Delta Plastics, Inc. (A) Company Background Delta Plastics, Inc. specialized in the design and manufacture of plastic containers, primarily for kitchen and household use.Their products were sold through merchandise retailers and were recognized for high quality. Delta also had an active R&D group that was continuously working to develop new plastic materials and new product designs. Delta was a recognized industry leader and was aggressively looking to increase brand recognition and market share.Delta’s R&D group had recently developed a new plastic material that tolerates rapid changes in temperature, from heating to deep cooling. This material could be used to make containers for kitchen use that could immediately be moved from the oven to the refrigerator. Unlike glass containers with this capability,the plastic containers would not break or chip. Delta’s marketing group was eager to promote sales of containers made with the new material. Marketing believed the new material could revolutionize the industry, so they pushed for rapid production. They argued that the sooner the new products were available to customers, the sooner the company could corner the market. The Decision The decision whether to initiate production or continue with material testing was made during a heated meeting on April 28. Isabelle Harrison, Director of R&D, stated that more product testing was needed in order to fine-tune the characteristics of the new material. Although there was no question regarding product safety, they wanted to refine the material to make sure that no unexpected defects occurred during production. Jose De Costa, Director of Manufacturing, supported their position stating that the new material may be susceptible to cracking. However, George Chadwick, Director of Marketing, countered that millions of dollars had already been spent on design and testing.He argued that