02 July 2026 // Flexible Automation, Automotive Recycled Polymers, Welsh Recycling Infrastructure, and Solving Silver Streaks

21 Jul 2026 // Medical Tooling, Energy-Efficient Machinery, UK-Swiss Trade, and British Steel

🩺 Medical Tooling: Tekniplaz delivers a complex injection mould tool for a threaded medical cap ahead of schedule, featuring hydraulic unscrewing and hardened stainless steel inserts. ⚙️ Machinery Investment: Pentagon Plastics invests in two Haitian Zeres V machines, expected to reduce annual electricity use by more than 53,000 kilowatt-hours while increasing capacity. 🤝 International Trade: The UK and Switzerland agree an enhanced Free Trade Agreement covering tariffs, customs procedures, business travel and manufacturing standards. 🏭 British Steel: The Scunthorpe steelworks enters public ownership, protecting around 2,700 jobs and the UK’s primary steelmaking capability.

17 July 2026 // Polymer Price Softening, WAC2026 Adhesive Innovation, and Sustainable Injection Moulding

In today’s brief: 📉 Market Softening: Plastribution reports that polymer markets continue to ease, with PE and PP prices dropping around £400 per tonne since June. High safety stocks and seasonal summer shutdowns are keeping demand muted, while recycled polyolefins face downward pressure as some manufacturers revert to virgin materials. 🤝 Adhesive Innovation: Speciality distributor Bjørn Thorsen prepares to exhibit at the World Adhesive & Sealant Conference in London this September. The team will showcase innovative technologies, including a key presentation on next-generation, sustainable thermoplastic polyurethane adhesive solutions. ⚙️ Responsible Moulding: BEC Group explores practical steps to increase sustainability in industrial injection moulding. The report outlines how UK manufacturers can reduce waste and environmental impact by choosing electric machinery, immediate scrap regrinding, and prioritising long-term product durability. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.

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.