The "Road to Excellence" is paved with innovation, technology and a pursuit to never accept the status quo. The 2012 Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference on Oct. 11-12 in Indianapolis, IN, organized by the Manufacturers Association of Plastics Processors, helps plastics and rubber companies get there by improving operations and tactics that impact the bottom line.

The conference is anchored with best practices and leading benchmark presentations derived from the 2012 North America Survey of the Plastics Industry. A variety of high caliber, relevant and engaging speakers will give the nearly 400 plastics professionals expected to attend strategies to improve their businesses. The featured speakers include the following:

Troy Nix
Start Your Engine: Conference Kick-Off
The executive director of MAPP will welcome attendees with lessons learned from implementing tactics presented by speakers at the last benchmarking conference and uncover the true secret behind achieving new levels of personal improvement and success.

Paul Akers
Using Innovation to Become a World Class Lean Manufacturer
The founder and president of FastCap LLC, Bellingham, WA, will share practical ways his company has implemented lean processes. Attendees will be encouraged to participate in an interactive presentation to ensure there are relevant and effective ideas shared to take back to their plants.

Laurie Harbour and Jeff Mengel
Macro Changes in Manufacturing
Harbour has over 20 years of experience in benchmarking, operational assessments, performance enhancement and strategic planning and is president of Harbour Results, Inc. Mengel leads the Plante & Moran Plastics Industry Team’s North American Survey of the Plastics Industry. He has 30 years of experience in operational and strategic planning, inventory control, scheduling, forecasting and costing, as well as tax planning and  financial statement preparation.

Steve Dyer
Solving the Workforce Development Issue
The president and CEO of Dickten Masch Plastics will share how his team was able to take what would have been a $4 million dollar loss and turn it around to double their profits. He also will discuss finding skilled people, instilling loyalty, creating a productive culture and improving margins.

Tom Connellan
1% Solution in the Workplace and Your Life
A tough-talking, truth-telling keynote speaker, Connellan will give actionable ideas for attendees to incorporate into daily practices on the plant floor.

Pedro Moya
Empowered Employees Significantly Improve Profits
Moya has been leading a team at Google that provides digital marketing solutions to businesses in the manufacturing and distribution sector since 2010.

For the full Benchmarking and Best Practices Conference agenda and registration information, visit www.benchmarkingconference.com.