Columns

The Latest Adhesive Research: From Smart Functionality to Bioinspired Design

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:30:00 -0400

Adhesives are designed to bond materials together, but ongoing innovation continues to expand their role well beyond that core function.

Reshaping Supply Chains with Artificial Intelligence

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Resilient, technology-enabled supply chains are becoming the competitive edge in the AI-powered electronics boom

M&A: Shaping the Adhesives Landscape

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The adhesives and sealants market is characterized by five companies that account for close to one-third of the global market.

Three Key Trends Shaping Adhesives and Sealants Advances

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Adhesives are no longer background consumables; they are strategic enablers of greener supply chains, lighter designs, and smarter high‑speed manufacturing.

Key Trends and Technologies Powering Distribution Success

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Distributors are strategically leveraging artificial intelligence, advanced technologies, and predictive analytics to navigate emerging risks, capitalize on new opportunities, and drive sustained business performance and profitability.

Mastering Key Performance Indicators for Long-Term Success

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

KPIs are important gauges of a company’s productivity and efficiency, but simply having KPIs does not guarantee success. This column explores how to improve the KPI process.

ASI Academy: A New Resource for the Adhesives and Sealants Industry

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This issue of ASI features the annual raw materials and chemicals overview from the experts at ChemQuest.

Resiliency of Paramount Importance for Supply Chain Success

Wed, 23 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

As geopolitical unrest, natural disasters, and shifting trade policies upend global logistics, resilient companies are transforming their supply chains to gain competitive advantage and ensure growth.

The PFAS Discussion: Update 2025

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This column provides a current snapshot of PFAS regulatory action in the United States using recent actions in the states of New Mexico, Maine, and Minnesota.

Navigating Uncertainty: Business and Human Strategies for 2025 and Beyond

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

If I were to sum up the general vibe experienced in the world over the last five-plus years in one word, the word I would choose is uncertainty.

Creating Scalability for Supply Chain Success

Mon, 16 Jun 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Like almost every manufacturing sector, the building and construction products industry generally worked through their backlog, focused on margins, and experienced an overall drop in customer demand last year, yet expect a positive year ahead.

Testing Helps Avoid Million-Dollar Mistakes

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Thu, 29 May 2025 00:00:00 -0400

I am not going to sugar coat it, working for a publication dedicated to adhesives and sealants has generated not an insignificant amount of gentle ribbing from people in my life. And the longer I do this job, the less patience I have for the puns and jokes and the more apt I am to respond with a bit of a lecture about how important adhesives and sealants are to all of our lives.

Old Friends, New Developments in the Adhesives Industry

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

2025 is shaping up to be a year of potentially big change in many areas, including within the chemical industry and the manufacturing industry.

Navigating the Maze: How to Assess and Prioritize Opportunities in the Adhesives and Sealants Market

Thu, 24 Apr 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The specialty materials sector, including adhesives and sealants, is constantly evolving with new ideas, products, and markets. As a result, professionals face the ongoing challenge of determining where to allocate their time, resources, and efforts.

Challenges, Innovation, and Strategic Responses for the Global Chemical Industry

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Thu, 27 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0400

This issue of ASI features our annual roundup of the latest innovations in raw materials offered to adhesive and sealant formulators and manufacturers. Additionally, I encourage you to visit our updated Raw Materials, Chemicals, Polymers, and Additives Handbook.

Demand and Capacity Planning Pivotal for Profitable Growth

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0400

Proactive manufacturers are leaning on predictive demand planning processes to estimate and get ahead of changing capacity and down-the-line supply chain needs.

Adhesive Innovations are Fueling Growth in Transportation

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 00:00:00 -0500

This issue of ASI features a number of topics, including formulating ultra-low monomer solvent-free adhesives, how to optimize a manufacturing process with heat-activated sealants and structural adhesives, using captured carbon to create methanol for adhesives, and innovations for the packaging of adhesives.

Supply Chain Resiliency A Must for Success

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Risks abound in the global supply chain and goods movement systems. The only successful strategy to thrive is to create a resilient supply chain. According to the Global Port Tracker (GPT) report from Hackett Associates and the National Retail Federation (NRF), the specter of labor strife and new tariffs, along with strong sales, is driving U.S. retailers to keep imports surging through the spring.

Sustainable Packaging Brings Innovation Opportunities for Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Product packaging is one of the many areas where consumer and brand-driven demands for more sustainable solutions are high.

The Digital Dilemma: Balancing AI's Promise with Human Productivity

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Thu, 30 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

This issue of ASI features what many consider the main trend of our time: digitalization and the move to the ever-increasing use of technology to accomplish tasks and solve problems.

Digitization of the Supply Chain Drives Profitable Growth

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 00:00:00 -0500

According to a McKinsey study, investment in supply chain digitization is slowing down after rapid growth in 2020-2023. On the other hand, the McKinsey Global Supply Chain Leader Survey finds that nine out of 10 respondents continue to experience supply chain challenges.

Neanderthal 'Factory' and the Long History of Innovation

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Scientists have discovered a hearth in an excavation area of the Vanguard Cave, a natural sea cave in Gibraltar, that shows evidence of what one might be tempted to call the first adhesive and sealant "factory."

Creating a Robust and Resilient Medical Products Supply Chain

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Opportunities to increase market share will increase when companies are pre-positioned for growth in a resilient and scalable way.

A New Event for the Adhesives Industry

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 00:00:00 -0500

There are two pieces of information that have been repeatedly presented to me since I started editing this publication: one – people in this industry work very hard to create new chemistries to solve large and small problems across many, many industries; and two – the average person never really considers the impact adhesives and sealants have on their day-to-day lives.

Manufacturing and Assembly: Automate, Create Value and Deliver Bottom-Line Results

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

During uncertain times, manufacturers can adopt new methods to create stability and deliver sustainable bottom-line results.

Sourcing Assembly Adhesives: A Case Study for End Users

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The various supply chain disruptions of the past several years brought into sharp focus the need to identify alternative sources for key products, including adhesives used in assembly operations.

The Time for Sustainable Solutions is Now

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 00:00:00 -0400

A recent report on the demand for sustainable adhesives projects that the market for sustainable adhesives will be worth $3.7 billion by 2029.

Charting a Path Forward for Science and Engineering in the U.S.

ParkerK@bnpmedia.com (Karen Parker) — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

If you happened to be traveling on an airplane, using public transit in a major U.S. city, or interacting with your healthcare provider the week of July 19, then you may have had a very personal, up-close experience with the overarching role technology plays in our modern world.

Overall Industry Sales Were Down in 2023; Optimism Is Up

Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

To summarize the overall trends in the industry in 2023, sales from many companies were down for the year, but the end of the year and the beginning of 2024 offer reasons for optimism.

Adhesives and Sealants Unique Properties in Electronics Under the EU Ecodesign Regulation

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Because of their unique properties in the electronics sector, adhesives and sealants make a difference in terms of process efficiency, design optimization, durability, repairability, and recycling.