Written by people who source, compound, and test materials every day. If it's here, it's because we've been asked about it at least a dozen times.
Material Comparison
PP vs PE: Choosing the Right Commodity Resin for Your Application
Polypropylene and polyethylene are often treated as interchangeable commodity plastics — they're not. This guide walks through the key decision variables: stiffness, chemical resistance, temperature limits, and processing behavior, with a decision matrix for common applications.
Material Selection
When Engineering Grades Are Worth the Premium
The jump from a commodity resin to an engineering grade often costs 3–10x more per kilogram. This guide explains the five scenarios where that premium is justified — and the three where it isn't. Includes a cost-per-part analysis framework you can apply to your own program.
Specification Guide
How to Spec a Custom Compound: A Checklist for Product Teams
Most custom compound RFQs fail to communicate what actually matters — and the resulting quotes come back underspecified or overengineered. This checklist covers the eight pieces of information a compounder needs to give you an accurate formulation proposal on the first pass.
Logistics & Supply
The Midwest Logistics Advantage: Why Proximity Matters More Than Price
Most procurement teams optimize for unit price. The ones who actually reduce total material cost optimize for lead time, safety stock, and response time — which are all functions of where your supplier's warehouse is relative to your dock.