By Liz Stevens, writer, Plastics Business Many Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) members are in the vanguard of companies exploring, embracing and implementing advanced automation in plastics processing. One outstanding MAPP member is striving to build new functionality from proven technologies to make immediate improvements in its productivity and … [Read more...] about APMC Automates with Integrated Innovations
Articles
Adaptive AI-Driven Conveying Boosts Productivity by Eliminating Mistakes
By Justin Carter, conveying products manager, Conair Vacuum conveying systems use a moving stream of air to pick up plastics material at a source and move it through a system of tubes to a selected destination. The speed and density at which the material moves depend not only on pump power, which creates vacuum suction in the line, but also on the volume and velocity of the … [Read more...] about Adaptive AI-Driven Conveying Boosts Productivity by Eliminating Mistakes
Capability Is the New Capacity in Plastics Manufacturing
By Amber Galford, founder, PeopleROI, LLC Plastics processors have become exceptionally good at squeezing performance out of what can be measured. They justify automation to eliminate touchpoints, upgrade presses to improve cycle consistency, and refine tooling to drive out variation. Every major investment is expected to produce a clear, quantifiable return. Cost of … [Read more...] about Capability Is the New Capacity in Plastics Manufacturing
Processors Report Optimism for 2026 Despite Sales and Margin Pressures: 2026 MAPP State of the Industry Report
By Andrew Carlsgaard, benchmarking and analytics director, MAPP MAPP’s 26th annual State of the Plastics Industry Report, based on responses from 152 plastics processing leaders, depicts an industry that is stable and optimistic but also under increased profit pressure, with most companies operating in the middle of the performance spectrum rather than at extremes. Notably, … [Read more...] about Processors Report Optimism for 2026 Despite Sales and Margin Pressures: 2026 MAPP State of the Industry Report
How Well Do Leaders Know Themselves?
By John Vermeesch, founder and steward, Narrow Road Coaching A Leadership StorySummer 1980-something. West Point. John Vermeesch was an 18-year-old new cadet sweating through New York’s humidity, running the mountains of the Hudson Valley, and learning just how much he didn’t know about leadership. That summer, he always carried a 3"x4.5" book called Bugle Notes, a … [Read more...] about How Well Do Leaders Know Themselves?