Make Meaningful Connections to Grow
IML, IMD and IME are much easier to do well – and with less scrap – when everyone in the production chain is an expert. From designing the tooling and selecting substrates or coatings to understanding the challenges in the molding process, successful in-mold projects happen when the right people come together to plan and execute.

So, how do you find the right people? That’s the question the IMDA is designed to solve. The latest effort comes through the launch of the new In-Mold Meet-Ups. These 30-minute monthly video chats will begin with a directed conversation on a topic announced prior to the event, and then free-flowing inputs from those attending the virtual meeting. The first IMDA Meet-Up, which took place on October 14, covered tariff impacts, material developments and a look ahead to NPE2027. The November video chat will feature recaps from IMDA members who attended or exhibited at K 2025 in Germany. Curious about the European markets and new IML/IMD innovations on the show floor? Join us on November 11. Upcoming IMDA Meet-Ups are scheduled as follows:

• November 11, 2025 at 2pm Central (US)
• December 9, 2025 at 2pm Central (US)
• January 13, 2026 at 2pm Central (US)

Go to www.imdameetups.com to RSVP and add the Meet-Ups to your calendar. All meetings are recorded for later playback if you’re unable to attend. And, if you aren’t a member of IMDA yet, fill out the membership application at www.imdassociation.com. Let us help you connect with everyone along the in-mold production chain so your business can keep on growing in 2026.

IMDA Hosted 2nd Sustainability Breakfast at PACK EXPO Las Vegas
IMDA hosted its second Sustainability Breakfast on the morning of September 30 at PACK EXPO Las Vegas. Panelists included Scott Trenor, Association of Plastics Recyclers (APR); Christan Bruey, Pure Cycle; and Steve Hodgson, Taghleef. Conversations centered on the choice of in-mold labeling for recyclability, including questions such as: How will legislation around extended producer responsibility and consumer sentiment influence packaging design? What are the recommendations for recyclable product decoration, and how does IML fit in? What advances in films and resin development have been made to enhance IML’s recyclability advantages even further?

At PACK EXPO Las Vegas, more than 45 attendees gathered to meet their industry peers and hear from the experts. IMDA will continue its Sustainabilty Breakfast series at PACK EXPO International in Chicago in October 2026.

IMDA Welcomes New Member
The In-Mold Decorating Association (IMDA) has welcomed iPB Printing as a new member of the association.

iPB Printing BV, Netherlands, specializes in the production of in-mold labes (IML), with a focus on quality and processability. The company, founded in 1938, originally was active in the food industry when the growing importance of packaging led to the company starting to print its own packaging in 1991, and soon after, the labels of its suppliers. The company’s strategy was redefined at the end of the 20th century with the decision to further expand the printing activities and make it the company’s core business.

IMDA Opens Hall of Honor
As part of the association’s 20th anniversary, the IMDA has announced the creation of the Hall of Honor. Designed to recognize critical contributors to the growth of the association and the in-mold labeling and decorating industry, the IMDA Board of Directors named its first inductee at the 2025 Plastic Product Decorating Summit in September 2025: Ronald B. Schultz.

Ron Schultz, pictured with his late wife Myra, led the In-Mold Decorating Association as its executive director from 2005-2020, stepping down in retirement in 2020. At that time, Bob Travis, president of InkWorks Printing, LLC, and president of the IMDA Board of Directors, said, “Ron Schultz has been a vital part of the In-Mold Decorating Association since its inception. Together with his wife, Myra, Ron has established the association as a leading educational source for the molders, printers, material suppliers and equipment manufacturers that compose the in-mold decorating and labeling production chain.”

Schultz was a chemist, and his specialty was adhesives and flexible packaging. In the mid- to late-1970s, he was working in the laboratories of Morton Chemical. He had an inquiry from a converter looking for a heat-sealable coating that they could try on what Ron called “a newfangled technology” – in-mold labeling. Ron said, “None of us had heard of it, so I grabbed some samples and got to work. The solution we created became the first in-mold label in the United States, first used on Downy® fabric softener bottles. It grew from there.”

IMDA Hall of Honor nominations will be accepted in mid-2026 for the 2026 class of honorees. For more information, visit https://imdassociation.com/imda-hall-of-honor/.

IMDA to Exhibit at PTXPO
IMDA will exhibit in booth #734 at PTXPO 2026, scheduled for March 17-19 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont (Chicago), Illinois. The event brings together molders, moldmakers, brand owners, OEMs and suppliers for three days of exhibits, education and business development opportunities.