The economic toll of the global COVID-19 pandemic is vast and ongoing. According to Bill Allmond, president of The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), member companies have experienced varying degrees of difficulty, and those difficulties have likely evolved over the course of the crisis. The ASC’s manufacturer members began experiencing the downturn initially in the late first/early second quarter, depending on the end-use sectors they serve. Supplier members then followed, as demand for materials and equipment decreased due to various closures and reduced demand.
“The impact really depends on which markets our members’ products are sold into,” Allmond explains. “For example, packaging, consumer, DIY, hygiene, they’ve all been performing better compared to other markets, such as automotive, building and construction, woodworking.”