Forecasting

Predict market movements with AI precision.

Use AI and time-lag analytics to forecast product prices and feedstock trends, empowering buyers to anticipate changes and negotiate strategically.

Forecast · Ethylene film Aug 24, 2021 → Jun 8, 2026
USD / lb · index
Now · Jun 2025
Ethylene · today
0.567 USD/lb
↑ +5.8% forecast · 6M
Sep 2023Jan 2024Sep 2024May 2025Jan 2026May 2026
Ethylene · North America Natural gas UK Electricity
The old way

Price increases arrive when the invoice does.

Reactive, not predictive
Feedstock moves first, supplier quotes follow — buyers hear the number last and start every negotiation on the back foot.
Forecasts live in PDFs
Third-party outlooks land as static reports — outside the RFX, outside the should-cost, outside the moment you actually need them.
Budgets built on last year
Without a forward view, next year's plan is an extrapolation of the last one — and the first shock breaks it.
The PINPOOLS way

Forecasts before the quote lands.

PINPOOLS uses AI and time-lag analytics to forecast raw material and product prices before they hit supplier quotes. Buyers get early alerts on expected increases or decreases so they can renegotiate contracts, time spot buys, and plan budgets more accurately.

Ethylene film — 6-month outlook AI forecastUpdated today
Historical + forecast
Now+3M+6M
Forecast delta
3-month
+4.2%
6-month
+8.9%
Feedstock & index driven
Alert triggered — feedstock up 6.1% over 4 weeks. Product price expected to follow with a 5-week lag.
Benefits

What buyers get out of it.

Five outcomes procurement teams see when forecasts move from static reports to a live signal inside sourcing.

Improve budget planning

Bring a forward view into annual and quarterly plans — budgets stop being extrapolations of last year and start reflecting the market ahead.

Negotiate ahead of the curve

Get early alerts on expected increases or decreases and re-open contracts, time spot buys, and challenge quotes with forward-looking data.

Reduce risk exposure

See feedstock shocks propagate before they hit your final product. Time-lag analysis turns global events into an early warning, not a surprise.

Enhance sourcing strategy

Time renegotiations, spot buys, and budget commitments to the forecast — sourcing becomes proactive, not reactive to whatever landed today.

Key capabilities

What lives under the hood.

The mechanics that turn indices, benchmarks, and historical data into a forecast buyers can act on.

NOW3M6M

AI-based forecasting engine

The model correlates multiple indices, benchmarks and historical data to build a per-material forecast — refreshed as new signals land.

FeedstockProductt + Δ

Time-lag correlation analysis

The engine measures how feedstock movements propagate to the final product with a delay — so an upstream shock becomes an early signal.

IndicesBenchmarksHistoricalsFUSED FORECAST3M · 6M

Index and benchmark fusion

A single forecast draws on relevant indices, real transaction-based benchmarks, and historical data — no single-source blind spots.

20212022202320243m1yAll

Historical trend visualization

Multi-year price history plotted next to the forecast — buyers see the context that shaped today's number, not just the number itself.

3Ethylene · +4.2% 3MForecast updated · todayNatural gas · alert+6.1% over 4 weeksEthylene film · +8.9% 6MThreshold crossed

Automated notifications

Set thresholds per material and get pinged when the forecast changes meaningfully — no more discovering the shift a week after it happened.

How it works

Five steps from a material list to a timed decision.

From selecting the materials you want to forecast, to acting on the number in a renegotiation or spot buy.

Forecast · pick materials
Ethylene: North AmericaFeedstock
Selected
Natural gasFeedstock
Selected
UK ElectricityUtility index
Available
1

Select the materials to forecast.

Pick the raw materials or products you want a forward view on — one item, a category, or an entire portfolio. Each selection unlocks the relevant indices, benchmarks and feedstocks in the background.

Materials · feedstocks · indices

Correlate indices, benchmarks and history.

PINPOOLS correlates multiple indices, real transaction-based benchmarks, and historical data to build a forecast per material — no single-source blind spots.

Indices + benchmarks + historicals → forecast
2
Forecast build — Ethylene film
Ethylene index (NA)weight 42%
Natural gasweight 28%
UK Electricityweight 18%
PINPOOLS benchmarkweight 12%
Refreshed: today · 09:14
Time-lag analysis Δ = 5 weeks
Feedstock ↑ Product ↑ (+5w)
Feedstock moves first — product price follows with a measurable delay.
3

Read the time-lag propagation.

Time-lag analysis shows how feedstock movements propagate to your final product with a measurable delay — an upstream shock becomes an early warning for your quote, not a surprise on the invoice.

Upstream → downstream with delay Δ

Set up automated alerts.

Define thresholds per material — % change, direction, horizon — and get notified when the forecast crosses one. You act on the shift when it happens, not a week after.

Thresholds → alerts by email / in-app
4
Notification rules 3 active
Ethylene film · 3M forecastNotify when ≥ ±3%On
Natural gas · weeklyNotify when ≥ ±5% over 4 weeksOn
Portfolio digestWeekly summary · every MondayOn
What-if simulation · Ethylene film
Base forecast
+4.2%
+ Gas shock 10%
+7.9%
Renegotiate before quarterly refresh
14-day window before supplier reprices
5

Simulate, then act.

Combine the forecast with should-cost models to run "what-if" scenarios and assess the impact of global events. Then use the number to time renegotiations, spot buys, and budget commitments.

Should-cost + what-if → timed action
Business case

From reactive to predictive sourcing.

Customers use PINPOOLS' AI forecasting capabilities to anticipate critical raw material movements before they impact supplier pricing. By correlating multiple indices and historical data, buyers receive early alerts on expected price increases or decreases. This enables proactive contract renegotiations, timely spot buys, and better budget accuracy.

Procurement teams combine forecasting with should-cost models to simulate multiple "what-if" scenarios and assess the financial impact of global events. As a result, they move from reactive to predictive sourcing, reducing volatility and protecting margins.
Cost avoidance
Up to €500K
reported by customers
Market rise predicted early
12%
flagged before supplier quotes
Negotiation advantage
14 days
head start on the quote
Long-term forecasts
Reliable, defensible
built on real transactions
Improved planning accuracy across categories
Forecasts feed budget commitments and what-if scenarios — annual plans reflect the market ahead, not the market last year.

“For the first time we saw the raw material curve turn before the supplier did. We renegotiated two weeks ahead of the reprice — that never used to be possible.”

Trusted by industry leaders

Procurement teams in chemicals, pharma, and coatings
forecast with PINPOOLS.

Frequently asked

Forecasting questions, answered.

How far ahead can PINPOOLS forecast?

The Benchmarks tab already shows 3-month and 6-month forecasts per material with a detailed explanation of the drivers. Longer horizons can be built on top of should-cost models.

What data feeds the forecast?

A fusion of relevant indices, real transaction-based benchmarks, and historical data. The AI engine runs correlation and time-lag analysis on top.

Do I get alerted when the forecast changes?

Yes — automated notifications are built into the forecasting engine.

Can I model global-event impact?

Yes. Combining forecasting with should-cost models lets buyers simulate "what-if" scenarios — raw material shocks, energy price shifts, logistics disruptions.

Is forecasting connected to my RFX process?

Yes. Forecast insights integrate with RFX and Series Requests, so buyers can time market entry and challenge supplier quotes with forward-looking data.

Stop reacting to the market. Predict it.

See a live forecast for your own materials in a 30-minute demo — with your feedstocks, on your data.

Trusted by industry leaders · No commitment · Onboarding in days