Supply chain, plastics product manufacturers

In considering the thermal history of plastics, most material will already have passed through some kind of a processing cycle before it even goes to the final manufacturer to make saleable production components. Examples of possible supply chains are shown in Figure 6.5. 

In the manufacturing of plastic parts, the supply chain is not a linear relationship it is more of a network. It begins with the resin suppliers, who sell raw materials to converters. The converters buy the raw material, as well as processing machinery and tools, and convert the resin into molded parts, and then sell the molded parts to the product manufacturer (Figure 8.1). 

The product manufacturer is the final link in the chain. While the ultimate customer is the end user of the finished product, in the supply chain network the product manufacturer is the primary customer. The product manufacturer is responsible for the performance of the product, and all of the parts that go into it. As such, they are also responsible for material selection. While all of the participants in the plastics supply chain can provide recommendations on materials, the final decision on material selection should be made by the product manufacturer. 

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