Page 39 - Plastics News January 2026
P. 39
FEATURE NEWS
more quickly than domestic sources. Is there • There are charts and resources online
another option? If so, what is it, and how sta- that have a basic outline of responsibili-
ble will that pricing be going forward? If a ties for each Incoterm.
price increase needs to be pushed through, ♦
it’s better to have the conversation sooner Harmonized Tariff Schedule United States
rather than later. Code (HTSUS) is critical to understand for all
of the products businesses bring in interna-
♦ Inventory Management – This action can be tionally and what codes apply to those prod-
difficult based on multiple factors, including ucts.
product availability, physical space, working •
capital and more. The goal is to have the Annex II List – Is a list of HTSUS codes
right inventory, and that will require busi- that are exempt from reciprocal tariffs.
nesses to work closely with their customers ♦ Alternate Options in many cases have been
on forecasting. While forecasting is an im- explored recently, and the variables have
perfect science, collaboration and alignment changed. One thing hasn’t changed: “If it is
will help businesses achieve the right amount too good to be true, it probably is.” Hav-
of product at the right price. Constant com- ing a trusted partner to navigate this with is
munication is the key. imperative.
Dickson said, “Plastics manufacturing is in a new “PolySource has been in the international trade
era of supply chain that we haven’t experienced business for 25 years, has relationships and ex-
since the first half of the 20th century. The key is perience around the globe, maintains active
having enough knowledge to ask the right ques- distribution in dozens of countries and is posi-
tions (even though you’ll never have enough for tioned to help customers navigate this volatile
all the right answers).” An understanding is these market,” said Dickson. “With a diverse portfolio
basics is a good place to start: of both international and domestic materials, we
can provide multiple solutions tailored to a cus-
♦ Country of Origin (COO) tariffs are applied
to the country where the product was pro- tomer’s unique needs. Our technical team, with
duced, not the country it shipped from. over 100 years of industry experience, interacts
daily with customers and OEMs to deliver prob-
• Substantially Transformed – Under- lem-specific solutions, including resin selection,
standing it, and if you can use it to your processing issues, formulation and supply chain
advantage. assistance. Now more than ever, we want to be
the solution provider.”
♦ Incoterms can expose businesses to hid-
den or higher costs if they don’t understand The Processor Perspective
them. It is important to have a trustworthy
partner to assist with understanding why a Jeff Ignatowski is the president of Champion
20% tariff on goods from Taiwan doesn’t in- Plastics, Inc., a precision injection molder of
crease the price by 20%. functional plastics and assemblies headquar-
January 2026 PLASTICS NEWS 39
