Collaboration and Innovation Drive the Conversation at ASC's Convention and EXPO
The neon lights of Nashville’s Broadway may have been calling from just down the street, but the real electricity was inside the Grand Hyatt, where the Adhesive and Sealant Council’s 2026 Annual Convention and EXPO proved once again that this industry thrives when its people come together. With the theme "Connecting Industries: Innovations in Adhesives & Sealants," the event highlighted how collaboration and new thinking are helping companies tackle some of the industry’s most pressing challenges.
A highlight for me was the keynote address on Tuesday morning. Kaiser Yang, CEO and cofounder of Platypus Labs, outlined a new way to look at innovation. According to Yang, people often view innovation as something large, dramatic, and inaccessible, when in reality it can be built from small, everyday acts of creativity — what he calls "micro-innovations." He pointed to a supermarket chain in South Korea that developed packaging with bananas arranged from green to ripe in a single pack, allowing customers to eat one per day and reducing waste.
In his presentation, Yang identified key mindsets shared by effective innovators. Among these mindsets is the belief that "any barrier can be overcome." By being persistent and reframing problems, we can overcome limitations instead of accepting them. He shared an example of a transit system in India that used data showing riders' strong interest in the lottery to develop a creative solution for reducing fare evasion.
Yang also discussed how we can innovate by seeking unexpected solutions, citing Cloudflare's use of a wall of lava lamps to convert their chaotic patterns into numeric data for generating cryptographic keys used in internet encryption.
Finally, Yang encouraged those in the room to "start before you are ready," and favor action over perfection. He encouraged attendees to test ideas, learn from failure, and iterate, rather than waiting for ideal conditions to try something new.
The Wednesday morning keynote presentation from Dr. Anirban Basu, chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, discussed the current economic environment in an engaging and informative way. Basu’s central message is that the U.S. economy in 2026 is performing better on paper than many people feel. Key indicators like GDP growth, low unemployment, and a strong stock market performance suggest the possibility of a stable, mid-cycle expansion rather than a recession. Basu reported that consumer spending is still holding up and corporate profits are strong, partly driven by major investments in artificial intelligence. However, Basu explained that this overall strength is paired with widespread dissatisfaction, largely because inflation remains elevated.
This issue of ASI highlights the innovations and insights shaping today’s adhesives and sealants landscape, from materials and processing to market dynamics. It includes: an article outlining how dispersible hot-melt adhesives offer a solution for cleaner PET recycling and improved material recovery; a technical article that discusses how formulation choices in aspartic chemistry directly influence stiffness, flexibility, and thermal performance in coatings; an article that outlines how proper tape selection and maintenance help to maximize performance in heat-sealing systems; and a study of the current PSA market, which outlines where industry experts project growth.
This issue also explores adhesive and liner compatibility in label applications, along with strategies for optimizing masking tape in transportation. I hope you enjoy the May issue, and as always, I welcome your feedback at parkerk@bnpmedia.com.
