SubscribeHot melts - commodity or high tech?
Are hot melt adhesives just a commodity or is there much more to them? Nick Beardow, the Sales and Marketing Director of Beardow Adams, UK based and one of Europe’s largest producers of hot melts, signposts what he believes the packaging industry should be looking for. His company has won two Queen’s Awards – Britain’s major business prize – for its export activities and added to its tally in 2002 with an Innovation Award for its BAMFutura range of hot melts.
Hot melt adhesives are an essential part of most high-speed packaging operations – but contribute very little to the overall cost. So why do users happily save a few pennies on the price of their adhesives, while wasting thousands of pounds on poor line efficiency?
Research in the USA by a leading hot melt applicator manufacturer suggests that the downtime cost on a typical high speed packaging line is as much as US$30,000/hour.
Nozzle blockages are the biggest cause of machine downtime relating to adhesives. They are caused by particles of charred adhesive – which are no longer thermoplastic and so don’t melt – blocking or preventing the correct functioning of the nozzle, resulting in a stoppage while a new nozzle is fitted.
In severe cases, the hose can also become furred up and need replacing, which is expensive and time consuming.
Hot melts that overcome this are available – but buyers need to look beyond the price per kg.
Beardow Adams (with BAMFutura) and HB Fuller (with Advantra) manufacture hot melts based upon new raw material technology that prevents nozzle blockages.
Although the price per kg is higher than the cheapest of the ‘old’ products, users benefit from lower maintenance costs, with few or no stoppages caused by the adhesive and therefore a massive reduction in overall costs, commensurate with $30,000/hour.
The new adhesives are white in colour, have little or no odour and do not fume. This leads to a better working environment for operatives and a reduced likelihood of tainting of foodstuffs. Some formulations are also more versatile than the ‘standard’ products of the past – for instance, Beardow Adams was able to replace eight adhesives previously required by Kellogg with one single product.
However, there are still many users struggling with hot melts that ‘cobweb’ and block nozzles. Some of the blame for this lies with the adhesive manufacturers themselves – at least those who failed to come up with new technology. When BAMFutura and Advantra were launched, most other hot melt manufactures did very little.
Indeed, some still haven’t recognised the change that has taken place in the market. Some manufacturers slashed the price of their adhesives in the hope that the new technology would simply go away, while others have made a half-hearted attempt to produce a white product which they hoped would pass for new technology – white hot melts have been around for years, but they do not represent the new generation of hot melts such as BAMFutura.
Hot melts continue to represent a tiny fraction of the cost of the end product in almost all packaging applications – but they play a serious part in the smooth operation of the production line.
How many companies can afford to throw away $30,000 per hour per line in production stoppages, when the answer has already been provided by the more technically driven hot melt adhesive manufacturers?
Those who see hot melts as a commodity may be in for short-term gains – but certain long-term losses.
A familiar criticism of industry?
BAMFutura in a typical hot melt adhesive tank – even at a constant application temperature of 140°C, the adhesive stays perfectly clear. Because of raw material technology unique to Beardow Adams, BAMFutura products remain stable and do not char or gel, so eliminating nozzle blockages caused by degradation in the melt tank and a major reason for production downtime in the packaging industry.
Beardow & Adams (Adhesives) Limited
32 Blundells Road
Bradville
MILTON KEYNES
MK13 7HF
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 574000
Fax: +44 (0) 1908 574060
E-mail: info@beardowadams.com
Website: www.beardowadams.com
Contacts:
Nick Beardow
Sales and Marketing Director
– with responsibility for all export sales.
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 574000
Fax: +44 (0) 1908 574060
E-mail: n.beardow@beardowadams.com
Website: www.beardowadams.com
Graeme Nutting
UK Sales Director
Tel: +44 (0) 1908 574000
Fax: +44 (0) 1908 574060
E-mail: graeme.nutting@beardowadams.com
Website: www.beardowadams.com