This issue of ASI is very exciting for our staff, because we’re able to announce the winners of the first-annual ASI Readers’ Choice Awards! Innovation truly drives the success of the adhesives and sealants industry, and we created the ASI Readers’ Choice Awards to celebrate all of the industry’s hard work and ingenuity.

Companies were invited to submit their new and innovative products in three categories (Equipment, Raw Materials/Chemicals, and Formulated Adhesives/Sealants), and our readers and online community voted for their favorite product(s). I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that the votes have been counted, and the winners are (drum roll, please):

•  Equipment—Pico® 500 Hz Dispense Valve from Nordson EFD

•  Raw Materials/Chemicals—Low-Volatile Pure Monomer Resins from Eastman Chemical Co.

•  Formulated Adhesives/Sealants—MS PLUS® Resilient with ACOUS-TEC™ from W.F. Taylor.

Please see the additional information provided in this issue for each of the winning entries.

We’re also excited about The ChemQuest Group’s annual State-of-the-Industry Report in this issue, which points to multiple reasons for optimism and increased activity. “The industry’s balance sheet is significantly improved, leading to much better prospects for investment in continued innovation and fueling the prospects for a return to heated mergers and acquisitions in 2014,” writes Daniel S. Murad, president and CEO. 

In addition, this issue focuses on “green” and sustainability, with articles detailing solid-system adhesives, regulatory compliance, bio-waste opportunities, and environmentally friendly floor coverings. We’re also very pleased to be able to include the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council’s 2013 Carl A. Dahlquist Award-winning paper in this issue: Transposable Adhesives: Acrylic Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives with Reactive Components by Avery Dennison’s Kyle R. Heimbach.

 How does innovation drive your company? What “green” success stories do you have to share? Contact me at (330) 336-4098 or suttons@bnpmedia.com to share your story.