IHS Markit Briefing: What Lies Ahead for the Plastics Industry?

Along with PLASTICS, IHS Markit provides key market insights on the economy, energy, feedstocks and polymers in this expert-led industry briefing on Monday, May 7 at NPE2018 in the West Hall, Level 4, W415A. Admission for the event costs $100, and registration is on the NPE registration page. Here’s a quick look at the agenda:

9:30 – 9:40 a.m. Welcome & Opening Remarks

Bill Carteaux, President and CEO, PLASTICS
Nick Vafiadis, Vice President, Polyolefins and Plastics, IHS Markit

9:40 – 10:00 a.m. Keynote

10:00 – 10:15 a.m.: Global Economy Review

Perc Pineda, PLASTICS Chief Economist

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:30 – 10:50 a.m. Walmart’s Policy Roadmap to Renew Manufacturing in the U.S.

Global Plastics: Issues and Trends; IHS Presentations

10:50 – 11:10 a.m. Polyethylene: Nick Vafiadis, Vice President, Polyolefins and Plastics

- The global polyethylene industry has recently experienced an unprecedented record run of prosperity. Demand has been robust and integrated margins have remained at elevated levels for the last several years. Even more surprising is the fact that the industry has managed to avoid the downturn many expected would coincide with the start-up and ramp-up of the vast amounts of new cost-competitive production capacity that has been brought online in North America and around the world. How long will these conditions continue?

11:10 – 11:30 a.m. Polypropylene: Joel Morales, Sr. Director, Polyolefins

- The PP market is currently entering an unprecedented period where global operating rates are forecast to exceed 90% for the next five years. What does this mean for global and regional prices? Will PP remain competitive versus other plastics and materials? How will new investments in North America by 2020 change the current supply environment that has created a need for significant volumes of imports of both resin and finished goods?

11:30 – 11:50 a.m. PET: Tison Keel, Director, PET, PTA & EO Derivatives

- The PET industry in the USA is undergoing significant reorganization following the bankruptcy of M&G in late 2017. New ownership of PET assets in the Americas is only one part of what is the most dramatically changing industry supply-demand structure in over 20 years, when also considering the impacts of PET anti-dumping duties, increasing resin producer back-integration, and dynamic global raw materials markets.

11:50 – 12:10 p.m. Engineering Resins: Brendan Dooley, Director Engineering Plastics

- Engineering Plastics are in a period of strong demand, high operating rates and temporary disruptions at the polymer and feedstock production plants. Polymer prices are rising more quickly than the underlying costs of polymer production. For most engineering polymers, the largest portion of capacity additions is taking place in Asia, which is transforming the region from a net importer to a net exporter, with a leading position in the global engineering polymer markets.