Meaning
A comprehensive financial metric aggregates the purchase price of polymer resin with all transport, duty, handling, and terminal expenses incurred to deliver the material to the molding plant. Procurement departments use landed cost per tonne to evaluate the true financial impact of importing raw materials compared to buying from domestic distributors. This calculation prevents companies from overestimating the savings offered by low-cost foreign chemical suppliers.
Expense Composition
The calculation includes the baseline price of the resin at the chemical plant gates and the subsequent cost of dry bulkhead containers or railcars. Port fees, customs clearance charges, import tariffs, and local drayage are then added to the ledger to establish the total delivery cost. This exhaustive sum represents the actual capital required to place one metric ton of polymer into the storage silos.
Sourcing Strategy
While foreign sources often offer lower base resin prices, the additional expenses can erase these gains. Sourcing teams use landed cost per tonne to establish price thresholds below which importing remains viable. When the delivered cost of imported resin approaches the domestic market price, the supply chain is restructured to reduce the risk of transport delays.
This evaluation guides multi-year polymer supply agreements.
Cost Variance
Unpredictable ocean freight rates and sudden customs adjustments create volatility in the delivered price. Measuring the landed cost per tonne across different ports of entry helps companies optimize their shipping lanes.
