The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief

ResinSmart
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If you buy plastic resin for a living, this podcast is your edge. Hosted by the experts behind ResinSmart, The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief gives you fast, focused updates on the market forces moving resin prices—and the strategies that smart buyers are using to save money, reduce risk, and make better decisions. No fluff. No filler. Just the information you actually need—delivered by sourcing pros who’ve managed billions in resin spend. Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve in polyethylene, polypropylene, and beyond. Learn more: www.resinsmart.ai Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/resin-technology-inc Watch episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RTiGetResinSmart

  1. 4d ago

    Two Summer Days for Resin Buyers — Clear Skies in Some Markets, Storm Warnings in Others | July 17, 2026

    Resin buyers are entering the second half of July with two very different market conditions. Polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC and PET continue to favor buyers. Inventory remains elevated, no meaningful July price increases have emerged, and current supply-demand fundamentals continue to support aggressive negotiations. But another group of resins just received a weather advisory.  Rising crude oil prices and strengthening benzene spot markets have created new uncertainty for polystyrene, ABS, polycarbonate, PA66 and PA6. While July contract settlements still provide opportunities for buyers, waiting until August could change the negotiation landscape if feedstock costs continue moving higher. In this episode, Michael Workman delivers the full resin market update for the week of July 17, covering every major material: PE, PP, PS, ABS, PC, PVC, PA66, PA6 and PET, along with practical buyer actions for each market. Topics covered: Why PE, PP, PVC and PET buyers still have leverageHow crude oil and benzene are changing the outlook for five engineering resinsWhy July contract settlements matter more than spot market headlinesProduction outages versus true demand recovery in polypropyleneThe impact of the INEOS Styrolution plant closure on polystyreneHurricane season risks for PET buyers with Gulf Coast exposureProcurement strategies buyers should use before market conditions shiftResin Market Moves publishes every week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Powered by ResinSmart | Since 1998

  2. Jul 13

    Buyers Are Winning Right Now — But a Geopolitical Wildcard Just Changed the Math | July 10, 2026

    PE settled down 15 cents for June. PP settled down 8.5 cents. No proposed price increases in either market for July. Resin buyers are holding the leverage across most major commodity materials. But a mid-week geopolitical shock just changed the math for a significant portion of the market. The collapse of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire framework pushed crude back above $70 per barrel and sent benzene spot prices sharply higher, landing directly in the August contract trading window. For buyers of ABS, polycarbonate, PA66, PA6, and polystyrene, that development tightens the cost relief window — and shifts the urgency from August to July. In this episode, Michael Workman delivers the full resin market sweep for the week of July 10. Every major material covered: PE, PP, PS, ABS, PC, PVC, PA66, PA6, and PET — with specific buyer actions for each. Topics covered: PE and PP: what's driving the buyer advantage and how to use itThe benzene wildcard: what happened mid-week and why it matters for five resin categoriesINEOS Styrolution's permanent closure of a major North American PS facilityWhy ABS and PC buyers need to act in July, not AugustPVC demand conditions and the housing market dragPET and the hurricane season risk for Q3 Gulf Coast supplyResin Market Moves publishes every week. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Powered by ResinSmart | Since 1998

  3. Jul 6

    Halftime: What Resin Buyers Should Know About H1 2026

    H1 2026 was one of the most active nomination environments in recent memory — north of 90 proposed increases across commodity and engineering resins in a single quarter. The justification was consistent: feedstock costs, supply disruptions, force majeure. Some of that was real. A lot of the ask on top of it wasn't. In this episode, we break down what H1 actually looked like from the buyer's side — what was proposed, what settled, and the gap between them where buyers who had data won. Then we walk through the mid-year review framework that separates the programs entering H2 with leverage from the ones running blind. Topics covered: The H1 nomination wave: scope, patterns, and justification languageCost pressure vs. pricing power — why the distinction matters in every conversationWhere buyers pushed back and won — and why the data made the differenceThe four-question mid-year review frameworkH2 outlook: feedstocks, forward exposure, what Q3 nominations likely look likeWhat to do before the next wave arrivesGuest: Michael Workman, Executive Director, ResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global Register: "Stop Negotiating Blind" — Plastics News Webinar, July 22, 12:30 PM CT https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1768507&tp_key=3e20608168

  4. Jul 1

    The World Cup, Summer Plastics, and Why Resin Buyers Have the Leverage Right Now | Resin Market Moves | Week of June 29, 2026

    PE inventories are at 46 days of supply. PP exports collapsed 17.6% in May. INEOS is permanently closing 400,000 metric tons per year of PS capacity in Illinois. Caprolactam dropped over $136/mt in a week. Crude oil fell nearly $5/bbl. And somewhere in all of this, the World Cup is selling out bars. This week's episode connects the dots between the summer plastics demand story — beverages, pool season, construction, stadium packaging — and the supply overhang that's making this one of the most buyer-favorable resin markets in recent memory. Michael Workman walks through all nine resin markets covered in this week's driver reports and lands on the three things buyers should do before the July 4th slowdown erases four days of negotiating calendar.

  5. Jun 23

    The BIG PE Inventory Problem: What This Week's Resin Data Actually Means

    Three signals converged in the resin market this week — and they all point in the same direction for buyers.  WTI crude dropped 9%+ on the U.S.-Iran peace agreement. Polyethylene posted its biggest inventory build in 11 years. And benzene, the key feedstock for PA6, PA66, ABS, and PC, settled at a multi-year high for June — but spot has already reverted to the $3s, setting up a July inflection point.  In this live AMA session, ResinSmart's Michael Workman is joined by Directors of Procurement Tyler Wheeler (engineered resins) and Kevin Mekaru (commodity resins) for an unscripted, data-first breakdown of what moved and what to do about it.  What they covered:  PE inventory up HUGE — the biggest 11-year build. Producer asks have no data support. PP: PGP softening into the mid-30s. 3-cent June ask is not legitimate. PS: The one commodity resin where modest increases ARE warranted. Here's the benzene math. PVC: 4-cent ask vs. an 8-month low in housing starts. How to use construction data in negotiations. Engineered resins: How to read the benzene-to-resin price lag — and when July settlement triggers the rollback conversation. POM/Acetal: Why this market is producer-channel-managed, and what that means for your pricing. Live Q&A: PA66 supply risk from Celanese capacity cuts. Fuel surcharge timing. EPR legislation and PET. Additive market outlook.  Kevin's closing note: "The signals are on the downward side. Understand what's signal and what's noise." Tyler's closing: "Relief is on the way. If you've been keeping score, you're about to have a healthy procurement pipeline." Topics + Timestamps 0:00 Intro — Welcome to the first live Resin Market Moves AMA 0:44 Macro: Crude oil, PE inventory build, and demand signals 2:37 Polyethylene: 791M lbs — the June negotiation argument 6:39 Polypropylene: PGP in the mid-30s, Dow PDH turnaround watch 8:11 Polystyrene: Why benzene actually justifies modest PS increases 8:47 PVC: Housing data as your pushback tool 9:53 PET: Seasonal balance + hurricane season coverage 11:14 Engineered resins: Benzene $4.91 → reversion to $3s → July trigger 18:00 Q&A: When do engineered resin prices actually come back down? 23:10 Q&A: EPR legislation — real cost impact on PET/rPET? 25:10 Q&A: How to time fuel surcharge rollbacks 26:40 Q&A: Celanese PA66 capacity — supply risk or noise? 28:20 Q&A: PVC, Chinese carbide exports, and domestic margin defense 29:50 Q&A: Additive pricing — TiO2, colorants, next month 31:30 Q&A: POM/Acetal — producer-managed market dynamics 34:00 Closing: Signal vs. noise. Relief is coming. Subscribe to Resin Market Moves for weekly resin market updates. Get your RESIN8 Benchmark Assessment at resinsmart.ai. Contact Michael directly: mworkman@resinsmart.ai | 214-984-2977  ResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998

  6. Jun 15

    Resin Market Moves — Week of June 13, 2026: Producers Want Increases. The Data Says Otherwise.

    The ACC's preliminary May data hit this week and it's decisively buyer-friendly — but only if you're paying attention. In this episode of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman walks through the week's key market developments across nine major resin families: PE's MASSIVE build one of the largest single-month gains in years — and why it undermines this month's $0.10/lb increase initiativePP at 1.97 billion lbs of inventory as demand softens, exports fall 22%, and PGP continues decliningWhy the second half of June is the better time to negotiate PPPA6 caprolactam's $136/mt single-week decline and what it means for BASF's askCelanese's PA66 capacity reductions and the H2 supply storyPET's unique position: seasonal demand support vs. softening feedstock forecastsA practical buyer action framework for the weekResin Market Moves is a weekly market intelligence briefing for plastics processors and resin buyers. Powered by RTi Global, since 1998. New episodes every week. Subscribe and never negotiate blind.

  7. Jun 8

    Resin Market Moves — June 7, 2026 "The Show Went On. But Nationals Are Ahead."

    It was dance recital week in the Workman household — and the chaos behind the scenes at the studio is a perfect metaphor for where the resin market sits right now. May settled cleanly on the surface. But TotalEnergies is still under force majeure in PP. A Phillips 66 turnaround is coming in June. Celanese is rationalizing PA66 capacity ahead of a Singapore unit closure in July. And inventory numbers settle up. Michael Workman breaks down what buyers need to know before committing to June pricing — and why producers are counting on buyers who aren't looking too closely at what's happening backstage. In this episode:  Polypropylene supply disruptions PA66 Celanese capacity rationalization  Trinseo Chapter 11 PE inventory revision How to separate cost-justified increases from margin recovery asksResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998 | resinsmart.ai

  8. Jun 1

    Cost Story vs. Margin Story: Reading the May Settlements | Resin Market Moves

    May settlement week just drew the clearest line in months between markets where cost drives pricing and markets where producers are simply testing what buyers will accept. PP's PGP contract settled down 7 cents per pound. The resin market is expected to follow. That's a legitimate cost decline — buyers who document it and push back in writing capture it. PE settled flat for May, but a 10-cent-per-pound June increase initiative is already circulating — even as ethylene spot declines, crude falls more than $5 a barrel, and global supply continues building. That's not a cost story. That's a margin play. Michael Workman, Executive Director at ResinSmart, breaks down the full commodity board — PP, PE, ABS, PC, PA6, PA66, PVC, PS, and PET — and gives buyers a clear action framework for the week ahead. In this episode: why PP buyers should be pushing back in writing this week and not waiting for June. The feedstock reality behind the PE June increase initiative and why it doesn't hold up. What the absence of June nominations in PA6 and PA66 is telling you. PET — the one market where cost support is real and why you should treat it differently. And how crude's five-dollar drop this week changes the benzene equation heading into summer. ResinSmart publishes Resin Market Moves weekly. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Contact Michael: mworkman@resinsmart.ai | (214) 984-2977 | resinsmart.ai Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998

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If you buy plastic resin for a living, this podcast is your edge. Hosted by the experts behind ResinSmart, The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief gives you fast, focused updates on the market forces moving resin prices—and the strategies that smart buyers are using to save money, reduce risk, and make better decisions. No fluff. No filler. Just the information you actually need—delivered by sourcing pros who’ve managed billions in resin spend. Subscribe now to stay ahead of the curve in polyethylene, polypropylene, and beyond. Learn more: www.resinsmart.ai Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/resin-technology-inc Watch episodes on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RTiGetResinSmart

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