During COVID, clients and colleagues realized there was far too much risk in their supply chain. For the most part, they realized the stark difference in requesting help from in-demand suppliers vs. collaborating jointly with supply chain partners. Given the robust demand for raw materials to successfully support key customer needs, suppliers have no choice but to prioritize. There is little doubt they are prioritizing strategic and profitable customers, as well as those with long-term agreements.

Parker Hannifin Corp. is investing in a 75,000-sq-ft expansion and modernization of its Parker LORD chemical manufacturing plant in Saegertown, Pa. This expansion to the existing 250,000-sq-ft facility will help enable Parker LORD to increase its share of the growing adhesives market.

Quick thinking. Open communication. Digital solutions. Streamlined processes. Wide-ranging supply chain issues coupled with the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed companies that supply raw materials and chemicals to their limits. But as the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention—and players in the adhesives and sealants industry are nothing if not inventive.

At present, polymers do not have to be registered under Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).  Nevertheless, a possible change in the treatment of polymers is envisioned in Article 138(2) of REACH, which may result in polymers being included in the registration requirements. 

Bill Allmond, president of The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC), shares details regarding the 2022 World Adhesive and Sealant Conference (WAC2022), including planned keynotes and technical sessions, the much-anticipated EXPO, various networking opportunities, and more.

How does your company decide where and how to expand? Please contact me at suttons@bnpmedia.com to share your story.

To start us off, Jowat’s Gerhard Haas asks: How can we make adhesives and bonding processes more sustainable? Luckily, he also provides some insightful answers clustered under a central recommendation to seek a holistic approach to sustainability. Learn more in “Green Bonding.”

Two distinct strategies are at play in adhesives and sealants segment M&A—one being employed by large, global consolidators and the other by domestic, private equity-backed consolidators.

After more than 20 years of sharing his expertise and wisdom in the monthly Ask Dr. Dave column, Dave Dunn has retired as a columnist. Here we share some of his most popular columns over the years.