By Andrew Carlsgaard, analytics director, MAPP After what already has been an uneven year for processors to this point, MAPP’s Quarterly Pulse Report, based on feedback from 90 processing executives, reflects an increasingly skeptical US plastics industry at the end of the third quarter of 2024. This negative trend in processors’ sentiments has continued over the past four … [Read more...] about Third-Quarter Pulse: Processors Increasingly Skeptical Going into the Home Stretch of 2024
2024 Issue 4
Year-End Challenges: Inflation, Labor Shortage and Trade
By Chris Kuehl, managing director, Armada Corporate Intelligence J.K. Galbraith was a noted economist from Canada and famous for his pithy quotes. One in particular sums it up. He said, “The sole purpose of economic forecasting is to make astrology look legitimate.” It has been a rough year for those in the prognosticating business. There was an expectation of recession last … [Read more...] about Year-End Challenges: Inflation, Labor Shortage and Trade
Automation for Employee Recruitment and Retention
By Steve Bieszczat, chief marketing officer, DELMIAWorks Like manufacturing in general, plastics processing is in the midst of a generational shift where the workers who have maintained operations for decades are retiring and being replaced by newer generations that have grown up on technology. These employees want access to the latest tools and technologies to maximize … [Read more...] about Automation for Employee Recruitment and Retention
Outlook for 2025: Trends, Challenges and Investments in Plastics
By Lindsey Munson, editor, Plastics Business With 2025 knocking at the door, the plastics industry is ready to turn the page by building on the momentum of the last year, maneuvering market demands, establishing relationships and strategically planning for the year ahead. There is cautious optimism among plastics processors, who likely will face challenges of economic … [Read more...] about Outlook for 2025: Trends, Challenges and Investments in Plastics
Robots in the Manufacturing Space: 10 Tried-and-True or New-and-Noteworthy Automatons
By Liz Stevens, writer, Plastics Business The robots aren’t coming; they already are here. Automation in the form of robotic arms has been around for decades for factory work, and autonomous mobile robots are becoming widespread in manufacturing. Humanoid robots are the next incarnation of automation and they, too, are touted as helpful additions to the plant floor … [Read more...] about Robots in the Manufacturing Space: 10 Tried-and-True or New-and-Noteworthy Automatons