This Month’s Flip File Highlights a talented member of the Kraus Maffei team.
When Lexington Peterson was in fourth grade, she filled out one of those “all about me” books. Her response when asked to describe her adult career? “I want to be a plastics ingenier.”
Lexington laughed about her youthful lack of spelling skills as she recalled answering that question. “In every way, I am a nerd,” she said. “I’ve wanted to be a plastics engineer since I was 11 years old.”
She went on to say the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill sparked her interest in a career where she could make a tangible impact on the environment. “There was more and more media coverage on the state of our oceans after the spill, especially on plastics,” she explained. “I connected with a few professors from Pittsburg State University’s Plastics Engineering Technology program on these environmental concerns, and the rest is history.”
Discovering where she belongs
Today, Lexington holds a BS in Engineering, is on her way toward an MBA in Engineering Management and works as a project manager in the Automation division of KraussMaffei—one of the world’s leading manufacturers of plastics manufacturing machinery and systems for production and processing of plastics and rubber materials. “I truly feel that I’ve found my community,” she said about the plastics industry, “inspiring, like-minded, fun, and ambitious professionals.”
Among that community, Lexington numbers several influential mentors. “Each was an active sponsor in pushing to include me in challenging technical work and discussions,” she said, adding an additional note about the importance of generosity in mentorship, calling each mentor a perfect example of the “lift as you climb” approach to nurturing younger colleagues.
Preserving the voice of experience
When asked about challenges facing the industry, Lexington discussed her desire to see the plastics community grow while retaining vital institutional memory and expertise.
“Our industry’s lack of skilled, affordable labor is very concerning,” she said. “Additionally, we have a major sociodemographic issue concerning our aging workforce. We have reached an inflection point where more people are retiring than graduating from high school, which is reducing our workforce year over year.”
Referring to retiring colleagues as “the backbone of our industry,” Lexington went on to say, “Many want to continue to work, so developing accommodations around the physical and cognitive demands of this older workforce should be our priority, allowing us to retain this talent. Intelligent, automated manufacturing environments that are not only collaborative with workers but are especially inclusive of this aging workforce will be key.”
Growing the plastics community
As for replenishing the workforce, Lexington sees a natural fit for her own generation, a socially and environmentally conscious generation with a natural affinity for technology. “This generation works hard, craves successful careers, and would like to make an adequate living comparable to their parents when they were the same age,” she said. “Pursuing an education in plastics is sure to be an excellent return on their investment as job placement is almost guaranteed.”
Upon entering the plastics industry, Lexington recommends people pursue professional development. In her case, KraussMaffei’s PLASTICS membership gives her access to the complimentary development and networking opportunities available through Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP), the association’s group for professionals under the age of 40. “The FLiP book clubs have initiated many thought-provoking discussions on professional development as well as our industry’s reputation,” Lexington said. “The FLiP and Sip reception at NPE in Orlando this past May was an absolute blast!”
Lexington’s diligence proves something she said when commenting on her generation: “Gen-Z/Zillennials have had a reputation for being lazy and entitled cry-babies. This cannot be further from the truth. This generation works hard and craves successful careers.”
PLASTICS and the Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP) Committee are devoted to supporting and encouraging the next generation of plastics leaders who will play a crucial role in the innovation, technology and future of the plastics industry. FLiP’s mission is to provide young professionals under the age of 40 the exposure, education and resources they need to build lifelong careers in plastics. Want to join? Want to get your employees involved? Email: flip@plasticsindustry.org
