award during the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Innovation Awards Gala, Macher spent 30 years at Ford Motor Co. rising through the ranks and eventually heading parts suppliers like Collins & Aikman, Federal Mogul, and ITT Automotive. Despite the C-level status, he never strayed too far from the shop floor, and most importantly, those bins at the end of the machine.

Many processors proudly showcase their most challenging or successful parts in glass cases at plant entrances, highlighting past endeavors with museum-like displays, which, ultimately, look backwards. But to take Macher’s cue, perhaps it’s better to look at what’s going wrong in the present, and in that way, make sure more “success stories” make it into those display cases in the future.

So how about it, what’s in your scrap bin; and what does it say about what your company is doing right or wrong?