Plastics machinery shipments fall again: Machinery Minutes

On this episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast:

• Shipments of injection molding and extrusion machinery in North America fell 17.5 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter and 4.6 percent year over year, according to the Plastics Industry Association's Committee on Equipment Statistics. What's weighing on the market?
• Learn how Wittmann's space-saving Insider Package machine cells helped ITW Deltar Fasteners make the most of its limited floor space.
• A Chinese cobot manufacturer, Fairino, has entered the North American market this year and is having some success selling to plastics processors.  

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: Shipments of injection molding and extrusion machinery in North America fell 17.5 percent in the first quarter from the previous quarter and 4.6 percent year over year, according to the Plastics Industry Association's Committee on Equipment Statistics. 

It was the second consecutive quarterly decline after a 12 percent decrease from Q3 to Q4 of 2024.   

First quarter shipments totaled $252.1 million, with extrusion equipment doing better than injection molding equipment.  

Gains in single- and twin-screw extruder shipments of 17.2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively, were offset by a 21.8 percent drop in injection molding machinery shipments. Extrusion shipments also showed a year-over-year improvement, with single-screw up 31.2 percent and twin-screw up 10.9 percent, while injection molding fell 8.9 percent.  

PLASTICS Chief Economist Perc Pineda had this analysis: “Shipments appeared to pause in the first quarter as businesses reassessed strategies amid uncertainty surrounding U.S. tariffs and trade policy. While there appear to be green shoots in plastic product manufacturing, capacity utilization and the broader manufacturing sector in the first quarter, it is too soon to project the short-term path of equipment shipments as trade policy remains in flux.”  

You can read the complete story on plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com. Headline is “Plastics machinery shipments drop again in Q1 2025.” 

Story number 2: Did you ever say to yourself that you could do so much more if only you had more space? That was the situation at the 40,000-square-foot ITW Deltar Fasteners molding plant in Lakeville, Conn. 

 The solution turned out to be Wittmann’s space-saving Insider Package machine configuration, which combines an injection molding machine and automation in one compact, self-contained cell. 

Wittmann’s 4.0 now connects an array of equipment in the plant, from auxiliaries to the injection presses and hot runners. 

Scrap rate has dropped from 10 percent to about 2 percent, the number of machine operators has been significantly reduced, and the facility is getting close to becoming a lights-out plant. 

This is a fascinating story. Headline is “Wittmann helps ITW do more with less space.” 

Story number 3: A new cobot manufacturer entered the North American market this year and is having some success selling to plastics processors.  

Joe Faltas, VP of Devonics in San Diego, which represents the Chinese-made line of Fairino cobots, said, “We have sold units to injection molders for machine tending applications and for 3D printer tending.”  

Fairino is the top seller of cobots in China, Faltas said, “because the price is phenomenal and these are well-built machines.”  

The line consists of eight models with payloads ranging from 6.6 pounds to 66.1 pounds. Maximum reach ranges from just over 2 feet to just over 6 feet.  

Faltas said all models are currently warehoused in the U.S. and can be shipped within four days.  

The story is headlined “Fairino cobots are price-competitive.”  

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.