Bekum America hosted 16 Penn State Behrend Plastics Engineering Technology students along with two faculty members at the factory in Williamston, Mich., in April. The event was sponsored by the SPE Blow Molding Division as a part of its student outreach activities.

Attendees were shown presentations covering Bekum and the blow molding industry along with potential job opportunities by Bekum’s VP of sales, Gary Carr.

Following a plant tour, Bekum’s applications manager, Joe Slenk, showcased a Hyblow 407D running three-parison six-cavity production of sprayer bottles. This demonstration was very well received, and the students even got a short processing lesson.

Before departing on the five-hour journey back to Erie, Pa., attendees were treated to pizza and a follow-up question-and-answer session.

Feedback after the visit was very positive, with student comments such as “I think that they did a wonderful job doing such a quick tour and answering questions we had. They also extended an invitation for us to come back in the future and told us job and internship positions they had available.” Another said, “Very informative, gave me a new perspective on blow molding.”

“The event was a great opportunity to showcase the blow molding industry and all the opportunities it provides. Students were extremely engaged with a lot of very thoughtful questions,” Slenk said. “We were thankful for the SPE Blow Molding Division sponsoring this long trip and happy to have such a great turnout. Visits like these are important to maintain interest from the younger generation about coming into the industry.”