More suppliers, jobs for resin distributors in 2021

Even at a time when material can be hard to find, resin distributors are looking to add suppliers and hire more personnel.

"We're dramatically expanding our line card with more commodity resins and engineering resins as well," said Kirt Dmytruk, president of the Vinmar Polymers America unit of Vinmar International in Houston. "We're reacting to customers who need us to cover those product lines."

Osterman & Co. of Cheshire, Conn., has created a division for engineering resins and is "in dialogue" with new suppliers, according to Distribution Sales Vice President Dave Dever. Mass Polymers Corp. of Bridgewater, N.J., has added a new polyethylene supplier and a new PET supplier this year and is looking to add more, according to Joe Mysza, commodity resins vice president.

In Ellisville, Mo., Jamplast Inc. "is in talks" with two engineering resin suppliers and hopes to add to its line card by the end of the year, according to President Michael Bernich. Kevin Chase, president of Chase Plastic Services Inc. in Clarkston, Mich., said that his firm "is always looking to fill in gaps on our line card with the right relationships."

Cathy Dodd, distribution president with Avient Corp. in Avon Lake, Ohio, said her firm "has great partners" and continues to review its line card. Avient "is looking for more sustainable solutions," Dodd added, such as recycled-content material or bioplastics.

In Independence, Mo.. PolySource Inc. CEO Grant John said that his firm "is having some additional conversations" with suppliers of high-performance materials and additives. PolySource in August 2020 expanded its partnership with EMS-Grivory America in the North American specialty nylon resin market.

Since late last year, M. Holland Co. of Northbrook, Ill., has added 3D printing and laser sintering materials from five suppliers. Most recently, the firm in April began offering materials from Infinite Material Solutions, Kimya by ARMOR and taulman3D. "We're always looking to fill gaps and create different options for our customers," Executive Vice President Marc Fern said.

President and CEO Ed Holland added that his firm "is looking for growth with higher-value products."

General Polymers Thermoplastic Materials of Rochester Hills, Mich., recently began distributing thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) resins for Wanhua Chemical Group of China. President Greg Boston said the firm also has added engineering resins and compounds, including flexible PVC and thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs).

At Nexeo Plastics LLC in The Woodlands, Texas, the firm in the last year has added several engineering resins in Europe, as well as 3D printing materials from Braskem, according to President Paul Tayler. Nexeo in June also added polycarbonate/ABS 3D printing filament from Covestro to its line card.

In Downey, Calif., California Plastics is looking to add additional suppliers, possibly from Asia, in the next few months, co-founder Abby Khanna said.

MGI International LLC of Melville, N.Y., is "heavily focused on expanding our leadership position in sustainable plastics," including plant-based bioresins and recycled and repurposed materials, according to CEO Marco Liuzzo. The firm recently entered into agreements with Eni's Versalis unit to distribute bio-attributed polyethylene and EVA in the U.S. and Canada.

Also in 2021, MGI has added several engineering resin suppliers to its line card, including Teijin for PC, Versalis for specialty styrenics and Toray for specialty ABS.

On the personnel side, resin distributors in 2021 are going for strength in numbers.

M. Holland has added between 40-50 employees in the last year in operations, sales and finance. Holland said he's "most proud" of the firm not reducing headcount in March and April 2020 when the pandemic first hit.

Nexeo plans to add more than 25 positions in the next few months, Tayler said. That total includes "a significant number" in customer-facing sales, including field sales and tech personnel. "We're investing heavily in the business," Tayler added.

At Osterman, 12 new jobs have been added in 2021, including sellers in the U.S., according to Dever. PolySource has added seven positions to its customer service team, including a supply chain director, John said.

Chase currently has 10 job openings, including eight on the commercial side, Kevin Chase said. The firm has added three sales reps so far in 2021.

Mass Polymers is looking to add two U.S. sales reps — one in the East and one in the Southeast. Jamplast has added two sales reps in 2021 and is looking to add another in the third quarter. CP plans to add two sales reps in Mexico and one each in Canada and the Midwest U.S. this year.

MGI has added "a handful" of sales reps this year, Liuzzo said, while Vinmar is hiring in the U.S., Latin America and Europe, according to CEO Vishal Goradia.

Conventus has added two sales reps so far in 2021 and wants to add two more in the U.S. — one in the Midwest and one on the West Coast. General Polymers has added reps in the U.S. Southeast and Midwest and plans to add four or five more in the next year.

Boston said that General Polymers also plans to start a training program for sales reps. "Younger people bring vitality to any organization," he said.