Plastics Technology

What Plastics Technology does

Plastics Technology (ptonline.com) is a B2B media and publishing brand serving the plastics processing industry. Founded in 1953 and operated by Gardner Business Media, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH), the company produces a flagship technical and business magazine delivered both in print and digitally, supported by a comprehensive web platform covering injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, compounding, recycling, and resin pricing.

The product portfolio is anchored in editorial content and structured into recurring revenue-generating formats: a suite of Knowledge Centers (Resin Drying, Blending & Feeding, Process Cooling, Size Reduction, Training) that bundle educational resources; a free Supplier Guide directory receiving thousands of daily users; a monthly Resin Pricing market intelligence product covering PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET; and a webinar program. Events include the Molding Conference (running for 30+ years), the Extrusion Conference, the biennial PTXPO trade show, and the virtual PT Tech Days series. Distribution is multi-channel across LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, and email newsletters.

The company monetizes through three primary streams: advertising from equipment and materials suppliers, recurring digital and print magazine subscriptions, and event/conference sponsorships and ticket revenue. The company is privately held and operates within the Gardner Business Media portfolio of manufacturing industry titles (Modern Machine Shop, Products Finishing, CompositesWorld, MoldMaking Technology). Plastics Technology serves injection molders, extrusion processors, materials engineers, and equipment/materials suppliers across North America with global digital reach.

Name

Plastics Technology

Legal name

Gardner Business Media, Inc.

Website

https://ptonline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Plastics Technology is a B2B media brand serving plastics processors with technical editorial coverage, Knowledge Centers, conferences, a Supplier Guide, and monthly Resin Pricing intelligence. It is operated by Gardner Business Media in Cincinnati, OH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising: The primary revenue stream comes from advertisers including equipment suppliers, materials manufacturers, and service providers who want to reach the plastics processing audience.
2. Subscriptions: Digital and print magazine subscriptions providing industry news, technical articles, and best practices for plastics processors.
3. Events and Conferences: Revenue from hosting industry conferences including Molding Conference, Extrusion Conference, and PT Tech Days.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Plastics Technology is a B2B media and publishing company providing technical and business information for plastics processors in injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, compounding, and recycling. The company delivers this content through the Plastics Technology Magazine, the ptonline.com digital platform, curated Knowledge Centers, industry conferences (Molding Conference, Extrusion Conference, PTXPO), virtual events (PT Tech Days), webinars, a Supplier Guide directory, and Resin Pricing market intelligence reports.

Product overview

Plastics Technology is a media and educational platform for the plastics processing industry, operated by Gardner Business Media. The company offers a portfolio of products centered around Plastics Technology Magazine as its core publication, delivered through the ptonline.com digital platform. The product suite includes specialized Knowledge Centers (Resin Drying, Blending & Feeding, Process Cooling, Plastics Size Reduction), industry conferences (PTXPO, Molding Conference, Extrusion Conference), PT Tech Days virtual events, a Webinar program, a Supplier Guide directory, and Resin Pricing market intelligence. Together, these products serve plastics processors across injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, and related manufacturing processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastics Technology Magazine A technical and business publication covering information for plastics processors in injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, plastic additives, compounding, plastic materials, and resin pricing.
• ptonline.com Digital Platform The primary web platform providing access to articles, news, product information, supplier directory, knowledge centers, and industry resources for plastics professionals.
• Knowledge Centers Curated educational resource bundles covering specialized topics including Resin Drying, Plastics Training, Blending & Feeding, Process Cooling, and Plastics Size Reduction for plastics processing professionals.
• PTXPO (Plastics Technology Expo) Biennial trade show and exhibition for the plastics processing industry featuring equipment demonstrations, industry connections, and educational sessions.
• Molding Conference Annual expert education sessions and networking event for the injection molding community, providing cutting-edge topics and best practices.
• Extrusion Conference Annual premier conference for extrusion professionals featuring expert speakers and technical sessions on extrusion processes and technologies.
• PT Tech Days Curated virtual platform providing plastics professionals direct access to subject-matter experts to explore industry trends and develop strategies for operational applications.
• Webinars On-demand and live webinar programs covering technical topics, industry trends, and best practices for plastics processing.
• Supplier Guide Free supplier directory enabling plastics professionals to source equipment and materials from thousands of listed companies across multiple product categories.
• Resin Pricing Monthly pricing trajectory reports and market analysis for commodity resins including PE, PP, PS, PVC, and PET, providing price forecasts and market insights.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Gardner Business MediacoreOthersPlastics Technology is owned and operated by Gardner Business Media, a leading B2B media company serving manufacturing industries. Gardner Business Media also publishes Modern Machine Shop, Products Finishing, CompositesWorld, and other titles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Plastics News: Plastics News is a longstanding plastics industry trade publication operated by Crain Communications, serving plastics processors with editorial coverage, news, and industry data. It is the closest direct competitor to Plastics Technology, overlapping on audience (injection molders, extruders, compounders) and business model (B2B advertising, subscriptions, and events).
• PlasticsToday: PlasticsToday is a digital-first plastics industry media brand covering injection molding, extrusion, blow molding, and materials, operated by Wilmington Media. It directly competes for Plastics Technology's audience using a content-led, advertising-funded model with similar topic verticals.
• Injection Molding Magazine: Injection Molding Magazine (Wilmington Media) is a trade publication dedicated to injection molding processors — the same primary segment Plastics Technology serves with its Molding Conference. Comparable in mission, narrower in process scope but overlapping on buyer profile and advertising model.
• Modern Plastics & Packaging: Modern Plastics & Packaging is a B2B trade publication covering plastics processing, converting and packaging applications. Comparable to Plastics Technology through shared audience of plastics processors and an advertising-and-subscription revenue model.

Emerging players

• Compounding World: Compounding World, published by AMI, covers plastics compounding — a vertical that Plastics Technology also addresses within its broader editorial remit. Compounding World overlaps on technology coverage (extrusion, additives, recycling of compounds) and competes for the same compounding-processor advertising dollars.
• Plastics Recycling Magazine: Plastics Recycling Magazine focuses on post-consumer and post-industrial plastics recycling — one of Plastics Technology's listed topic verticals. Overlaps with Plastics Technology's Recycling coverage and competes for sustainability-focused advertisers.
• Sustainable Plastics: Sustainable Plastics covers biopolymers, recycled materials and circular-economy trends in plastics processing, a fast-growing vertical Plastics Technology also covers under sustainability topics. Comparable audience and advertising model with a more constrained sustainability lens.

Others

• MoldMaking Technology: MoldMaking Technology is a sister publication within Gardner Business Media (Plastics Technology's parent), focused on tooling and moldmaking. Served by the same corporate portfolio but not directly competing for audience — useful as a comparable for intra-portfolio scale.
• Products Finishing: Products Finishing is another Gardner Business Media title, serving surface finishing and coatings professionals. Operates under the same parent with a parallel advertising-plus-events model, comparable as a portfolio benchmark even though the verticals don't overlap.
• Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE): SPE is the largest professional society serving plastics engineers and processors worldwide, publishing technical papers and running conferences (ANTEC). While nonprofit and membership-funded rather than ad-funded, it competes for Plastics Technology's conference and educational-content audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/plastechmag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmBnztsVBAg9QTXNkp1ZcUA?sub_confirmation=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/Plastics-Technology-665364476816698
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plastics-technology-magazine
• Instagraminstagram.com/plasticstechnology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plastics Technology