Extrusion International 3-2023-USA

36 Extrusion International 3/2023 36 INDUSTRY NEWS Senior Vice President of Operation Appointed SI Group announced the appoint- ment of Terry Walsh as its Senior Vice President of Operations. Walsh has extensive experience in lean manufacturing, process improve- ment, and supply chain planning and will be responsible for oversee- ing SI Group’s manufacturing and engineering operations globally. Walsh comes to SI Group with nearly 30 years of global supply chain and operations leadership at multiple global manufacturing businesses in a variety of industries. “Terry brings an energetic lead- ership style paired with deep experience and an unwavering commitment to safety and compli- ance – we’re thrilled to welcome him to our executive leadership team,” said David Bradley, President and CEO at SI Group. “With Terry’s leadership, I am confident that our operations organization will deliver long-term, sustainable value for our company and stakeholders.” “SI Group’s corporate values, fo- cus on sustainability, strong leader- ship team, and relentless drive for innovation drew me to the orga- nization. The company’s cultural transformation and growth initia- tives are exciting to be part of,” said Walsh. “I look forward to my role in helping SI Group realize its vision to become the global per- formance additives powerhouse by leading best-in-industry global engineering and manufacturing teams.” SI Group www.siigroup.com Terry Walsh Analysis on R&D First-Year Full Expensing Released The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released an analysis on R&D first-year full expensing and its impact on the plastics industry, authored by Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda. Dr. Pineda writes, “Many in- dustries grew out of and thrive through innovation. The plastics in- dustry is a prime example. It needs to innovate continuously through- out the supply chain. At the heart of the matter is a tax policy pivot on R&D that caps the plastics indus- try’s continuous innovation, while at the same time raises the indus- try's tax burden. Such a regressive shift in tax policy, unfortunately, generates adverse spill-over ef- fects on other industries. By and large, new investments in R&D are engines of economic growth. They enhance productivity, which the U.S. economy needs given an ane- mic economic outlook.” The full analysis on the PLASTICS blog page: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ blog/rd-first-year-full-expensing—why- it-matters-plastics-industry-and-macro- economy Cross-border Conversation with Mexico on Plastics Trade PLASTICS has posted an article on the PLASTICS Blog featuring Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda and Al- dimir Torres, President of ANIPAC (Asociación National de Industrias del Plástico A.C.) for a conversation on the plastics trade between the U.S. and Mexico. “Mexico is the largest export market of the U.S. plastics industry. Trade in plastics between the two countries has been facilitated by the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement on free trade,” states Dr. Pineda. “Pre- liminary trade estimates show that U.S. plastics exports to Mexico con- sisting of plastics materials and resin, plastics working machinery, molds for plastics, and plastic products in- creased by 5.9% last year to $19.1 billion in FAS (free alongside ship) value. U.S. imports from Mexico in- creased at a higher rate at 17.8% to $7.4 billion based on customs import value. The total plastics trade volume between both countries is estimated at $26.5 billion in 2022.” The full conversation as well as previous economic news provided on the PLASTICS blog page: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/blog/ cross-border-conversation-plastics-trade Dr. Perc Pineda