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

    Resin Market Moves — Week of June 13, 2026: Producers Want Increases. The ACC 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 791-million-pound inventory 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.

    6 min

  2. 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 the final April PE inventory data came in 150+ million pounds above the preliminary read. 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

    6 min

  3. 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

    7 min

  4. May 29

    Price Increase Letters and Negotiation Leverage | May 2026 Procurement Intelligence Session

    A supplier price increase letter hits your inbox. The clock starts immediately. Most buyers have two weeks to respond. Their suppliers are already working with current market intelligence, while many procurement teams are validating claims with data that's 30 to 60 days old. In this episode, Michael Workman and Brian Balboa break down what happens when a resin supplier announces a price increase — and why the outcome is often decided before the first negotiation. They explore four common failure modes that weaken a buyer's position: Timing: negotiating with delayed market informationTrust: relying on data that wasn't built for buyersPrecision: benchmarking the wrong gradeAccess: having data but not being able to act on it quicklyMichael and Brian also review a real-world HDPE example where two buyers received the same $0.30/lb increase letter but achieved very different results based on their preparation. The difference wasn't negotiation skill. It was validation, benchmarking, and independent market intelligence. TOPICS COVERED Why published resin indices can leave buyers negotiating with outdated informationThe four procurement failure modes: timing, trust, precision, and accessWhy supplier justification requests often fail to create leverageHow grade-level benchmarking improves negotiation outcomesThe difference between cost recovery and margin expansionWhat prepared buyers do after receiving a price increase letterRequest your free RESIN8 Benchmark Assessment at resinsmart.ai. Connect with Michael Workman on LinkedIn.

    52 min

  5. May 26

    Graduating Into a Harder Market — May 2026 Resin Update

    My son graduated from 5th grade yesterday. Watching him walk through that arch of balloons, one thought kept in my head, that what got him here isn't going to be enough for what's next. The same is true for resin buyers right now. April was the inflection month. The $0.30/lb PE increase that landed. The PP run-up. The benzene spikes that pushed nylon 6, polystyrene, and the rest of the aromatics higher. The cycle shifted, and the procurement strategies most teams built — they were built for a different market. In this episode, I run through the four major resins: PE holding flat but not safe, PP pushing June increases before May even settles, PA66 facing a structural capacity story that starts in July, and PVC — the first major resin to peak and turn, taken down by Chinese carbide-based export competition that overwhelmed domestic producer discipline before the increase could gain traction. The through-line: the teams navigating this well know their benchmark before the nomination arrives. Not after. The nomination letter is a claim. The benchmark is the answer. If you don't have the answer ready, you're reacting — and reacting is always more expensive. Subscribe for weekly market updates. If you're heading into a contract conversation and want a second set of eyes, reach out directly. No pitch. Just the conversation. What's covered this week: Why May "flat" in PE isn't the same as a soft market.PP: June increases already announced, TotalEnergies force majeure still active, Phillips 66 turnaround ahead.PA66: BASF's $0.16/lb May increase and why the Celanese Singapore closure changes the structural conversation now.PVC: the first major resin to peak and turn — what Chinese carbide-based exports did to domestic producer discipline.PS: benzene-driven cost push overriding soft fundamentals — and why you should still push back on polystyrene nominations pointing to demand.Contact Michael: mworkman@resinsmart.ai | 214-984-2977 ResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998

    6 min

  6. May 18

    The Resin Market Just Split in Two — May 15, 2026 | Resin Market Moves

    The resin market divided itself in May — and the right move in one half is the wrong move in the other.  In this week's episode, Michael Workman breaks down what's actually happening across all nine major resin markets and why buyers who treat them the same right now are leaving money in one category while overpaying in another.  PE is going flat despite a $0.20/lb nomination — buyer resistance is working, and the ACC data supports holding the line. PET is getting genuine feedstock relief as PX expectations reversed from a 4¢/lb increase to a slight decline.  But benzene is approaching $5.00/gal, INEOS has reportedly refused new ABS business until August, and PA66 is facing a structural supply reduction before July that most buyers haven't priced into their H2 plans.  Michael also shares what Bill Bowie — 30+ years in the industry — said about the mistake buyers make when markets split, and why the PA66 story this week is more about M&A and plant closures than feedstocks. TOPICS COVERED Why May is a completely different market than AprilThe benzene-chain resins: ABS, PS, PC, PA6, PA66 — cost support is real, here's what to doPE going flat: what the ACC data shows and why buyer resistance is winningPET relief window: how long it lasts and how to use itPA66 structural story: Celanese Singapore closure, Lone Star / DOMO / RadiciGroup — what it means for H2 contractsNine-resin recap: specific action for each market KEY DATA POINTS PE inventory draw: 23.3M lbs (more moderate than expected)PE days of supply: 35 — demand rates -2%, operating rates -2%Benzene: $4.95/gal — up $0.30 on the weekCaprolactam: $1,857/mt and still climbingPA66 Celanese Singapore: 55,000 tpa closing after July 2026Lone Star acquisitions: DOMO (May 12) + RadiciGroup HPP (Apr 30)PX: reversed from +4¢/lb expectation to a slight declineWTI: $101.02 · Brent: $105.63 Subscribe to the Resin Market Moves newsletter at resinsmart.ai.Request your free RESIN8 Benchmark Assessment at resinsmart.ai.Connect with Michael Workman on LinkedIn.

    8 min

  7. May 11

    Resin Market Moves - Week 15: You Can't Control the Turbulence (But You Can Know Your Instruments)

    This week delivered five market-moving events in seven days: crude oil swung 12% in 48 hours, TotalEnergies declared Force Majeure at LaPorte, Braskem challenged Brazilian antidumping duties on US PE, Celanese announced PA66 capacity closures, and Lone Star Funds moved to consolidate two major PA66 producers. Michael Workman breaks down what's signal vs. noise — and introduces the framework he shared at FlexForum this week: the instrument panel model for procurement. You can't predict market turbulence. But buyers who know their benchmark, their leverage map, and their cost model don't need to. This episode covers:  Why PE nominations up 20¢/lb are margin expansion, not cost recovery What the PA66 capacity closures mean structurally How to read a Force Majeure letter before accepting a price increase And the Half-Penny Principle every convertor should understand.#resin prices #polyethylene market 2026 #polypropylene Force Majeure #PA66 capacity closures #Celanese #resin procurement strategy #plastic raw material costs #resin market update May 2026 #PET pricing forecast #polymer cost intelligence

    6 min

  8. May 4

    Don't Drop the Stick: Playing Defense in a Four-Month Rising Resin Market | May 2, 2026

    Four consecutive months of PP contracts finishing higher. Benzene up 62 cents in a month. PVC at 16 days of supply. It feels like you're killing a penalty that never ends. But disciplined buyers don't drop the stick. This week, Michael Workman breaks down the market across PP, PS, ABS, PC, and PVC — and more importantly, where buyers still have leverage right now before May nominations fully land. Key topics: The 6¢ margin enhancement buried inside PP's April increase — and what your contract language says about itWhy PC and ABS are cost stories, not scarcity stories — and why that matters for how hard you push backThe ABS window: at least one major producer not taking new orders through year-endFour specific actions for this weekWhy protecting the crease is the right procurement posture right now Also: the kids show up exactly when they were told to. Penalty killing at home is a different sport. If you're at Flex Forum next week — come find us. Powered by ResinSmart and the RESIN8 engine — real transaction data, trusted cost models, no more guesswork. resinsmart.ai

    7 min
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About

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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