Adhesives and sealants are truly everywhere, and their use is growing daily: from the cars we drive and the homes we build to the planes we fly in and the phones that we rely on so much. It’s exciting to be part of an industry that is so all-pervasive. That’s one reason I enjoy developing articles like our annual ASI Top 20 ranking of the leading manufacturers of adhesives and sealants—it’s fun to see what everyone’s up to! The other reason is that, as the industry’s voice, we at ASI are in the perfect position to celebrate all of its numerous successes, milestones, and innovations. And the ASI Top 20 gives us the opportunity to do just that.

In order to develop this year’s ranking, we reached out to manufacturers and requested details (e.g., sales figures, R&D spending) related specifically to their adhesives and sealants business. Along with company-supplied information, we poured over sources such as annual reports, investor presentations, company websites, and press releases to glean additional details regarding each company’s adhesives and sealants-related activities.

I would like to personally send my thanks to all of the companies that answered our call for information regarding their businesses. We couldn’t do it without you! Unfortunately, some organizations did not respond or declined to provide focused information. In these cases, if publically available information did not provide enough detail for reasonable estimates regarding their adhesives and sealants-related businesses, the companies had to be left out of the ranking. While this is certainly regrettable, the result is a ranking that represents the industry by truly focusing specifically on adhesives and sealants.

The ASI Top 20 is exciting, but it certainly isn’t the only thing we’ve got for you in this issue. We also cover a sustainable option for two-component packaging, cartridge-based dispensing technologies for coatings, a case study focused on a silicone sealant for an emergency light housing, and more.

I would love to hear your thoughts regarding the 2019 ASI Top 20. If you have comments or suggestions for future rankings, or if you would like your company to be considered for the 2020 ASI Top 20, please contact me at (248) 786-1704 or suttons@bnpmedia.com.