Episode 47
Manufacturing is not what you think with Megan Tzanoukakis
Megan Tzanoukakis started her career in accounting, but was ready for change. Opportunity came her way through Sussex IM. However, the position was not in the accounting field. She started out in Operations and is now the Vice President of Supply Chain.
Megan talks to Brad & Steve about change, how the generations need to work together and understand each other, the future of manufacturing and recycling in the manufacturing industry.
Episode Highlights
06:00 - Megan's love of operations and finding better faster ways to do things.
07:20 - Why the younger generations can't come into a company and just think they can change things. They need to understand why things are done a certain way.
15:45 - Blue Collar businesses need to work closely with high schools so they can tap into the talent and expose the next generation to the possibilities of manufacturing as a career path.
22:20 - The push for recycled material and the future of chemical recycling.
Contact your hosts:
Steve Doyle:
Brad Herda:
Megan Tzanoukakis
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Transcript
welcome back to the show brand heard of blue color b s coming at you
doyle]:with a heavy on the b s today
herda]:but
doyle]:how are you doing
herda]:heavy
doyle]:today brad
herda]:business solutions be business
doyle]:yes
herda]:solutions
doyle]:heavy on the business solution
herda]:that's correct
doyle]:how you doing
herda]:it is
doyle]:today
herda]:a fantastic friday afternoon here in the blue color b s studios and snow is
herda]:coming it's the middle of october and there was snow up north there was an
herda]:inch of snow at one of my clients facilities up around superior he's like
doyle]:yes there
herda]:yea
doyle]:is out there
herda]:not not excited about that oh
doyle]:yeah buddy
herda]:not excited but
doyle]:buddy it's gonna go
herda]:yes
doyle]:heavily impact your golf game but you know that's what they make yellow balls for
herda]:right yeah and tomorrow morning when we see off it's supposed to be thirty three
herda]:degrees with a real field of twenty eight
doyle]:in wrong
herda]:sorry i'm
doyle]:no
herda]:just
doyle]:no not doing it
herda]:but you don't need to
doyle]:not
herda]:you do
doyle]:do
herda]:not
doyle]:it
herda]:need to
doyle]:not doing that so
tzanoukakis]:yea
doyle]:brad who do we have on the show today
herda]:so today we have with us
tzanoukakis]:a
herda]:one of the people that i've gotten to know over the last three to five
herda]:years or so through the local community that we live in in sussex here is
herda]:the vice president f supply chain is probably one of our largest local employers um
herda]:sussex i am injection moulding it's been different names different things that's a great company
herda]:that supports our community i'm going to butcher the name because there's this tea in
herda]:front
tzanoukakis]:he
herda]:of her name that we're going to ignore so we're gonna try it we're gonna
herda]:try it megan megan zanacoccis close
tzanoukakis]:good job brad
herda]:can do it
tzanoukakis]:i am really depressed
doyle]:you can do
herda]:yeah
doyle]:it
herda]:oh
doyle]:you can do it
herda]:there's that
tzanoukakis]:no
herda]:te sitting right in front
doyle]:welcome
herda]:of it and
doyle]:megan
herda]:it
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:just doesn't do any good yeah
tzanoukakis]:something
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:well for you passed the first test brad so
herda]:perfect
tzanoukakis]:thank you
doyle]:oh
herda]:now
tzanoukakis]:thanks
herda]:we know
tzanoukakis]:for having me on
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:the show
herda]:now we know your
doyle]:yeah
herda]:test as we talked about before recording your test is to outdo paul giles so
herda]:be
tzanoukakis]:at
herda]:on your
tzanoukakis]:that is very hard to live up to i don't know if i don't know
tzanoukakis]:if i can do it but
herda]:i'm confident
tzanoukakis]:give
herda]:you
tzanoukakis]:it a good try
herda]:i know you can you're much smarter than he is
tzanoukakis]:a
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i didn't
herda]:h
tzanoukakis]:say it
herda]:i
tzanoukakis]:all
doyle]:wow
herda]:did
tzanoukakis]:fall
herda]:i did
doyle]:get
tzanoukakis]:yeah
doyle]:then with zingers with people aren't
herda]:yeah
doyle]:here that's a great
herda]:hey
doyle]:that's
herda]:past
doyle]:great
tzanoukakis]:uh
herda]:guest of the show
doyle]:so
herda]:paul
doyle]:mean
herda]:as a past
doyle]:before
herda]:guest
doyle]:we
herda]:of the show it's okay
tzanoukakis]:yeah beautiful
doyle]:right
tzanoukakis]:friend
doyle]:so mean before we
herda]:ah
doyle]:get into the before we get into the show let's just quickly identify which generation
doyle]:do you fit in with
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:so i identify as a millennial as everyone will tell me i am definitely a
tzanoukakis]:millennial
herda]:yeah
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:told often you are a millennial
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:i know
doyle]:yeah
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:yeah
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:to
herda]:and why do you
doyle]:that's
herda]:why
doyle]:awesome
herda]:do you think they do that
tzanoukakis]:well i think it's my lack of patients for things
herda]:oh yah
tzanoukakis]:i need to continuously
herda]:h
tzanoukakis]:improve a lot the i love to use technology
herda]:ah
tzanoukakis]:stream line to make things better i also look a lot younger than i actually
tzanoukakis]:am so i might be called gen d at some point though okay
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:it it has
herda]:ah
tzanoukakis]:happened but
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:fine with me
doyle]:yeah that's awesome
herda]:yeah so making things better
doyle]:that's awesome
herda]:using technology how has that impacted your you know your career path into your supply
herda]:chain world as well as even within your own organization right being the millennial female
herda]:leader inside your organization how has that journey been for you
tzanoukakis]:yeah so my journey started actually
herda]:i
tzanoukakis]:i went to college for accounting so brand knows i love my spread sheets um
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:and that's really the path that i thought i would take
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:for my entire life as i worked in the big four public accounting for four
tzanoukakis]:years i travelled i audited i worked very long hours and i learned a lot
tzanoukakis]:but at some
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:point you know i knew that i couldn't i couldn't do that forever and so
tzanoukakis]:my father is actually one of the owners of sussex i am and he approached
tzanoukakis]:me after i had been in public accounting for a while and said if you
tzanoukakis]:want to come into manufacturing i have a job for you um and i thought
tzanoukakis]:it would be in accounting you know what might
herda]:surprise
tzanoukakis]:agree with it yeah and
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:and he says no i want
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:you to be in manufacturing scheduling
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:and i said i don't even know what that is
herda]:it's numbers
tzanoukakis]:so
herda]:in a
doyle]:oh
herda]:different format that's all
tzanoukakis]:um so i showed up the first day in dress pants
doyle]:okay
tzanoukakis]:and foreign heels walking the shop floor
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:having absolutely no idea what i got myself into
herda]:thanks dad
tzanoukakis]:like
herda]:thanks for letting me know
tzanoukakis]:yeah it was it was eye opening
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i had always loved manufacturing when
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:i was in when i was in accounting and auditing i audited manufacturing companies and
tzanoukakis]:i went to physical inventories
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:and i learned about all these different companies in hell i do things and it
tzanoukakis]:was a really good crash coursing and the accounting side of manufacturing dark side of
tzanoukakis]:operations and manufacturing
herda]:ye
tzanoukakis]:was very new to me
herda]:the
tzanoukakis]:um
herda]:dark side
tzanoukakis]:is the dark side and i love it
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i love it i have people that
doyle]:it
tzanoukakis]:call clients dilate you just love the chaos
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:i'm like i do
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:i thrive on the chaos i thrive on making things better and continuously improving and
tzanoukakis]:finding better faster ways to to do the job
doyle]:yeah
herda]:no no
tzanoukakis]:um
herda]:no
tzanoukakis]:and
herda]:no no mean you get slow down that's the way we've always done it
tzanoukakis]:it
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:uh
herda]:just
tzanoukakis]:yeah
doyle]:exactly
tzanoukakis]:as
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:a
herda]:for those that can't see the anger
tzanoukakis]:waiting
doyle]:ah
tzanoukakis]:more
herda]:for those that can't see the anger coming
doyle]:ah
herda]:out of her face right now
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:in her ears there's like steam coming out going
tzanoukakis]:so
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:for for my first several years here i just soaked in those
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:words right i learned i understood our processes and the longer i was here the
tzanoukakis]:more i could methodically understand like okay this is why we do it i understand
tzanoukakis]:why it doesn't mean it's the best way right so but i do think there
tzanoukakis]:is a as milennials and gen s you can't just come in blazing with i
tzanoukakis]:want to fix all these problems right
herda]:right
tzanoukakis]:there is a rhyme or reason why things have been done that way you have
tzanoukakis]:to step back and understand that and say okay i get it now can we
tzanoukakis]:use the system two solve that problem right to make it faster to make it
tzanoukakis]:more efficient but
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:if you don't understand where we came from and how we got there it's really
tzanoukakis]:hard to make those changes and have people accept them
herda]:s really great advice for somebody as young as you are oh yeah
tzanoukakis]:i've come up to a lot of i mean
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i've made mistakes let's not say
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i happened
herda]:we've all made mistakes trust me and
tzanoukakis]:right
herda]:you and i i've made lots of mistakes
doyle]:right right
tzanoukakis]:yeah
doyle]:every day
tzanoukakis]:but i learned from them
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:right and i know the people and i know i know how much they can
tzanoukakis]:handle as far as change is concerned in a certain period of time but we
tzanoukakis]:have come a very long way and we have a lot a lot further to
tzanoukakis]:go but we are making a lot of progress which is really exciting and it
tzanoukakis]:makes coming to work really fun
herda]:that's awesome
tzanoukakis]:hm to
doyle]:very cool so how have
herda]:yeh
doyle]:so being we would say the younger of the of the groups and you focus
doyle]:on continuous improvement how would you say the change was met when you first started
doyle]:versus how it's going now you've introduced change
tzanoukakis]:yeah it was when i first started i've been here about eight years it was
tzanoukakis]:very difficult one of my co workers will will say it was like one person
tzanoukakis]:waving the white flag and then we had two people waving the white flag and
tzanoukakis]:then three people and it's really hard to change when there's not as many people
tzanoukakis]:on your side right not that there's sides but not as many people
doyle]:hm
tzanoukakis]:embracing it and helping you you can't do it alone it's teamwork it's collaboration
doyle]:right
tzanoukakis]:so over the years
doyle]:her
tzanoukakis]:we've hired a lot of new people that have that continuous improvement mindset that have
tzanoukakis]:come from other moulders in the area that have used our rope software and and
tzanoukakis]:some of like the two s that we already have they've used been using
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:them and use them better so we've been able to use that knowledge to improve
tzanoukakis]:our organization and grow
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:our or core group of people who are really trying to implement change so that
tzanoukakis]:it's not just one person because it can't you can't do it you can't
herda]:no
doyle]:right
herda]:no no it
doyle]:i
herda]:gets really tired tiring
doyle]:yeah
herda]:and it gets really
tzanoukakis]:ah
herda]:frustrating and it just that's part of the reason why my hair isn't where it
herda]:is anymore either yeah oh
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:no you can't do it alone
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:like it's like your family you it takes a village
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:you all have
doyle]:right
tzanoukakis]:to be rowing in the same direction and we are we are there and just
tzanoukakis]:we just keep rolling every day so
doyle]:cool so when you are starting out with the with the changes because we're a
doyle]:generational show so we're going to ask this question of was there a specific genera
doyle]:tion that you would meet
herda]:yeah
doyle]:that would be more resistant to change you first started out
tzanoukakis]:yeah i mean all of the boomers are always resistant to change
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:and they will tell you this is
doyle]:right
tzanoukakis]:they will
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:tell you they're not that's the funniest
herda]:yes
doyle]:oh
herda]:yes
tzanoukakis]:part
herda]:they will
tzanoukakis]:they will tell me
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:i really want to
herda]:oh
doyle]:ah
tzanoukakis]:change but and then they'll give all their reasons why right and that's but that's
tzanoukakis]:why i go back to there's a reason why they've been doing things that way
tzanoukakis]:for thirty years right
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:thirty years ago it wasn't grong it was probably the best way to do things
tzanoukakis]:we just weren't as focus as a culture on changing things or improving them on
tzanoukakis]:a regular basis so they didn't see the extent of change and the the amount
tzanoukakis]:of change that kind of our generation is throwing on them all at once
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:no
herda]:oh
doyle]:right
tzanoukakis]:so i think i think milennials are more adapt and flexible to change just because
tzanoukakis]:we grew up with a lot of change and we are okay with it so
tzanoukakis]:but i understand where they're
doyle]:right
tzanoukakis]:coming from
herda]:this is
doyle]:oh
herda]:this
tzanoukakis]:so
herda]:is a really great idea megan however why don't you have bob do that instead
herda]:of me could you do that because i really like what i'm doing let's just
herda]:do it this way one last time we'll
tzanoukakis]:do
herda]:do it this way and then we'll make that change later one last time just
herda]:one last time we'll do it this way
tzanoukakis]:yeah
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:that that is hard that's
doyle]:ah
tzanoukakis]:a
herda]:yeah
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:that becomes very difficult right and i think the that's kind of where you can't
tzanoukakis]:be one person
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:right
herda]:right
tzanoukakis]:it's a team and everyone on the team is going to migrate to this no
tzanoukakis]:new way of doing things there's always going to be those outliers but most of
tzanoukakis]:the time they will come around once they understand the value of the change and
tzanoukakis]:they understand that it's not this isn't just more work for me there's a reason
tzanoukakis]:and it's
doyle]:ah
tzanoukakis]:all in how it's presented right if you don't present it if you don't tell
tzanoukakis]:them why
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:we're doing it or what the benefit is or how it can help them it
tzanoukakis]:makes them a lot it's much harder to buy in i would feel the same
tzanoukakis]:way if someone did that to me so you got to present it in the
tzanoukakis]:right way
herda]:on a spread sheet
tzanoukakis]:no
herda]:yeah
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:that's the one thing
herda]:sir
tzanoukakis]:praties are not
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:good for
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:that's a power point
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:and our discussion
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:oh
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:oh
herda]:so i
tzanoukakis]:you heard it from me do not cure everything
herda]:okay we're gonna hold you that
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:yeah
doyle]:yeah
herda]:m
doyle]:uh
tzanoukakis]:man didn't know
doyle]:ah
herda]:as you guys have
doyle]:yeah
herda]:grown and you and the business has grown and you've gone through changes over the
herda]:last i mean ship i've been out here in this area for twenty some years
herda]:and that organization has changed dramatically over those twenty years and you've only been there
herda]:you've been part of that eight how or what are you doing to bring in
herda]:the gens kids that twenty five and younger crowd how are you guys attracting and
herda]:retaining or what what tactics are you using that are successful that you can share
herda]:with our audience and what things have you tried just didn't work and it was
herda]:a complete waste of time and money
tzanoukakis]:yeah so that is a really hard question because we're still
herda]:we do on this highly
tzanoukakis]:trying to
herda]:highly
tzanoukakis]:be
herda]:highly
doyle]:it's
herda]:powerful journalistic type show here that we have
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:now
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:i wish
herda]:tens
tzanoukakis]:someone
herda]:of
tzanoukakis]:would
herda]:people
tzanoukakis]:give
herda]:are
tzanoukakis]:me the
herda]:out there
tzanoukakis]:seat
herda]:wondering what that answer is going to be
tzanoukakis]:yeah i mean we
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:um have
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:just been discussing getting in much you know
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:closer contact with the local schools because
herda]:to
tzanoukakis]:one
herda]:one
tzanoukakis]:thing that gens
herda]:i
tzanoukakis]:i really like about gens is that they don't
herda]:don't oh
tzanoukakis]:all just want to go to college because they've been told they need to go
tzanoukakis]:to college and that is huge because
herda]:because
tzanoukakis]:in my
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:generation in the millennials we were all i mean everyone
herda]:every one
tzanoukakis]:i know we just went to college it
herda]:and
tzanoukakis]:didn't
herda]:go
tzanoukakis]:matter if you
herda]:and
tzanoukakis]:knew
herda]:got your
tzanoukakis]:it
herda]:masters
tzanoukakis]:yeah i mean and you wrecked up all this debt for career you didn't even
tzanoukakis]:know what you were going into right or something that didn't necessarily need that four
tzanoukakis]:year degree so gens is much more logical and they're thinking about what do i
tzanoukakis]:really want to do if i don't really want to need to go to college
tzanoukakis]:right now i'm not going to i'm going to work or i'm going o do
tzanoukakis]:a trade or something or get my come any to pay for that extra schooling
tzanoukakis]:um instead
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:of incurring that debt myself so that is really it important for the future of
tzanoukakis]:manufacturing
herda]:huh
tzanoukakis]:um and we are going to be working
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:closer with the technical like the tech ed and the robotic and those groups within
tzanoukakis]:the local high schools because we have a lot of automation and robotics on our
tzanoukakis]:shop floor which are very good paying jobs and hands on and if we can
tzanoukakis]:get those kids into our facility to see what we're doing earlier
herda]:ye
tzanoukakis]:in their lives i think it will really to fit them and us mutually to
tzanoukakis]:to just talk to those kids earlier and have them understanding what we're doing manufacturing
tzanoukakis]:it's not dirty it's not it's not what you think of it it's very technical
tzanoukakis]:it's very scientific and we made cool stuff so
herda]:he
doyle]:it
herda]:makes some really cool
tzanoukakis]:we
herda]:stuff
tzanoukakis]:know that until you come here
herda]:right
doyle]:see oh
tzanoukakis]:ah
herda]:m lids
doyle]:yeah oh
tzanoukakis]:yeah i mean it's
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:all consumer products you would see
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:out there in the world and you have no idea that they're
doyle]:m
tzanoukakis]:made in sussex wisconsin pretty neat
doyle]:m m
tzanoukakis]:hm
herda]:it is very cool when
doyle]:oh
herda]:the first time i saw your display at the chamber office and i saw all
herda]:the things that were on there and the first time i was in the conference
herda]:room with looking at all the cosmetic stuff and cosmetic cases all those other things
herda]:like never would have guessed coming
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:up because because i don't when you drive by you don't see all the things
herda]:you don't see how big the building is you just see the front entrance sort
herda]:of and like okay oh this is all coming out
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:of here very very cool
tzanoukakis]:yeah we're tucked we're tucked away behind a lot of
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:trees and foliage you never know you never know how big
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:we are
herda]:right
tzanoukakis]:that's okay though we like we like to be a little under the radar sometimes
herda]:um m so you know kind
doyle]:oh
herda]:of going back to that way we've always done it scenario right so you've come
herda]:into the organization i spent eight years had to go through those boomers to get
herda]:them to understand what's got to happen now of a sudden this twenty five year
herda]:old twenty two year old comes in and says hey megan why are you doing
herda]:it
tzanoukakis]:oh
herda]:this way how are how are you going to take that on and react and
herda]:deal with that because it's the next thing that's coming through um m
tzanoukakis]:hm
herda]:to face
tzanoukakis]:ah
doyle]:oh
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:so
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i have i have had that
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:happen and i've been like we're not going to do that we tried that and
tzanoukakis]:it didn't work and i stabbed myself
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:and i'm
doyle]:ah
tzanoukakis]:like oh my god
doyle]:ah
tzanoukakis]:ah
herda]:shand i sound like my
tzanoukakis]:like
herda]:father
tzanoukakis]:i
doyle]:h
tzanoukakis]:do
doyle]:yes
herda]:damn it
tzanoukakis]:it has happened
doyle]:a
tzanoukakis]:several times and i will stop
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:myself and be like i am not that person if you have an idea
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:i would love to hear it
herda]:yeah
doyle]:yeah
herda]:just not right
doyle]:yeah
herda]:now
tzanoukakis]:well and
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:you know what i don't
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i don't
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:have a problem with if you have a suggestion for a better way to do
tzanoukakis]:something
herda]:my
tzanoukakis]:or an improvement
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:i'm all for it my problem is that i've been told this several times
herda]:ah
tzanoukakis]:i'm not good at delegating
herda]:really
tzanoukakis]:so someone comes to me with a problem
herda]:uh
tzanoukakis]:i will take
herda]:uh
tzanoukakis]:it on and i will do it and the reason why i say that to
tzanoukakis]:them is because i'm essentially like they'll come to with an idea and then it's
tzanoukakis]:my problem so if somebody else has an awesome idea and they want to do
tzanoukakis]:it have at it but i can't take on those
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:projects anymore um because it used to be my job that's all i would do
tzanoukakis]:and i loved it and it's hard to it's hard to not do that i
tzanoukakis]:am not that person i a problem solver i c a problem i want to
tzanoukakis]:fix it
herda]:yah
tzanoukakis]:and it is that
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:is hard for me so
herda]:ah
tzanoukakis]:i've had to really restrain myself from from solving
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:everybody else's problems if they want to do it have ad it you know
doyle]:nice
tzanoukakis]:i'll be here to support you and guide you but i just can't i can't
tzanoukakis]:do it all
herda]:i've raised enough white flag that
doyle]:oh
herda]:i can't do it any more you
tzanoukakis]:i
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:mean it's not to say i won't help and i'm not still doing that it's
tzanoukakis]:just no at some point people have great ideas and i love to hear them
tzanoukakis]:um at some point i can't just do them all by myself
herda]:correct
tzanoukakis]:that's why we have a team that's why we have a group of people that
tzanoukakis]:were mentoring and bringing up and learning so they can continuously improve in solve those
tzanoukakis]:problems and we have we have a very good team here oh yeah proud of
tzanoukakis]:them
doyle]:very cool what would you say to any millennial that millennial or gens that's looking
doyle]:um at blue color work what advice would you give them support there to support
doyle]:their interest yeah
tzanoukakis]:i would say to not judge a book by its cover so manufacturing plastics just
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:doesn't get the best reputation right for whatever
herda]:right
tzanoukakis]:reason it's dirty
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:it's not good for the environment what have you right
herda]:oh
doyle]:m
tzanoukakis]:and to really come into a company and see the complexity of what we're doing
tzanoukakis]:we're making products in the united states for the united states and we are we
tzanoukakis]:are a core piller and the g d p of the united states we're providing
tzanoukakis]:jobs for four hundred plus employes here in sussex i mean we are very important
tzanoukakis]:to the economy and we're making something tangible i can see i can walk out
tzanoukakis]:to the shop floor and i can i can see it go from pellet into
tzanoukakis]:the machine into a plastic part that's going to be on a store shelf or
tzanoukakis]:in your home some day and there is nothing cooler than doing that or you
tzanoukakis]:know my dad taking us to wall
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:greens and showing us the compacts that he made or he designed
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:twenty years ago
herda]:uh
tzanoukakis]:like
herda]:uh
tzanoukakis]:you had
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:so much
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:pride in that and it gave me and my siblings that same pride um and
tzanoukakis]:it's it's just really cool and there's not a lot of a lot of jobs
tzanoukakis]:you're not don't get this tangible feeling of like i made this i i did
tzanoukakis]:something to make this
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:um that's that's the best part and i think until you're in manufacturing you just
tzanoukakis]:you don't see that side of it oh
herda]:rightly
tzanoukakis]:it's really fun
herda]:yes there is nothing better than
doyle]:oh
herda]:then seeing something start as one thing that nobody can in vision and shows up
herda]:as something else right you had made a comment about you know it's not dark
herda]:not you know he dark dirty dangerous but you also made something about not good
herda]:for the environment
doyle]:m
herda]:maybe you know this answer maybe you don't but what since you are in a
herda]:plastic organization what are you
tzanoukakis]:how
herda]:seeing
tzanoukakis]:do you
herda]:in your industry for the the ability to
doyle]:oh
herda]:find recycled materials be able to make
doyle]:oh
herda]:new products from as well as what
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:are you doing to take your flash and other things to potentially be recycled or
herda]:repurposed or be used within the facility or turned into few or what are you
herda]:guys doing in your space to facilitate that
tzanoukakis]:hm yeah so there's a couple of different things so obviously there's a big push
tzanoukakis]:from a lot of our customers to use recycled material
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:right whether it's post consumer recycled or post industrial recycle material within there products the
tzanoukakis]:issue with that sometimes can be that every lot of material is different from a
tzanoukakis]:processing
doyle]:m
tzanoukakis]:perspective if you want perfect parts that have no
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:cosmetic um you know issues
herda]:right
tzanoukakis]:that they process perfectly they have very tight tolerances for quality that can be very
tzanoukakis]:difficult with recycle material there's also not a lot of it in the world
herda]:right
tzanoukakis]:know i mean it's it's a nitch area right now and
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:there's just you're not going to find millions and millions nd pounds of it because
tzanoukakis]:the infrastructure is not there or for the recytling um so that's so that's one
tzanoukakis]:piece of it the second piece of it is that m
doyle]:a
tzanoukakis]:chemical recycling is kind of the next wave over cycling where
herda]:hm
tzanoukakis]:they would be able to take or scrap your re grind that sort of thing
tzanoukakis]:or a or plastic parts that would go into a land fill and chemically recycled
tzanoukakis]:them back to the virgin pellet
herda]:wow
tzanoukakis]:that is that is
doyle]:mhm
tzanoukakis]:coming but it will be many years
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:because the infrastructure again is not there i mean you need these massive companies to
tzanoukakis]:be able to fineries to be able to do that but but it's coming it
tzanoukakis]:will just be a while right now
doyle]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:we use as we grind up all of our
doyle]:it
tzanoukakis]:re grind and use it back into our molding process as long as the process
tzanoukakis]:is capable and the customer allows it and then anything else is sold to m
tzanoukakis]:companies that by re grind and
doyle]:ye
tzanoukakis]:turn it into two other things so nothing goes into a land fill from the
tzanoukakis]:from the grinding perspective
herda]:very cool
tzanoukakis]:um so it is it's a circular it's becoming more circular and we our company
tzanoukakis]:we are endurable goods we do very very very little single use plastic
herda]:okay
tzanoukakis]:um and that's and that's something we
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:when we're looking for new customers
herda]:oh
tzanoukakis]:that's something we prioritize is durable
herda]:you're
tzanoukakis]:good
herda]:not in so you're not doing the knives and forks and spoons for your plastic
herda]:nice forks
tzanoukakis]:no
herda]:moon type stuff
tzanoukakis]:no
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:no not
doyle]:new
tzanoukakis]:unless unless they can
herda]:solo
tzanoukakis]:be
herda]:cup
tzanoukakis]:a
herda]:solo cups no
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:poslabout
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:something yeah
herda]:so so
tzanoukakis]:athos
herda]:so megan how does a young person or even an older person that says hey
herda]:you know what this is pretty cool this sounds good you guys are doing what
herda]:you need to do for the environment you're growing doing these things how would somebody
herda]:get a hold of you or sussex i am
doyle]:oh
herda]:if they have interest in talking more or finding
doyle]:oh
herda]:out what opportunities might exist there
tzanoukakis]:yeah so i would say email me
doyle]:no
tzanoukakis]:um look me up and linked in
herda]:so what would
tzanoukakis]:we
herda]:that
tzanoukakis]:have him
herda]:what would that email be because this is a we're seeing each other
tzanoukakis]:you want
herda]:with
tzanoukakis]:me
herda]:the
tzanoukakis]:to
herda]:folks
tzanoukakis]:spell out my email for you
herda]:the folk that are listening can't see what we see
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:it's an audio
tzanoukakis]:okay
herda]:show
tzanoukakis]:want me you want me to
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:spell it out for you
herda]:well or we can say hey you know we'll put it in the show notes
herda]:how about that because it is it is a
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:lot of letters
tzanoukakis]:put it in the show up because if i spell it for you people are
tzanoukakis]:just going to
herda]:yeah
tzanoukakis]:it's going to get messed up
herda]:it is
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:but i would say if someone's interested
herda]:ah
tzanoukakis]:email me i love to chat i'm really big on on especially more women in
tzanoukakis]:the manufacturing
doyle]:yes
tzanoukakis]:industry there are not enough of us and the ones that are the ones we
tzanoukakis]:have are amazing and we just need more of them
herda]:completely
tzanoukakis]:so
herda]:agree
tzanoukakis]:i'd love to chat any time
doyle]:yes olly agree there
herda]:all
tzanoukakis]:yeah
herda]:right so this wasn't so bad was was it pushing you outside your comfort
tzanoukakis]:no
herda]:one
tzanoukakis]:this one's fun
herda]:this was fun so you'd come
tzanoukakis]:i
herda]:back
tzanoukakis]:liked
herda]:again
tzanoukakis]:it sure as long as you want me
herda]:so yeah what would be great is to get you and dad on the same
herda]:thing will talk about some fun stuff
doyle]:yea
herda]:talk about
tzanoukakis]:oh
herda]:talk about vacation we'll talk about
tzanoukakis]:oh
herda]:you know
tzanoukakis]:a
herda]:p t o and all those fun things
doyle]:yeah
herda]:that dad probably not excited about
tzanoukakis]:hey i'm sure he would be on i think he would be open to it
herda]:i think it would be too that's why i think it would be fun so
tzanoukakis]:ah i
herda]:now
tzanoukakis]:think
herda]:that you know how painless
tzanoukakis]:i think he
herda]:it is we can make that happen all right
tzanoukakis]:yeah this was fun
herda]:awesome
tzanoukakis]:be down for that
herda]:all right cool you
tzanoukakis]:we
herda]:have a great rest of your week and we will talk to you
tzanoukakis]:thank
herda]:soon
tzanoukakis]:you
herda]:megan
doyle]:oh
tzanoukakis]:you to thanks guys have a nice weekend
doyle]:yes
herda]:thanks
tzanoukakis]:i
herda]:and