pricing 4

[Byrd74]

Does anyone know a good way/website to track material prices. I want to keep my injection molding supplier in check as far as price increases cause I never get a price reduction. Go figure! We use Zytel and Luran.
Thanks for your help!

 

[patprimmer]

If your volume is high enough use two suppliers for each. Give one about 65% and the other about 35% of your business. Always have a third in negotiation and possibly even a fourth. Fighting to stay one of the two and then fighting to be the major should be enough to break any fixes that might be in.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[Pud]

If you have specified Zytel and Luran then you will have to go with it.
We always try to get customers to add "or direct equivalent" to the material specification.

e.g. Zytel ST801 - recent 4% price hike (UK) - Direct equivalent (i.e. co-polymerized product, not a blend) is 40% cheaper!!

Most styrenics are on the up due to a monomer shortage.

H

http://www.tynevalleyplastics.co.uk

 

[patprimmer]

In my experience DuPont use very strategic pricing policy.

If you are a very large user with a contract for them to supply several plants around the world they will do a deal no one can touch with supply to all plants tied to maintaining that price.

If you buy erratically at less than 5 tonne lotts and they know they are exclusively specified, you can expect to pay at least 50% more than the strategic accounts.

You need at least a potential to source elsewhere to have any negotiating power.

Just how much they can ream you if you are tied to an exclusive specification will depend on local trading laws in your jurisdiction wherever that may be.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules

 

[Demon3]

Luran is just SAN, nothing special so you should be able to get equivalents from Dow and others.

Regarding price tracking, yes there are sites for that.

Here are two I use:

http://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/all-resins.html

if you subscribe you get access to more detailed info from them.

http://www.ides.com/resinpricing/default.aspx

Chris DeArmitt PhD FRSC CChem

http://www.phantomplastics.com

Consultant to the plastics industry