PMM Insight: A Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing Podcast

These are the stories you will hear on this Machinery Minutes podcast episode: 

• Peter Gardner, president of LS Mtron Injection Molding Machine USA, is retiring. During his tenure, the South Korean machinery manufacturer’s share of the North American market has risen from a negligible amount to an estimated 10 percent. 

• Artificial intelligence has brought manufacturing to the threshold of another revolution and offer...

What you will learn in this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast: 

• North American shipments of injection molding and extrusion equipment in the second quarter of 2025 were up 0.7 percent from both the previous quarter and the same quarter of last year.  

• Currier Plastics has always excelled at adapting to changing times. It will be honored with the Recognition of Excellence Award at the Annual Blow Molding Confe...

What you'll learn on this PMM Insight podcast episode, a commentary by Editor Ron Shinn:   

• The new tax and spending law reinstates 100 percent deduction of the cost of capital equipment purchases in the year the purchase is made and accelerates deductions for manufacturing buildings. 

• Research and experimental or development costs can now be deducted in the year the costs were incurred. 

• A tax expert sai...

Here are the stories covered in this week’s Machinery Minutes podcast: 

• Mold making in the U.S. is an up-and-down business. Mold shops are expanding services, consolidating operations and embracing automation and smart manufacturing. 

• Canadian based Nova Chemicals has opened a linear low-density polyethylene mechanical recycling plant in Connersville, Ind. The company hopes to prove the consistency and viability of ...

These are the stories covered in today’s Machinery Minutes podcast: 

• Yaskawa America plans to build a state-of-the-art robotic manufacturing facility at its Franklin, Wis., campus. This marks the first time Yaskawa’s high-volume industrial robots will be manufactured on U.S. soil.  
• R&B Plastics Machinery specializes in building blow molding machines and extruders that are more customized for the customers’ needs than many...

On this episode of PMM Insight, with Editor Ron Shinn and Senior Reporter Karen Hanna:

• Mold makers continue to face tough competition from foreign competitors and are seeing higher costs due to tariffs.  

• New technologies such as sophisticated design software, additive manufacturing and robots and other automation help mold makers stay competitive. 

• Artificial intelligence is the latest technology mold ma...

On this episode of Machinery Minutes: 

Mold makers are taking on intricate projects requiring precision that was unattainable just a few years ago, and they are employing a variety of new manufacturing tools to get the job done. 

LS Mtron employed retractable tie bars to help Stanford Manufacturing fit two large presses under a low roof. 

M&J Recycling has added a system to capture and reuse energy during shaft reversals to its...

What you'll learn on this PMM Insight podcast episode, a commentary by Editor Ron Shinn:  

• We are in an era of manufacturing transition, from huge numbers of lunchpail-toting workers streaming out of the factory gate at the end of their shift to an era of fewer workers making more goods.  

• What will it take to succeed in the new era? Embracing Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing; following sustainable practices; us...

In this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:

1. Hoffer Plastics and Rocheleau Tool & Die, both third-generation family-owned plastics businesses, are thriving and remain committed to staying independent and honoring their heritage.
2. The historic HPM brand, known for injection molding machines, has been officially retired by Yizumi, the Chinese firm that acquired its assets in 2011.
3. Blow molding machinery maker Bekum Ameri...

What you'll learn on this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:

• Managing mergers and acquisitions: Whether you're buying, selling or keeping your business in the family, we spoke with experts who have tips to ensure the best outcome for all stakeholders. 

• Yaskawa America announces expansion: With a $180 million investment, the company will consolidate Illinois and Wisconsin operations in Franklin, Wis., and move...

On this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:

• Shipments of injection molding and extrusion machinery in North America fell 17.5 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter and 4.6 percent year over year, according to the Plastics Industry Association's Committee on Equipment Statistics. What's weighing on the market?
• Learn how Wittmann's space-saving Insider Package machine cells helped ITW Deltar Fasteners make...

What you'll learn on this PMM Insight podcast episode , a commentary by Editor Ron Shinn: 

• The Plastics Industry Association and National Association of Manufacturers support the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” now being debated in the U.S. Senate. 
• The challenge for the plastics industry is to influence the Senate to keep the good provisions of the tax bill while tinkering with the rest. 
• Can the U.S maintain world leadership in...

Learn about three top stories of the week:

• As the U.S. Senate debates President Trump’s so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” we look at what it could mean for plastics processors.
• Henning Stieglitz, CEO and CTO of the German company that manufactures Battenfeld Cincinnati extrusion machines, talked with the VDMA about sustainability, artificial intelligence, post-consumer material and problems with the circular economy. 
• Univer...

Key points from this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:

• Corporate sustainability goals are colliding with the reality of a political climate dominated by news of cuts and regulatory backlash, but work on recycling is moving ahead at the state and company level because it makes business sense. 
• Pete Sullivan, a long-time publisher of trade magazines for the plastics industry, and a member of PMM's founding team, passed a...

On this episode of Machinery Minutes:

• Bekum America builds application-specific extrusion blow molding equipment and prides itself on customer support, especially to new blow molders. Take a look behind the scenes. 
• The SPE Thermoforming Division presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Greg McCunn, staff engineer for materials at John Deere, at its recent conference. 
• Learn about Wittmann’s latest granulator, the S-Max Dua...