Strategies & Analysis
by Phil Phillips, PhD
Contributing Editor
phillips@chemarkconsulting.net
The world’s industrial regions are moving, as one, in their use of structural adhesives within the
major assembly markets. We estimate the
global use of structural assembly adhesive
systems at 6. 5 Bn pounds and valued at
$16.0 Bn USD. North America at 28.6%
share of this global market, is 1,867MM
in volume and growing at between 4.8%
and 5.2% annually. Epoxies lead the NA
assembly market by 43.2% over the next
leading resin technology – urethanes at
$490.3MM while acrylics are 61.9% behind epoxies at $328MM with silicones
at $187MM, 78.3% behind the leader,
epoxies. There are three sectors of the
structural adhesives marketplace: commodity, transitional and high value.
Commodity is characterized by high
volume, low prices, low profit contribution and weak physical performance.
Transitional assembly adhesives is characterized by modest volume, mid-range
pricing, greater profit contribution and
modest performance while high value
assembly adhesives has low relative volume, highest prices & profit contribution
and outstanding performance.
By generic resin type, the graph shows
the relative value streaming from left
(low) to right (high).
The NA Assembly Adhesives Market
has 13 major segments and range in
size and share of market space from
the two largest at 36.2% & 34.5%,
Automotive OEM and Building &
Construction, respectively to the smallest
RV Transportation at 0.5%.
The segments with the fastest growth
in rank order are:
• General Electronics
• Wind energy
• Aerospace
• Automotive OEM
•Building & Construction; General
Assembly; Transportation-Truck/Bus
•Auto Aftermarket; Transportation-
Marine; Appliance
• Transportation -RV;
Transportation -HD
• Transportation-Rail
One of several drivers in the faster
growth segments is the use of smart/func-
tional adhesives systems. For example
Nanotubes are starting to aid function-
ality by improving adhesive bonding at
lower bead thicknesses while providing
miniature electric circuitry which can re-
duce road noise in Auto applications.
Other applications where nano-con-
taining assembly adhesives systems are
either being commercially introduced or
are being seriously considered are:
• Electronic - miniaturization bonding
• Aerospace, Wind Energy,
Transportation, General Assembly -
weight reduction programs
Your comments and inquires are al-
ways welcome. CW
Global Structural Assembly Adhesives
