16 July 2026 // Sierra 57 Appointment, ILLIG Field Team Expansion, and Eliminating Factory Bottlenecks

16 July 2026 // Sierra 57 Appointment, ILLIG Field Team Expansion, and Eliminating Factory Bottlenecks

In today’s brief: 👥 Leadership Update: Shaun McCarthy joins Sierra 57 Consult as Projects Director, bringing his extensive industry experience to the specialist recruitment and training provider to help UK companies develop their workforces and close the skills gap. 🔧 Service Expansion: ILLIG UK expands its Yaxley-based field service team to its largest-ever size, adding two engineers to lower response times and bolster preventative maintenance across the North of England and Scotland. ⚙️ Temperature Control: HASCO launches a new line of highly flexible, kink-resistant PTFE corrugated hoses engineered to withstand mechanical stress and operating pressures of up to 125 bar in demanding high-temperature mould setups. 📊 Operational Flow: Intouch Monitoring shares practical methods to pinpoint and eliminate hidden factory bottlenecks, helping manufacturers boost labour efficiency by up to 15% through real-time machine data and scheduling. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

15 July 2026 // A Decade of Maintenance Partnership, Major Machinery Auction, and Packaging Pact Leaders

In today’s brief: 🔧 Maintenance Milestone: OMS LubriTek and Polypipe Civils & Green Urbanisation celebrate ten years of successful collaboration at the Horncastle site. The transition to a proactive lubrication strategy has delivered massive gains in machinery reliability, slashing downtime and maintenance costs across their high-volume injection moulding and extrusion fleets. 🔨 Asset Management: Apex Auctions has opened bidding on 348 lots of manufacturing equipment previously used by automotive component supplier WCM Europe. The timed online auction represents a major opportunity for processors to acquire late-model Negri Bossi injection moulding machines, Hurco CNC toolroom equipment, and high-spec inspection systems before bidding closes on 30th July. ♻️ Circular Economy: The UK Packaging Pact has announced five new industry leaders from Tesco, M&S, Robinson, Suez, and the British Plastics Federation to chair its Industry Expert Groups. The initiative will drive cross-sector collaboration to scale up reuse systems and harmonise data across the UK packaging value chain. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

14 July 2026 // R A Labone's Medical Investment, Biesterfeld's 120-Year Milestone, and Plastics Live Ireland 2026

In today’s brief: ⚙️ Machinery Investment: R A Labone takes delivery of a new 220-tonne ENGEL injection moulding machine and expands its cleanroom environment, boosting its technical capabilities for an upcoming medical manufacturing contract. 🌐 Industry Milestone: International polymer and speciality chemical distributor Biesterfeld celebrates 120 years of business, marking over a century of family-owned growth, transformation, and global operation. 📅 Event Registration: Registrations officially open for Plastics Live Ireland 2026, offering manufacturers and decision-makers free access to the upcoming technology and networking exhibition at the Athlone International Arena. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

13 July 2026 // PlastikCity HQ Relocation, LATI Sustainability Report, and Advanced Injection Tooling

In today’s brief: 🏢 HQ Relocation: PlastikCity and PlastikMedia transition to a brand-new, standalone headquarters at Bitteswell Business Park in Leicestershire, supporting future growth and streamlining day-to-day operations to better serve and connect UK buyers and suppliers. 🌱 Sustainability Insights: Thermoplastic specialist LATI publishes its 2025 report, highlighting a €14.7m EBITDA, the implementation of ISO 50001 energy certification, value chain Scope 3 emissions tracking, and the introduction of industrial exoskeletons for workplace safety. ⚙️ Mould Optimisation: CyTec Systems UK introduces the MechIndex system, an innovative mechanical component that converts linear press ejector motion into precise rotary plate movements, eliminating complex external drives for multi-station tooling. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

10 July 2026 // Automated PET Recycling, Medical Polymer Expansion, and AI-Driven Moulding

In today’s brief: ♻️ Recycling Efficiency: Ireland-based Novelplast partners with Kongskilde to implement a custom pneumatic conveying system. The automated, multi-pass sorting solution overcomes tight warehouse space constraints to boost output purity past 95% and significantly reduce extrusion downtime. 🩺 Medical Polymers: Biesterfeld expands its distribution partnership with LEHVOSS Group across Europe. The agreement grants the medical technology market broader access to high-performance LUVOCOM compounds that combine biocompatibility with strict ISO 10993 compliance. 🧫 Material Innovation: BioCote highlights how built-in antimicrobial technology offers continuous surface protection for kitchen measurement tools. The HACCP International certified additive helps manufacturers differentiate products and add value across commercial and consumer markets. 🤖 Digital Transformation: West Sussex injection moulding specialist Nordell adopts AI-powered invoice software with support from Made Smarter South East. The automated system integrates with their existing ERP framework and is projected to eliminate over 60 hours of manual administration every month. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.