INDA RELEASES MEMBERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS
INDA's triennial membership survey has just been released and the primary beneficiaries are undoubtedly our small business members. If you participated, we offer a hearty thank you. The Martec Group, a research firm, interviewed 152 INDA members from the marketing, technical and executive sides of the business. We thought you'd like to see the results!

* Prime motivators for joining INDA: 1. Networking 2. Interacting with customers 3. Industry Information

* What members like: 1. Trade Shows, Expositions, Conferences and Industry Statistics 2. Regulatory/Legislative Monitoring 3. Global Capabilities

* Areas where INDA exceeds expectations: 1. Trade Shows 2. Committee Activities 3. Technical Assistance 4. Regulatory/Legislative Reporting

* Areas for improvement: 1. Global capabilities 2. Industry Statistics 3. Regulatory/Legislative Reporting 4. Expand number of committees

SNEAK PEAK: INDA VISION FOR CONSUMER PRODUCTS
Another excellent educational and networking opportunity for smaller nonwovens companies is being announced this month, but as a reader of the INDA Small Business e-Report you are receiving this before anyone else does.

The global nonwovens industry will present its vision of the current and future states of the consumer products industry as part of the inaugural Vision 2002 Consumer Products Conference. Sponsored by INDA, Vision 2002 is scheduled for January 21-23, 2002 at the Hotel Intercontinental in New Orleans, LA.

The Conference, the first of its kind in the industry, will focus on absorbents, personal care and household products. Among the end-use applications that will be explored through a series of presentations by industry experts are baby diapers, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products, household wipes and filters for household and automotive applications.

Among the companies represented on the Conference Advisory Board: Clopay Plastic Products, Clorox, Concert Industries, First Quality Nonwovens, Fulflex, H.B. Fuller, Kimberly-Clark, KoSa, Nonwovens Industry Magazine, Nordson, Procter & Gamble, Rockline, Stockhausen and Tredegar Film Products.

For details on Vision 2002 log on to www.inda.org or call INDA at 919-233-1282. More announcements on special events surrounding Vision 2002 will appear in the next Small Business e-Report.

HOW TO DEAL WITH A SLOWER ECONOMY: TIPS FROM OUTSIDE
With signs of recession spreading across almost every industry - nonwovens is no exception, although it is certainly weathering the storm better than most - it is always a good idea to take a look around to see how others are dealing with today's unique challenges. We found one in BusinessWeek Small Biz supplement (July 16) telling of the efforts by Emerald Packaging, Union City, CA, to "hunker down." See if any of these moves can apply to you.

1. Just as its customers have put price pressures on them, Emerald has demanded the same from its suppliers. It recently bid out a $600,000 annual package design contract and hacked almost 30% from its costs.
2. Senior management angered some supervisors by asking them to go back to running machines at times, a move the supervisors saw as a demotion but which allowed the company to reduce overtime costs. Another benefit was having experienced people on the line as well as allowing managers to keep in touch with the actual production side.
3. Emerald further cut costs by promising more volume to suppliers in return for better prices. Just-in-time ordering has further reduced inventory.

The six-figure savings from just these three relatively painless moves - few layoffs, no hiring freeze, no price increases - can be emulated in any manufacturing-based industry. See anything that can help?

INTC A GREAT PLACE FOR SMALL COMPANIES TO NETWORK
With the increased cost of travel and too little time to get out on the road as much as you should, any small business in the nonwovens industry will want to send a few people to the Second Annual International Nonwovens Technical Conference, co-sponsored by INDA and TAPPI. Yes, there will be more than 80 technical presentations in 13 sessions, but it is the networking opportunities that perhaps make INTC most valuable. Where else are you going to be able to run elbows with everyone from the president of Freudenberg North America to a technical expert from Procter & Gamble, not to mention almost the entire INDA staff. INTC 2001 is set for September 5-7, 2001 at the Renaissance Harborplace in Baltimore, MD. For information: www.inda.org.

IT MAY GET EASIER TO FIND GOOD PEOPLE
One of the positive effects of the slower economy for nonwovens producers is that it means there are more good workers available, even if that isn't great news for the workers themselves. After a period of unprecedented low unemployment, and a time when small business owners indicated that finding qualified labor was their second greatest challenge, this spring the number of companies reporting hard-to-fill openings fell from 32% to 26%.

What's that mean? Simply that there are more skilled laborers available for hire, which should ease staffing crunches and keep salaries in check for the time being.

SMALL BUSINESS BY THE NUMBERS
Anything here sound familiar?

* Just about 18% of small businesses lose more than $1,000 a year to bad debt.
* Four out of 10 small companies say earnings have weakened in the past three months.
* For all of its hoopla, still only 1.3% of sales at fast-growth companies take place over the Internet.
* 54% of surveyed employees in downsized companies feel overworked, 55% are overwhelmed by their workload and 56% say they don't have time to do everything assigned to them. Apparently they have time to fill out surveys, though.

HOT ENOUGH FOR YA?
With summer's heat beating down everywhere except perhaps Nome, AL, which is not exactly the epicenter of the nonwovens industry, the annual challenge of not only keeping a plant or office cool but affording the cooling bills is upon us. In an era where many parts of the country can no longer take it for granted that the lights will come on - or the line will start up - when the switch is pulled, and where energy bills have doubled and tripled, some conservation tips are in order.

* Put desk fans at every desk, allowing the air conditioning either to be turned off on milder days or at least not kept on such a low temperature.
* Replace overhead lights with low-power desk lamps.
* Encourage people who use computers much of the time to keep their lights off altogether or at least on low. It saves energy and is better on the eyes.
* It sounds simple, but allow workers in the office to dress in shorts. Everyone will be in a much better mood even if the AC isn't on high.
* Shut off the lights in unfrequented areas such as bathrooms and closets. Automatic timers will make sure nothing stays on overnight.
* If possible, open a few windows overnight. The cool air will start the day off right in the morning and may delay someone marching to the AC switch.
* Finally, use the "sleep" function on computers when they are not being used for more than 15 minutes. Be careful, though; don't use the "sleep" function on employees inactive for the same amount of time.

For more tips related specifically to manufacturing and office facilities, check out the website for the U.S. Energy Department at www.eren.doe.gov.

INDA WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
INDA continues to grow at a record pace and we would like to welcome the following four new members this month: Schober USA, Inc.; Houloubi Group; Nonwovens Technology Development Center of Textile Industry; and Plasma Coatings, Inc.

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS
After you turn off the air conditioner and open a few windows, we'll see you next on August 15. In the meantime, we would love to hear from you, whether you have a thought you want to share with the hundreds of INDA members reading this newsletter, or if you want to tell others how you are a small company existing in a big world. Just email us at mjacobsen@inda.org and we'll pass it along.

See you next time. Enjoy.

Michael Jacobsen
Editor
INDA Small Business e-Report