The Glue Talk Blog

H.B. Fuller lab worker in white jacket

Solving Sticky Situations with Customized Adhesive Solutions

Posted 16 Oct 2020 by Andrew Stooksbury, Manager, Global Technology

With a focus on innovation, H.B. Fuller strives to consistently deliver industry-leading adhesives to our customers. In order to achieve this goal, we do more than provide premium products — we also offer customized solutions for any manufacturing need. Using our decades of technical and industry-specific experience, we find solutions for our customers’ most difficult challenges.

At a glance, our services for customized adhesive solutions include:

  • On-site service
  • Technical advice
  • Sustainable quality assurance
  • Technical documentation
  • Troubleshooting
  • Strong global network
  • In-house chemical analysis and materials testing laboratory
  • Cost savings through waste management

Discovering Formulas that Fix Customer Issues                 

Our technical services laboratory equipment enables us to produce and test prototypes with various technologies — always in compliance with current industry standards — until we find the right solution.

When a coatings manufacturer began to have issues with one of their polymers, they came to H.B. Fuller for help in developing a new one. The product they were using was thickening too much, building up grit, and drying too quickly. Our polymer team worked closely with the customer to understand their application and associated challenges, and completely redesigned a new solution for them. 

“We have not noticed any thickening since we switched to your product,” the manufacturer said after using the redesigned polymer for about seven months. “Coatings made with your custom polymer are cleaner without grit, and do not dry up when coating on canvas. We have not seen the thickening issue in the hot months as we did in the past, and it has been a HOT July this year.”

Transforming Products to Solve New Challenges

Research and development is a core competency of H.B. Fuller. We owe our well-founded expertise to strict internal tests and our own laboratory analysis. Our products and processes are designed to ensure added value for our customers, and thus a lasting competitive advantage.

A good example of this competency at work is with the evolution of our Fast 2K™ Fence Post Backfill. Originally designed to keep fence posts standing tall, our R&D team evolved Fast 2K over time to meet customers’ custom requirements for different applications. Today, our Fast 2K line of products are used for installing decks, fences, traffic signs, solar panels, and more.

In addition to evolving products, our global teams keep their eyes on industry trends in order to get ahead of customer demand. In response to the popularity of engineered wood flooring in residential and commercial construction, we launched Fortane™ MBA, a customized, one-step adhesive solution for installation.

Ongoing Support After Product Delivery

At H.B. Fuller, we see ourselves as a system supplier that not only provides high-quality products, but also offers unique consulting and support service tailored to customers and their needs. Our competent advice on questions regarding product selection, processes, and quality assurance has helped us build and sustain several long-term business relationships. 

Over several years, we’ve worked with Transdek, an award-winning designer and manufacturer of double deck trailers and associated bay solutions. Recently, they chose to work with us again on their wedge trailers, designed with fully bonded body construction. 

“We’re delighted that they continue to use our products on both fry and refrigerated multi-temperature trailers,” said Ian Little, a key account manager for engineering adhesives. “It’s not just about supplying bonding solutions — our technicians have collaborated with [the Transdek team on the design and development of this fully bonded trailer body.”

In addition to product consultation, we also offer customers an analysis of their manufacturing processes, regular training courses, and technical documentation — all specific to the solution we help them customize. 

Working Hand-in-Hand, End-to-End

Working in partnership with our customers, we exchange ideas, create product profiles, and test prototypes. If necessary, our sales, R&D, and application technology teams can be there for on-site support, not just to respond to requirements, but also to help out in difficult situations. Whether it’s the commissioning of new lines, product changes, or quality and production control, H.B. Fuller can customize an adhesive solution that’s right for any manufacturing need.

Got an adhesive challenge? Contact us today to learn how we can help solve it.

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