Insights on the year ahead from our survey: PMM’s Top Stories in January

This year’s survey showed strong interest in buying new equipment, despite the upheaval of tariffs and an uncertain economy.

Industry experts Perc Pineda of the Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) and Laurie Harbour of Wipfli also took a look at the results and compared our findings to their data, arriving at somewhat different conclusions about how they expect the year to play out. See the results and analysis. 

Tariffs and economic instability were also a prevailing theme in comments we gathered from equipment OEMs about their expectations for 2026. Some are seeing reshoring activity while others feel processors are holding their breath and waiting for calmer times before investing.

In end markets, a slowdown in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is counterbalanced by an uptick in construction activity, while packaging is becoming more sustainability-driven. Find out what else OEMs had to say. 

But even though trade grabbed headlines, survey respondents cited a long-running issue as the main factor that’s holding them back: the lack of skilled labor. We examined some of the ways processors and OEMs are dealing with the challenge, from increasing use of automation to upskilling current workers. 

For those who want a roundup to absorb while commuting or on the treadmill, I joined editor Ron Shinn and senior reporter Karen Hanna to break it all down on the PMM Insight podcast.

Ron also addressed workforce development, the slowdown in EV production and other important issues facing the industry in his first column of 2026, available in written or podcast form. 

Epson robot streamlines welding process 

The January Problem Solved feature echoed the themes of workforce challenges and automation that we heard in our survey.

Ohio injection molder Marne Plastics saw the benefit of training when an employee, redeployed from a maintenance job to one emphasizing robotics, came back from an upskilling program and figured out how to integrate an Epson SCARA robot to streamline a process and free up an operator.

The result? A $75,000-per-year savings from a $50,000 investment. Find out how Marne Plastics did it. 

Farrey sees bright future with SPE-PLASTICS merger 

The merger between PLASTICS and SPE became official on Jan. 1, and Pat Farrey has been tasked with getting "all these smart people working in the same direction," as he put it in a recent interview.

Learn more about his career, the big transition he's managing as an executive VP for the newly combined organization, and how he’s looking forward to amplifying the industry's voice and continuing to offer members technical expertise. 

In other news ... 

It was a busy month in C-suites at plastics machinery companies in the U.S. and Europe. LS Mtron, Netstal Americas, Arburg and Hasco all announced new top executives. 

Our series of reports from the K show floor included Engel’s Victory Electric IMM, Kiefel’s Speedformer KTR 6.2 Speed thermoformer, Arburg’s budget-friendly Trend line, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag’s multicomponent press, Dr. Boy’s first all-electric IMM series and Cannon’s e-Forming thermoformers. 

We wrapped up the injection molding innovations from K 2025 on the PMM Insight podcast, discussing the latest technologies, new features, AI integration and what's ahead.