24 Jul 2026 // Pilot Tooling, Plastic Film Collections, Digital Investment, and Aston Martin Funding

24 Jul 2026 // Pilot Tooling, Plastic Film Collections, Digital Investment, and Aston Martin Funding

In today's brief: ⚙️ Pilot Tooling: Tekniplaz completes a pilot injection mould tool ahead of planned 12-cavity and 24-cavity production tooling for high-volume manufacture. ♻️ Film Collections: The BPF criticises the Government’s decision to postpone mandatory plastic film collections from March 2027 until April 2030. 💻 Digital Investment: Made Smarter grants unlock £563,000 of private investment in South East manufacturing projects forecast to create 50 jobs. 🚗 Aston Martin Funding: Aston Martin secures £550 million in loans to strengthen its finances and support current and future product plans. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk

22 Jul 2026 // New Prime Minister, JOSCAR Accreditation, Flow Measurement, and Project Marketing

In today's brief: 🏭 Manufacturing Priorities: Make UK calls for urgent progress on industrial energy costs, business rates and skills shortages following Andy Burnham’s appointment as Prime Minister. 🛡️ JOSCAR Accreditation: BEC Group becomes a JOSCAR Registered Supplier, supporting its work across the aerospace, defence, security and public sectors. 📊 Flow Measurement: Emerson launches the portable Flexim FLUXUS 631 series for non-intrusive measurement of liquids, gases and steam without interrupting operations. 📣 Project Marketing: PlastikMedia explains how installations, trials, repairs and training can become credible marketing content that demonstrates technical capability. For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk

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

In today's brief: 🩺 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.