Extrusion International 5-2025

10 Extrusion International 5/2025 INDUSTRY NEWS EU-USA Tariff Agreement: AMAPLAST Expresses Deep Concern over the Impact on the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Sector Amaplast expresses deep concern over the trade agreement recently signed in Scotland between US Presi- dent Donald Trump and the Presi- dent of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The compromise reached, which in- troduces a at 15% tariff on a wide range of European products, consti- tutes – according to the association – a serious obstacle for the Italian and European manu-facturing industry. Particularly alarming is the lack of clarity regarding possible exemptions and the failure to lift the current 50% tariff on European steel. In addition to tariffs, the agree- ment includes substantial nan - cial commitments for the European Union: 750 billion dollars in energy purchases from the United States over the next three years, 600 billion dollars in investments to be made in the US within two years, and unspeci- ed military sup-plies. All these ele - ments place a disproportionate bur- den on European industry without offering ad-equate compensation. “This is not an agreement, it’s more like a surrender,” commented Amaplast President Massimo Marga- glione. “In a global context already affected by a weakened dollar and sluggish demand, a blanket 15% tariff is a devastating blow for our companies, which have always driven Italian exports through quality, tech - nology and reliability.” The sector represented by Amaplast exports around 10% of its total turn - over to the United States. The new conditions imposed by the agreement could signi cantly hinder access to one of the most important markets for the sector, which is already suffer- ing from currency uctuations and an un-certain global outlook. Amaplast therefore urges the Ital- ian Government and the European Commission to adopt a more asser- tive strategy in defending European industry and calls for urgent clari - cation on which goods will bene t from tariff exemptions. The associa- tion hopes that, in view of the glob- ally recognised value of Made in Italy and the strong export orientation of Italian companies (over 70% of all ma-chinery produced is sold abroad), plastics and rubber processing ma- chinery will be included among the products exempted from the new tariff measures. “Today more than ever,” concludes Margaglione, “Europe needs indus- trial and monetary policies capable of meeting the global challenge. We cannot allow entrepreneurs to face such unstable in-ternational scenarios alone. Without a shared strategic vi- sion, we risk not only competitiveness, but Europe’s very social cohesion.” AMAPLAST www.amaplast.org Transparency and Control – REMOTEaccess for Modern Production Processes motan introduces REMOTEaccess – a new cloud-based remote mainte- nance solution designed to meet the highest standards of security, maxi- mise ease of use, and provide full con- trol for the customer. Seamlessly inte- grated into all CONTROLnet control systems, REMOTEaccess helps compa- nies manage their maintenance pro- cesses more ef ciently and securely. Thanks todigital access, service tasks can be handled much more quickly, as no on-site visit is required – reducing both response times and costs. At the same time, production downtime can be signi cantly minimised, as issues are identi ed and resolved faster. The overall availability of service is also im- proved, ensuring more reliable main- tenance support and increased opera- tional stability. Access is only granted by authorised service employees. Every process is automatically documented and seam- lessly logged. This ensures full trans- parency and forms a reliable basis for invoicing services rendered. Particularly important: remote maintenance is authorised by the customer themselves. A physical key ensures that the system can only be accessed if this is explicitly requested. “We wanted to create a solution that ful ls the high - est security requirements and at the same time gives our customers full control", says Carl Litherland (CMO motan Group). REMOTEaccess combines exactly that, with minimal effort for IT and production. REMOTEaccess is now available can be easily integrated into any existing motan systems. motan holding gmbh www.motan-group.com REMOTEaccess – Simple and secure solution for remote maintenance (motan group)