The state of sustainability; Epson's new robots; plastics publisher dies: Machinery Minutes

Key points from this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:

• Corporate sustainability goals are colliding with the reality of a political climate dominated by news of cuts and regulatory backlash, but work on recycling is moving ahead at the state and company level because it makes business sense. 
• Pete Sullivan, a long-time publisher of trade magazines for the plastics industry, and a member of PMM's founding team, passed away last week at age 81. 
• Epson unveiled the new GX-C series of SCARA robots it describes as its high-performance flagship line. 

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: Corporate goals set for this year and the next few years to increase the use of recycled content and reduce waste are colliding with the reality of a political climate dominated by news of cuts and regulatory backlash, according to a story by senior staff reporter Karen Hanna. 

That is the bad news. The good news is that experts say work on recycling is moving ahead because it makes business sense. But that movement is mixed. 

Big retailers such as Walmart, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever and PepsiCo have recently lowered and pushed back their recycled content targets. 

While there is uncertainty about EPA grants, loans and the government’s role in recycling research and development, Kate Bailey, chief policy officer for the Association of Plastics Recyclers, told Hanna that it has really been individual states and private investment that has buoyed the industry for the past 30 years. 

You can read the complete story on plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com. Headline is “Plastic sustainability goals face headwinds.” 

Story Number 2: Pete Sullivan, a long-time publisher of trade magazines for the plastics industry, passed away last week at age 81. 

Pete put his stamp on such magazines as Plastics World, Plastics Design Forum, Plastics Machinery & Equipment and Plastics Compounding. In 1993 he led a group that published the very successful Injection Molding Magazine and in 2014 was a partner and publishing advisor with the group that launched this publication. 

I had the privilege to work with Pete for five years at Injection Molding Magazine and again here at PMM. Everyone who worked with him or interacted with him in the plastics industry held him in very high regard. 

He was a Vietnam veteran and after his publishing career was a frequent volunteer in community organizations, notably with Habitat for Humanity in Newark, NJ. He also spent time in Guatemala building houses with a church-sponsored organization.  

Rest in Peace my friend. 

The story is headlined, “T. Peter Sullivan, longtime publisher, dies at 81.” 

Story Number 3: In new product news, Epson unveiled a new series of SCARA robots it describes as its high-performance flagship line. 

The GX-C series comes in four models that integrate Epson’s RC800A controller with SafeSense technology that offers optimized productivity, power and energy savings along with safety-rated speed and position monitoring. 

The new robots do not require safety barriers. 

The story is headlined, “Epson SCARA robots offer high performance.” 

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.plasticsmachinerymanufacfturing.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.