The adhesives and sealants industries face many of the same concerns as other industries. But one issue that, if not unique to their industry, is certainly of a high priority, is the environment.

It was that topic that highlighted the recently concluded Fall Expo held by the Adhesive and Sealant Council in Pittsburgh. ASC's senior director Larry Sloan calls it "an excellent, very high energy show" that saw the environmental-related sessions draw some of the bigger crowds.

Many products in the adhesives-sealants industries can be air pollutants, Sloan explains, and the ASC schedules regulatory updates at each of these meetings.

"Anything pertaining to hazardous air pollutants, which are called HAPS, will be on people's minds," he explains, "or issues such as government relations, a federal issue with the EPA, for example."

Closely related to these environmental issues are various technology and chemical developments. Water-based products are replacing solvent technology, a plus for many ASC members. Solvent-based products, Sloan explains, can emit pollutants. Members were anxious to learn more about the success of these newly developed water-based products.

"In the old days, with water-based products, you had to sacrifice some level of efficiency and performance," Sloan says. "But we're seeing greater improvement in these water-based products without worrying about environmental issues."

Related industries that adhesive and sealant distributors and manufacturers watch include automotive, packaging and the construction trades, residential as well as commercial building.

"The whole trend towards more energy efficient homes has included sealants playing a bigger part," Sloan adds. "They play a very integral role. They seal out water, vapor and moisture."

It can be tempting and all-too-easy to come back from a meeting such as ASC's Expo in too optimistic a frame of mind. Sloan avoids this, as he sees good economic improvement tempered with other concerns common to industries across the country.

Customer bases are migrating to China and other lower wage countries. Some of the larger companies have followed their customers and set up operations in those countries. Elsewhere, "the textile industry, which uses a lot of adhesives, is pretty much gone from the U.S.," he cites.

Sloan and ASC join with many industries in citing the ongoing education of the end user as being a vital concern. He laughs—only a little—as he says that some people still hear "adhesives" and just think "glue." He uses the aerospace industry as an example.

"Sit next to someone on a plane and ask them 'Did you know this aircraft was put together with adhesives?' They'd probably start panicking and run down the aisle," Sloan says. "It's glued together! Because they think of 'glue' as something you use at home. People don't always look to adhesives-sealants for heavier duty structural applications. They don't think of it as something that that can withstand the rigorous requirements of something like in aerospace."

"That's always a challenge [and] one of our goals here at the council is to get them more familiar with the benefits of adhesives and sealants," Sloan says. "One of our industry's biggest responsibilities and tasks ahead is to figure out a way to rapidly and intelligently educate the customers we serve."

jnowlan@reedbusiness.com