Adhesives & Sealants Industry Top Stories

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Our industry has seen an unprecedented increase in moisture-related claims due to many factors associated with a wider selection of floor coverings in use. These factors range from fast-track building construction and the increased use of non-standard size flooring tiles and planks to a reduction in porous floor-covering backings, as well as improperly specified and applied adhesives, improperly trained installers and poor drainage.

U.S. adhesives consumption continued to grow in 2015, a positive trend that began after the culmination of the global recession seven years ago. Compared to 2014, the market has increased by 3% in value terms to $11.3 billion, and by 18% when compared with 2008.

If you own a company that participates in the global adhesives and sealants industry, you’ve likely enjoyed several years of sustained growth bolstered by the performance of major end use sectors such as packaging, construction, and automotive.

When most people think about sustainability in manufacturing, they think “green”—as in using less energy per unit of output, using materials that are more environmentally friendly, generating less waste, etc. These are all worthy components of sustainable manufacturing, aimed at reducing the consumption of limited resources so that our businesses can continue to grow today and prosper tomorrow.

In the medical sector, more and more equipment and casings are glued together, rather than screwed or plugged. At BBraun, a leading manufacturer of medical technology and pharmaceutical products, a production step was recently examined by Supratec Syneo, a sales partner of the ViscoTec brand preeflow in France.

A caulking sealant has three basic functions: filling a gap between two or more substrates; forming a barrier through the physical properties of the sealant itself and by adhesion to the substrate; and maintaining sealing properties for the expected lifetime, service conditions, and environments.

From May 15-19, nearly 300 pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tape professionals—including scientists, professors, CEOs, VPs and sales professionals—gathered at the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas Convention Center for the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council’s (PSTC) Tape Summit 2017.

The adhesives and sealants supply chain is complex. The diversity of applications means an assortment of customers. In addition, strong growth in housing markets, infrastructure spending, and automotive sales is occurring worldwide (with higher growth in Asia-Pacific), creating a unique set of fulfillment challenges.

FLEXcon Co. Inc. recently collaborated with Polestar Technologies in Needham Heights, Mass., a company that specializes in high-tech sensors and monitoring equipment. Optical sensor technology is being used with life-support systems such as the mixed gas rebreathers used by emergency personnel, as well as for recreational diving.

The flexible packaging market is projected to expand from $102.19 billion in 2017 to $131.65 billion by 2022, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%, according to  a recent report from MarketsandMarkets™. Demand is growing for the global flexible plastic packaging market due to an increase in manufacturing activities and rising demand for conveniently packaged products.