The weaknesses of the U.S. electrical grid have never been more apparent, as natural disasters cause outages and EVs, cryptocurrency farms and other energy-hungry activities boost demand. Going dark, even for an hour or two, can deliver a significant hit to your plastics plant.

Microgrids are small, local energy delivery systems that are built on Industry 4.0 technology and can reduce your energy costs, provide power stability and help you meet environmental goals. 

Find out more in this PMM Insight commentary by Editor Ron Shinn.

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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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. 

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.

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.