GREEN LIGHT: It’s that unwonted time of year again, the slow drag of December selloffs has finalized, and the purchasing department dogs are let loose. BAILOUTS: Once an economic downturn presents itself in grandiose enough manner to be leveraged, victimhood goes in vogue.
Dry powder in abundance, the PE boys are looking to partner with like-minded entrepreneurs to build platforms of scale, promising the power of a national operation while keeping local relationships and an entrepreneurial culture. [Company Name] could be an excellent partner.
Speeches can be streamed, exhibit booths can be power-pointed and screen-shared, but it all pales in comparison to in-person networking. Trade shows are back!
When times are good, monster bureaucratic companies go on hiring sprees. They fill a few much-needed positions, double up key roles, triple their salesforce and quadruple their dinner outings with the expectation of quintupling MoM sales. Bull markets, baby. When things naturally take a turn downward, implementation of the infamous cost-cutting begins.
Shortages are not unique to the urethane industry, but the promises made at the peak of last year’s turmoil ring at a peculiar frequency. Indeed, desperate times will call on desperate measures. Water is also wet. But the SMEs that made supply-chain miracles happen as little as twelve months ago are expecting their promised exchange of future business to deliver. They’ve been waiting. They’re still waiting.
Multi-national companies have always had the option to move their primary production hubs as markets and costs shift, but what about small and medium enterprises?
The Everchem Update is a new biweekly publication of under-reported polyurethane industry news – insider views and conversation about the polyurethane market.