H.B. Fuller sticks to customer sustainability with Cilbond adhesives

ST. PAUL, Minn.—Global adhesives and sealants manufacturer H.B. Fuller Co. continues to help customers reach their own sustainability goals, now offering a waterborne product in its popular Cilbond series.

The Cilbond rubber-to-substrate adhesives portfolio has been an industry standard for more than 50 years.

"We are the largest pure-play adhesives manufacturer in the world," Rutika Swenson, business development manager for the Cilbond line, told Rubber News June 18. "And this is something we are very proud of. We are an adhesives manufacturer that does custom solutions as well ... so if there is no bonding system out there for a (certain) substrate, come see us."

The company, with about $3.75 billion in annual revenue, was founded in 1887 and offers more than 10,000 adhesives, sealants and other specialty chemicals to the disposable hygiene, medical, transportation, automotive, aerospace, clean energy, packaging and construction, and oil and gas industries, among many others.

H.B. Fuller has more than 560 patents and about 7,000 global employees across 71 manufacturing locations and more than 35 technical centers.

The company's legacy Cilbond series allows rubber to adhere to a wide range of substrates, including steel, aluminum, polyurethanes, thermoplastics, fabrics, glass fibers and ceramics.

Specifically, the Cilbond line finds applications in power grids, oil and gas, and mining (rubber rollers).

"Cilbond has applications in the automotive space and with anti-vibration components as well," Swenson said. "There are mining grades, coated with rubber and metal connectors underneath. Similarly, tank linings use Cilbond to make sure the metal stays intact given all the chemicals in a storage tank. The adhesive has to withstand many environmental pressures, including heat and chemicals."

Single-layer systems (as opposed to a primer and top coat) like Cilbond only need to be applied once. With just one adhesive, storage and procurement is improved and the system dries more quickly, according to Dennis Joseph, technical and applications engineering manager for H.B. Fuller.

"What we bring to the table are unique technologies and benefits versus other companies in the market," Joseph said.

Perhaps most importantly, the water-based Cilbond adhesive has the attention of customers who are seeking to reduce their VOC (volatile organic chemical) consumption.

"And our customers can realize VOC reduction with a water-based bonding agent," Joseph said. "A majority of products in the market are based on solvents."

And California—with other states expected to follow if they have not already—maintains "a very strict limit" on the VOCs that can be generated every day.

"We have a good range of water-based products for companies struggling to control their VOCs," Joseph said. "And with just a one-coat system, there is a reduction in material and engineering costs, as well as process costs."

Swenson said one particular California customer was at their VOC limit, and would have had to invest between $4 million and $5 million in upgrades to reduce their VOC consumption.

At the same time, the customer was losing money, unable to produce at top capacity because of the allocation.

"And instead of making the huge investment, they invested in our water-based product," Swenson said. "For operators using solvents, there is a flammability consideration as well ... so Cilbond's water-based products support several different initiatives.

"We are growing on the Cilbond side, and we see many opportunities in the market right now."

Outside of Cilbond, H.B. Fuller—which bonds to FKMs with its adhesives, but does not have any direct production involvement with the embattled PFAS class of chemicals—has many missions centered around sustainability.

"For example, we have a tire sealant that is made of thermoplastics—and therefore can be recycled," Joseph said.

On the corporate side, H.B. Fuller is leaning on its innovation and employee education to reach its own 2025 sustainability goals.

In 2022, H.B. Fuller added another reporting platform for its sustainability goals, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board; formed a committee to study environmental, social, governance initiatives in its operations; launched continuing education groups for its employees in diversity and inclusion; and launched a number of products that have enabled downstream customers to reach their own renewable product goals (including Cilbond).

The company's future goals include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent and its water consumption by 10 percent (compared to a base year of 2014 in both cases) by 2025 for its production processes.

H.B. Fuller also has joined the 4evergreen Alliance, a cross-industry collaboration hosted by the Confederation of European Paper Industries to improve the circularity of fiber-based packaging.

Bringing together about 90 organizations and stakeholders, the 4evergreen initiative pushes for innovation throughout the sector and develop "robust, fact-based guidelines for the future of fiber-based packaging."

H.B. Fuller is looking to add value organically and via bolt-on acquisitions, according to Swenson.

In May, the company closed on the purchase of ND Industries Inc., a supplier of specialty adhesives and fastener locking and sealing solutions serving customers in the automotive, electronics, aerospace and other industries.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"I think we are always considering new acquisitions," Swenson told Rubber News. "Are they the right fit and will they provide additional value?

"We think ND Industries will support our teams quite well here."

ND Industries, based in Detroit, will bring its Vibra-Tite brand under H.B. Fuller's existing epoxy, cyanoacrylate, UV curable and anaerobic product range.

"ND Industries has been a very profitable, family-owned business for several decades and has impressively built one of the most extensive product portfolios in the pre-applied fastener industry," said H.B. Fuller President and CEO Celeste Mastin. "Their products are a natural fit with our existing market segments and bring new technology to our portfolio—combining the benefits of an adhesive and a mechanical fastener within extremely demanding applications—resulting in a powerful advantage for our customers."

ND Industries saw about $70 million in net sales revenue in 2023.

"With more than 55 years of excellence and a strong customer base, ND Industries has been at the forefront of technological advancements for decades," said Richard Wallace, chairman of ND Industries. "Both companies have worked closely over the past several months to ensure a smooth transition and share many of the same values, including close customer collaboration and innovating with speed."