On today’s Machinery Minutes podcast with PMM editor Ron Shinn, we round up these three essential stories in five minutes:

• John Erkert, CEO of PiovanGroup North America, has assumed the additional role of president of Conair Group.

• Japanese injection molding machinery makers Nissei and Toyo are merging, citing lessening demand and rising costs, tightening global competition, environmental concerns and a shortage of skilled labor.

• An interesting case study about implementing automation in a blow molding cell that manufactures large industrial drums.

This episode of the PMM Insight podcast focuses on advanced recycling, which uses heat, chemicals or a combination of both to turn waste plastic into reusable monomers. PMM editor Ron Shinn and senior staff reporter Karen Hanna discuss the technologies. You'll learn:

• Why is advanced recycling important to the circular economy?

• Who are some of the biggest players players in the industry?

• What is ahead for advanced recycling in North America, and what's holding it back?

This is what you will learn on today’s Machinery Minutes podcast with Ron Shinn, in which we round up three impactful stories from the past week:

• Can companies continue to make packaging profitably while heading off regulations that could put plastics on the chopping block?

• Russ LaBelle, the well-known founder of Wilmington Machinery, died at the age of 86. He developed specialized plastic machinery solutions that have since been adopted by companies around the world.

• Good news for injection molding machinery builders in third-quarter sales totals. Not so much for extrusion machinery manufacturers.