Two months into the Iran war, Jamie welcomes back Sleiman Bassila, founder and president of BIC Advisory Group, and Tom Hughes, founder, president, and CEO of Quantum Polymers. These two polyethylene industry experts have been closely watching the events in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz and share their insights into the wide-ranging market effects of the ongoing war.

Sleiman and Tom summarize what’s happened since their last visit to The Water Table. The conversation touches on supply shortages, damaged petrochemical plants, unprecedented daily pricing increases, impacts on domestic pipe prices, and what it all means to the fertilizer supply chain. They also talk through the possibilities for recovery and how long it might take for stability to return once the war is over.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

01:36 A recap of recent history

05:35 Re-exporters enter the market

08:58 Impacts of petrochemical plant damage

12:00 Recovery possibilities, challenges, and timelines

18:30 Material availability, competition, and prioritization

22:32 The unprecedented pace of price increases

27:13 How lags in resin prices impact domestic pipe costs

31:09 Expectations of inflation 

32:47 What about the fertilizer supply chain?

36:28 How oil prices impact resin re-exports

38:54 Closing

Related Content:

• #144: The Iran war and pipe prices
• #124: Who pays? The impact of tariffs on U.S. and Canadian ag
• #8: Cause and effect: Plastic resin supply

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