By Tom Innis
VP Sales and Marketing
I had the privilege of representing Roto Made Local, the collaborative effort between the Association of Rotational Molders and SPE-Rotational Molding Division, at the recent IDSA International Expo in Seattle.
IDSA, or the Industrial Design Society of America, is comprised of OEM’s, design firms, educators, and independent product designers, giving us a significant opportunity to educate about the rotational molding industry.
The purpose of Roto Made Local is to increase familiarity and acceptance of rotational molding as a flexible, cost-effective, and speed-to-market-friendly manufacturing process through which new products can be designed, developed and commercialized. Our objective at the International Expo was to further entrench rotational molding as a “go-to” product design and manufacturing medium among industrial designers — and we did just that.
Along with promoting rotomolding in the Roto Made Local booth, on-hand were a number of unique, consumer-focused rotomolded products, including FIRM furniture from Tenjam, the BOSU trainer from Hedstrom, and Laerdal spineboards manufactured by Formed Plastics, Inc.
As we increase rotomolding’s visibility and demonstrate the commercial viability of rotomolded products – particularly in the consumer realm – the rotomolding industry will continue to build credibility with the industrial design community and beyond.
Tom Innis is VP Sales and Marketing with Avantech and has been involved in the rotational molding industry for the better part of the past two decades. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and La Universidad Ibero-Americana in Mexico City, Tom leverages his knowledge of international business, multi-lingual skills, and sales and marketing experience to help drive Avantech and the global rotomolding industry forward.