Plastic Processing Machinery Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends And Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Plastic Processing Machinery Market Trends and Insights

Increasing Demand for Light-Weight Automotive Parts

Automakers need to meet European fleet-average CO₂ limits of 93.6 g/km by 2027, so they are substituting metal stampings with glass-fiber-reinforced polypropylene and bio-based polyamides. Stellantis increased the plastic content per vehicle by 8 kg in 2024, and suppliers now order large-tonnage presses exceeding 2,000 t to mold structural parts as long as 1.2 m. General Motors qualified a bio-based polyamide for use in under-body shields in 2025, creating demand for gas-assisted injection systems that reduce material use by 20% while maintaining crash-worthiness targets.^{[1]General Motors Company, “Supplier Conference Materials 2025,” gm.com} Assemblies are consolidating into single-shot over-molded parts, pushing toolmakers to maintain positional tolerances tighter than 0.05 mm and driving sales of precision clamping units.

Boom in Flexible Packaging Demand

Seven-layer co-extruded barrier films with oxygen transmission rates below 0.5 cc/m²/day are now standard for extending shelf life. In 2024, Nestlé transitioned 42% of its European coffee portfolio into recyclable mono-material pouches. The transition lifted global orders for cast-film lines by 19% in the first half of 2025, with Brazil’s flexible-packaging converters absorbing 23% more polyethylene film extrusion systems year-on-year. European rules, effective 2025, mandate a minimum 10% recycled content in flexible films by 2028, forcing machinery engineers to redesign screw geometries to handle inconsistent melt viscosities.

Rapid Electrification of Industry 4.0

All-electric presses consume 35% less energy per cycle than hydraulic units, resulting in an annual savings of USD 18,000 for a 300-ton machine running three shifts. ENGEL reported that 74% of Q1 2025 shipments were servo-driven, up from 61% in 2023, as electricity prices in Germany spiked to EUR 0.32/kWh (USD 0.36/kWh) in January 2025. Fanuc’s edge-computing module now processes 1,200 sensor points per second to auto-tune injection velocity, resulting in a 12% reduction in scrap. Although hydraulic systems still dominate very large blow-molding applications, rising ISO 20430 compliance costs are accelerating the adoption of energy-efficient drives.

Shift Toward Recycled and Bio-Based Resins

Post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate loses 8-12% of its intrinsic viscosity with each re-melt, so converters deploy chain extenders and infrared preform heating with 16-zone control to avoid haze. BASF’s bio-attributed polyamide 6 delivers mechanical parity with fossil grades but commands an 18% price premium, confining early adoption to premium-priced consumer goods. California’s SB 54 requires 25% recycled content in single-use packaging by 2032, and European mandates are stricter, prompting OEMs to validate screw, barrel, and heater designs against feedstock blends containing up to 50% recycled pellets.

Tightening Single-Use Plastic Bans

The European Single-Use Plastics Directive reduced demand for 1.2 million tonnes of polystyrene food-service ware in 2024, resulting in 18% of regional injection molding capacity being idled. Canada’s ban on checkout bags and cutlery reduced extrusion-line utilization to 71% in early 2024. Although rigid-packaging press orders fell 9% in Europe, blow-molding units for reusable beverage containers increased by 14% as retailers adopted deposit-return schemes. OEMs are mitigating regulatory risk by offering modular tooling that allows for seamless switching between disposable and durable goods with minimal downtime.

Volatile Polymer Pricing

Asian polypropylene spot prices fluctuated by 22% between January and September 2025, rising from USD 1,020/t to USD 1,245/t, which squeezed converter margins. A mid-2025 survey of 240 molders found that 34% delayed capital purchases until resin prices stabilized. Similar volatility in PET undermines the payback for high-capex electric machines whose energy-saving economics depend on steady throughput.

Segment Analysis

By Machine Type: Blow Molding Outpaces Legacy Leaders

Injection molding accounted for a 45.18% share of the plastic processing machinery market in 2025. The segment is mature, with a projected 4.2% CAGR for 2026-2031 as buyers prioritize faster cycle times over new capacity. Blow molding, by contrast, is projected to grow at a 5.67% CAGR, the fastest among machine types, as lightweight PET bottle designs now reduce preform weight by 15% and automotive fuel tanks require six-layer HDPE-based structures that meet evaporative-emission limits of less than 300 mg/day.

Ford’s approval of a six-layer blow-molded fuel tank for its 2026 pickup program is catalyzing orders for high-output extrusion-blow systems capable of processing ethylene vinyl alcohol barriers. Thermoforming remains a niche option in medical trays, where qualification cycles can lock in equipment for up to 24 months, while extrusion lines face infrastructure spending but suffer from margin pressure as resin spreads narrow. Injection-compression hybrids, such as ENGEL’s 2024 debut, reduce clamp tonnage by 30% and demonstrate how incumbents defend their share through process innovation rather than capacity expansion.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By End-User Industry: Electronics Surge Past Mature Segments

Packaging contributed 41.72% of the plastic processing machinery market size in 2025, yet its growth is slowing as converters extend press lifecycles to 18 years. Electrical and electronics applications are expected to grow at a rate of 6.47% to 2031, driven by 800-volt battery platforms that require injection-molded busbars with dimensional tolerances of under 0.1 mm. 

Apple’s move to glass-fiber-reinforced polycarbonate housings for select MacBook models cut per-unit carbon footprint by 18%, boosting demand for precision micro-molding cells. Medical devices post a steady 4.9% CAGR, while construction equipment sales mirror infrastructure cycles; India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline is earmarked INR 111 lakh crore (USD 1.33 trillion) through 2025 to sustain extrusion-line demand.

By Automation Level: Labor Economics Tilt Toward Full Automation

Semi-automated equipment accounted for 52.33% of the plastic processing machinery market size in 2025, as medical and short-run applications require operator adjustments to maintain process validation. Fully automated cells are forecast to grow at a rate of 6.13% to 2031, as wages rise and skilled operator shortages persist. The average hourly pay for Mexican molding technicians increased by 28% between 2020 and 2024, to USD 6.20, compressing labor arbitrage and favoring robot-packed production. 

A Manufacturers Alliance survey revealed that 14% of North American molding posts remained unfilled in Q2 2025, prompting investments in collaborative robots that reduced programming time by 60%. Sumitomo’s cloud platform aggregates vibration, temperature, and pressure data to slash unplanned downtime by 34%, delivering a performance guarantee that tips capital allocation toward fully automated lines.

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific captured 48.51% of the plastic processing machinery market in 2025, buoyed by China’s 12 GWh of battery-pack housing capacity and India’s INR 1,450 crore (USD 174 million) electronics-manufacturing incentive for fiscal 2025. Precision molds for battery trays and smartphone frames maintain high press utilization in coastal China and southern India. Servo-drive penetration reached 68% of new injection units in the region by mid-2025, as OEMs sought energy savings.

South America is the fastest-growing region, with a 6.09% CAGR forecasted for 2026-2031. Brazil’s flexible-packaging sector ordered 23% more polyethylene film lines in 2024, and Argentina’s automotive rebound raised component molding volumes by 34% in H1 2025. Chile’s lithium-refining boom, with 210,000 t output in 2024, is spurring blow-molded container demand for chemical logistics.

North America holds a significant market share of the plastic processing machinery market in 2025, supported by the USD 52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act, which drives demand for cleanroom-ready injection presses for wafer carriers.^{[2]U.S. Department of Commerce, “CHIPS and Science Act Implementation,” commerce.gov} Circular-economy rules underpin Europe’s 22.1% share, yet CAGR expectations hover near 3.8% because single-use bans offset gains from reusable packaging. The Middle East and Africa collectively command 11.2%, with Saudi Arabia’s 8 million tonnes of polyethylene capacity anchoring a low-cost resin supply, although workforce shortages cap machine utilization.