in Elgin, Ill., decided they weren't getting enough profit out of the new sales. So the company decided to do a deep dive into lean manufacturing. We go inside the injection molder to find out how it completely changed its company culture.

Can apprenticeships that mix on-the-job-training and college can create a pipeline of skilled workers? We visit several North Carolina plastics firms that say yes. . And we see how apprenticeship advocates look to Germany's industrial training model.

This episode of Plastics News Radio is sponsored by the Plastics News Marketing Summit. For more information or to register, visit http://www.plasticsnews.com/events

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, several companies discussed the automotive interior of the future. In this month’s Plastics News Radio, we examine plastics’ role in the future of the interior.

This episode is sponsored by the Plastics News Executive Forum, March 27-29 in Naples, Fla. For more information, visit http://www.plasticsnews.com/execforum

The CEO of the Plastics Industry Association says the Trump administration will be ‘much more business friendly.’ But talk of tearing up trade deals is a concern. And we discuss the President’s habit of tweeting to pressure specific companies.

This episode of Plastics News Radio is sponsored by the Executive Forum. For more information or to register, visit http://www.plasticsnews.com/execforum

Seisa Group wants to build a medical manufacturing base on the border city of Juarez, Mexico. The company's president talks about the vision of a medical device manufacturing cluster in El Paso/Juarez.

This episode is sponsored by the Plastics In Automotive conference. To register, visit: http://www.plasticsnews.com/auto

The world's largest plastics trade show recently concluded, and Steve Toloken goes inside K 2016 to see what's on the mind of attendees, exhibitors and Engel Machinery's outgoing CEO Peter Neumann.

This episode of Plastics News Radio is sponsored by the Plastics In Automotive Conference. To learn more, or to register, visit: http://www.plasticsnews.com/auto

Since its inception, Manufacturing Day has become a major event for plastics manufacturers to show students what the industry is all about. Steve Toloken visits several plants to see what kids are learning when they step inside plastics processors.

This episode of Plastics News Radio is sponsored by the Plastics in Automotive Conference. For more information, visit www.plasticsnews.com/auto

If you have any questions or comments, send us a note at [email protected].

Tyler Johnson isn't getting ready for college this summer. Instead he's gone to work for a mold maker in Indiana. We take a look at how Precise Mold & Plate is going after the skills gap head on.

Today's episode is sponsored by Plastics News' Best Places to Work competition. To apply, visit: http://www.bestplacestoworkplastics.com.

For more Plastics News Radio, visit: http://www.plasticsnews.com/section/audio

If you have questions or comments, send us a note at [email protected].

Plastics News Radio takes a look at women in the plastics industry, the hurdles they face and how manufacturers can be more open to hiring women.

To view profiles from women in the industry, visit http://www.plasticsnews.com/topics/1104/women-in-plastics