By Andrew Carlsgaard, director of benchmarking and analytics, MAPP MAPP’s 2026 Wage and Salary Report reflects a labor market that has cooled from the extremes of the immediate post‑COVID period, yet continues to exert meaningful upward pressure on compensation for plastics processors. This year’s findings are based on responses from 190 manufacturing organizations … [Read more...] about Wages Normalize, Talent Stays Tight: MAPP’s 2026 Wage and Salary Report
Benchmarking
Manufacturers Experience Healthcare Cost Increases in the Past Year, Search for New Options
By Andrew Carlsgaard, benchmarking and analytics director, MAPP Healthcare and benefits strategy remains one of the most consequential business decisions US manufacturers make each year. In 2026, employers continue to face rising health benefit costs, tighter operating budgets and greater pressure to use benefits as both a retention tool and a financial management … [Read more...] about Manufacturers Experience Healthcare Cost Increases in the Past Year, Search for New Options
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
AI a Growing but Underutilized Technology in the Plastics Processing Industry: 2025 AI Adoption Survey
By Andrew Carlsgaard, benchmarking and analytics director, MAPP The results of the 2025 Artificial Intelligence Adoption Survey provide a precise and nuanced portrait of how US manufacturing leaders are deploying artificial intelligence (AI), particularly among members of the Manufacturers Association for Plastics Processors (MAPP) and the Association for Rubber Products … [Read more...] about AI a Growing but Underutilized Technology in the Plastics Processing Industry: 2025 AI Adoption Survey
