Graduating Into a Harder Market — May 2026 Resin Update

The 791M Pound 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 at 791 million pounds. 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 at 791M lbs — 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 [https://resinsmart.ai/subscribe] for weekly resin market updates. Get your RESIN8 Benchmark Assessment at resinsmart.ai. [https://resinsmart.ai/]Contact Michael directly: mworkman@resinsmart.ai | 214-984-2977  ResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998

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 initiative * PP at 1.97 billion lbs of inventory as demand softens, exports fall 22%, and PGP continues declining * Why the second half of June is the better time to negotiate PP * PA6 caprolactam's $136/mt single-week decline and what it means for BASF's ask * Celanese's PA66 capacity reductions and the H2 supply story * PET's unique position: seasonal demand support vs. softening feedstock forecasts * A practical buyer action framework for the week Resin 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.

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 asks ResinSmart | Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998 | resinsmart.ai [https://resinsmart.ai/]

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 [https://resinsmart.ai/] Powered by RTi Global | Since 1998

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 information * Trust: relying on data that wasn't built for buyers * Precision: benchmarking the wrong grade * Access: having data but not being able to act on it quickly Michael 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 information * The four procurement failure modes: timing, trust, precision, and access * Why supplier justification requests often fail to create leverage * How grade-level benchmarking improves negotiation outcomes * The difference between cost recovery and margin expansion * What prepared buyers do after receiving a price increase letter Request your free RESIN8 Benchmark Assessment at resinsmart.ai. [https://resinsmart.ai/] Connect with Michael Workman on LinkedIn. [https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-workman-04085923/]