Underestimating the importance of technical skills for salespeople

The market for the sale of regenerated polymers , be they granules or ground, has a history that goes back a long way, starting from the approach of the sales force of virgin polymers on regenerated products, in the same markets and on the same customers.

At the beginning, recycled polymers were seen only as an economic advantage to the market demand to reduce the costs of finished products, creating a sort of wild card to be spent when conditions deemed it necessary.

As we have seen over time, the sale of virgin polymers compared to regenerated ones requires completely different approaches , because the technical, qualitative, productive and chromatic stability of a virgin polymer is different or completely different from a regenerated product, of which it is necessary to know the its history.

This approach to sales has led, in many cases, to significant technical and economic problems that did not occur in the past due to the small quantity of regenerated polymer that was produced and sold.

It must be kept in mind that this consumption trend will increase more and more and the problems of waste management, from which regenerated products originate, will be increasingly complex due to the increase on the market of plastics that are difficult to separate and reuse in a technically correct way.

Given these premises, the approach to the sale of a regenerated granule or ground material must start from the seller's preparation on various aspects of the polymer process and their use, in particular:

• Knowledge of the chemical structure of polymers

• Knowledge of the collection and separation cycle

• Knowledge of the regeneration cycle, which includes grinding, selection, washing and extrusion of the granule

• Knowledge of the limits of these processes depending on the available waste inputs

Once this data has been acquired, it is necessary to have the technical information to evaluate the differences in quality of granulated or ground products, a fundamental basis for the correct approach to sales, avoiding errors that would lead to the loss of customer trust and a considerable economic cost in some cases.

The main information that our sales network must acquire is:

• Knowledge of the functioning of a laboratory and the importance of systematic testing

• Knowledge of the most used recycled materials, such as PP-HD-LD and PVC, and some basic tests such as density, DSC, MFI, ash content and IZOD.

• Know how to interpret test results to understand the quality of the product you want to sell

Having collected, interpreted and understood the information from laboratory tests, it is important to understand what interactions the polymers can have with each other, and what the chemical and physical reactions will be during processing and in the life of the finished product.

Proposing a polymer to the customer only through the identification of a generic parameter, for example only the MFI or the density, is unprofessional and dangerous.

It is understandable that in today's world, where the speed and fluidity of relationships is a preponderant fact, the conclusion of a sale is also the result of pressure, both on the part of those who buy and those who sell, to finalize a lot and in a short time.

However, I would like to say that the approach to the sale, as well as the purchase, of regenerated materials does not allow hasty evaluations if one does not want to regret it later.

From here a fundamental skill arises, which is to know the interactions and behaviors that the various families of polymers have among themselves and between and other substances incorporated during waste recycling, in particular:

• Physico-chemical behavior between HD and PP, for example in bottle blowing or film

• Chemical-physical behavior between HD and PP, for example in the extrusion of pipes or profiles

• Chemical-physical behavior between PP and PE in moulding, especially in relation to surface quality

• Chemical-physical behavior between LD and PP and LLD for film production

• Chemical-physical behavior of polymers in the presence of gas or humidity

• Mechanical behavior and technical limits on the presence of mineral fillers in the various polymers

• Mechanical behavior and technical limits in the use of PVC of different compositions for pipes, fittings and profiles

Last but not least, due to the relevance of the related implications, it is important that those approaching the sale know the behavior of regenerated products, especially in post-consumer production, and the consequences on the quality of the finished products.

I would like to give just a few exhaustive examples:

• Prevention of surface defects in the production of HD, MD, PVC and LD smooth pipes

• Prevention of surface defects on HD and PP corrugated pipe rings

• Prevention of defects on the internal surface of double-walled corrugated pipes

• Knowledge of mechanical reinforcement techniques for corrugated pipes using post-consumer granules

• Knowledge of techniques for protection from atmospheric agents and durability of products

• Knowledge of the problem of blowing bottles and jars with regenerated materials in relation to surface quality, resistance to welding, crushing, color and vertical compression over time.

• Knowledge of the behavior in the machine and on the finished product of the use of post-consumer or mixed LD and HD, for the production of the film of different thicknesses, in particular how to avoid problems of surface quality, tear resistance, elasticity and brilliance of the color

• Knowledge of the behavior during molding and on finished products of mixed polymers even in small quantities

• Knowledge of the balancing behaviors of recipes between post-consumer, post-industrial and virgin polymers, by virtue of improvements in the production cycle and the aesthetic and mechanical quality of the finished products.

For a seller, knowledge of regenerated materials is certainly a reason for self-confidence in the sales phase, but it is also the same for the customer who buys it because competence minimizes production errors.