Behind the scenes at Bekum, new Wittmann granulator: Machinery Minutes

Key points from this episode of Machinery Minutes:

• Bekum America builds application-specific extrusion blow molding equipment and prides itself on customer support, especially to new blow molders. Take a look behind the scenes. 
• The SPE Thermoforming Division presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Greg McCunn, staff engineer for materials at John Deere, at its recent conference. 
• Learn about Wittmann’s latest granulator, the S-Max Dual 8. 

Transcript

Hello, welcome to PMM Insight, a Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing podcast. I am your host, Ron Shinn, editor of PMM.  

This is an episode of Machinery Minutes, where at the beginning of each week I share with you three things you need to know in about three minutes. You can read the complete stories on plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com.  

Let’s get started. 

Story Number 1: Extrusion blow molding machinery manufacturer Bekum has seen plenty of container buyers becoming container producers.  

There is a simple explanation why that is happening, said Steven London, president and COO of Bekum America Corp. He said, “People want to control their own destiny, not be constrained by the supply chain swings.” 

Bekum has taken advantage of this market shift by building application-specific extrusion blow molding equipment and providing extensive customer support that can jump-start customers new to container manufacturing. 

The strategy is working. Bekum America currently has a backlog of machinery orders. Sales were better in 2024 than in 2023 and London is predicting sales to be ever better in 2025. 

You can read about the strategy as well as how Bekum builds machinery from the ground up in its Williamston, Michigan plant.  

Another interesting twist: When a customer needs service, the team responding can consist of a machine builder, electrician supervisor or manager. It is not uncommon for us to take a machine builder or supervisor to the customer’s plant, London said. 

Headline is “Bekum America sparks a winning strategy.” 

Story number 2: Greg McCunn, staff engineer for materials at John Deere, was named winner of the SPE Thermoforming Division’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor was presented at the annual SPE Thermoforming Conference in Atlanta last week. 

He began his career as an injection molder supplying the automotive industry, then moved to John Deere in 1997.  

He was lauded for being instrumental in implementing plastic and composites in John Deere products and for being a long-time advocate for the thermoforming industry. 

Headline is “Greg McCunn earns SPE Thermoforming Lifetime Achievement Award.” 

Story number 3: In new equipment news, Wittmann has brought the screenless S-Max Dual 8 granulator to the market. The series is designed to handle tough materials. 

It features two rotors, a new motor orientation and gearbox that results in a smaller footprint for the granulator. Cutting chamber is about 21 inches by 23 inches and there are eight breaker knives. 

Headline is “Wittmann granulator designed for tough materials.” 

Those are my Top 3 items for this week. We have a new list every Monday.  

I hope you have enjoyed this episode of Machinery Minutes. You can always find our podcasts and the latest information about the worldwide plastics industry on our website, www.plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com and on social media.  

Remember to subscribe to the PMM Insight podcast on your favorite podcast app and tell a friend or colleague if you think they would enjoy the show. This podcast was produced by Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, an Endeavor Business Media brand.