The Society of Plastics Engineers is taking its mold maker of the year award in a new direction,.Chinese mold maker S.Y. Chu, chairman of Pacific Master Precision Injection Ltd. in Zhongshan, China. Chu was recognized for what Newtown, Conn.-based SPE said was both his business plan — growing the company from a startup in 2000 to a 1,200 person company today — and his interest in employee training. SPE also said it wanted to bring a more international focus to the award, which it first gave out in 1983. Scott Peters, the chair-elect of the SPE Mold Making and Mold Design division, said he recognizes that choosing a Chinese mold maker might be controversial among some in the North American mold making industry, given the cost pressures from China and the economic hard times the U.S. industry has faced in recent years.