PMM Insight: A Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing Podcast

Five things to know: The biomaterials market, new equipment from Conair and Rethink

Senior reporter Bruce Geiselman rounds up five essential stories, including a look at the bioplastics supply chain, new service options and smart technology from Conair, the return of Rethink Robotics to the cobot market and a leadership change at Husky Technologies.

Bioresins can work with existing plastics machinery

Bioresins are currently a small fraction of the resin market, but their use is likely to grow as companies face pressure to improve sustainability. What does that mean for plastics processors? Will they have to make big new investments in machinery?
Senior reporter Karen Hanna interviewed several equipment OEMs who said for the most part, your current machines should do just fine with the new materials, but they may require different processing parameters than traditional resins. 
"If you can melt it and inject it, we can mold it," said Michael Sansoucy of Arburg. Other OEMs agree. Find out more in this episode of the PMM Insight podcast.

Piovan is ready for growth, says North American CEO

John Erkert, Piovan’s regional CEO for North America, expects the plastics industry economy to accelerate in 2025.  
Piovan is world’s biggest supplier of auxiliary equipment to the plastics industry. The Italian-based company had revenue from its polymer related businesses of $574.4 million in 2023, with $333.9 million coming from North American sales. Its brands include UnaDyn, Conair, Doteco and Thermal Care.
In this PMM Insight interview, Erkert said there has been increased interest in Piovan products since NPE but not a bump in sales. He said uncertainty in the economy caused by the U.S. presidential election is currently holding back sales. 
Erkert also predicted more manufacturing of Piovan products in North America in the future. 
If you enjoyed this interview, check out our recent chat with Conair President Jason Ganim, and subscribe to PMM Insight on your favorite podcast app.

We need to do better with recycling common plastics: Commentary

Senior reporter Karen Hanna researched biomaterials for our September cover story package. She says that while these new materials may be a solution for the future, production is too low so far to make a dent in the problem of plastic waste, and we need to focus on recycling the more common materials that are right in front of us.

Top 5 things to know in September

Senior reporter Bruce Geiselman highlights five of PMM's recent top stories, including innovations in blow molding, Novatec's newest drying and conveying equipment, and a combined cobot and laser that automates tooling repair. 

Blow molders aim to go greener

Blow molding machinery makers at NPE2024 approached sustainability from multiple angles. Some emphasized energy efficiency, others their capabilities to work with PCR and biomaterials, or with lightweighting technologies.
Industry 4.0 technology is slower to come to blow molding than to other processes, but it is making inroads. 
Hear what machinery makers had to say about their newest technologies.

Plastics processors should embrace immigrants: Commentary

An election year always brings arguments about immigration. If you earn a living in the plastics industry, you should be in favor of opening our borders to anyone who wants a job, especially a manufacturing job, says Editor Ron Shinn.
We have a serious labor shortage in the manufacturing sector and demographic trends tell us it is not going to get better. Sensible, bipartisan immigration reform will allow U.S. companies to grow. 

Thermoforming OEMs aim to fill a void

When SencorpWhite departed the thermoforming market last year, other OEMs saw opportunity.
BMG, Illig and Kiefel are now offering solutions to SencorpWhite users that allow them to keep their tooling and in some cases even improve upon their performance.
Senior reporter Bruce Geiselman discusses the three companies' efforts in this episode of our PMM Insight podcast.

The changing role of auxiliary equipment makers: Jason Ganim, Conair

Conair president Jason Ganim talks about the changing role of auxiliary equipment manufacturers, the new collaborative relationship processors expect and responding to needs for specialized solutions. New technology, including artificial technology in auxiliary equipment, is helping processors deal with labor and skill shortages as well as improve product quality. Ganim talks about Conair’s smart controls, machine-to-machine communications and energy consumption.

5 things to know in August

Senior Reporter Bruce Geiselman shares some of the top stories on our website this month, including innovations in extrusion equipment and news regarding a major thermoforming machinery manufacturer.