E-Marketplace as Resin Price Barometer

“When the cycles start to change, it is important that we have a number of different sources to check where resins are being priced.” Protective Lining Corp., Brooklyn, NY, buys polyethylene resins to manufacture polyethylene film, bags and liners. The company learned of plastics e-marketplace PolymerSite.com (www.polymersite.com) while reading a trade magazine. Previously, sources that Howard checked for resin pricing were limited to major producers and distributors of PE resins. Now he uses PolymerSite.com, which offers a neutral, real-time view of pricing information. “The site gives me some sort of market barometer as to where resins are being priced,” he says. When Howard first registered with the site, he submitted the specifications of the type of resins Protective Lining purchases and soon began to receive offers from sellers. PolymerSite features an interactive tool that informs buyers by e-mail when materials specified are available. A feature called Virtual Agent™ enables buyers to set pricing parameters for specific materials and also informs buyers via e-mail when materials are being traded at those prices. Protective Lining has not yet transacted business via the site, but the company continues to use it as a price monitoring tool. —E.F.