Editor's Note: Expanding HorizonsEditor's Note: Expanding Horizons

Welcome to the fourth edition of the IMM Almanac, your resource for the products, services, and suppliers to the injection molding industry. Inside you will find several noteworthy sections.

First, IMM asked several industry experts to provide their thoughts and insights about some of today's pressing issues. Look for these topics: the importance of employee training, from Maureen Steinwall, president of molder Steinwall Inc.; developing a marketing strategy, by contributing editor Clare Goldsberry; the future of product and part design, from By Design columnist Glenn Beall; the promising but unheralded development of metallocenes, by Materials Analyst Michael Sepe; moving a mold between a hydraulic and an electric machine, by scientific molding and processing expert John Bozzelli; and, sprinkled throughout, Troubleshooter Bob Hatch's top-10 most common causes of process and operation errors.

You'll also find a listing of resin distributors that includes information on proprietary materials, as well as other materials and suppliers represented.

The bulk of the IMM Almanac is consumed by the Buyer's Guide. This year's version has been expanded and now includes suppliers of products to North America and Europe. We've noted which firms serve one continent or the other exclusively, and unless marked otherwise, companies listed in this guide serve both markets. The Buyer's Guide consists of two basic sections. The first, the Company Listing presents basic company contact information and indicates the categories for which each firm provides products or services.

The second section includes the more detailed categories and which suppliers provide products for each.

This site enables you to search the Almanac by company or keyword, and provides hot links to many suppliers' websites.