The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief
The Plastic Resin Buyer Brief is a podcast for professionals who purchase plastic resin, offering short updates on the market forces driving resin prices. Hosted by the team behind ResinSmart, it covers practical strategies buyers can use to cut costs, reduce risk, and make sharper sourcing decisions. Episodes focus on materials such as polyethylene and polypropylene, plus broader supply and pricing trends. The show is aimed at sourcing and procurement experts who want quick, no-nonsense market intelligence.
Episodes
A Price Increase Letter Is a Nomination: Lessons from MAPP 2026 | with Michael Workman
Brian Balboa and Michael Workman unpack the MAPP Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference: what processors are worried about heading into Q4, what happened when buyers negotiated the same resin account twice, and the one question to ask on every line of your next increase letter.At the MAPP Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference in Indianapolis, processors came with one question
Is the Cost Real? Why September PE Stuck and How to Read October's Letters | Resin Market Moves
September's PE increase stuck in a soft market. Here's how to sort October's resin letters by their reason before you answer them.Last week, Resin Market Moves said September's polyethylene increase had stalled. It didn't. Five cents went through, even with comfortable supply, soft domestic demand and building inventories.Michael Workman opens by owning that call. The increase took three
Buyer vs. Seller, Part 2: The $201K Increase Letter
A resin buyer saves $84K on a renewal, then gets a $201K increase letter 90 days later. Tyler Wheeler and Michael Workman play it out live: same buyer, same seller, same five resins. The only thing that changes is what the buyer knows.In this live session, Michael Workman plays a distributor account manager and Tyler Wheeler plays the purchasing manager at Harbor Point Molding, a custom i
Same Account, Negotiated Twice: What MAPP Taught Us About October | Resin Market Moves, Week of October 5, 2026
At last week's MAPP Benchmarking & Best Practices Conference in Indianapolis, a room of processors negotiated the same resin account twice: first with instinct and a competing quote, then with a cost-based target range. Michael Workman shares what happened in the room, including a live demo between a former buyer and a former seller built on five questions. He then applies the masterc
Read the Dealer's Upcard: Resin Market Moves, Week of September 28, 2026
At a blackjack table, the dealer shows you one card and keeps the other face down. Resin producers are doing the same thing heading into Q4. Increase letters are out on polyethylene (5¢ in September plus 7¢ in October), polycarbonate (10¢ from a single producer), PA66 (8¢ from BASF), PA6 (5–8¢), and polystyrene, with talk of up to 10¢ for October. Michael Workman flips over the hole card.
The Lone Wolf Increases — Resin Market Moves, Week of September 18, 2026
Michael Workman runs the tally across nine resins this week and finds something worth every buyer's attention: exactly two producers are pushing a September price increase completely alone. BASF stands by itself on an 8-cent PA66 increase; one polycarbonate producer is alone on a 10-cent push. Four resins — PE, PS, PVC, and PA6 — have more than one producer testing an increase but nothing
Crude Above $100: September Resin Buyer Game Plan (PE, PP, PS, ABS, PC, PVC, PA66, PA6, PET)
WTI crude jumped 13% in a single week, crossing above $100 per barrel for the first time since May. The trigger: rapidly escalating US-Iran military tensions and a surge in tanker attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.But the crude spike doesn't affect every resin market the same way — and that distinction determines your entire September negotiating position.In this episode, Michael Workman co
The Long Weekend's Over. Check Your Inbox. | Week of September 7, 2026
Three nylon 6 producers sent increase letters as Labor Day weekend approached. The feedstock most directly tied to nylon 6 pricing moved in the opposite direction the same week.In this episode of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman starts there — then works through every major resin market with a single question in mind: before you respond to anything in your inbox this week, what do you
September Nominations Are In — Here's What the Supply Data Actually Says | August 29, 2026
Six resins are carrying September price increase nominations simultaneously — the broadest coordination since early Q2. The supply and demand picture says something different than the letters in your inbox. This week, Michael Workman breaks down the two-track market that's running through the back half of 2026: commodity resins where buyer leverage is structural and real, and benzene-link
Buyer vs. Seller: Live Resin Negotiation — The $288K Call
What does the rep on the other side of your resin call actually know? Today you find out — because you get to hear both sides.We ran a live negotiation with 72 buyers watching simultaneously. Tyler Wheeler played the buyer. Michael Workman played the distributor rep. One fictional injection molder (Vandelay Plastics, yes — Seinfeld fans, you're welcome), real market structure, real number
Crude at $88: Does It Really Mean Higher Resin Prices?
Crude oil jumped nearly $7 this week, pushing WTI close to $88 per barrel.For resin buyers, the predictable question follows: Does higher crude mean higher plastic resin prices?This week, the answer depends heavily on what you're buying.Michael Workman breaks down the latest Resin Market Moves and explains why supply conditions continue to favor buyers in polyethylene, polypropylene, and
Everyone Watched the Crude Spike. The Aftershock Already Hit Five Resins.
WTI crude surged over 5% last week, peaked just shy of $84 a barrel on Strait of Hormuz shipping disruptions, then pulled back to $81 by Thursday. The reversal was real.But the August benzene contract had already settled before the relief came. For polystyrene, ABS, polycarbonate, PA66, and PA6 buyers, the aftershock landed mid-week and it doesn't go backwards because crude came off its h
August 10, 2026 — Back to School: Two Markets, Two Playbooks, One Closing Window
The resin market runs on a two-track system right now, and the two tracks are moving in different directions. Michael Workman breaks down where buyers stand on August 10 and exactly what to do about it before the week is over. Commodity resins - polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC, PET, nylon 66 - are still operating in summer-favorable conditions. Increase initiatives are out there, but the
August's First Pitch
PE producers threw the first pitch of August this week — 5 cents per pound in price increase nominations against a market where inventories are above the three-year average, ethylene costs are flat, and July is still expected to settle lower. This episode breaks down where every major resin stands as the August count opens, which materials are sitting in hitter's counts, and why some of t
Plastics News Info Session | How Resin Buyers Can Regain Negotiating Leverage
The resin market has long favored suppliers, but it doesn't have to stay that way.In this Plastics News info session, Michael Workman, Bill Bowie and Tyler Wheeler explain why resin buyers often negotiate with incomplete information, how to separate true feedstock costs from supplier margin, and the practical strategies procurement teams are using to regain leverage.Listen to learn how le
The Flags Don't Lie | Resin Market Moves | July 24, 2026
This week's episode covers all nine major resin markets under one organizing theme: what the flags are reading, and whether buyers trust them enough to act.The answer depends on which market you're in. PE, PP, PVC, and PET are flying green flags — leverage is clear, fundamentals are aligned, and the data is telling you to negotiate aggressively now. For PS, ABS, PC, PA66, and PA6, the fla
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 c
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 benz
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'
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,
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 infle
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
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 invent
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-c
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 inc
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 arom
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 resist
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 framewor
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 full
Increase Fatigue Is Changing Buyer Outcomes — April 2026 Resin Market Moves
This week’s Resin Market Moves focuses on a dynamic that doesn’t show up in market reports, but is actively shaping outcomes in April: increase fatigue.With polyethylene, polypropylene, ABS, PVC, nylons, and PET all moving higher at the same time, buyers are being hit with a volume of increase letters that’s difficult to process — and in many cases, they’re disengaging at exactly the wron
Signals vs Noise: Navigating Resin Market Disruptions
There’s a lot of noise in the resin market right now.Headlines, supplier messaging, market updates—it’s constant. And when things get volatile, it’s easy to feel like you need to react to all of it.In this session, we talk through how we separate real signals from noise. What actually matters, what doesn’t, and how strong procurement teams make better decisions when the market is moving.W
The Cost Position Problem: Why Sales Teams at Plastic Processors Are Quoting on a Fiction - Resin Market Moves April 19, 2026
There's a story Michael Workman lived through that's especially relevant now. It goes back to his time in sales at PolyOne, when a rigorous deal autopsy process surfaced an uncomfortable truth: the number one business reason they were losing deals wasn't service, wasn't competitive pricing, wasn't relationships. It was that their resin input costs were wrong at the time of quoting.In this
Every Resin Is Moving at Once — April 2026 Market Update and Q2 Negotiation Strategy
This week's Resin Market Moves covers the defining market dynamic of April 2026: every major resin category is moving higher at the same time, all driven by the same upstream cost stack. PE, PP, ABS, PS, PC, PVC, PET, PA6, and PA66 are all under upward pricing pressure — and the window to influence Q2 outcomes is narrowing fast.Michael Workman, CMO of ResinSmart, walks through what's actu
9 Plastic Resins. 9 Upward Signals. What Buyers Need to Know. Resin Market Moves | April 4, 2026 |
Host: Michael Workman, Commercial Director, ResinSmartRuntime: 4:14Episode SummaryThe April feedstock contracts settled sharply higher across the board — and producers across every major resin category are pushing price increases into Q2. In this short episode, Michael Workman gives plastic manufacturers and procurement teams a fast, buyer-side read on what's driving the market and where
Resin Market Moves | March 28, 2026 — Producers Are Layering Increases Into May. Here's What to Do.
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 cover
9 Resins Under Pressure: The Middle East Conflict, Feedstock Spikes & Buyer Strategy
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
The Odds Are Stacked Against Resin Buyers — Here's How to Win Anyway
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 epi
War Premium in Your Resin Bill: Separating Fact from Narrative (Week of March 13)
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 wher
Resin Market Moves - Oil Spikes, Producers Push Increases: Is the Resin Market Actually Tightening?
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
Geopolitics Meets Polyolefins: Epic Fury Creates 16MM Tons of Risk for Plastic Resin
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 t
Tariff Reset & Structural Risk in North American Resin Markets
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 buildElevated PGP and its impact on PPTurnaround-driven PVC supportFeedstock inflation risksHow structural pricing drift builds in opaque marketsFor executives responsible fo
Resin Reset 2026: The Procurement Power Shift
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 poly
Resin Market Brief – Another NMA Reset…The $0.25/LB Reality Check for PE Buyers
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 invoic
Resin Market Moves 2/14/2026 - Inventory Up, Prices Up: The Structural Risks Facing Resin Buyers in 2026
Early 2026 is not behaving like a typical resin cycle.Polyethylene inventories surged — 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
Why Resin Forecasts Break & How Buyers Defend Them (2026 Planning Edition)
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 r
Early 2026 Resin Risk: Why Structure Matters More Than Demand
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 benea
Resin Market Moves | February 2026 – Discipline Over Direction
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
Resin Market Moves – January 2026: Supply Events Drive Selective Tightening
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 pres
Resin Market Moves | January 19, 2026 – Supply Discipline Takes Shape
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-d
Resin Market Moves – Early January 2026: Selective Tightening Emerges
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
Resin Market Moves – January 2026 | Venezuela, Energy Markets & Resin Pricing Implications
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
Resin Market Brief – 2026 Forecast Outlook - 12/29/25
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. noi
Resin Market Moves – Christmas Edition: What Resin Buyers Need to Know for 2026
In this Christmas Edition of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman recaps the latest resin market fundamentals and explains how buyers should be thinking about 2026 strategy as supplier behavior begins to shift.Despite producer attempts to push price increases, most resin markets are still characterized by soft demand, ample supply, and strong buyer leverage.What’s Covered in This Episode:•
Resin Market Moves – December 2025: Year-End Resin Outlook & 2026 Planning - 12/15/25
In this episode of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman provides a year-end recap of the North American resin markets and explains how buyers should be thinking about 2026 strategy.Despite inventory draws in several resin families, demand remains soft across most end markets, leaving buyers with meaningful leverage heading into the new year. Topics Discussed• Polyethylene pricing remains
The Resin Distribution Landscape Has Changed — Are Buyers Ready? - Webinar
Resin distribution is no longer a background procurement decision — it has become strategic infrastructure.In this episode, Michael Workman, Kevin Mekaru, and Tyler Wheeler unpack the realities of today’s resin distribution landscape and explain why buyers heading into 2026 need to rethink long-standing assumptions.This conversation covers what rarely gets discussed publicly — but directl
Resin Market Moves – 12/8/25: Year-End Resin Outlook for Processors
In this episode of Resin Market Moves, we break down the final month of the 2025 resin market — a year marked by soft demand, oversupply, and steady downward pressure across almost every major resin family.Join Michael Workman as he walks through the latest RTi Drivers data and provides actionable insight for resin buyers preparing for 2026. In This Episode You'll Learn:PE• November contr
Resin Market Moves — Thanksgiving Special Edition - PP State of the Market and Outlook with Plastics Legend Lowell Huovinen
In this special Thanksgiving episode of Resin Market Moves, Michael Workman sits down with a true industry icon — Lowell Huovinen, who brings more than 40 years of polypropylene purchasing expertise, including roles at Spectrum Polymers, Poly-America, and nearly three decades with the ResinSmart powered by RTi Global team.Lowell breaks down the current state of the North American polyprop
North American Resin Market Summary – November 21, 2025
In this week’s episode of Resin Market Moves, we break down the latest fundamentals across North American resin markets.. Even with meaningful October inventory drawdowns, most resin families continue to face weak demand, long supply, and minimal cost-push pressure.This episode covers:PE: Significant inventory decline but still weak overall sentiment PP: Big inventory drop; PGP in mid-20s
Resin Market Moves | The Slow Squeeze | Margin Erosion, Weak Demand & Year-End Destocking | 11/17/25
Fresh off a visit at the AMI Plastics Expo in Cleveland, we report a similar message that we've been reporting for the last several weeks: demand is soft, inventories are long, and attempted price increases don’t have fundamental support.In this Resin Market Moves episode, Michael Workman breaks down:Market HighlightsPolyethylene (PE): Huge October draw but still long YoY; producer increa
Resin Market Brief: How Resin Buyers Can Win Over Their C-Suite
If you’ve ever been blindsided by a last-minute board request, pushed to explain a spike in resin costs, or struggled to prove your value to leadership, this Resin Market Brief is for you.Host Brian Balboa sits down with Tyler Wheeler and Greg Eberhardt, senior procurement leaders at ResinSmart powered by RTi, to unpack how resin buyers can move from “cost negotiator” to true business par
Resin Market Moves | 11/7/25 | Michael Workman | Growth Director at ResinSmart
Flat prices. Weak demand. Long inventories.Welcome to The Waiting Game — where resin buyers hold firm and producers keep testing price increases that the data doesn’t support.In this week’s Resin Market Moves, Michael breaks down what’s happening across North America’s resin markets and what it means for buyers planning year-end negotiations and 2026 budgets. Resin Market HighlightsPolyet
A Buyer's Journey with Justin Riney - The Human Side of Procurement
In this episode of Resin Market Brief – A Buyer’s Journey, hosts Michael Workman and Tyler Wheeler welcome Justin Riney, host of Redefining Plastics and former resin buyer, for an honest conversation about what it really takes to succeed in modern procurement.Together they explore:Why the best resin buyers build relationships instead of relying on RFPsHow trust, transparency, and negotiat
Q4 Resin Outlook: Producers Push Increases Without Support | 11/3/25 | ResinSmart Update
History repeats. In the resin market — like every commodity cycle before it — price resistance without justification never lasts.This week, Michael breaks down why producers’ attempted increases across PE, PP, PS, PVC, ABS, PC, and PET don’t align with the data — and how buyers can use transparency to push back with confidence.Highlights: • PE: Proposed +3¢/lb for November lacks merit. •
October 2025 Resin Update | Buyers Still in Control as Markets Stay Weak | 10/27/25
Despite a September inventory draw, North American resin markets remain oversupplied and weak. Producers are testing increases, but fundamentals say otherwise.Highlights • Polyethylene draw but demand soft. • Polypropylene contracts tracking –4 to –5¢ as PGP costs collapse. • Polystyrene, ABS, PC, PVC – stable to lower pricing. • PET still flat with weak demand and feedstock declines.Ke
Inventories Are Finally Dropping — But Markets Are Still Long | 10/20/25 |Q4 Resin Market Moves (PE, PP, PS, PVC, ABS, PC, PET)
Even with the first real inventory draw in months, North American resin remains oversupplied — and buyers still have leverage heading into Q4. In this week’s Resin Market Moves, Michael breaks down what’s happening across PE, PP, PS, PVC, ABS, PC, and PET — and what it means for your negotiations.Resin Market Highlights:Polyethylene (PE): • Inventories down in September — a meaningful dra
Too Much Resin, Not Enough Demand | Q4 Resin Market Breakdown (PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET) | 10/13/25
Even multiple production hiccups couldn’t move this resin market.As we enter mid-Q4, the theme is clear across North America: flat pricing, weak demand, and oversupply.In this week’s Resin Market Moves, Michael breaks down what’s really happening across the major resin families — and what it means for buyers trying to hold the line on costs. Resin Market Highlights:Polyethylene (PE): Dow,
Resin Market Moves - 10/7/25 - Q4 Resin Market Update: Flat, Weak & Oversupplied
As we head into Q4, the resin markets across North America tell one story: flat pricing, weak demand and oversupply.In this short video, Michael breaks down what’s happening across key resin families — and what buyers need to know heading into year-end negotiations:🔹 Polyethylene (PE): Flat in September, inventories up +243 million lbs. Producers pushing +3–5¢ for October, but demand won’
Resin Market Moves – 9/29/25 - Buyer Leverage vs. Supplier Hike Nominations
Suppliers are nominating increases across PE, PP, PVC, PET, and more — but the data says otherwise.In this week’s Resin Market Moves (Sept 26, 2025), Michael Workman of ResinSmart breaks down the latest market drivers:Key Insights:PE: Inventories up massively YOY; +5¢/+3–5¢ nominations lack supportPP: Flat as PGP rolled at 35.5¢; 40 days of supply on handPS: Lower after September benzene
Resin Market Moves - 9/13/25 - Why producers are losing ground
PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET, ABS, PC, and Nylon all point flat-to-down. Suppliers are nominating increases for September — but the data across PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET, ABS, PC, and Nylon tells a different story. Inventories are high, demand is soft, and feedstocks are easing.***Resin Market Moves breaks down the latest shifts in PE, PP, and engineered resin markets—covering price movement, supply/d
Resin Market Moves - 9/7/25 - Buyers Hold the Leverage
Suppliers are nominating increases for September, but the fundamentals across PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET, ABS, PC, and Nylon remain weak-to-flat.***Resin Market Moves breaks down the latest shifts in PE, PP, and engineered resin markets—covering price movement, supply/demand trends, inventory levels, and what it all means for your next buy. Get fast, actionable insights to help you negotiate sm
Resin Market Moves - 8/31/25 | PE & PP Inventories Surge, Buyers Push Back
Suppliers are pushing resin price hikes — but the fundamentals across PE, PP, PS, PVC, PET, ABS, PC, and Nylon tell a different story. In this week’s update, Michael Workman, Growth Director at ResinSmart, breaks down the latest RTi Drivers data and what it means for buyers heading into contract season.Learn more at www.resinsmart.aiFollow us on LinkedInWatch episodes on YouTube
Resin Market Moves - 8/22/25
Resin Market Moves breaks down the latest shifts in PE, PP, and engineered resin markets—covering price movement, supply/demand trends, inventory levels, and what it all means for your next buy. Get fast, actionable insights to help you negotiate smarter and stay ahead of volatility.Learn more at www.resinsmart.aiFollow us on LinkedInWatch episodes on YouTube
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