How a Polyethylene Supplier Can Minimize Downtime for Converters

The ability of converters to capitalize on business opportunities rests directly on their ability to maintain high levels of productivity. Polyethylene suppliers play a role in that process through the supply dependability they can provide to converters.

Shell Polymers’ new polyethylene plant in Monaca, Pennsylvania, was conceptualized with these concerns in mind. Our design and processes revolve around enabling production, logistical, and technological reliability. That’s to provide converters not just a supplier but a reliable strategic supply option that helps grow their business.

Proactively Maintaining Production Equipment

Converters can avoid downtime by working with reliable suppliers. To that end, manufacturing predictive maintenance and proactive quality control are the foundations of Shell Polymers’ new plant. The facility features advanced technology to monitor and maintain product consistency and production continuity.

Our plant-specific control room simulator training has been preparing our operators for a broad range of scenarios before the plant even opens. Operators have been training on simulations that mimic the exact controls they took over when the building opened earlier this year. This training helps enable quick and practical actions that keep up operations once the plant is up and running.

Meanwhile, our analytical lab is where pellets are analyzed as a final check to ensure quality and consistency. The lab will also offer customer troubleshooting support, enabling product quality both on-site and off.

Planning for Logistical Hurdles

Converters can safeguard their reputation for reliability by having uninterrupted access to resin supplies. We built our new plant and its supporting infrastructure to mitigate weather and logistical hurdles and keep products moving promptly. Features include:

• A weather-resistant plant designed to minimize potential cold, flooding, and power issues. Plus, it’s within 700 miles of most North American polyethylene buyers, lessening distance-related problems.
• Real-time shipment monitoring that alerts our Customer Relationship Coordinators (CRCs) of any issues facing your shipment from our gates to yours. Plus, customers will be able to follow their shipments themselves in real-time through our GPS-enabled railcars.

Getting ahead of problems at our plant means customers can count on Shell Polymers as a supply option year-round and amid the supply challenges they face.

Sharing Resources that Grow Your Business

Shell Polymers offers the team, tools, and tips to help converters identify, prepare for, and act upon business opportunities that meet their customers’ desires and demands for new plastic product development.

Resources include our Application Hall, where converters can run tests on new product offerings. It will allow new product qualification without customers having to divert their own production capacity. Customers will also have access to our Polymer Pioneers and Pros (who offer our clients insights and analysis regarding best practices & troubleshooting) and our team of market analysts (who help customers identify market trends and opportunities).

Plus, the entire global Shell network can help our polymer customers advance their business goals. For example, we can refer them to our lubricants division if they need lubricants for their machines.

Shell Polymers is more than just a polyethylene supplier. We want to be a resource that helps our customers keep their operations running and thriving.