Five Things We Need to Stop Saying

Full disclosure: much of the following copy appeared in a blog post I authored a number of years ago; looming deadlines combined with a taxing travel schedule and exacerbated by questionable time management necessitated lifting this from the archives. But still, upon review of the comments, I still believe this content to be salient today.

As I reviewed the blog post, I was reminded of the impetus for writing it: a month or so prior to publishing the post, I had represented the Association of Rotational Molders (ARM) “Roto Made Local” initiative at the Industrial Design Society of America’s (IDSA) international conference in Austin, Texas. The objective of “Roto Made Local” was to build a bridge between our industry and industrial designers, promoting the benefits of our process while enhancing their familiarity and knowledge with rotomolding as a means of increasing their usage of rotomolding as a viable product design medium.

While manning the “Roto Made Local” booth at the event, a writer for a prominent plastics industry publication approached the booth and asked who we were. When I explained “we’re here on behalf of the rotomolding industry,” the writer snarkily remarked (please forgive my language) “we’ve always thought of rotomolding as the bi*ch of the plastics industry.” In addition to leaving me dumbfounded, I took this insult quite personally, and have since made it my mission to counter this negative perception and promote rotomolding in the positive light it deserves, wherever and with whomever the topic arises.

Thus, it is with the objective of enhancing our self-perception as well as outside opinions of the rotomolding industry, that I posit the following items that we need to stop saying:

1) “Rotomolding is cheap.”

As an industry, we tend to lead with this line when competing against other manufacturing processes. Yes, rotomolding can be more cost-effective when assessing conversion opportunities from metal, fiberglass, wood, complex assemblies, etc., but product designers and marketers are more impressed with features, benefits and overall value of a rotomolded product as opposed to producing a cheaper version of their existing products.

And let’s admit it: the never-ending hunt for cheap design, cheap materials, cheap tools, and cheap labor results in (surprise!) products that look cheap and have very little perceived intrinsic value.

Instead of the “roto-is-cheap/race to the bottom” mindset, let’s challenge ourselves to approach product development and conversion opportunities by leading with “rotomolding is a value-added and cost-effective manufacturing process.”

2) “We can’t do that.”

Indeed, there are obvious manufacturing applications that aren’t viable fits for rotomolding; we certainly don’t want to misrepresent our capabilities and lead customers (nor ourselves) down the wrong path. At the same time, we shouldn’t succumb to our collective inferiority complex when confronted with challenges such as tight tolerances, high volumes, predictable/consistent outcomes, automation and developing consumer-focused products. ALL of these challenges have been successfully overcome in our industry, and there’s no reason we should back down from them.

Instead, let’s confidently position rotomolding with a “here’s what we can do that no other manufacturing process can do” mindset, and channel our collective energy and creativity to raise the profile and awareness of our unique and eminently capable industry.

3) “Well, that’s just roto.”

We recently connected an OEM customer with a rotational molder, and brought the customer to the rotomolding facility to check progress of initial production of a relatively high-tech, value-added consumer product. This was the first visit to a rotomolding plant the customer had made, and (as it was for all of us) it was an eye-opening experience.

When the customer expressed concerns over sporadic material-fill results in a challenging part geometry, the rotomolder defensively replied, “well, that’s just roto – get used to it!”

While we do need to understand our manufacturing limitations and position our capabilities accordingly, we can’t continue to exacerbate perceptions of rotomolding as a low-tech, “black art” that produces unpredictable results beyond our control. Today’s materials, machines, tools, automation, process-enhancing equipment and lean manufacturing techniques allow us to control the rotomolding process and drive consistent and high-quality results to our customers. Let’s embrace the confidence and discipline necessary to drive improved outcomes, and enhance perceptions of the viability of rotomolding.

4) “Roto is only suited for industrial applications.”

Yes, it’s true that rotomolding is terrific for industrial applications, such as liquid storage tanks, agricultural implements, materials handling containers, storage bins, etc. Attributes such as chemical resistance, durability and indestructibility have made roto indispensable in heavy-duty industrial applications.

But for years, companies in the toy, outdoor recreation, kayak, furniture, cooler, etc. sectors have understood that rotomolding is terrific for consumer-facing products as well. Attributes such as durability, indestructibility and sustainability are also marketable advantages for consumer products companies who have successfully leveraged the “you only get this with roto” characteristics to build powerhouse, global brands.

As an industry, we’re making great strides in appealing to the consumer with these rotomolded product success stories. Still, there is much work to be done to raise the profile of rotomolding within the design community, who can then help us drive uniquely cool rotomolded products to the consumer.

5) “Marketing the industry is a waste of time.”

Collectively, we stink at promoting rotomolding to the audience beyond “preaching to choir,” and efforts to reach a broader audience through aggressive marketing are often dismissed by industry pundits as a waste of time.

But if you’re the owner of a laptop computer, there’s a very good chance your laptop sports an “Intel Inside®” sticker, indicating your computer is powered by an Intel processor. While Intel doesn’t manufacture the laptop, per se, its processor powers the computer and directly impacts the laptop user’s product experience. When I see that Intel Inside® sticker, I’m confident I have well-built, dependable, fast machine that will perform to my expectations.

Crazy thought, but maybe we could do something similar on every rotomolded product we build: place a “Powered by Roto” image/graphic to assure the end-user that the product will be tough, durable, dependable, indestructible, sustainable and value-added. Pretty soon, the world’s consumers will share our opinion of the awesomeness of roto, and will demand more and more of what only WE can deliver.

“As an industry, we tend to undervalue ourselves.”

In closing, and roughly concurrent with the above-mentioned experience at IDSA, a long-time industry all-star and past-President of ARM stated at an industry event that “as an industry, we tend to undervalue ourselves…” I agree, and also believe that if we can shift our collective mindset from what we CAN’T do to what we CAN do in promoting our capabilities, we can shift the perception of rotomolding from bich to bad-as and catalyze industry growth on a global scale.