Jan 11, 2017 | Uncategorized
Last March we reported that several states were considering bans on banning plastic bags. Now our home state of Michigan has gotten in on the action, signing the ban on bans into law on December 28th.
According to The Washington Post:
Michigan Lt. Gov. Brian Calley signed the new public act into law on Wednesday, along with 11 other bills. Gov. Rick Snyder is currently on vacation out of state, local news sources reported, and Calley has the authority to sign bills into law in his absence.
The new public act prohibits local ordinances from “regulating the use, disposition, or sale of, prohibiting or restricting, or imposing any fee, charge, or tax on certain containers,” including plastic bags, as well as cups, bottles and other forms of packaging. This means individual cities and municipalities are not allowed to ban plastic bags or charge customers a fee for using them.
As with many of these types of actions, opinions are mixed, with The Washington Post noting that the Michigan Restaurant Association is in favor of the ban because it prevents a “patchwork approach of additional regulations,” while Rep. Jeff Irwin, a democrat from Ann Arbor, spoke out against the bill because it “attacks local control.”
It’s worth mentioning, as we have in the past, that laws about bag bans and bans on bag bans don’t affect our products specifically, but since they do impact a closely related industry, we’ll continue to update you on these issues as they develop.
Dec 8, 2016 | Uncategorized
I wanted to post a quick update about what has been happening with PE resin pricing lately, and also about lead times.
After a year of ups and downs in resin pricing, 2016 appears to be closing out on a relatively quiet note. According to The Plastics Exchange, PE “contracts seem to be gravitating towards a decrease of $.03/lb, as originally offered by several producers early in the month. Processors, noting significant weakness in the spot market, were looking for a sharper decline – perhaps there will be additional relief in December.”
Indeed, we have been hearing the same thing, and any decreases in resin costs will be a welcome course direction change that can offset some of the increases we’ve seen.
As for our current lead times, we’re still meeting 99% of of all due dates, but schedules remain very tight—we’ve been having to schedule many jobs with as much as a 4-week lead-time window. With that in mind, if you know you’ll be placing an order sometime within the next month or so, now would be a good time to send us a note so we can schedule appropriately.
If you have any questions or comments about this update, please send us an email. Thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to serving you.
Nov 17, 2016 | Uncategorized
We have some brand new illustrations on our How to Measure Poly Bags page and would love for you to take a look.
Our #1 priority is making sure your order is perfect from start to finish, and keeping these instructions in mind when you place your orders will help us get your bags exactly right the first time. Of course, these instructions are just a starting point, and we will work with you personally to make sure you get the exact bags you need.
Please feel free to bookmark this page or print out the image for a quick reference any time you need to place an order.
If you have any questions or comments about how to measure poly bags or anything else at all, please send us a note. Thank you for your continued business, and we look forward to serving you.
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.
