Phillip Karig

Phillip Karig

With two weeks to go until the annual Plastics Recycling Conference, we’re featuring another expert who will take the stage to share industry insights.

This week, we feature Phillip Karig, managing director of Mathelin Bay. This international consulting company, headquartered in St. Louis, specializes in the plastics industry. It provides advice and support on mergers and acquisitions, supply chain and technical plastics issues.

Karig will take part in a session titled “The Business of Plastics Recycling,” slated for the afternoon of Feb. 20. To learn more about that session and others, see the full Plastics Recycling 2018 session schedule.

What do you plan to cover in your presentation?

Prices paid for plastics processing companies continue to rise, but not all plastics processing companies are alike when it comes to being attractive to potential acquirers. This presentation will look at what type of companies achieve the highest sales prices and what can be done in advance to improve the chances for a higher return – including for plastics recycling companies.

Can you give an example of what an acquirer might evaluate as an attractive indicator in a plastics recycling company?

Value-added, intellectual property and competitive advantages are often key to sales prices.

What are some of the opportunities you see in the plastics recycling industry in terms of mergers and acquisitions?

The ability to duplicate current model and scale-up size of the business.

Are any of the market shifts we’re seeing making it a particularly opportune or challenging time for mergers?

There’s still lots of cash available for purchases and a large number of potential buyers. Rising interest rates could be a challenge at some point.

Karig will speak during “The Business of Plastics Recycling,” which will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 20. He will be joined by Charles Clowdis of Trans-Logistics Group, Billy Johnson of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, and Scott Pasternak of Burns & McDonnell, in a session moderated by Robert Flores of Berry Global.

Plastics Recycling 2018 is set for Feb. 19-21 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit plasticsrecycling.com for the latest on the conference schedule and session descriptions.