PlastChicks

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri host Martin Baumann, President of the Americas & CEO of Arburg Inc. They discuss the challenge of plastics engineers promoting their materials in the right way, his journey in the plastics industry, addressing the plastics industry worker shortage with a higher degree of automation, the need to be more creative in organizing work and workflow, the challenge of passing on tribal knowledge from retiring workers that hasn't been captured in digital tools or manuals, making the plastics industry attractive to the next generation, and the importance of the industry open house. They explore the potential for AI to help make sense of vast amounts of injection molding data, incorporating proprietary processing and maintenance knowledge into AI agents embedded into machines, different uses of AI in the plastics industry, ideas for increasing recycling rates, PET recycling, the need for increased support of the plastics industry, and the importance when starting new projects to get everyone involved from the beginning to optimize the process.NotesWatch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks host Lynzie Nebel is solo in this episode recorded live on the rooftop during the Global Tech Day 2026 at the new LS Mtron Global Tech Center in South Korea. She interviews John Wiley, VP of Operations, LS Mtron Injection Molding Machine. They discuss what makes a good service organization, understanding customer expectations and pain points, building customer trust, the role of the new Global Tech Center, the advantage of being able to see equipment in person, hybrid injection molding machines, progress in manufacturing automation and the profile of successful technicians.NotesWatch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks host Lynzie Nebel is solo in this episode recorded live at the new LS Mtron Global Tech Center in South Korea during the Global Tech Day 2026. She interviews Paul Caprio, President of LS Mtron for the U.S. and Canada. They discuss his reasons for joining LS Mtron, his nearly 40 years in the plastics industry, plastics injection molding machine manufacturing, the importance of having a tech center where potential buyers can see and be hands-on with the equipment, company growth through global competition, building relationships with plastics industry manufacturers and suppliers, specialty vertical and micro presses, designing and building new machinery based on customer needs, and the value of being a trusted lifetime equipment partner.NotesWatch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

Episode DescriptionPlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri sit down with Wendy and Steve Hoenig poolside at the Plastics Pioneers Association (PPA) and Plastics Hall of Fame (PHoF) Spring 2026 Networking/Conference in Sarasota, Florida to explore their remarkable journey through the plastics industry as partners in both life and business.After distinguished careers at Dow, Wendy, a 2024 Plastics Hall of Fame inductee, and Steve combined their expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to launch H&H Business Development, where Wendy serves as Founder and CEO and Steve serves as Chief Technology Officer.They share insights from their trailblazing careers at Dow, discussing how they met and built successful careers in plastics, transitioned from corporate life to entrepreneurship, and discovered the unique advantages of running a business together.The conversation explores how their complementary management styles strengthen both their company and home life, how they navigate disagreements, capitalize on each other's strengths, and support one another within their blended family. They also reflect on some of the proudest moments of their careers and the lessons they've learned along the way.Join us for an inspiring discussion about partnership, leadership, innovation, and the power of building a life and business together.About the GuestsWendy Hoenig is Founder and CEO of H&H Business Development, a consulting firm focused on developing new technologies and businesses.  She has over 40 years of experience in new business development in Fortune 100 corporations, venture capital, private equity, and start-ups. In 2024, she was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in recognition of her leadership and significant contributions to the plastics industry through her work at Dow and H&H Business Development.Steve Hoenig is Chief Technology Officer of H&H Business Development, where he helps organizations develop and commercialize innovative technologies and business opportunities. He is an experienced technology leader in the plastics and flooring industries. Drawing on his extensive expertise in the plastics industry, Steve works alongside Wendy to help companies accelerate growth and innovation.NotesSee Wendy's 2024 induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame.Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri interview Tim and Barb Womer poolside at the Plastics Pioneers Association (PPA) and Plastics Hall of Fame (PHoF) Spring 2026 Networking/Conference in Sarasota, Florida. They speak to Tim and Barb about how they met, balancing work and personal life, raising a family, his plastics industry career journey through various engineering and executive roles to owning his own business, how Barb's business expertise is critical to their mutual professional success, and the deep satisfaction of living life with a shared vision. Tim Womer is the owner of TWWomer and Associates, LLC, has had numerous patents issued on his inventions in screws, screw mixers and other products and processes, and has been inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame.Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri interview Norm and Sue Fowler poolside at the Plastics Pioneers Association (PPA) and Plastics Hall of Fame (PHoF) Spring 2026 Networking/Conference in Sarasota, Florida. They speak to Norm and Sue about how they met, their relationship and home life, his induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 2025, her professional career, his career at Xerox, mentoring, contributions to the plastics industry, leadership roles in SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals, and life in Key West, Florida. Watch Norm Fowler's induction into the Plastics Hall of Fame (YouTube).Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri host Justin Riney, Sustainability Commercial Manager Americas at INEOS Styrolution and host of the podcast, Redefining Plastics. They explored his path into the plastics industry and podcasting, common myths around plastics and recycling, challenges of replacing plastics with alternative materials, efforts to improve municipal polystyrene recycling, the importance of consumer education, the Polystyrene Recycling Alliance, the need for better industry storytelling, issues in how plastics recycling metrics are calculated compared to other materials, brand collaboration in plastics material selection, and effective social media engagement.Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.Listen to the podcast, Redefining Plastics, on your favorite player or watch episodes on YouTube.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri host Lexington Peterson, Business Development Manager in Automotive and Mobility at Engel. They discussed SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals, sustainability, her plastics engineering career journey, advancements in large-scale thermoplastic composite structures, lightweighting in electric and autonomous vehicle development, composite development for air mobility in drone development and air taxis, incorporating AI into machinery, autonomous humanoid robots, entrepreneurial opportunities in plastics, the Plastics Industry Association's FLiP - Future Leaders in Plastics Program, STEM outreach programs, and introducing youth to engineering options.Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri host Geoff Foster, CEO and President of Core Technology. They discuss how he founded his own plastics injection molding company, what's fueling their 300% growth since Covid, critical skills for engineering students, the importance of building diversity and inclusion into all levels of the company, the value of internships, considering potential employees from different industries, and the nonprofit Molding Kids for Success, which strives to educate youth in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by combining classroom experiments with real-world applications on the manufacturing floor. Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.

PlastChicks Lynzie Nebel and Mercedes Landazuri host Pia Fischer, Research Assistant and PhD Candidate, Institute for Plastics Processing in Industry and Craft (IKV) at RWTH Aachen University. They discuss the development of her interest in plastics, injection molding, skill building for success in the PhD program, the benefits of mentoring, processes for sustainability and recycling, addressing challenges in post-consumer waste recycling, seasonal variations in recycling batch streams, shifting from academia into industrial work, sustainability regulations, evaluating sustainability claims, and advice for young engineers.Watch the PlastChicks podcast on the SPE YouTube Channel.PlastChicks is sponsored by SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and the Plastics Industry Association. Look for new episodes on the first Friday of every month.