by Laddawn | Jan 1, 2022 | From the Director
Many economists expect 2022 to be a year of rebalancing. We agree. Last year’s headwinds were the consequences of an unexpected rebound in economic growth as the pandemic eased. It was a year defined by supply constraints, high consumer spending and rising price...
by Laddawn | Nov 1, 2021 | From the Director
It’s been a year of unprecedented challenges for America’s packaging distributors and manufacturers. Invariably, at the heart of every delay and bottleneck lies a business constrained by labor. The U.S. entered the fall months with 10.4 million job openings. Nearly 1...
by Laddawn | Aug 25, 2021 | From the Director
In supply chains throughout the United States and around the world, labor shortages and pandemic-related delays continue to drive costs and lower service performance. Here at home, where resin availability has always defined the market for industrial packaging, we now...
by Laddawn | Jul 1, 2021 | From the Director
Market disruptions, like those caused by the winter storms that hit Texas and the Gulf Coast, usually follow fairly predictable patterns of recovery. Costs rise with constrained supply for a few weeks and then follow a steady decline largely in sync with volume...
by Laddawn | May 1, 2021 | From the Director
When sub-zero temperatures hit the south central part of the United States in late February, it created a paralyzing ripple effect throughout the polyolefin supply chain. At some point, each of Texas’s 254 counties received winter storm warnings. During those storms,...
by Laddawn | Feb 25, 2021 | From the Director
Strong global demand coupled with disruptions in polyethylene production have kept resin inventories low enough to drive prices to 3-year highs. However, it’s not just about resin pricing. Labor, freight and other raw material costs are up, too. Of course, these cost...
