CRM for plastics and polymer companies

Plastics and polymer companies need a CRM that follows a grade from first enquiry to a signed volume contract. The product is often a commodity on paper, yet the sale depends on approvals, trial runs and a purchasing process that starts long before an order.

In PromptLab, trial quantities go in as samples, each customer's grades sit on their price list, and call-offs against a volume contract are logged as sales orders. The wider factory view is on the manufacturers page.

How does a plastics sale actually work?

A moulder or extruder rarely switches resin on a whim. A new grade has to run on the machine, give acceptable parts and survive the customer's own tests. So the first call is usually with a process engineer, not a buyer.

The typical path looks like this:

1. A customer asks for an alternative to a grade it already uses, or needs a grade for a new part.
2. You propose a grade and send the data sheet.
3. You ship a trial quantity, often a few bags or an octabin.
4. The customer runs a trial and checks the parts.
5. Quality signs it off, and sometimes the end brand has to approve as well.
6. Procurement negotiates price and a volume commitment.

Compounders add a step before all this: a custom formulation. A colour, a filler level or an additive package is developed for one customer, and the CRM has to remember which version was approved.

What is different about grades, approvals and volume contracts?

Grades. One resin family can have dozens of grades, and the customer may buy three of them. The CRM has to record which grade is on which part, not just "polypropylene".

Approvals. A customer's approval is tied to a grade, a supplier and sometimes a plant. If you change a grade or a source, the approval can lapse, so you want the approval date and the grade in a field you can filter.

Volume contracts. Commodity pricing moves, so many contracts fix a volume over a period and let the price follow a formula or a periodic review. The sales rep needs to see the committed volume, what has shipped against it and when the next review falls.

What pipeline stages fit resins and compounds?

Add a second pipeline for custom compounds, with stages for brief, lab development, customer approval and scale-up. The lab steps are internal, but the customer waits on them, so they deserve a place on the board.

What must a plastics CRM track?

• Grade and application per account, so you can answer "who uses this grade?" in seconds.
• Trial quantities, with lot reference, ship date and the process engineer's result.
• Approval status and date, per grade and per customer.
• Committed volumes, with the contract period and the review date.
• Price lists per customer and grade, in the pack sizes you sell (bags, octabins, bulk).
• Your cost per grade, so a quote shows the margin on each line before it goes out.

How do you set this up in PromptLab?

1. 1

   Set up the pipeline and a compounds pipeline

   Use the stages above for resins, and a second pipeline for custom compounds. Both sit on the same account list.

2. 2

   Add grade and approval fields

   Add fields for grade, application, approval date and committed annual volume. With the approval date on the account, a rep can see which approvals are getting old and plan a review before a change of grade or source puts them at risk.

3. 3

   Track trial quantities as samples

   Log each trial shipment with sample tracking, and record the lot and the engineer's result as feedback. If the customer comes back after six months, the history is there.

4. 4

   Quote from customer price lists

   Keep a price list per customer, by grade, and quote from it. The approved quote becomes the sales order, and later call-offs go in as sales orders on the same account.

5. 5

   Record the technical calls

   Record the trial review calls in Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Summaries and action items attach to the account, and on Professional, CRM autofill can fill custom fields such as application from what was said.

6. 6

   Reach overseas buyers where they reply

   Connect WhatsApp and your company Telegram bot to the shared Inbox. Quick questions about a lot or a delivery stay in the thread on the account.

How does PromptLab compare for plastics sales?

Swipe the table sideways to see every CRM →

Attio is the closest in spirit if you like to model your own data: you could define grade, trial and approval objects exactly as you want them. That is also the catch. Quotes, price lists and orders don't exist until someone builds them, and recording a technical call starts on its Pro plan at $79 a seat a month, billed annually.

HubSpot's free CRM and $7 Starter plan, billed annually, are cheap places to keep contacts, and its marketing tools are strong. For a resin sale, quoting sits in the separate Revenue Hub, and there are no sales orders, samples or price lists. Pipedrive's Nova assistant records calls on every plan from $14 a seat a month, billed annually, and its pipeline is quick to learn, but a volume contract's call-offs would live outside it, since it has no sales orders. See Attio, HubSpot and Pipedrive compared in detail.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best CRM for a plastics or resin supplier?

One that has samples, price lists, quotes and sales orders as records, and a pipeline you can shape around trials and approvals. PromptLab includes these on all plans from $11.99 per user per month.

How do I track trial runs in a CRM?

Log each trial shipment as a sample on the deal, with lot, date and contact, and record the engineer's result as feedback. Then add a task to chase the result.

Can a CRM track volume contracts?

Yes. Record the committed volume, contract period and review date as fields on the account, and log each call-off as a sales order. PromptLab keeps the orders on the account and the deal, so the rep sees what has been ordered against the contract.

Do I need an ERP integration?

Not to get started. If you run Acumatica, it brings customers, contacts, leads and opportunities into PromptLab. From any other ERP, import customers and orders from a CSV or Excel export. Professional adds webhooks and the API if you want more later.

Is PromptLab suitable for a small compounder?

Yes. Plans start at $11.99 per user per month, the compounds pipeline is a handful of stages, and the sales team can set it all up without a consultant. Basic and Professional start with a 14-day free trial.