In his bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R. Covey talks about the importance of your P/PC balance. Covey says, “P stands for production or desired results, the golden eggs. PC stands for production capability, the ability or asset that produces the golden eggs.”

Covey points out that it is not enough to be productive; we must constantly sharpen the tools we use to achieve greater productivity.

So, how do we increase our PC? Attending conferences and trade shows, reading the trade press, keeping up with the business environment, communicating with col- leagues, and enrolling in continuing education are just a few suggestions.

I was always inspired by one of my business associates who was successful in many ways. He worked for Dow Chemical and lived in Midland, Mich. He made it a rule to either teach a course, or take a course, every semester at his local community college. While he started his career in a niche area based on his college education, he went far beyond that with skills he acquired after he left school.

I like to think that we here at ASI are helping you increase your production capability so that you can be a better achiever for your company. One of the ways that we do this is with this issue — our annual Buyers’ Guide.

We see the Guide as a valuable PC resource that you can use throughout the year, not only in print format, but also on our Web site, www.adhesivesmag.com.

When you click on our Online Buyers’ Guide you can search the four sections you will find in this print edition:

• Suppliers of Raw Materials;

• Manufacturers of Machinery, Equipment and Services;

• Distributors; and

• Association Netlinks.

Here is just one of the ways you can benefit from the Guide. If you are looking for a raw material, you can click on Raw Materials and enter “polyol.” I got 23 hits. If you want more information, you can link directly to many of the companies’ Web sites, or use their phone, fax or e-mail information.

Another feature of our Web site is our ASI 50 annual listing of the top adhesives and sealants manufacturers, published in our October issue. Often, I get calls from readers looking for an adhesive to solve a specific problem. The Online ASI 50 is a good resource because users can search it for a trade name, company name or application area.

Today, I received an email from a gentleman at an international company. He said, “We visit the ASI Web site frequently and like it very much. Your Web site is one of the best in every respect.”

Those of you who attended the Fall Adhesive and Sealant Council Convention in Pittsburgh may have sat in on the e-commerce session that I chaired. Not only was the session well attended, but the audience participation was outstanding. My thanks to Peter Roueche, Eastman Chemical Co.; Nancy McDonald, Andersen Consulting, Inc.; Edward Stein, AdhesivesMart, Inc.; and Michael McNulty, VerticalNet, Inc., for their excellent presentations. The success of this seminar reflects the drive people in our industry have to increase their PC.