The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief

This week on Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman covers the full Q2 resin market picture from the prior week.The headline: producers are moving beyond cost recovery and into margin expansion — layering increases across March, April, and now May in PE and PP. The Hormuz situation is real supply risk and it's providing strategic cover for moves that were coming regardless.This episode covers PE, PP, ABS, PS, PC, Nylon 6, PA66, PVC, and PET — with a specific buyer action for each.The two critical markets this week: ABS and PS. Benzene is above $4.00/gal. Multiple producers have April increases on the table. If you don't have a qualified alternate, you are unprotected heading into June nominations.The opportunity market: PC. BPA is flat. China oversupply is capping the ceiling. The buyer leverage window is open right now and will not stay open.Also covered: force majeure declared on PA66 in China, what the Invista PDH outage means for PP, and why new home sales hitting a 3.5-year low matters for your PVC contracts.Purchase wisely.ResinSmart | Powered by RTi | resinsmart.ai

This week on Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman covers the most consequential week in resin pricing in recent memory — and breaks down exactly what buyers should do about it.The conflict in the Middle East has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to meaningful trade flow. Over 20% of global crude and more than 5% of global PP moves through that channel. It is not moving right now. The result: feedstock costs spiking across the board, producers pushing increases in every major resin simultaneously, and export demand pulling hard at US domestic supply.This is not a single-resin story. This is a portfolio-level event. And the buyers who understand what is driving each specific market — as opposed to accepting every increase as inevitable — will protect their margins in Q2.WHAT WE COVER:PE: Up to $0.10/lb March, $0.15/lb April. Brent at $110–$115. Ethylene toward 30 cents/lb.PP: PGP spot at 51 cents/lb, a 50%+ jump month to date. Invista PDH still offline. One producer at +10 cents/lb April.PS: BZ above $4.00/gal. AmSty 17 cents/lb for April. February supply/demand data actually supports the move.PVC: 3–5 cents/lb March. Heavy turnaround season. One supplier at 7 cents/lb for April.ABS: Celanese $0.20/lb and INEOS $0.15/lb for April. Acrylonitrile up $0.19/lb week over week.PET: Indorama moving immediately. APG and Celanese following. World Cup demand tailwind ahead.PC, PA6, PA66: Celanese moving across engineered materials. April the focus. Demand still soft.The 5 things smart buyers are doing right now before Q2 locks in.RESOURCES:ResinSmart Price Benchmark60-day free trial Weekly newsletter——ResinSmart is the industry's only platform combining real resin market analytics with hands-on supplier negotiation guidance. Powered by RTi — 25+ years, 25B+ lbs of transaction data.Subscribe for weekly episodes every Friday.

If you're a plastic processor, resin is your single largest variable cost — and the market has been engineered to keep you at a disadvantage. Supplier reps walk into every negotiation with hundreds of live transaction prices across their entire book of business. Most buyers walk in with an index and instinct. That gap is real. And it's costing your company money every quarter. In this episode, ResinSmart Commercial Director Michael Workman sits down with two of the sharpest minds in resin procurement to unpack why the system works this way — and what buyers are doing to flip the script. Bill Bowie built his career at Poly America under a mentor who taught him the value of a half a penny — and spent the next 40 years applying that lesson across billions of pounds of polymer. Tyler Wheeler came up buying resin for Amcor, the world's largest packaging company, before joining ResinSmart to build the data platform he always wished he'd had. What you'll hear in this episode: → The Daskasill origin story — why ResinSmart exists and what Bill saw in the buying function that needed to change→ Tyler's polycarbonate story — negotiating a 10-cent win and leaving 40 cents on the table because the data wasn't there→ Why indexes serve two masters — and how non-market adjustments quietly transfer wealth from buyers to suppliers→ The 3 keys every buyer can start applying today: build your network, expand your supply base, expand your resin categories→ What to do with your time when prices are going up and leverage is thin (hint: it's the most important prep work you can do)→ How the ResinSmart platform combines live feedstocks, cost models, LevGauge assessments, and peer-reviewed transaction data into a single, always-current view of your opportunity→ The mindset shift: a price increase nomination is the start of a conversation — not the end of one Notable quotes from this episode: "Markets go up like a rocket. They come down like a feather. What we do at ResinSmart is turn that feather into a rocket." — Bill Bowie "I left 40 cents on the table. I thought I'd won. I had no idea." — Tyler Wheeler "That price increase letter is a nomination. It is not to be held as gospel." — Michael Workman "The people who use us the most have been the people who needed us the least — because they already know what a competitive edge looks like." — Michael Workman ─────────────────────────────Resources mentioned:Free 48-hour benchmark assessment → https://ResinSmart.aiConnect with Michael Workman → LinkedInConnect with Bill Bowie → LinkedInConnect with Tyler Wheeler → LinkedIn

This week, crude oil spiked to a 4-year high near $120/barrel following military action in the Middle East and threats to the Strait of Hormuz. Resin producers across PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET, and engineering resins are pushing price increases — but what does the supply/demand data actually say?In this episode, Michael Workman breaks down data across nine major resin families, explaining where the upward pressure is real, where it's narrative, and what procurement teams should be doing right now to protect their margins.Topics covered:PE: 10¢/lb increase push vs. healthy 38-day inventoriesPP: Feedstock-driven pricing — not demandPVC: Legitimate two-sided squeeze (turnarounds + logistics)Engineering resins: Cost pressure without pricing powerPET: World Cup demand catalyst aheadHow geopolitics actually move resin markets (3 key levers)Tags: , , , , , , , , , .

Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have begun to ripple through energy and petrochemical markets.Crude oil has moved above $70 per barrel, propylene prices have surged, and polyethylene producers are already pushing price increases.But are these signals pointing to a real tightening of the resin market—or simply a shift in supplier narrative?In this episode of Resin Market Moves, we break down:• The connection between energy markets and resin pricing• Why polypropylene is currently a feedstock-driven market• How global trade flows can shift North American resin availability• What procurement leaders should be watching over the next 30–60 daysResin Market Moves delivers clear, data-driven insights to help buyers navigate volatile markets and make smarter purchasing decisions.

Military escalation in the Middle East has introduced significant uncertainty into global polyethylene and polypropylene markets.In 2024, the Middle East accounted for: • 37% of globally traded PE exports • 28% of globally traded PP exportsWith approximately 16 million metric tons of polyethylene exports potentially exposed to disruption, the implications extend far beyond the region.In this episode of Resin Market Moves, we analyze: • The scale of global polyolefins trade exposure • Why North American buyers are indirectly impacted • How export pull can tighten domestic markets • The role of oil and natural gas in near-term cost pressure • Practical steps resin buyers should take immediatelyThis episode is focused on structure, not headlines.Because in volatile markets, discipline is the advantage.

The Supreme Court just reshaped U.S. tariff authority, eliminating IEEPA as a tool for broad-based tariffs. What does that mean for polyethylene, polypropylene, and PVC buyers?In this episode, we examine:PE inventory build of 289M lbs Elevated PGP and its impact on PPTurnaround-driven PVC supportFeedstock inflation risksHow structural pricing drift builds in opaque marketsFor executives responsible for resin spend and EBITDA protection in 2026 - subscribe to stay tuned. https://resinsmart.ai/subscribe

Recorded live from Fort Worth, the ResinSmart by RTI team kicks off 2026 with a candid roundtable discussion on the forces shaping resin markets this year.With resin prices near multi-year lows, procurement teams face a new challenge: proving value when the market did most of the work in 2025.In this episode, Michael Workman, Brian Balboa, Kevin Mekaru, and Tyler Wheeler discuss:What polyethylene overcapacity means for buyersHow Non-Market Adjustments reset pricing baselinesWhy tariff volatility has calmed — but risk hasn’t disappearedEngineered resin disruption following major divestituresHow dual sourcing drives real leverageWhy traditional consulting RFP models fall short in resin marketsWhat private equity firms often overlook in resin diligenceThe shift from price reduction to risk managementThis is a practical, strategy-focused discussion for procurement leaders, CFOs, and private equity operators in plastics manufacturing. Key TakeawaysLow prices create leverage — but only if you actNMA drift should be addressed before contract resetProducers are hungry — now is the time to qualify alternatesProcurement credibility matters more in a down marketResin strategy is central to EBITDA in plastics businesses If you want to understand how these market dynamics impact your specific resin portfolio, visit us today at ResinSmart.ai

A major North American pricing index just announced a non-market adjustment (NMA) for polyethylene. Depending on the grade, the impact is between 25cpp-35cpp.On paper, it looks like a massive correction.In reality?It’s creating confusion across procurement, finance, and executive leadership teams.A non-market adjustment corrects index history — it does not automatically change your invoice.It is not driven by supply/demand or feedstock collapse.Once accepted, elevated baselines can persist for multiple cycles.The first move is validation — not panic renegotiation.For polyethylene-heavy buyers, this isn’t just noise.It affects everything.-Budget variance-Margin transparency-Negotiation leverage-Long-term profitabilityThe real damage isn’t the number.It’s what happens if you accept it without understanding your grade-by-grade exposure.In this special edition of the Resin Market Brief, Brian Balboa and Kevin Mekaru break down:What an NMA actually isWhy it happensWhy PE buyers are uniquely exposedWhat smart procurement teams are doing right nowIf your contracts are index-linked, this is required listening.#ResinSmart #Polyethylene #ProcurementStrategy #NonMarketAdjustment #PlasticsIndustry #ResinPricing #CFOInsights

Early 2026 is not behaving like a typical resin cycle.Polyethylene inventories surged nearly 289MM pounds — yet producers are pushing price increases.Polypropylene is seeing feedstock pressure.Polystyrene is reacting to benzene spikes.PVC is tightening due to turnaround season.PET remains weak — for now.So what’s real?In this episode of Resin Market Brief, Michael Workman explains:Why inventory builds don’t automatically mean price reliefHow feedstock reliability is quietly driving polypropyleneWhy engineered resins look stable on the surface — but aren’t underneathThe structural risks resin buyers face in 2026And how forecasting frameworks must evolve to defend decisionsThis episode expands on our recent webinar:“Why Resin Forecasts Break & How Buyers Defend Them.”If you’re responsible for resin procurement, margin protection, or portfolio performance, this conversation will sharpen how you interpret today’s market signals.Visit ResinSmart.ai to explore tools that turn signal into strategy.

There are two types of resin buyers: those who’ve been wrong on a forecast—and those who will be.In this special edition of Resin Market Brief, Michael Workman and Tyler Wheeler discuss why resin forecasts break and what top procurement teams do differently to defend them.Key topics:why forecasts aren’t predictions—they’re decision tools for finance and operationsthe 9 levers that drive resin forecasting (petrochemical chain, supply, demand, margin strategy, freight, tax/tariff/trade, regulatory timing, rebates/credits)signal vs. noise (and why some headlines don’t actually move price)cross-functional validation: turning “my forecast” into “the company forecast”confidence ranges and when to update finance without creating noisewhy most tools provide numbers, but not context—and what to do about itTo explore ResinSmart forecasts and get a complimentary benchmarking assessment, visit https://resinsmart.ai.

In this episode of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman, Executive Director of ResinSmart, walks through the key risks shaping the North American plastic resin market in early 2026.Rather than a demand-led recovery, markets are being driven by:supply discipline in polyethylenefeedstock volatility in polypropylenecost push without demand support in polystyrenerising raw material costs beneath stable pricing in ABS and polycarbonateearly supplier initiatives in nylonsand continued buyer leverage in PETMichael also shares insights from MD&M West 2026, where medical device manufacturers emphasized the high cost of pricing surprises in regulated, long-cycle environments — and why benchmarking is becoming the preferred first step.This episode focuses on risk, structure, and discipline, not price predictions — and offers a framework buyers can use to navigate 2026 with confidence.

January set the tone for 2026: selective tightening, feedstock volatility, and supplier initiatives moving faster than demand.This week’s Resin Market Moves covers:PE increases driven by supply disciplinePP feedstock pressure from PDH outagesPS cost push without demand supportEngineering resins stable, but RMC risingNylon supplier initiatives ahead of fundamentalsPET rollover and what to watch in Q2Learn more at resinsmart.ai.

In this episode, Michael Workman reviews the key signals shaping resin procurement through late January 2026: cautious macro conditions, energy/feedstock volatility, and supply disruptions that are tightening select resin chains.Key topics:PE: winter storm disruption risk + Ineos FM tightening HD pipe/filmPP: PDH outages lifting PGP and pushing contracts higherPS: benzene-driven cost pressure vs. sluggish demandPVC: capacity reductions vs. weak construction demandEngineering resins: stable base prices but rising RMCPET: slow fundamentals, limited pricing powerThis is a year where signals matter more than narratives—and discipline will determine who holds leverage. Get started today at resinsmart.ai.

This week’s Resin Market Moves breaks down how supply-side events and feedstock pressure are shaping resin pricing early in 2026.We cover:PE force majeure and rising January nominationsPP feedstock-driven pricing pressurePVC capacity closures and pricing riskPS increases tied to benzeneWhat rising RMC means for engineering resinsThis is not a uniform upcycle—it’s a selective, volatility-driven market. Buyers who focus on inventories, operating rates, and feedstocks will retain leverage.Learn more at resinsmart.ai.

In this episode of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman walks through how North American resin markets are beginning 2026—and why buyers should expect uneven pricing behavior by resin family, not a clean January reset.Soft demand carryover from 2025 continues to weigh on PE and PP, while supply discipline is already pushing PVC prices higher. Meanwhile, rising benzene and styrene costs are giving PS suppliers new leverage heading into Q1. Topics CoveredSoft demand vs. supply discipline in early 2026PE and PP pricing dynamics after a weak 2025Why PVC is tightening despite weak construction demandFeedstock impacts on PS and styrenicsWhat procurement teams should watch as volatility increases Key Takeaway2026 is shaping up to be a year where volatility and selectivity matter more than direction. Buyers who stay disciplined and focus on real market signals will retain leverage as the year unfolds.👉 Learn more about ResinSmart: https://www.resinsmart.ai 👉 Start a free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

Welcome to the first Resin Market Moves of 2026.In this episode, Michael Workman breaks down one of the year’s first major Black Swan events — the U.S. move to effectively control Venezuelan oil production — and explains what it does and does not mean for North American plastic resin pricing.This is not a headline-driven take. It’s a practical, buyer-focused analysis of how energy markets, refinery economics, and volatility may influence resin costs — and how procurement teams should think about this development heading into 2026. What This Episode Covers• Why Venezuela is an indirect, not direct, resin pricing story • How heavy crude availability affects Gulf Coast refineries • The connection between diesel markets, freight costs, and delivered resin pricing • Why North America’s ethane-based PE advantage remains intact • Where PP, PS, ABS, and PET may see marginal second-order impacts • Why volatility — not a new inflationary cycle — is the real risk in 2026 2026 Resin Outlook by Quarter (High Level)• PE: Structurally insulated; minimal impact across all quarters • PP: Refinery utilization and PDH reliability matter more than crude headlines • PS: Feedstock noise likely exceeds real demand signals • PVC: Demand and housing fundamentals dominate • PET: Minor freight relief possible; no structural pricing change Key ResinSmart Buyer TakeawayThis event does not fundamentally change the resin pricing landscape in 2026 — but it does increase volatility and the likelihood of narrative-driven pricing attempts.Buyers who:separate signals from headlineswatch refinery utilization and feedstock reliabilitybenchmark pricing earlyand prepare for volatilitywill maintain leverage as the year unfolds.👉 Learn more about ResinSmart: https://www.resinsmart.ai 👉 Start a free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial

As the plastics industry closes out 2025, resin buyers are entering a critical planning window for 2026. In this episode of Resin Market Brief, Michael Workman and Kevin Mekaru break down what the data actually says about where resin markets are headed — and how buyers should be preparing.This is not a headline-driven forecast. It’s a practical, buyer-focused discussion on signals vs. noise, why most resin forecasts miss, and how to use forward-looking intelligence to reduce risk and improve negotiation leverage. What We Cover in This Episode• Why resin forecasting is so difficult — and why traditional models fail • The difference between real market signals and market noise • Why starting with real transaction data matters more than index movement • How ResinSmart and RTi build rolling, quarterly forecasts • Why confidence ranges matter more than point predictions 2026 Resin Outlook by Polymer Family• Polyethylene (PE): Balanced to soft early 2026 with tightening risk mid-year • Polypropylene (PP): Near cycle bottom with Q1–Q2 tightening risk tied to PDH reliability • PET: Balanced demand with regional volatility and evolving import dynamics • Polystyrene (PS): Feedstock-driven noise, weak demand limits upside • PVC: Structurally weak entering 2026; housing demand remains the key driver • Engineering Resins (ABS, PC, PA6/66): Flat to slightly down early, selective volatility later Key Takeaway for Resin BuyersForecasting isn’t about certainty — it’s about preparation.The buyers who win in 2026 will be the ones who:benchmark fair pricing early,re-forecast quarterly,separate supplier narratives from real market conditions, anduse forecasts as a negotiation and planning tool — not a crystal ball.This episode is designed to help processors plan with confidence instead of reaction. Learn more about ResinSmart: https://www.resinsmart.ai Start your free trial: https://app.resinsmart.ai/free-trial