Sep 20, 2016 | Uncategorized
I wanted to post a quick follow up on the note I posted last month about an impending 5-cent resin price increase. According to The Plastics Exchange, that increase has indeed gone through on new contracts. That means resin pricing has risen 9 cents since the end of January, which is no small amount.
The Plastics Exchange now says polyethylene producers have nominated a $.04/lb price increase for October and also noted that “several PE producers are still challenged with production issues and while contract buyers seem to have no issue getting material…there have been slim pickings in the spot arena.”
Right now it’s unclear if that increase will be going through for sure, but I will keep you updated on any noteworthy developments.
If you have any questions or comments about this update or anything else at all, please send us an email. Thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to serving you.
Aug 10, 2016 | Uncategorized
The latest update from The Plastics Exchange came through last night, and there are a few things I thought were worth summarizing and passing on to you.
First, spot resin markets continued to transact heavily the first week of August. The flow of offers was slower while demand for polyethylene was very good amid strengthening sentiment, sending prices higher. Contracts for polyethylene are expected to roll steady in August.
Having said that, polyethylene producers have nominated a $.05/lb price increase for September, leaning on tight supplies largely due to ongoing production issues and the need to procure extra material.
As always, I will keep you updated on any noteworthy developments.
I’d also like to give you a brief update on lead times. We continue to meet 99% of all due dates, but back logs are firming up. If you know you’ll be placing an order at any time in the next few months, now would be a good time to let us know so we can schedule appropriately and ensure you receive your order when you need it.
If you have any questions or comments about this update or anything else at all, please let us know. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you.
May 23, 2016 | Uncategorized
It’s been a while since my last resin pricing update, so I wanted to send you a note about what’s been happening in the market over the last few months.
Resin suppliers were able to push through two resin price increases—5 cents in March and 4 cents in April—for a total of 9 cents.
As for May, there isn’t a clear increase on the table, so my feeling is pricing will remain flat through the end of the month. Looking ahead to summer, it’s much too early to say what’s in store, but I will update you again as soon as I have some solid news to report.
If you have any questions about this update or anything else at all, please let us know. Thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to serving you.
Oct 29, 2015 | Uncategorized
Earlier this year I posted a note about lead times and I wanted to update you again about our current production outlook.
Right now we’re meeting 99% of due dates and have lead times of 2-3 weeks. Our lead time projections are usually built with sufficient buffer in order to address urgent customer needs. That is still the case, but our buffer zone is very tight right now.
As I mentioned in my earlier note, anything you can do to monitor your needs and give as much lead time as you can will help us serve you better and would be greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions about this update or anything else at all, please let us know. Thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to serving you.
Aug 10, 2015 | Uncategorized
When I touched base with you in June, I mentioned the possibility of a 5-cent resin increase in July. Now that July has come and gone, I can report that the increase didn’t go through and has since been pushed to August.
The Plastics Exchange noted in a recent newsletter that “eroding export prices are challenging fresh sales,” and that “plentiful resin supplies, as well as ample inventory throughout the chain, have stymied producer efforts” to implement price increases.
Looking ahead with this information in mind, it is my guess that the August increase is up in the air as well, but I will certainly keep you informed of any developments.
If you have any questions about this update or anything else at all, please let us know. Thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to serving you.
Jul 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know we’re no stranger to plastic bag bans—in particular, we’ve covered California’s ongoing push to ban plastic grocery bags in great detail.
While it would be reasonable then to expect California to be the first state to ban plastic grocery bags, it’s Hawaii that has surprised everyone and claimed that title.
According to NBC News, Hawaii’s Honolulu County has recently voted to join the state’s other counties in passing a ban on non-reusable plastic grocery bags. This has created what is effectively a statewide ban.
While only four of the five Hawaiian counties have enacted such bans, the fifth, Kalawao County, is barely populated, livescience.com wrote recently.
As we’ve noted before, measures such as these only seek to ban the use of plastic grocery bags and not the custom bags we manufacture. However, we feel it’s important to provide updates on bag-banning measures because they always seem to be highly visible news stories, and we don’t want there to be any confusion or concern among our customers.
Like always, we’ll continue to keep you updated on stories like these and other relevant news from the plastics industry.
