The latest round of talks to establish an international treaty on the use and disposal of plastics ended in December with the sides still far apart.

Another session is planned for 2025, but who's the biggest loser if no agreement is reached? The plastics industry, says Editor Ron Shinn in this PMM Insight commentary.

On today's Machinery Minutes podcast, Senior Reporter Bruce Geiselman briefs you on an expansion at Windmöller & Hölscher's North American headquarters in Rhode Island; advice on ransomware remediation from the CEO of OnSecurity, as hackers ramp up their use of artificial intelligence; and the 10th anniversary of Future Leaders in Plastics (FLiP), a program for young professionals in the Plastics Industry Association.

In this episode, Senior Reporter Bruce Geiselman looks at the benefits of lean beyond sustainability gains; an upgraded robotic programming system from Flexiv; and some of our most popular features from 2024.

For her latest series on lean manufacturing and how it's practiced in the plastics industry, Senior Reporter Karen Hanna looked at a lesser-known benefit of the philosophy: sustainability improvements. Lean's focus on eliminating waste and boosting efficiency can lead to savings in resin, energy and scrap.

In this episode of PMM Insight, Karen discusses the series with Editor Ron Shinn.

On this week's episode of the Machinery Minutes podcast, you'll hear about PMM's visit to Engel's North American headquarters and what their leaders have to say about the secrets to the company's success.

You'll also learn about a new large-part printer from Formlabs, and the inaugural Collaborate North America, a trade show and conference centered around cobots.

In this week's episode of our Machinery Minutes podcast, you'll hear about a molding shop that implemented lean practices and discovered a side benefit: better sustainability.

We also wish Jim Healy of Sepro North America well as he heads into retirement, and tell you about Diversys, which has a software program to keep track of your recycling data so you can meet EPR or company goals.

Extended Producer Responsibility policies and recycling mandates are taking root in the U.S., putting pressure on plastics recyclers and processors to track and report details of their operations.

In this PMM Insight interview, senior reporter Bruce Geiselman speaks with Roger Barlow, CEO and co-founder of Diversys, about the company's cloud-based software that optimizes and tracks recycling data to verify compliance with EPR regulations as well as sustainability goals.

On this week's Machinery Minutes podcast, you'll hear how the supply chain issues of the past several years continue to ripple through the market. It's part of our 10th anniversary series.

Engel has unveiled its energy-saving e-mac 500 injection molding machine, featuring its new High clamping drive.

And cobot pioneer Rethink Robotics has announced a new management team, which among other duties will oversee the relocation of robot production from Europe to the U.S.

Listen here, or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform to get a new episode of Machinery Minutes every Monday.