In today’s brief:📍 Interplas Milestone: The PlastikCity Pavilion for Interplas 2026 is officially fully booked. Twenty specialist partners are now confirmed for Stand F110, creating a dedicated hub for UK and Irish SMEs to showcase their expertise alongside global industry leaders at the NEC.⚙️ Exhibition Highlights: As the countdown to June continues, we preview upcoming technology from STV Machinery and Cold Jet, alongside new material screening services from Impact Solutions. We also look at the launch of the official event app designed to streamline visitor planning.🎓 Sustainable Skills: Arburg secures triple certification for its apprenticeship programme, including a new award for excellence in sustainability. The recognition underscores the company’s commitment to training the next generation of engineers in line with international environmental and educational standards.⚖️ Policy Dialogue: Seven of the UK’s major business groups, including Make UK and the British Chambers of Commerce, call for further government engagement regarding the Employment Rights Act. The groups are seeking a practical implementation that supports both worker rights and industrial stability.

For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

In today’s brief:✈️ Aviation Innovation: A world-first pilot facility opens in Kent to convert non-recyclable waste plastics into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Operated by Clean Planet Technologies, the site uses patented pyrolysis technology to process five million tonnes of waste annually, reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by over 70% compared to traditional jet fuel.

🏗️ Interplas Showcase: PiovanGroup unveils its technology highlights for Interplas 2026 at the NEC. The display will feature live demonstrations of smart factory software alongside state-of-the-art solutions for material handling, dosing, and drying from the Piovan, Pelletron, and Thermal Care brands.

❄️ Cooling Efficiency: PTA UK completes a major installation of an 800kW multi-circuit chiller designed for large-scale industrial applications. The system utilises a six-stage compressor configuration to dynamically match cooling output to demand, ensuring both energy optimisation and operational redundancy.

🛠️ Technical Insight: Alliance Tooling continues its weekly series on injection moulding defects, this time focusing on burn marks. The report examines how air traps and compression lead to surface discolouration and provides engineering strategies for effective venting and gate positioning to resolve these issues.

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In today’s brief:

📍 KraussMaffei Update: Following last week’s machinery preview, KraussMaffei UK details its expansive Interplas showcase. The firm will feature three dedicated zones focusing on technical integration and lifecycle services, including the UK debut of the all-electric PX injection moulding machine.

♻️ Material Strategy: Hardie Polymers’ Rachel Aitken prepares to address the practicalities of sustainable materials at Interplas. The session moves beyond the theory of sustainability to explore how reprocessed polymers are delivering a genuine competitive advantage in the automotive and electronics sectors.

📈 Business Growth: Fairgrieve Compression Moulding celebrates five years of strategic growth and award-winning performance. Under its current leadership, the 113-year-old firm has achieved record-breaking sales and secured significant new contracts within the defence and aviation industries.

🏆 Industry Innovation: RECOUP officially opens entries for the 2026 Awards. The competition aims to recognise excellence in plastics resource efficiency and circular design, offering a national platform for businesses and innovators to showcase their contributions to a circular economy.

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In today’s brief:

💻 Software Standardisation: Kistler launches major upgrades to its ComoNeo and AkvisIO platforms, introducing enhanced AI processing and global process templates. These tools are designed to simplify data-driven troubleshooting, with a specific focus on the rigorous requirements of medical device manufacturing.

🏆 Quality Excellence: Pentagon Plastics celebrates the professional advancement of Quality Leader Lloyd Bolton, who has attained CQI Practitioner Certification. The milestone reflects the company’s investment in its team to maintain high-level ISO quality management across its injection moulding and toolmaking operations.

📈 New Appointment: PBE Marking Systems announces the promotion of Andy Viner to Managing Director. Following his success as General Manager, Viner will now lead the strategic direction and sustainable growth of the long-standing specialist in product marking and decorating technologies.

⏱️ Operational Efficiency: Intouch Monitoring examines the shift from "rear-view mirror" reporting to real-time production visibility. The report outlines how immediate access to shop-floor data can eliminate hidden waste and significantly improve OEE for both large enterprises and SME moulders.

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In today’s brief:

🤖 Automation Leadership: FANUC UK and Ireland announces the appointment of Andy Armstrong as Managing Director. With over 40 years of experience, Armstrong aims to drive the adoption of AI and data-driven robotics to improve the UK’s global competitiveness in manufacturing.

📅 Event Preview: With only five weeks to go until Interplas 2026, we take a closer look at what the UK’s flagship plastics event has to offer. From polymer science to live machinery demonstrations, the show connects the entire supply chain to drive industry innovation.

🚗 Manufacturing Milestone: MINI celebrates a quarter-century of modern production under the BMW Group. We look at the success of the Oxford and Swindon hubs, where British craftsmanship continues to produce a new vehicle every 78 seconds for the global market.

📉 Supply Chain Resilience: Hardie Polymers examines the structural shift in the polymer market as global disruption becomes the new norm. The report outlines how manufacturers can build resilience through agile sourcing and proactive supplier partnerships.

For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

In today’s brief:⚡ Energy Relief Delay: Make UK responds to the Government’s British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme. While the package offers energy bill relief from 2027, industry leaders warn that the lack of immediate support leaves UK manufacturers vulnerable to critical cost pressures this month.

🤝 Leadership Transition: Ashlee Gough announces he is stepping away from his role as Head of Sales for the UK and Ireland at Sumitomo (SHI) Demag. Following six successful years with the machinery specialist, Gough reflects on the industry relationships that defined his tenure.

❄️ Regional Expansion: ICS Cool Energy strengthens its service sales team in the North of the UK. The appointments of Emma Anderson and Kayla Shaw as Regional Account Managers support the company’s investment in people and its growth strategy within the temperature control sector.

📈 Operational Growth: Polymermedics welcomes Dean Short as the new Director of Operations. This strategic hire is designed to steer the company through its next stage of business expansion following a period of sustained growth in its manufacturing operations.

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In today’s brief:

📍 Interplas Preview: KraussMaffei UK reveals its showcase for the upcoming NEC event, including the UK premiere of the all-electric PX series. The demonstration will feature live production of compostable cutlery, highlighting how high-performance machinery can be successfully paired with 100% natural, plant-based materials.

🤖 Tech Advancement: RJG introduces its Autonomous Process Control Solution, moving injection moulding toward true closed-loop control. The system uses in-cavity pressure data to automatically compensate for material variability, enabling processors to run recycled and difficult resins with higher consistency and lower costs.

🤝 Commercial Growth: SGH Moulds announces the appointment of Justin Evans as National Account Director. Bringing over 20 years of experience in the medical and technical sectors, Evans will lead strategic growth as the company responds to increasing demand for resilient, UK-based manufacturing partnerships.

🛠️ Solving Defects: In the latest instalment of their technical series, Alliance Tooling tackles the issue of flash. The report identifies the engineering root causes behind unwanted plastic seepage and provides practical steps to design out defects before they reach the production floor.

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In today’s brief:

⚙️ Machinery Innovation: The ENGEL Group begins the global roll-out of its WINTEC e-win series, bringing all-electric injection moulding solutions to the wider market. We also look at the restructured duo portfolio, which offers UK processors significantly higher performance within a more streamlined machine selection.

🌱 Sustainability Reporting: IPL Schoeller releases its first joint sustainability report since the 2025 merger. Key figures reveal that recycled materials now account for 28% of production, supported by a 31% reduction in carbon emissions as the group aligns with upcoming European transparency standards.

📊 Market Volatility: A BBC report highlights a turbulent 24 hours for global energy markets. While a ceasefire extension briefly lowered crude prices, renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz saw oil prices touch the $100 mark, creating a cautious outlook for manufacturing input costs.

👥 People & Growth: UB Plastics announces key changes to its leadership team to facilitate ongoing expansion. Zoe Kirby steps into the role of Operations Manager after two decades with the firm, while Belinda Raphael joins the company as the new Office Manager.

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In today’s brief:

📍 PlastikCity On Tour: PlastikCity joined the team on their visit to Opus International Products’ new 40,000 sq ft facility in Leamington Spa. Following a £1 million investment in machinery and systems, the company is strengthening its commitment to UK manufacturing while securing major future contracts in the luxury automotive sector.

🤝 Team Expansion: Arburg Ltd welcomes Freya Barnett as the new Internal Sales and Marketing Administrator. Bringing a focus on expanding the brand’s digital footprint, Freya will support the UK and Ireland team in driving operational efficiency and business growth.

📊 Smart Manufacturing: Genisys Systems launches its latest Quality Module, designed to embed high-level traceability and inspection management directly into its cloud-based ERP platform. The update helps manufacturers reduce waste and maintain strict audit compliance within a single, connected system.

🏷️ Global Identity: Barnes Molding Solutions announces its transition to SPECTRIX. The rebranding unites specialist technologies—including Thermoplay and Foboha—under one organisation to offer a fully integrated, end-to-end value chain for high-volume injection moulding manufacturers.

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In today’s brief:

📍 Brand Identity: Agentdraw officially announces its transition to Agentdraw Plastics. Spearheaded by Managing Director Darren Parsons, the new branding introduces a new identity and focuses on the three core operational pillars - Accuracy, Reliability, and Speed.

🤝 Regional Appointment: Newsome Limited continues its investment in UK technical support with the appointment of Roberto Bellotto as Rental Sales Engineer. Based in Preston, Roberto will provide HVAC rental expertise and contingency planning for industrial clients across the North West and North East.

🎤 Industry Leadership: The Irish Polymer Group Conference 2026 takes place this week in Athlone. We highlight a high-profile speaker lineup including experts from Dexcom, ExxonMobil, and Ibec, focusing on the future of medical device manufacturing, sustainability, and technical apprenticeships.

🌡️ Preventive Maintenance: Refcool UK warns of a seasonal spike in cooling system failures as ambient temperatures rise. The report outlines why systems that ran smoothly in winter often struggle after Easter and provides a checklist to avoid costly production downtime this spring.

For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.