IAPD President
lot has changed in the world since we entered the “lock-down” because of COVID-19. Now, with more people getting vaccinated, we can start looking forward to life returning to something that’s closer to “normal.” Our post-COVID life may look different than what it was like before March 2020, but we are resilient and we will make it work. I’m happy to see that associations, like IAPD, are scheduling in-person conferences and tradeshows again, and I look forward to seeing you all in Louisville, KY, USA in August at IAPD’s Annual Convention. In addition, companies are beginning to reestablish travel and, most importantly, we can start to plan much-needed vacations outside our homes.

Just when we thought we made it through 2020, the Gulf Coast was hit again with a historic winter storm in February 2021, paralyzing the region. Prolonged sub-zero temperatures are bad enough, causing damage to pipes, valve, pumps and equipment, but forced, unplanned shutdowns due to “rolling blackouts” caused severe damage to petrochemical plants.
Russ Consentino, CPMR, shared his insights in a post on the IAPD blog. He focused on polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (especially HDPE) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Regarding PP, Consentino said, “With gasoline consumption down, refineries are running at lower rates, meaning they are making less propylene monomer as a byproduct of their processes. Supplies of natural gas, also a plastics feedstock, have tightened because processing natural gas produces less propylene than does crude oil.”
High resin prices and limited supply are impacting PVC production of extruded shapes and pipe, valves and fittings. In addition, according to Consentino, “One major PVC resin producer shut down for maintenance and has to date not successfully returned to regular production.”
Visit www.iapd.org/IAPD/Publications/Blog/Blog_Articles/2021/Feb_March/Resin_Supply_and_Pricing_Volatility.aspx to read the blog post in its entirety.
All indications are that 2021 will be a strong economic year with GDP forecasted to be in the double digits for the second half. With pent-up discretionary spending and low interest rates, demand in our industries could be strong. Market sectors such as medical, industrial, retail and aerospace could rebound as most of the population receives vaccinations and states open back up. As with all presidential administrations, there will be changes that will affect our industry, good and bad. It is important that as IAPD members, we seize those opportunities and address the challenges together.