TRAVELING PLASTIVAN™ SCIENCE PROGRAM TO VISIT AREA SCHOOLS TO PROMOTE STUDIES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Program aims to halt decline in postsecondary science, mathematics degrees since 1994

FOREST CITY, NC (October 27, 2006) – According to the U.S. Government Accounting Office’s(GAO) May 6, 2006 Report on Higher Education, the percentage of U.S. students obtaining degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics has steadily declined since 1994, even as postsecondary education enrollment has increased. PlastiVan™ , a traveling scientific education program geared for students in grades three through twelve, aims to halt this trend.

“If the U.S. is to remain competitive in the science and technology arena, we need to show our kids that this area of study is both fascinating and rewarding, and in a way they can relate,” explains Todd Bennett, President of United Southern Industries in Forest City, NC. “Plastics companies, like USI, rely on advancements in polymeric science and machine technology to compete with companies overseas. It is a civic duty for business in this country to help our schools acquire the resources they need to prepare our children for the careers of tomorrow.”

Since 1998, United Southern Industries of Forest City, NC, has sponsored the internationally acclaimed PlastiVan™ program, a traveling polymer science lab, at schools throughout Rutherford County. Utilizing exciting hands-on experiments, the program teaches students about the chemistry, history, processing methods and environmental issues of plastics. One of the most popular experiments according to the students is making “slime.”

The PlastiVan will kick off next week with two days at R.S. Middle School. On Wednesday, the van instructor will spend the day with East Rutherford Middle School’s 8th graders, and then move on to conduct programs on Thursday with 8th graders at Chase Middle School. The week will end with a visit on Friday, November 3 to Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy.

For the past ten years, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) has been providing financial assistance in the form of matching funds to its members who sponsor the PlastiVan to offset the cost. It costs $1,500 a day for one PlastiVan school visit.

“The GAO report’s findings concerning the decline in degrees obtained in science and engineering areas means that competition in the U.S. for the limited new wave of skilled labor will be fierce,” said SPI President and CEO William Carteaux. “To attract the next generation of U.S. workers to careers in science and engineering, SPI is proud to support the PlastiVan program. One of the kids that this program touches might turn out to be the next great innovator in our industry.”

A product of the National Plastics Center (NPC) in Leominster, MA, the PlastiVan program travels throughout the United States teaching nearly 50,000 students a year about the science of plastics. The primary mission of the PlastiVan is to create and inspire a new generation of scientists and innovators. Additional information can be found online at http://www.plasticscenter.org/e-van-plastivan.php. For further information, contact the NPC’s Marjorie Weiner at (978) 840-1950 or mweiner@plasticsindustry.org.

A large plastics injection molder, United Southern Industries, has operated in Rutherford County for over 36 years and employs over 200 workers at its two facilities in Forest City, NC. Committed to workforce training and education and the role it plays in quality manufacturing and safety, United Southern Industries offers employees on-site technical training, as well as tuition reimbursement at local community colleges. For more information, link to www.unitedsouthern.us or contact Wayne Wilson at (828) 245-3980 ext. 335; e-mail wwilson@unitedsouthern.us.

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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 1.4 million workers and provides nearly $310 billion in annual shipments. For more information, visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org.