Stadler has completed the reconstruction of the Sortierkontor Nord plant in Bremen after two fires in 2022. The modernised lightweight packaging sorting facility offers enhanced fire safety, a higher level of automation and readiness for automated battery extraction.
Dassault Systèmes has introduced Virtual Companions, a new category of AI experts on the 3DExperience platform. The solution is intended to support industry in designing, testing and validating innovations and operations in the era of the generative economy.
Following the retirement of Colin Tirel, on 1 December 2025 Steve Thomson, who has worked in the plastics industry since 1991, became managing director of Arburg Ltd. in Warwick. The new head is to support the development of the company's activities in the UK and Irish markets.
At Techtextil 2026 in Frankfurt, Barmag will present solutions for the production of industrial filament yarns for automotive and geotextile applications, focusing on safety, durability and process efficiency.
Swoboda CZ in Jihlava has commissioned a fully automated cell with a Wittmann vertical injection molding machine for the production of switchbox housings, doubling production capacity and improving process stability in the manufacture of complex metal–plastic assemblies.
At JEC World 2026, Cannon will present the Nexus system for temperature control of composite molds, which reduces energy consumption by up to 70% compared to standard solutions and significantly shortens mold heat-up time.
AF-Color, a branch of Akro-Plastic GmbH, has commissioned a modified FED 26 MTS extrusion line in cooperation with Feddem for the development and small-scale production of colour and additive masterbatches. In parallel, the existing FED 43 MTS line was upgraded to ensure process comparability.
As of 1 January 2026, Ben Mechelmans becomes managing director of the Belgian company Arburg N.V. His goal is to further strengthen the company's market position, with a focus on automation, turnkey solutions and digitalisation.
Tria has announced that the Fakuma trade fair will not be included in its exhibition programme for 2026. The decision stems from a change in its trade fair communication strategy, based on greater involvement of foreign subsidiaries and a focus on key industry events.
In fiscal year 2025, the technotrans Group significantly improved its profitability, increasing the EBIT margin to 7.1% and achieving an ROCE of 16.8%, above the forecast range.
The Spanish technology center Tekniker will present at BIEMH 2026 a demonstrator combining collaborative robotics, digital metrology and process digitalization, developed in cooperation with Zeiss, Kuka and Schunk.
The SKZ Plastics Center and the Institute of Psychology at the University of Würzburg have completed the OFHarmonie research project on the impact of plastic component surface structures on color perception. The results indicate the need for combined analysis of color, brightness, gloss and surface parameters.