PMM Insight: A Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing Podcast
Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing brings you our podcast! Each month we will provide an interview with a plastics industry professional, PMM in Person; an audio article, PMM Perspective; and a Commentary examining an issue in the industry. Find more of our content at plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com.
Episodes
Key points from this podcast episode:
- Collecting operational data has become easy. Using it effectively is the difficult part. For our recent cover story, three consultants talked about the competitive price processors pay when they don’t effectively use their data. Editor Ron Shinn discusses.
- The IT director at a Pennsylvania thermoformer has seen spectacular on-time-delivery results pulling data from the company’s ERP syst...
Key points in this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Modern processing machinery collects plenty of data, but using it can be problematic. Three experts explain how it can help your molding business and the high cost of ignoring it.
- Bobby May, the IT director at Pennsylvania thermoformer SAY Plastics, has built 120 dashboards that puts the right ERP data in front of decision-makers at the right time. Res...
Key points in this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:
- Molding bioresins takes patience, skill and determination. Having a good partner helps too, as Refork found in Mold-Masters.
- The 3D printing equipment market is struggling under the weight of high interest rates. But big-name OEMs are still embracing the technology. Are we at a turning point for the 3D printing industry?
The domestic auto industry is in big trouble, with no sign that things will get better anytime soon. The industry was making progress in transitioning to electric vehicles, but at a critical time when it needs support, it is not getting it.
While domestic EV production is being slowed by tariffs and automakers are trying to figure out how to move forward, other countries are racing ahead. What does it mean for the plastics industr...
In this episode of Machinery Minutes:
- President Trump’s latest round of tariffs were condemned by industry trade groups, including PLASTICS, VDMA and the Recycled Materials Association.
- Reshoring guru Harry Moser thinks Trump’s tariffs will cause short-term pain but could lead to long-term gain for the economy.
- Dutch machinery maker Stork launches a new line of all-electric injection molding machines.
UBQ Materials has developed a process to turn organic waste into biobased composite materials. Think banana peels, dirty diapers, chicken bones, greasy pizza boxes or even unrecyclable plastic. Now they want to build a U.S. plant.
A new thermoforming technology from Origin Materials can produce PET and recycled PET caps at a speed that’s competitive with other processes.
Talks on a global treaty to end plastic pollution drag on. ...
A new market study says that high interest rates are causing processors to delay buying 3D printing equipment. Some resin makers and equipment manufacturers have exited the business.
But there are big-name OEMs, such as the BMW Group, pushing ahead with groundbreaking new projects. It appears automation may be important to the future of 3D printing, Editor Ron Shinn reports in this PMM Insight commentary.
Plastics machinery sales are down — again. On this episode of Machinery Minutes, hear more about the latest figures from PLASTICS' Committee on Equipment Statistics and the outlook for the rest of the year.
Bioresins are growing in popularity as companies emphasize sustainability, but they pose processing challenges. Hear how extrusion and blow molding equipment makers are adapting.
In this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast, you'll hear about the new production facility Engel has opened in Mexico, aimed at providing faster delivery times and increased availability of injection molding machines in the Americas.
Also, Husky Technologies has acquired secondary injection unit and rotary platen technologies from MGS Healthcare Manufacturing to complement its multi-material and multicolor solutions. And Pl...
Manufacturing jobs are evolving, and your hiring practices need to change as well if you want to be prepared for the future.
Modern equipment generates rivers of data that, used and interpreted properly, can make your processes more efficient, reliable and profitable. But you need workers who know how to put that data to work.
In this episode, PMM senior reporter Karen Hanna and editor Ron Shinn discuss her stories detailing the k...
On today's episode of Machinery Minutes, learn about a spike in the unemployment rate in plastics and rubber, its highest since the pandemic. It's a sudden reversal as not long ago, companies were complaining about a tight labor market.
Also, Absolute Haitian has introduced new, lower-cost versions of its Mars and Jupiter injection molding machines known as the SE (Special Edition) models; and we share factors to consider if you ...
On this episode of Machinery Minutes, you'll hear about the two large extruders KraussMaffei is building at its facility in Florence, Ky. The move is intended to reduce lead times in the growing North American market, and enhance regional customer support and access to parts.
Conair's new SureLaunch program sends a technician to your facility for a day to make sure your new auxiliary equipment is started up and optimized for maximu...
On this episode of Machinery Minutes, we focus on our deep dive on the future of your workforce. The need for tech skills to take advantage of increasingly complex equipment is creating new job opportunities, and companies that hope to land these data-savvy workers will need to offer the right mix of pay and perks.
The Association for Advancing Automation (known as A3) has published updated ISO 10218 standards, the global flagship...
PMM Editor Ron Shinn has visited a lot of plastics processors. In this podcast episode, he shares thoughts on what the best plants are doing to prepare for the future of manufacturing, and steps you can take to ensure you have the right equipment and the workers to run it.
On this episode of Machinery Minutes, you'll hear about U.S. plastics processors and recyclers searching for domestic suppliers of plastic scrap as they face the prospect of significant tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico.
In other news, sales of automation equipment are in a slump, with few signs that things are going to pick up this year. The Association for Advancing Automation (known as A3) recently released sales...
In this episode of Machinery Minutes, senior reporter Bruce Geiselman looks at the potential ramifications of President Trump’s announcement that he planned to enact 25 percent tariffs against goods imported from Canada and Mexico.
Though they are currently on hold, the prospect elicited strong reactions from manufacturers, plastic industry leaders and consultants, both positive and negative. We also share ways you can prepare now ...
The proposed tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico have the potential to affect plastics recyclers and the processors who buy their resins.
The U.S. is a net importer of plastic scrap, getting about 40 percent of it from Canada and 18 percent from Mexico, said Emily Friedman, who monitors the plastics recycling market for ICIS. Recyclers would need to realign their sourcing strategies.
It could also affect what processors pay f...
On this week's Machinery Minutes podcast, we give you a quick rundown on these three stories:
Wittmann's SmartPower Combimould line of injection molding machines, designed for multi-component molding, now offer servo-electric injection units for improved efficiency and performance.
David Stahl, a wealth management partner at Plante Moran Financial Advisors, offers three personal wealth planning steps owners of plastics businesses s...
Taking the first step for adding collaborative robots need not be a daunting task, according to Chris Buse, Universal Robot’s Applications Engineering Manager for North America West.
Buse, who has a plastics engineering college degree, outlined the process and talked about the value cobots bring to plastics processing in an interview with Editor Ron Shinn at the inaugural Collaborate conference and trade show in Novi, Mich., on Jan...
In this week's Machinery Minutes, senior reporter Bruce Geiselman updates you on a roundtable in which the PMM staff discusses what may lie ahead for machinery makers in 2025. Are they optimistic that interest rate cuts will boost business, or do they see continued tough times ahead?
Another vision of the future comes from Slant 3D president Gabe Bentz, who wants to revolutionize manufacturing in a way that allows anyone to turn an...
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