As the plastics industry navigates rapid technological change, workforce strategy has never been more important. We caught up with Ginny Wilczak, Partner at TAMS Group, ahead of her panel session at the Compounding World Expo, to hear her thoughts on preparing for the future of work — and how companies can build teams ready for tomorrow’s challenges.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your company, and your role?

I am a partner at an HR Consulting firm. I have decades of in-house experience at several manufacturing companies and consulting with many more. My specialties are in the M&A space with various PE firms and in doing HR assessments and HR coaching.

Without giving too much away, what’s the key takeaway from your presentation?

That we are in the middle of a disruption of how companies will work as well as the expectations and skills of the workforce that may or may not be able to meet that disruption. As long as companies plan for it and lean into it, they will be able to find and develop the talent that is needed. Corporate-wide workforce planning needs to incorporate the new landscape and will require a full corporate push to face the new realities. It will also require positions that you may have never thought to hire in your organization previously.

Why is now the right time to address this topic?

With the technology changes that are speeding towards all businesses, it is imperative that the workforce is able to adapt and learn. When I look at the social trends of the applicant pool, like a trend towards technical schools as a "better" value or how technologically savvy the next generation of employees will be, how can the compounding space attract and retain that talent? How do you retain the current workforce through these changes?

What challenge will your presentation help attendees solve?

Preparing your workforce for the technology changes and attracting the right talent to your business.

Can you share something unexpected that you’ll be discussing during your session?

RE-imagining how you attract talent to an "established" and potentially "boring" industry. Utilization of social media to create a "buzz" or target specific talent. Matching latest social media trends to your business's strengths and then turning that into talent attraction tools.

Who should make sure to attend your session — and why?

Anyone who hires or manages a team. Especially those that are passionate about the industry and want their company to change with the disruption.

What do you hope attendees will think or do differently after hearing you speak?

Think about the goals and expectations of the talent pool along with the needs of the business. Lean into the social trends to be an Employer of Choice in your community. Compounding does not need to be seen as a boring business, and it can help people to meet their personal goals as well.

What inspired you to focus on this topic?

I was part of a large technological change to a manufacturing organization in the 90's. It was in the automotive industry and when the US automotives were outsourcing to various countries, so the company's survival depended on being able to compete with lower labor cost countries. We introduced plant floor automation and the re-training, talent attraction, incentive structures, job definitions all needed to be re-imagined meeting those market forces and we did it successfully. The talent pool at that time was less technologically savvy than they are right now and we were still able to meet that challenge. I see a major disruption again with AI and expectations/skills of the labor force all over again but this time there are many more tools to meet that disruption.

Beyond your presentation, what are you most looking forward to at this year’s expo?

Networking with people that I know and meeting many more.