A. Todd Muhleman

The ChemQuest Group currently estimates the value of the global adhesives and sealants industry at approximately $51 billion, comprised of $44.5 million in adhesives and $6.2 billion in sealants.

Coming into 2015, the U.S. adhesives industry looks to continue its recent trend of lower-than-normal volume growth. Historically, adhesives and sealants have been growing about 1½ times of the gross domestic product (GDP) in the U.S.

The outlook for the U.S. adhesives and sealants industry at the mid-point of 2014 has slightly improved over 2013. After growing just 1.9% in 2013, most economists are predicting the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) will grow 3% for 2014.

On a daily basis, television, newspaper, and radio fill their programming with “experts” who are all too eager to prognosticate where the stock market will be in 12 months, how quickly the sea will rise in the next 100 years, or who will win the Super Bowl and why.

Current government austerity policies in the U.S. and Europe appear to be lowering GDP through reduced government spending and increased taxes. At the same time, central banks in developed countries around the world continue efforts to boost economic growth with unprecedented accommodative monetary policies.

In August 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a joint final rule for Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for 2017-2025.

Construction-related end uses are among the largest categories of adhesive applications, making up approximately $4 billion of the $16 billion adhesive market in the U.S.