What's bad for oil could be very good for biochemicals and bioplastics, and bioplastics have already proven to be a winner for Danone and its yogurt packaging. Inmold labeling still hasn't caught on in North America like it has in Europe, but it does have one new supporter in the U.S., Kraft Foods. Charlie Crew will call it quits at SABIC Innovative Plastics after 34 years, multiple continents and several different business units.

What's the longest you've ever stayed at a company? Fully 55% of respondents to a PlasticsToday poll said they've spent 15 or more years at one company, with 29% hanging on for a decade, and only 16% calling a 5-year stint their longest haul. Milacron made a splash in the injection molding machine market with the introduction of its Maxima Servo line of machines. Lots of suppliers have worked to optimize the hydraulic system pumps, but Milacron went a step further opting for a permanent-magnet servomotor.

Doug Smock called for a bold move in medical plastics, telling the industry that it's time for a "moon shot" for the printing of organs, while Karen Laird, our Green Matter reporter who covered the European Bioplastics event in Berlin told greenwashers out there that if they're going to talk the green talk they'd best walk the green walk, and Tom Langan laid our even more evidence in Price Wise that if plastics processors were going to pick a commodity to use as a hedge against volatile resin prices, they could do a lot worse than crude oil. And Clare Goldsberry wants to know; how many companies does on firm have to acquire in a single industry before you have a monopoly on your hands.

Posted late in the week on Friday but well worth your time:

How the Chevy Volt might be winning accolades, including SPE recognition, for its powertrain, but it's also getting regulatory attention after some in-the-field failures with an NHTSA investigation called.

Glenn Beall's unique perspective on the jobs crisis, and how fundamentally different today's concepts of on-the-job training and university preparation are compared to when he entered the workforce. While unemployment remains persistently, perniciously high, whole sectors of industry are desperate for talent; what went wrong? Lots of reader feedback here (13 comments and counting); what do you think?

Finally on Friday, Mike Sepe, The Materials Analyst wrapped up his 6-part injection molding series with a look at how molders would be much wiser to monitor their process than simply inspect finished parts. Find the process, and the good parts will follow. Look for the free webcast when it's archived here.