Formulation and Availability of Building and Construction Adhesives, Sealants, and Other Materials
Engineers, architects, specifiers, facility managers, and homeowners must spend time analyzing what performance levels can be obtained by the adhesive and sealant products that are available to them for the environments in which they are being used.
With increasing consolidation among adhesives manufacturers and the raw material suppliers that support them, global product formulation and availability of materials used in these formulations continue to grow in importance. When we factor in pending regulatory control by federal and state authorities toward the health and safety of personnel at the plant level, as well as field applicators of the various building and construction formulations, supply/demand complexities become apparent.
What does all of this mean for engineers, architects, specifiers, and facility managers who desire to have access to use the best product for their application? The answer may soon be that the best products—those that will perform at the highest level for the longest period of time—may become obsolete, in favor of other products that offer average levels of performance but meet the regulatory requirements in place today and increasing globally for the future.