Press release submitted on behalf of MAPP.
The Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) announced the winners of its 12th annual Innovation Award, with Falcon Plastics taking first place in Automated Manufacturing Solutions and Intek Plastics taking first place in HR & Workforce Innovation. Winners were honored before industry peers at the 2026 Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference, held September 29 – October 1 in Indianapolis.
This year’s competition drew 17 submissions from 15 companies, open to members of both MAPP and the Association for Rubber Products Manufacturers (ARPM). Submissions were scrubbed of company identifiers where possible and sent to the membership for voting. Each entry was scored on Level of Impact, Innovation, Sustainability, Value and In-House Creation.
2026 Innovation Award Winners
| Category | Place | Winner | Innovation |
| Automated Manufacturing Solutions | 1st | Falcon Plastics, Brookings, SD | Automated Latch Assembly Work Cell |
| Automated Manufacturing Solutions | 2nd | RD Industries, Omaha, NE | Vision-Driven SCARA Robotic Assembly |
| Automated Manufacturing Solutions | 3rd | Deluxe Plastics, Medford, WI | Automated Part Removal, Degating & Pad Printing Cell |
| HR & Workforce Innovation | 1st | Intek Plastics, Hastings, MN | Integrated Digital HR Ecosystem |
| HR & Workforce Innovation | 2nd | ADMO, Inc., Elgin, IL | Practical AI: Building an AI-Enabled Workforce |
| HR & Workforce Innovation | 3rd | Mergon Corp., Anderson, SC | HR Business Intelligence Dashboard |
| Viewer’s Choice Award | — | Makuta Technics, Shelbyville, IN | 2 Shot Micro Molding – Ride with Robot |
About the Winning Innovations
This year’s winners turned automation and AI into measurable gains in labor, throughput and retention, much of it designed and built in-house.
Falcon Plastics took first place in Automated Manufacturing Solutions with a work cell that assembles latches to housings as they are molded. Combining a Sepro overhead robot, a UR10e cobot and an automated screwdriver, the cell consolidated three assemblies totaling more than 350,000 parts a year from three presses into one. Dedicated labor fell from 5,900 to 3,000 hours annually, WIP inventory was eliminated, and the company saves $255,000 a year. A second identical cell is planned.
RD Industries placed second with vision-guided SCARA robotics that automate the installation of a spring into a two-part assembly. Output rose from about 9,100 to 17,500 pieces per shift, nearly doubling throughput while making production consistent and repeatable.
Deluxe Plastics placed third with a robotic cell that removes parts from the press, separates the runner, pad prints the parts, and places them on a conveyor. Combining these once-manual steps eliminated one full-time operator position and reduced repetitive trimming motions for workers.
Intek Plastics took first place in HR & Workforce Innovation by linking ADP Workforce Now, Praisidio, Quantum Workplace, BizLibrary, SharePoint and Microsoft Copilot into one digital HR ecosystem. The company reports a 96% new-hire retention rate, average monthly turnover below 1.1%, and about 4,000 hours of employee training a year. Annual turnover dropped from 54.7% in 2022 to 16.7% in 2025.
ADMO, Inc. placed second for building an AI-enabled workforce over 18 months using tools it already owned, including Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and Power Automate. AI now supports nearly every function, from SQL reporting and weekly competitor briefings to multilingual training and SOP documentation.
Mergon Corp. placed third with an HR business intelligence dashboard powered by BambooHR data. Leaders now see headcount, turnover and hiring trends in real time, replacing many manual monthly KPI reports.
Other 2026 entrants included Custom Rubber Corp., Dorel Juvenile, Eclipse Mold, Engineering Industries, Par 4 Plastics, PTA Plastics, Tasus Corporation, Viking Plastics and Zoeller Custom Molding.
Viewer’s Choice Award
Makuta Technics (Shelbyville, IN) won MAPP’s 2nd annual Viewer’s Choice Award for the most popular video of the year. Members submitted automation and AI project videos to MAPP’s Automation Portal, and the video drawing the most member engagement between July 1 and September 18, 2026 took the prize. Makuta’s video, 2 Shot Micro Molding – Ride with Robot, showcased their micro molding process up close.
Sharing What Works
“Every year, our members prove that innovation isn’t reserved for the biggest companies with the biggest budgets,” said Tony Robinson, MAPP membership director. “This year’s entries show processors building robotic cells, lights-out programs and AI tools largely in-house, and then sharing exactly how they did it. That openness is what makes this industry stronger.”
All 17 submissions are published in the 2026 Best Practices Book, sponsored by WITTMANN USA, so members can benchmark the ideas against their own operations. The Innovation Award was created over a decade ago to recognize companies doing the “small” things it takes to compete and to elevate the industry as a whole.
For more information on the Innovation Award and this year’s winners, visit www.mappinc.com.
About The Manufacturers Association for Plastic Processors (MAPP)
Founded in 1997, MAPP is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to advancing the plastics processing industry. Led by plastics business leaders, MAPP represents more than 500 member companies committed to operational excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement. The association delivers bottom-line impact through high-value benchmarking, networking, and industry-specific programs designed to strengthen competitiveness and drive growth across U.S. manufacturing.