TechnoBiz: building connections & catalyzing growth of the global rotomolding industry
TechnoBiz leverages its worldwide audience & multi-channel presence to promote rotomolding on a global scale.
Despite the exponential growth of the rotational molding industry during the last 50+ years, and acknowledging the efforts and impact of regional trade associations, universities, private companies and influential thought leaders, our industry occupies a relatively small space in the collective consciousness of the global plastics manufacturing sector.
Yes, rotomolding is not a one-size-fits-all manufacturing process; yes, rotomolding is somewhat idiosyncratic in nature; and yes, rotomolding’s relatively small global industrial output is dwarfed by other processes, which considered as a whole, challenge our industry to capture the attention of plastic material suppliers, product designers, university curricula and the consumer public.
So, what can we do to raise our industry’s profile? For Peram Prasada Rao, Director of the TechnoBiz Plastics Network and RotoMoulding Network, the answer is closely connected to the adage “think globally, act locally.” It is this mindset which has allowed TechnoBiz to establish 7,500 followers on social media, 1,700 active participants in its “TechTalk” webinar series, and 9,000 subscribers to its “Plastics Industry Newsletter” publication.
Fresh from hosting a very successful and well-attended TechnoBiz conference in Sharjah, Dubai, Rao generously shared his perspective on TechnoBiz: its objectives, activities and vision in addressing the question of “how to more effectively promote, grow and expand the rotational molding industry on a global scale?”
“A FORUM PROVIDING KNOWLEDGE AND THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION”
After earning his master’s degree in chemical engineering from Andhra University (Andhra Pradesh, India), Rao began his professional career in the rubber and plastics industries, and eventually settled in Bangkok, Thailand, where he currently resides. Early in this career, Rao discovered there was relatively little attention paid to ongoing technical training in these sectors, and founded TechnoBiz in 2005 to establish training and skills development curricula to help companies and individuals learn, innovate and thrive.
“My belief is always that you need to empower the people to do good things, and continuously generate interest through ongoing education,” commented Rao. “So, I started TechnoBiz in 2005 with developing a professional training course for the rubber and plastic industries by inviting experts from the different parts of the world to speak on a variety of topics. Because I live in Thailand I was more focused in the beginning on Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia); I started there, then established conferences in other regions to help to expose the trade in these areas.”
In 2012, Rao made his first formal contact with the rotomolding industry, connecting first with long-time plastics industry consult Jim Throne, and eventually with UK-based rotomolding industry expert and influencer, Martin Spencer, among others. “I had a great initial conversation with Martin Spencer on what is specialized about rotomolding; Martin suggested that there’s a need for these roto-focused technical training conferences, and eventually we were able to put together our first conference for the roto molding community in 2016.”
As to what has driven the success and proliferation of the TechnoBiz offering, Rao describes it thusly: “I don’t like to do the things that people are already doing it because there’s no point in doing the same thing. I ask ‘What is the gap in the industry?’ and look for two things: I always believe that industry should have up-to-date knowledge and skills, and secondly, the audience should have an opportunity to grow their business. So, TechnoBiz is a forum focusing on providing knowledge and the exchange of information, which we provide through trade shows, networking opportunities, webinars, publications, etc.”
THE TECHNOBIZ PLATFORM
As mentioned, a significant component of the TechnoBiz offering is in-person, technical conferences and trade shows, featuring industry experts sharing information and training covering a variety of perspectives, among them rotomolding process, materials, tooling, innovation, design, and business strategy. Rao estimates TechnoBiz has hosted 60-70 such conferences at various locations throughout the world, including the event recently held in Sharjah, Dubai that was by all measures a successful gathering in a rapidly growing market.
Another platform offered by TechnoBiz is its RotoMoulding Tech Talk webinar series, which Rao presents for free to its over 1,700 active attendees worldwide, and of which 20-30 individual events take place annually. “We welcome just about any topic and speaker as long as both the speaker and the content appeal to as broad a base as possible,” commented Rao. “Plus, these sessions become part of the TechnoBiz library (on YouTube) and currently we have 130+ sessions recorded – we have technical presentations, research presentations, business conversations, troubleshooting, panel discussions…all kinds of unique topics of interest and value to the rotational molding industry.”
In addition to providing benefit for webinar attendees, Rao stated “participants have told me ‘Peram, we review your library we do once a week with our team: we sit together, watch a specific session and discuss it. For members, it’s easy: it’s on YouTube, and we can turn show one; we sit together and discuss and develop a plan to implement specific improvement initiatives.” As such, the TechTalk series has become an invaluable teaching and skills training tool for these rotomolders, who often lack access to broad training curriculum in markets where regional industry organizations have yet to be formed. “We’re reaching areas that previously operated without access to this information,” stated Rao, “and it’s making a significant difference in the growth and success of these businesses. Plus, we offer exclusive sponsorships for TechTalk webinars and for the conferences we organize – this allows industry companies to expand their selling reach to new customers in new markets they were unaware of or unable to reach previously.”
Beyond training materials, conferences and webinars, TechnoBiz also offers comprehensive marketing and promotional services on a fee-for-service basis. This can consist of website development, creation of promotional materials, branding, social media advertising and communication, and/or a combination thereof. “With our global presence, industry connections, thousands of social media followers, participants in webinars and conferences…we can share with our customers our network and capabilities and help drive their growth and success.”
THE TECHNOBIZ VISION REMAINS CLEAR
As we closed our conversation, I asked Peram about his thoughts regarding the vision of TechnoBiz, and he immediately connected his go-forward strategy with the initial impetus for starting the business in 2005. “When I started TechnoBiz, I wanted to create a platform to connect and to deliver knowledge through a variety of activities and offerings, with the goal of helping participants learn, improve knowledge, improve skills and by doing so, catalyze business growth and success on a global scale.”
Thinking about TechnoBiz in 2025 relative to its launch 20 years ago, Rao added “my vision (for TechnoBiz RotoMoulding Network) is the same as the day one, in that I want to be an effective platform for the rotomolding community to learn, to engage, to collaborate through the various services we offer, building connections and being a positive catalyst for the growth and success of the rotomolding industry.”
