VUVUZELAS ARE ACTUALLY USEFUL Patriotic feelings are stirred by the crazy instrument, and suddenly SA flags are selling like crazy. JUST LATELY, unexpectedly, patriotic feelings have been building up.  Very unexpectedly actually.  You may be feeling the same? And, no, I’m not hoping we’re going to win the World Cup.  By the time you receive this publication that will probably be a reality.  What has been stirring this patriotic feeling has to a large extent been all the flags and national paraphernalia around. We’ve never seen anything like it! Whoever anticipated South African flags and vuvuzelas would sell like this must have known something the rest of us didn’t.  We’ve published quite a few articles about vuvuzelas and, even for an optimist like me, I seriously doubted whether this could ever be profitable.  Up till now the only good use for a vuvuzela seemed to be to donder opposition fans without causing serious injury.  If anything, blowing the lunatic instrument appears to make people more friendly. And the manufacturers are now working 48/7. And enjoying it! The fact that Dutch journalists don’t like vuvuzelas isn’t surprising. Most normal people wouldn’t either.  But then many things in South Africa are difficult to understand.  Where else do people dance and sing when they’re protesting?  Now, it seems the vuvuzela is becoming our best weapon.  And if that’s what’s going to sell well, perhaps we had better factor in the unexpected more frequently in product development and sales forecasts in future? One good guy is worth 10 so-so okes Okay, I exaggerate a bit, but most of you will agree that the good people in your company are worth a lot more than the guys who’re only there because they have to be.  Achieving a situation where you have more good guys in your team than the so-so’s is challenging for any employer.  If you get it right your business is more likely to generate momentum.  One of the ways towards achieving this is through good training.  Now one of the people who has made a major difference to training in the SA polymer industry is returning.  Chris Vorwerk, who was one of the brains behind the success of the Plastics Industry Training Board in the 1990s, is now getting involved with the industry’s training authority, the MERSETA, as it develops a new skills plan.  Chris has spent the last few years working with the Department of Labour (see page 70). Besides his lifelong education and training background, Chris has one huge advantage: he speaks Zulu. The goal at present is to develop a value chain and attaching typical jobs at each point in the value chain. This is similar to the career path mapped out by the PITB previously, which was becoming very effective.  It’s welcome back to Chris!  If any of you have specific training inquiries or problems, contact Chris at chris@xasa.co.za or 082 852 7655. But, back to the soccer, even if we don’t win the World Cup, we’ll be winners anyway. The reality that some people predicted some time ago – that the World Cup would not be a boon for the industry – appears to be correct, but with the blazing festival expected over the month-long period it’s almost certain the packaging market will be going flatout. And so will we! MARTIN WELLS, EDITOR