Richard Restuccia, Jain Water Manager, talks about Resin Market in 2021. Here is the full-text

The New Year brings hope for change, but so far, the spot resin market in 2021 looks very similar to 2020. Prices continue to soar insignificant percentage jumps, and the impact is felt throughout the irrigation industry. In addition to high resin prices, the industry is hit hard with record historically high rates for containerized freight (up to over 150% from a year ago), and spot truckload pricing hit an all-time high as well.  Many irrigation products are injection molded or extruded. In the case of supply tubing or emitter line, 60% -70% of the product’s cost is the resin. Because resin makes up such a large percentage of the cost of irrigation products when resin prices increase rapidly manufactures, dealers, distributors, and end-users need to react quickly or businesses will suffer.

How High Is The Price of Resin

In April 2020, the U.S. spot price for resin (LLDPE – Inj) touched $.38/lb. Today the same product is up 95% to $.74/lb. in nine months.  COVID’s impact on the economy and the uncertainty ahead for the world economy contributed to the low price last April. This rapid acceleration causes issues for anyone manufacturing plastic products or products packaged in plastic.  Manufactures without a process to increase costs as the resin price explodes to the upside will be challenged to operate at a profit.

Why Are Prices So High

It’s hard to keep track of all the major news in 2020, but remember, the U.S. experienced the most active and fifth costliest Atlantic hurricane season on record.  Hurricane Hanna made landfall in Texas, and a couple of others impacted the gulf coast and Louisiana.  Since the significant manufacturers are in the states with exposure to hurricanes, plant closures are expected. Most years, the increase in pricing is due to supply issues as a result of the closures.  However, this year the hurricanes were only part of the story.

There we also planned several turnarounds in 2020. A turnaround – which is sometimes referred to as a TAR – is a highly-expensive planned regeneration period in a plant or refinery. During this time, an entire part of the operation is taken out of production while plants are inspected and revamped. In late November early December, there was a surge in orders for resin from Asia, catching most suppliers by surprise. Also, a primary PE plant in Mexico shut down in December. This is important because the ocean freight prices put resin prices from Asia out of reach for Mexico, so they turned to the U.S. for resin, which caused supplies to get even tighter.

If you aren’t feeling bad enough, there is one additional notable issue. When COVID hit, most producers sold off what they had because they, like many others at the time, thought the economy would spiral down quickly.

What We Can Do About It

Unfortunately, we can’t do much about the price of resin. As demand increases and supplies decrease, the price goes up, and when demand decreases and supplies increase, the price goes down. Resin prices change, and we have no way to impact these price changes, but what we do control is how we respond to them. If you are a dealer or distributor of plastic products that have 60% – 70% of the cost tied up in resin’s price, work to negotiate a contract based on agreeable profit to the producer.  The agreement should allow regular (think monthly) price adjustments, both up and down, to ensure you have an adequate supply of products.  When prices are high, keeping customers happy is primarily a function of getting them good product on time.

The price of resin is just one of many increases we are experiencing as consumers. The freight and container prices are hitting everyone. How much did you spend at the grocery store in February last year compared to this year? I know my bill is up over 30%. Good business managers will evaluate where increases are coming and where shortages may occur and take steps to ensure they can get a consistent product at a fair price.

Source: JAIN

The post Jain Focuses Attention on Resin Market in 2021 appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

With this method the pumped water is primarily used for irrigation purposes; however, it is also used for flood control or water supply in general.

Over the years, this type of installation has also been used for other applications where system and environmental requirements were similar to those above: mines, industrial plants, etc.

Inclined submersible pumps offer numerous advantages compared to vertical pumps or horizontal pumps mounted on floating platforms, particularly because they are easily installed. The pump inclined on the bank of the basin requires no large structural parts to be installed, with consequent cost and time-saving.

Another important advantage of inclined submersible pumps is that they are highly compact machines and can be positioned on banks with very irregular slopes with no need for the shaft to be aligned, contrary to a vertical turbine pump.

Finally, the well-appreciated characteristics of this solution: pumps are easily handled, bearings are less stressed and the level of noise generated by these pumps is low.

The choice among a wide range of wet ends and submersible motors combined with Caprari know-how assures total reliability and efficiency in the selection and installation of the product with a guarantee of a long operating life of the system as demonstrated by the dozens of projects installed around the world.

Installations of the inclined submersible pumps are found in Queensland, Australia, where the banks of the water basin are very steep.

The solution offered by Caprari enabled an efficient water pumping system to be quickly installed to permit irrigation of the surrounding areas.

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For Caprari the new series E10PX in AISI 316, an extension of the well-reputed Endurance range of borehole pumps, represents the pinnacle of innovation and performance on the market. Result of the experience developed over decades of installations throughout the world, the Endurance series ensures an absolute level of quality and the highest real hydraulic performances.

The appropriate sizing of massive components and the selection of ever high-performing materials, make the E10PX Endurance pumps unique for their durability, efficiency, and flexibility of use. With a design configuration based on precision-casting stainless steel AISI 316, the E10PX Endurance guarantees maximum efficiency and durability over the years, standing easily in challenging conditions or aggressive waters.

The shaft and coupling of the E10PX are in Duplex to maximize reliability in harsh environments, and the pump-motor coupling area is fitted with the device Protector: an additional element of protection against possible abrasion. Thanks to the Defender (a Caprari International Patent), quick passivation of external components is generated, protecting at best the entire pumpset, right from the beginning of the installation.

This product boasts many positive and distinctive features, such as an innovative hydraulic design that allows high flow rates, with a reduced external overall diameter. In fact, the Caprari E10PX Endurance electric pumps have an operating range that covers duties normally met by 12” (or larger) pumps and deliver a high head per stage, allowing a more compact and reliable pump to be selected, for comparable hydraulic needs. Last but not least, maintenance and servicing is easy and quick, due to an extremely rational construction and no necessity of special tools.

The Caprari E10PX Endurance 10” borehole range, can therefore be used in a wide variety of applications, including captation from deep wells, many civil and industrial uses, RO, and artificial snow-making. Heavy-duty applications such as mining and offshore are now performed with total peace of mind, thanks to the innovative design and technologically advanced solutions. From now on, durability and efficiency are available at good value.

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While typical hydraulic bolt torquing pumps are repurposed pumps meant for lifting and jacking, the new Renegade hydraulic pump is designed and built specifically for the rigorous demands of bolt torquing applications. On applications where every second count, the Renegade hydraulic pump uses larger, double-acting pumps. These pumps provide 15 times more oil displacement per stroke than typical bolting packs, completing jobs significantly faster. The pumps also use the largest filtration system in the industry to stand up to the harshest job site conditions.

All-day operation of the Renegade hydraulic pump is made easier with its smartly-designed pendant that can be operated with either a thumb press or trigger-pull option. The pendant is also cordless and can be used at distances up to 100 feet for user-friendly operation.

Jon Knutson, Vice President, Worldwide Contractor Equipment Division Marketing at Graco, said:

“The Renegade hydraulic pump looks different, runs different, and even sounds different than any other pack on the market today – because it is different. We are excited for hydraulic pack users to experience the vast number of benefits these differences can deliver for them on their jobs.”

Source: Graco

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Mark Cuban has some good advice for all the business people dealing with the coronavirus pandemic:

“Make use of whatever down-time you might have to brush up on the skills that might impress your future employer. Every interviewer from now on is going to ask you what skills did you add during the pandemic of 2020.”

He also suggests we use this time to become great at the work you want to do and add new skills to your repertoire.

This is excellent advice, but sometimes it’s hard to find educational opportunities for those of us in the water conservation business. Thanks to Jain Irrigation, this is changing. Recently Jain started providing regular irrigation training a couple of times a week for free to anyone wanting to improve their skills in irrigation, water management, and sustainability. The Jain Irrigation training sessions are inspiring water managers of all levels and in multiple water management fields.  This is your chance to join experts and enthusiasts to discover and share new techniques, smart tips, and new technology.

The webinars cover various subjects and many cover subjects that do not include information about Jain products. They cover topics like System Management In Controlled Environment Agriculture, Harvest Recommendations, Budgets, and Best Practices For Marketing Hemp, Critical Success Factors For Landscape Contractors, and many more. There are some specific to Jain Products, unique product offers, and discount pricing for Jain products offered during the instruction. However, the instructors and guests are very aware this is a learning experience and provide a positive learning experience for those who attend.

Future webinars are posted on Jain’s website. If you scroll down on that page, you will also see the previous webinars, and you can watch all these for no charge. Jain provides these at no cost as part of their conservation and sustainability message and helps fulfill their mission to leave this world better than you found it.

For all the runners, walkers, and water managers who like to listen on the go, the training is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and Google podcasts. Just search Jain Irrigation training on the channels, and you will find all the episodes. If your favorite podcasts are on Stitcher or TuneIn, you can find them there too.

The instructors come from all over the irrigation industry. They include Landscape Architect, Lance Sweeney, Ag Irrigation Designer Perry Continente, The Hawthorne Gardening customer support team, Jim Kauth from Aqua Trac System in Arizona, and Ken Olson from Olson Business Solutions, to name a few. Also, President of Jain Irrigation, Aric Olson, discusses the future of Ag Technology and covers a three-part series on nitrogen and fertilizer for agriculture. You will also find several of the subject matter experts on products for Jain Irrigation presenting as well. It is a well-rounded group covering different but specific subjects each week.

A big thanks to Mark Cuban for helping us put this crisis in perspective and motivating us in a positive direction. Jain training is valuable now and in the future. There is so much to learn about water management, conservation, and sustainability and I look forward to many years of training from Jain.

Source: Jain

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