By Louis Iannaco
In tough times like these, installers in the field need to find adhesives they can depend on, produced by manufacturers they can rely on. FCNews asked a number of manufacturers how they position themselves, particularly in this economy.

At Dri-Tac Flooring Products, John Lio, marketing manager, said the company’s experience and proven product performance enable it to offer installers and professionals cutting-edge adhesives, concrete sealers and repair systems that are time-tested, fully warranted, reliable and environmentally friendly.

To illustrate, he noted the recently introduced DriTac 1001 All-In-One, “the very first premium green moisture-cured urethane adhesive technology that also offers concrete moisture control, sound control and crack suppression. DriTac 1001 All-In-One will lead the way into the next generation of wood flooring adhesive systems.”

Others, such as Mapei, believe the last thing a company should do in a tough economy is pull back on any service-related aspects. That’s because cutting services and products during difficult times sends the wrong message, according to Jeff Johnson, Mapei’s product manager for Floor Covering Installation Systems. “Where others have cut back sales force, we have continued to add, so you can always count on us to be there when you need us. We are continuing to expand and add to our product portfolio through acquisitions and development as we plan our long-term strategy.”

Over at W.F. Taylor, Mihir Gandhi, marketing coordinator, believes his company helps installers by addressing issues well ahead of the competition. “We were the first adhesive company to offer a complete line of solvent-free adhesives— before solvents began to come under attack. Taylor has been focused on safe, environmentally friendly products long before it became fashionable to do so. Many companies now claim their adhesives are green, but Taylor is the only flooring adhesive company that has voluntarily taken the initiative to have its entire product line tested and third-party certified by GreenGuard ensuring good indoor air quality.”

Advanced Adhesive Technologies ( AAT) believes it can be the greatest asset to its customers by working closely with them along with their contractors and retailers. “Providing intense support to those in the field is key to optimizing performance and profitability,” said Greg Wood, president. “During this recessionary period, spending time and money to repair or replace flooring is something we work to prevent.”

Innovation and long-term performance are the buzzwords at Bostik, said, Scott Banda, market manager, Flooring Installation Systems. “During challenging economic times, it’s essential to work with companies that bring innovative solutions to the market and our new TruColor Premixed Urethane Grout line enables our contractor customers to perform work faster and with better results for their customers. This translates into securing more work and earning higher profits per job.”

Bostik differentiates itself from competitors, Banda said, by bringing unique, green innovations to the adhesives and sealants sector of the market. “Our research and development efforts are focused on helping our customers bring their clients green building product solutions. For example, our TruColor Pre-mixed Urethane Grout contains 8% post consumer recycled glass content. Customers working with clients building green structures appreciate this attribute since it helps them qualify for additional levels of green certification using the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED rating system.”

At AAT, Wood said its team has developed technologies that provide solutions to the flooring industry’s challenges. “Many flooring companies are specialists and prefer a targeted, application-specific adhesive. Others like to have products with wider applications in their arsenal. To these ends, we have a broad lineup of adhesives for specific flooring types: PVC, rubber, cork, carpets, hardwood, etc. We also offer products like our Universal Multi-Purpose, AAT-675, and our Triton series that are capable of installing a variety of flooring types with one adhesive.”

Mapei is also a full-line supplier for all types of floor coverings. “When a customer has to buy small quantities because his business is down, he can take advantage of buying from a single-source manufacturer and still get the service and pricing that will help him survive and thrive,” Johnson said. “This total solution approach also helps distributors manage their inventories more efficiently.”

W.F. Taylor primarily offers three well-recognized brand names for families of products: Envirotec-Healthguard Adhesives, Meta-Tec Cross-Linking Adhesives and Touchdown Specialty Products. “These names are so well known and recognizable as Taylor brands that we often receive inquiries asking simply for these names rather than for a specific adhesive type,” Gandhi said. “We promote our products extensively, but all the promotion in the world would not matter if our products were not as good as they are.”

Lio said working from its new state-of-the-art manufacturing and laboratory facility in Clifton, N.J., allows DriTac to provide innovative technologies that help turn ordinary installations into time-efficient and cost-effective projects. “DriTac has been a leader in the green movement from the onset,” he said, “making our DriTac 7500 Eco-Urethane Premium Adhesive one of the very first green adhesives available in the marketplace. With zero VOCs and zero solvents, DriTac 7500 is very easy to spread and offers a unique technological breakthrough in green moisture cured urethane adhesives. It’s just one example of how DriTac can offer professionals a unique brand of environmentally friendly adhesives they can trust.”