Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 5

B ut unlike many aerospace suppliers, General Plastics has not been impact- ed by the tariffs, tensions and trade wars that have roiled markets for materials. General Plastics doesn’t use any of the metals that have been hit by tariffs, John- son said – and its raw materials are all U.S. sourced chemicals. Other trends in the industry will impact the company, however – “With all of the consolidation of manufacturing happening, it’s always a challenge,” Johnson said. The summer’s biggest news – the joint venture between Boeing and Embraer – won’t directly impact General Plastics, the CEO said. “We have materials going to both companies and hope that it will only grow.” And when two good customers come together to form a larger company, that’s good for General Plastics, Johnson said. “Those kinds of consolidation could help our business.” But at the same time, his company is seeing a downturn in demand for foam to be used in prototyping. There are fewer seat manufacturers now, for example, which means less demand for foam to be used to build seat prototypes. “There’s less creativity out there,” Johnson said. “The challenge is to identify who’s doing what.” That’s where a skilled workforce comes in. Johnson said his engineers have been learning more and more about ways their products can be used to build sandwich panels that drop weight or to speed the development of lower-cost tooling. That’s why there’s such a bright future for General Plastics, Johnson said. “We’re very proud of our ability to deliver what they (customers) ask for,” he said. “We have a lot of knowledge and experience working on big programs.” ROOTED IN HELPING In 1935, Boeing employees founded our credit union so that people could borrow money for tools to work on planes. 83 years later, our member-owners are still getting the help they need with better rates and fewer fees. Live or work in Washington or North Idaho? You’re eligible to join us. How can we help you? General Plastics 4910 Burlington Way Tacoma, WA 98409 Insured by NCUA Find us downtown, in the valley, in North Spokane or online at becu.org OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE NO. 5 45 Toll Free: 800.806.6051 International: 253.473.5000 https://www.generalplastics.com

Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 5 | Page 45