Text Box: We have been working with three employee benefit consulting firms to negotiate health care insurance, workers compensation insurance, life insurance, and dental insurance. As it turns out, Life Insurance and Dental Insurance are the most profitable types of insurance. Health care coverage is the least profitable. The insurance providers are very interested in offering a package to our members. This way they can offer better rates and sort of hedge their bet. Our needs are to provide the best insurance coverage on a voluntary program, and to get this coverage at a Text Box: lower cost as a group rather than as individuals. Our industry is made up of hard working folks that, for the most part, do not get sick; they come to work every day. They do not call in sick and go to the emergency room for a hang-nail. These are the kind of people that insurance companies like to insure. The more information that we are able to provide to the insurance companies, the lower our costs will be. So if you have not already done so, turn in your surveys. Text Box: Foreign Steel Text Box: In my youth I was idealistic and I never thought that I would buy a foreign car. Now I drive a Honda Civic. What happened to my ideals? ECONOMICS. The same is true for steel. Last month, President Bush excluded 23 additional steel products from import tariffs There are now 247 steel products that are imported without any tariffs. This means lower steel prices for container manufacturers. We will be meeting with steel manufacturers in the future to negotiate steel prices. Text Box:

 Volume No. 1          Issue No. 2       Date: September 5, 2002

5, 2002

ICMA Newsletter

2413 W. Algonquin Rd.#201

Algonquin, IL 60102

 

Phone 800/699-ICMA (4262)

FAX    847/854-9713

Email: coreyicma@aol.com

 

 

Special points of interest:

·      Health Care program is getting closer

·      Welding Wire 

·      Foreign Steel

·      Cascade Engineering plastic container

·      Florida Can hosts ICMA November meeting

Mark your calendar now. The 2nd ICMA meeting will be held in Florida on November 6th.  We will be touring Florida Can in the morning.  Anthony Martorana will be our host.  Anthony has been building containers for nearly 30 years, and he still hasn’t gotten it right.  This is an opportunity to see another container manufacturing facility.  There may be some production ideas that you can observe and take back to make your business run better.  The business meeting will be in the afternoon.  Details to follow.

Welding wire

 

Health Care

Weld, weld weld all day long.  That is what we do.  Welding is a large part of our operation  We are still learning about your preferences while we are negotiating for the best offering on welding wire.  You may already have the best deal available on welding wire.  If you do, that is terrific.  If you do not have the best deal, the ICMA will get it for you.  We have 9 manufacturers of welding wire that would like to get our business.  That puts us in the driver’s seat. 

ICMA November meeting in Florida

ICMA members to distribute Cascade’s tub

In a meeting at Cascade Engineering on August 27th, an agreement was made to allow ICMA members to distribute the Cascade 2 yard container.  This container has been well received by haulers.  The only drawback has been the damage done to the containers when they are picked up.  The solution is to build a protective steel skeleton around the container.  This would be an ICMA product that would be built by each ICMA member distributing the Cascade container.  A Cascade container was sent to Florida Can to build a prototype steel skeleton to be ready for the ICMA meeting to be held in Florida on November 6th.  This will give everyone a chance to have input on the product.

In a meeting at Cascade Engineering on August 27th, an agreement was made to allow ICMA members to purchase a 2 yard plastic tub and manufacture a protective steel frame around the tub.  The advantages include: a) Light weight, b) No rusted out bottoms, c) Replaceable tub if damaged, d) Repairable steel frame if damaged.  This steel frame would be an ICMA product that would be built by each ICMA member distributing the Cascade plastic tub.  A Cascade tub was sent to Florida Can to build a prototype steel skeleton to be ready for the ICMA meeting to be held in Florida on November 6th.  This will give everyone a chance to have input on the product.  This will allow the ICMA members the opportunity to sell an additional container that is not available from other container companies.