Coatings World - November 2015

Catherine Diamond, Associate Editor

The adhesives and sealants market is growing at a healthy clip. According to a report published earlier this year, the U.S. demand for adhesives and sealants is expected to reach nearly $13 billion in 2019. Researchers at The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland-based industry market research firm, predict that demand will increase 2.8 percent each year to 6. 4 billion pounds in 2019.

A turnaround in construction activity, combined with the
expanding use of adhesives and sealants in manufacturing and
assembly, will underpin demand gains. Analyst Carolyn Zulandt
found: “Adhesive bonding technologies will make further in-
roads in applications historically dominated by mechanical fas-
teners and other alternative joining systems.”
The report goes on to state that emulsion and dispersion
adhesives and sealants will remain the leading product type.
The ongoing displacement of solvent-based products is expect-
ed to support increases as end users strive to meet emissions
regulations through the adoption of water-based and higher
solids formulations. The fastest annual growth through 2019
is expected for reactive adhesives and sealants, driven by ris-
ing demand in major markets and trends favoring higher value
materials. Silicone and polyurethane adhesives and sealants will
post the most rapid gains among reactive types, supported by
their superior performance characteristics.
Those statistics, however, are specific to the U.S. Globally,
the overall consumption of formulated adhesives reached
$29.4 billion in 2014. A study by consulting firm Kusumgar,
Nerlfi & Growney, released earlier this year, found that the
volume of formulated adhesives has increased “modestly”
since the 2009 recession and forecast an annual growth rate of
5 percent through 2019.

According to the report, growth in Europe and North America is forecast at a mature 2 percent annual rate while the Asia-Pacific region, led by China, is forecast to expand at an 8