Jobless rate spikes; Haitian's new IMMs; world-class plastics processors: Machinery Minutes, March 10, 2025

On today's episode of Machinery Minutes, learn about a spike in the unemployment rate in plastics and rubber, its highest since the pandemic. It's a sudden reversal as not long ago, companies were complaining about a tight labor market.  

Also, Absolute Haitian has introduced new, lower-cost versions of its Mars and Jupiter injection molding machines known as the SE (Special Edition) models; and we share factors to consider if you want to be a world-class plastics manufacturer.

Transcript

Hello, welcome to PMM Insight, a Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing podcast. I am your host, Ron Shinn, editor of PMM.  

This is an episode of Machinery Minutes, where at the beginning of each week I share with you three things you need to know in about three minutes. You can read the complete stories on plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com.  

Let’s get started. 

Story Number 1 – The plastics and rubber industry is experiencing its highest unemployment rate in years, according to statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

The industry’s unemployment rate in January — the most recent month for which data is available — was 8.2 percent, compared with 4.4 percent overall. It marks a sudden reversal as not long ago, companies were complaining about a tight labor market.  

The jobless figure for the rubber and plastics industry has not exceeded 7.7 percent since September 2020, when the industry recorded 9.1 percent unemployment, amid worldwide market disruptions set in motion by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Plastics Industry Association chief economist Perc Pineda said the industry’s unemployment rate can be volatile from one month to the next and that the increase could be transitory. 

He also projected a drop of 0.5 percent in machinery production this year, with 1.6 percent decreases in both the first and second quarters, with very slight gains in employment. 

Learn more by reading reporter Karen Hanna’s story “Plastics and rubber unemployment rate hits 8.2 percent in January.” 

Story Number 2 – Absolute Haitian has introduced new, lower-cost versions of its Mars and Jupiter injection molding machines known as the SE (Special Edition) models. 

The MA 3/SE models have clamping forces ranging from 101 tons to 4,496 tons, and clamping forces of the Jupiter JU/SE models ranging from 506 tons to 4,496 tons. Featuring Absolute Haitian’s fifth-generation high-drive servo motor technology, the IMMs deliver the same energy-saving performance as the standard fifth-generation Mars and Jupiter IMMs. But the high-pressure, low-energy Haitian hydraulic pump outputs are slightly lower on the SE models, and the SE models’ controls lack some features of the higher-cost fifth-generation machines.  

Benefits of the new SE models include reliability and cost savings, according to the company. 

Details can be found by reading the story headlined: “Absolute Haitian introduces lower-cost Mars, Jupiter IMMs.” 

Story Number 3 – How can a company become a world-class plastics manufacturer? 

By putting a strategy in place, investing in the latest technology, and hiring the right workers for the data-driven future. That’s the advice I have determined after visiting processing plants for the past 35 years. 

It has been easier in the past to get by just making good plastics parts. But the recession in the manufacturing sector of the past 18 months as well as the troubling economic landscape ahead may put the very best processors further ahead with the rest struggling to survive. 

Listen to the podcast or read the associated article headlined “How to become a world-class plastics manufacturer” on the PMM website.  

Those are my Top 3 items for this week. We have a new list every Monday.  

I hope you have enjoyed this episode of Machinery Minutes. You can always find our podcasts and the latest information about the worldwide plastics industry on our website, www.plasticsmachinerymanufacturing.com and on social media.  

Remember to subscribe to the PMM Insight podcast on your favorite podcast app and tell a friend or colleague if you think they would enjoy the show. This podcast was produced by Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, an Endeavor Business Media brand.