Senior reporter Bruce Geiselman discusses with Matt Flanigan, director of APenergy, how plastics processors might be able to trim energy costs by undertaking upgrades that could cost them nothing… thanks to energy incentive programs.

The plastics industry is a “target-rich environment” when it comes to energy efficiency, Flanigan said.

APenergy is a consulting business that helps industrial plants not only identify energy savings opportunities, but also apply for and obtain funding assistance.

Flanigan explains a little more about his company, what they do and how to take advantage of incentive programs.

Read the story.

Welcome to Machinery Minutes, where at the beginning of each week Senior Reporter Bruce Geiselman shares three things you need to know.

No. 1 -- Sensors that detect melt conditions in real time can help processors reduce cycle times and waste, according to sensXpert, a German company that provides equipment, artificial intelligence software, and machine-learning technologies to optimize plastics processing and reduce costs. Read more.

No. 2 – The Plastics Industry Association is crediting exhibitors and its recycling partners with helping to recycle or repurpose 516,160 pounds of plastic, cardboard and aluminum collected at NPE2024. Read more.

No. 3 -- The worldwide slowdown in plastics processing machinery sales is causing Sumitomo (SHI) Demag to cut production jobs and make other changes at its German locations. Read more.

Welcome to PMM Insight: Machinery Minutes, a quick look at three important stories from Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing. New episodes drop every Monday.

On today's episode, Senior Reporter Bruce Geiselman discusses these stories:

• APenergy, a consulting company, is helping plastics processors get utility incentives to undertake energy savings projects, which can trim their bills at little to no cost.
• Coperion has introduced its STS 75 MC Plus, which can be used for multiple applications, including recycling and production of masterbatches.
• American Plastic Molding is a company on a mission. It hopes the addition of a 3D printer for prototyping will allow the company within 10 years to increase its annual sales from about $20 million to $50 million.