Episódios
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Robert Schad, founder of Husky and Athena Automation/Niigon, left an indelible mark on the plastics industry and a legacy of philanthropy. He died July 11 at age 95. Editor Ron Shinn looks back on his encounters with Schad over the years, his colorful personality and his drive for perfection.
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Artificial intelligence, process monitoring and other digital technologies were a major theme at NPE2024. Senior reporter Bruce Geiselman talked with three extruder makers -- Colines, Reifenhäuser and Collin -- to learn about the benefits of their Industry 4.0 technologies.
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Editor Ron Shinn rounds up five top stories from Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, including a look at Industry 4.0 technology in injection molding, comments from OEMs on the state of the economy and their businesses, and equipment debuts from Dri-Air, Conair and Athena.
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Artificial intelligence can be hard to define, but it's coming to plastics processing. Doug Anger, engineering manager for training provider RJG Inc., says processors should look beyond the headlines and buzzwords and start viewing AI as another innovation to add to their toolboxes.
Part quality, efficiency and profit margins can be improved by technologies like predictive maintenance and real-time monitoring, Anger tells Editor Ron Shinn in this episode.
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From trimming cycle times to optimizing the use of recycled materials, the ability to collect data and tweak production based on it offers molders many benefits, said representatives of injection molding machine makers — and molders are beginning to embrace Industry 4.0.
In this episode of PMM Insight, Senior Reporter Karen Hanna shares what she learned on the NPE floor about the state of smarter injection molding.
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PMM Managing Editor Lynne Sherwin attended NPE2024 as a first-timer. Editor Ron Shinn talks with her about her experiences, what she and other PMM staffers heard from participants, and what it might foretell for plastics machinery makers and processors.
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When we think of the factory of the future, we often picture a fully automated facility with few workers. But manufacturing gurus are beginning to talk about Industry 5.0, a human-centric, sustainable and resilient approach, in which robots and humans do what they do best in tandem, rather than having machines replace people. PMM Editor Ron Shinn explains why this may be the real future of manufacturing.
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The recently concluded fourth round of UN talks on a global plastics treaty made some progress in narrowing down the issues still facing delegates, according to Stewart Harris, senior director for global plastics policy in the plastics division of the American Chemistry Council. But there is still crucial work to be done before the fifth and final meeting in November.
Hear Stewart's analysis and predictions on what an eventual treaty might mean to the plastics industry, in this conversation with Editor Ron Shinn.
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Processors who reject smart manufacturing technologies are putting their future at risk, says industry expert Alaa Elwany of Texas A&M. The government is mulling ways to help manufacturers unlock Industry 4.0 innovations, while surveys indicate growing interest among manufacturers.
Senior reporter Bruce Geiselman looks at the state of smart manufacturing in the plastics industry in this episode of PMM Insight.
Read more:
Start small, think big with Industry 4.0
More auxiliary equipment is getting a smart upgrade -
A survey of more than 300 manufacturers found that 99 percent say they plan to increase spending in technology and Industry 4.0 in 2024. At the same time, the cost of sensors, hardware and computing services are coming down.
In this episode of PMM Insight, Mo Abuali, digital director for manufacturing, retail and distribution at Wipfli LLP, told Editor Ron Shinn that these two trends have the potential to significantly improve manufacturing.
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