and a bump in sales that might not
have been seen otherwise. Commercial
segments impacting consumers the
most and with the most activity and
funding are those that are federally
funded, healthcare and the institutional
segments.”
The adhesives and sealants industry
also continues to be challenged by ris-
ing raw material prices. Tremco has ini-
tiatives to deal with energy issues both
internally and externally. “Internally,
we have begun the process of reducing
our energy requirements by 50 percent
over the next ten years through process
improvements and building upgrades,”
said Soeder. “Externally, we have been
continuing our efforts on the develop-
ment of comprehensive, compatible
building enclosure solutions that con-
trol air and moisture infiltration, and
utilization of best practices in the
design and construction of weathertight
buildings, to reduce energy consump-
tion and prolong building life.”
Incorporating many of these solutions
and practices, Tremco has completely
restored its corporate headquarters to
demonstrate their effectiveness and
enhance its energy efficiency, indoor air
quality and occupant comfort while
reducing operating costs. This includes
energy-efficient windows and engi-
neered transition assem-
blies to provide a secure
tie-in from the window
assemblies to the wall
assemblies as well as
wind turbines and vege-
tative roofs.
Source: KN&G
H.B. FULLER AND RPM MAKE KEY ACQUISITIONS
Adhesives and sealants manufacturers H.B. Fuller and RPM have made a
number of acquisitions. Recently, H.B. Fuller has completed acquisitions
in three strategic areas. “Our acquisition of Egimelt in Egypt strategical-
ly positioned us to grow in that region of the world with key customer part-
ners,” said Magee. “We acquired Nordic Adhesives which added to our flex-
ible packaging technology portfolio and gave us a foothold in this market
in Europe. Most recently, we acquired Revertex Finewaters in Malaysia,
again positioning ourselves to grow in this part of the world.”
RPM’s Building Solutions Group has acquired Park Dis Ticaret A.S., a
leading supplier of sealants, tapes and membranes to the construction mar-
kets in Turkey. Based in Istanbul, Park has annual sales of approximately
$10 million. Founded in 1994 by Adnan Akkin, Park distributes high-per-
formance sealants, weatherseals, structural silicones, one-side and double-
side adhesive tapes, and adhesives to customers in Turkey, Russia and the
Middle East. “This acquisition will provide Tremco illbruck and the RPM
Building Solutions Group (BSG), a strong base from which to grow our
international presence,” said Frank C. Sullivan, RPM chairman and CEO.
“As part of the RPM BSG, Park will also be able to expand its product offer-
ings into new categories, such as firestopping. We look forward to having
Adnan Akin and his management team join RPM.”
VOC products into decline that much
faster,” said Soeder. “Green building ini-
tiatives like LEED and the federal green
purchasing mandates, which cross all
geographic areas, are creating even
greater demand. The real question now
is what pending regulations such as
California’s Green Chemistry Rule and
the pending EPA Chemical Action Plans
are going to do to the industry. These
have the potential to completely change
the base technologies used in the indus-
try. That is a big wild card and we just
don’t have a total understanding of what
the impact will be.”
Tremco has focused substantial effort
on the development of a green concrete
technology platform. “With fast track
construction creating continuing de-
mands for the reduction in construction
cycles and improved productivity, we
have developed waterproofing mem-
branes, which can be applied to green
concrete instead of having to wait weeks
and our Vulkem 45SSL Expansion Joint
Sealant, which allows next-day applica-
tion to joints in concrete slab pours while
ensuring adhesion and eliminating
‘green cracking’ as the concrete cures,”
said Soeder. “Development is continuing
and we will have some exciting and inno-
vative new products to announce in the
near future.”
H.B. Fuller has launched Flextra,
which offers water-based, solvent-based
and solvent free options for flexible pack-
aging. The company has also launched
Clean Melt low application temperature
Case and Carton adhesive and an inno-
vative new packaging adhesive for the
agricultural market. CW
