The hot melt adhesives industry is segmented on the basis of chemical product type into polyolefin adhesives, amorphous polyolefin, ethylene acrylic acid adhesives, ethylene vinyl acetate adhesives, polyurethane adhesives, polyamide adhesives, styrenic block copolymer adhesives, and others.
Regional Hot Melt Adhesives Market Key Highlights
Currently, North America is the largest market of hot melt adhesives.It is followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The hot melt adhesives market in North America is fairly mature and many of its end-use applications are reaching saturation. Hence, it is slowly approaching commodity status in this region.
The packaging industry is the largest application of hot melt adhesives in North America, with a share of more than 50% in terms of total volume consumed. This can be attributed to the hot melt adhesives’ property to offer superior bonding at a low cost. The North American packaging industry has experienced a substantial conversion to hot melt adhesives from solvent and waterborne adhesive technologies. So, the future of hot melt adhesives market in North America depends majorly on the growth of end user applications in the packaging industry such as cartons, cases, labels, and limited growth from conversion market. In the coming years, the North American packaging industry will show a steady growth, with the segments of cartons and cases demonstrating a satisfactory growth. Favorable regulations from the governments in the U.S. and many countries in Europe will further contribute to the demand for hot melt adhesive products.
The largest consumer of hot melt adhesives products in the world is China. This can be attributed to the greater demand of hot melt adhesives generated by China’s booming manufacturing sector. The Asia-Pacific region will witness the highest growth in the coming years, backed by China’s explosive demand for hot melt adhesives. In addition, the growing number of manufacturing units in other developing nations such as India will drive the Asian hot melt adhesives market.
Brazil’s hot melt adhesives market has benefited from hosting the FIFA Football World Cup in 2014, and will benefit further from the upcoming Olympics set to take place in Rio in 2016. Hosting these two major sporting events has led to a high demand for pressure-sensitive, packaging, and construction adhesives in the country. The accelerating demand for hot melt adhesives from Brazil will contribute to the overall growth of the global market for hot melt adhesives. Moreover, other developing nations in Latin America such as Mexico, and certain countries from Africa will demonstrate a strong demand for hot melt adhesives.
Even though the demand for hot melt adhesives is increasing around the world, volatility in raw material prices will suppress the market. Hence, the global HMA market will demonstrate moderate growth till 2020. Some of the top corporations in the global hot melt adhesives market include Dow Corning Corporation, Henkel AG, Sika AG, Avery Dennison Corporation, Beardow & Adams (Adhesive) Ltd., Hexcel Corporation, Bostik Inc., H. B. Fuller, Ashland Inc., Worthen Industries, 3M Corporation, and American Chemical Inc.