What plastics processors and OEMs are telling us about 2026
This episode is a discussion about the annual PMM Machinery Buying Survey, with editor Ron Shinn, managing editor Lynne Sherwin and senior staff reporter Karen Hanna.
Here are some key points:
- Survey respondents were surprisingly positive, with 73 percent saying they plan to buy primary processing equipment in 2026. Some machinery OEMs and analysts aren't quite so optimistic.
- Tariffs are having a mixed effect and are still causing confusion.
- Manufacturing wages across the board are rising, and processors are going to have to pay more for workers, even as the lack of skilled labor is driving more automation.
- The trend to keep machinery running longer is continuing, and machinery OEMs are responding by beefing up their service departments.
More on the year ahead
About the Author
Ron Shinn
Editor
Editor Ron Shinn is a co-founder of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and has been covering the plastics industry for more than 35 years. He leads the editorial team, directs coverage and sets the editorial calendar. He also writes features, including the Talking Points column and On the Factory Floor, and covers recycling and sustainability for PMM and Plastics Recycling.
Karen Hanna
Senior Staff Reporter
Senior Staff Reporter Karen Hanna covers injection molding, molds and tooling, processors, workforce and other topics, and writes features including In Other Words and Problem Solved for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She has more than 15 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.
Lynne Sherwin
Managing Editor
Managing editor Lynne Sherwin handles day-to-day operations and coordinates production of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing’s print magazine, website and social media presence, as well as Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. She also writes features, including the annual machinery buying survey. She has more than 30 years of experience in daily and magazine journalism.