15 May 2026 // Polymer Market Update, Arburg Automation Story, and Optimising Cooling Services

In today’s brief:📊 Market Update: Plastribution’s May report indicates a settling polymer market after recent volatility. While standard polymer prices are plateauing, engineering plastics face fresh increases as high crude oil forecasts continue to pressure margins through 2026.🤖 Manufacturing Investment: Hymid and ARBURG showcase the results of a 14-year automation journey. We look at how the integration of six-axis robotics is driving capacity and upskilling staff to meet the demands of advanced sectors like medical devices.❄️ Service Innovation: ICS Cool Energy unveils an expanded service portfolio, introducing a "cooling-as-a-service" model. The move simplifies risk management for manufacturers while adding regional account support to strengthen their UK-wide network.🛠️ Technical Briefing: Alliance Tooling continues its series on moulding challenges, this week focusing on the causes and cures of warpage. The report explores how proactive design and balanced cooling can eliminate part distortion and ensure dimensional consistency.For the full stories, visit plastikmedia.co.uk.