FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Tracy Cullen
(202) 974-5282
Email: tcullen@socplas.org

SPI SEEKS PARTICIPATION FOR ITS FINANCIAL AND OPERATING RATIOS SURVEY

Survey Data Helps Processors Manage Their Business

WASHINGTON (April 12, 2006) – The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) is seeking feedback from plastics processors for its annual Financial & Operating Ratios Survey. Now in its 44th year, the survey is open for participation through May 5, 2006.

This important management tool provides useful reference points against which plastics processors can measure their performance. The results are presented as composite operating statements, balance sheets and statistical data. SPI is actively seeking the participation of thousands of plastics processing companies in the United States. The more plastics processors that participate in the survey, the more accurate and valuable the published results will be. Survey participants will learn their company's confidential ranking in more than 100 key business metrics, including:

• Net Sales/All Employee Hours
• Value Added per All Employee Hours
• Total Employment Costs/Net Sales
• Total Employment Cost per Lb. Shipped
• Production Worker Employment Cost per Lb. Shipped
• Total Production-Related Expense per Lb. Shipped
• Value Added per Lb. Shipped
• Productive Machine Hrs./Available Machine Hours
• Inventory Turnover (times)
• Asset Turnover (times)
• Return on Equity
• Return on Invested Capital
• Percent Change in Net Sales

The survey also will provide benchmarking data, including percentage of on-time delivery, percentage of customer complaints for orders shipped, percentage of products made that did not meet customers' specifications and employee absenteeism.

"SPI's Financial and Operating Ratios Survey gives U.S. plastics processors invaluable benchmarking statistics to help them make strategic business decisions with confidence," said SPI's Director, Industry Information and Communications Services, Tommy Southall. "It empowers them to compete more effectively in an increasingly challenging global market."

A list of survey participants, a copy of the original questionnaire and formulas for ratios are included in the survey. Surveys are provided at no cost to participating companies and may be purchased individually from SPI by non-participants for a fee.

Data for SPI's Financial and Operating Ratios Survey is collected by a third party. VERIS Consulting, LLC, serves as the administrator and confidential agent conducting the survey on behalf of SPI. VERIS works closely with participants to ensure the highest quality of data are reported, that no individual company's data are revealed and that the survey operates within legal guidelines.

To complete the survey, link to the Web at http://secure.verisconsulting.com/SPIFinOps/2005/ (URL is case-sensitive). For more information, contact Tommy Southall, (202) 974-5257; e-mail tsouthal@socplas.org.

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Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.3 million workers and provides nearly $345 billion in annual shipments.

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