| Founded | 1889 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Paris-La Défense, France |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Adhesives, sealants |
| Employees | 5000 (March 2009) |
| Website | www.bostik.com |
Bostik is an international adhesives company, a subsidiary of the French oil and gas company Total S.A., head-quartered at Paris. The company was created as Bostik Findley in 2001 after the merger of Bostik and Ato Findley, following the merger of their parent companies, Total Fina and Elf Aquitaine.
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Bostik was established near the end of the 19th century in Chelsea, Massachusetts as Boston Blackening Company. It was bought in 1929 by the United Shoe Machinery Company (USM), based in Leicester, England. The company was then sold to Emhart, which was purchased by Black & Decker Corporation in 1990, who sold the Bostik businesses to Total the same year. Ato Findley was established in 1996 from the merger of three adhesive companies: Ceca Adhesives (France), Findley Adhesives (United States) and Laporte Adhesives and Sealants (UK and Ireland). In 2004, Bostik Findley changed its name to Bostik.[1]
On 9 December 2005, Bostik Ltd acquired Laybond Group for $21million (£24million). Laybond Ltd employs 120 people on a site near Chester, manufacturing adhesives and coatings supplied to builders' merchants and flooring and roofing distributors in the UK, Ireland and export markets. The product portfolio includes water and solvent-based adhesives, cementitious powders, grab adhesives and bitumen-based weatherproofing products. Laybond holds leading UK positions in the grab adhesives segment with the Gripfill brand and in the flooring and roofing segments with the Laybond brand.
On 16 January 2006 Bostik acquired Biscem. Biscem manufactures and sells ready-mixed and cementitious based tiling adhesives and grouting systems into the ceramic tiling market in the UK and Ireland, and on 14 April 2006, Bostik Ltd acquired Wetherby Stone Products Ltd in Dalton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire.
On 13 July 2006 Bostik Ltd acquired Sealocrete PLA. Sealocrete PLA employed 64 people and manufactures and sells adhesives and coatings for the builders' merchants and roofing markets in the UK. Sealocrete PLA's product portfolio includes tiling adhesives, cementitious powders, paints, sealants and bitumen-based weatherproofing products. The majority of these products are manufactured in the company's factory in Stafford.
On 3 September 2006, the relocation of products to Bostik's own sites caused job losses at Laybond. The Biscem site was also shut down, moving all products to Bostik Leicester, as was the Sealocrete site as products moved to Bostik Stafford.
Between 2006 and 2010 the Chester site was slowly decommissioned, some staff were reassigned to other departments at Bostik Stafford, but many were made redundant. In July 2010, the Chester site was completely decommission and all remaining equipment was moved to Bostik Stafford.
Bostik is among the four top adhesives and sealants producers in the world. Bostik employs over 5,000 workers in 39 countries and five continents.[2]
Bostik has well recognized name in industrial markets. It has some divisions such as: Industrial/Nonwovens, Construction and Distribution and High performance polymers. Its brands include Bostik, Blu-Tack, Sader, Quelyd, Simson, Evo-Stik, Alliance, Ardal, Cementone, Mem, Technik, Hey'Di, SB Mercier, Chem-Calk, Hydroment, Durabond, Anchor Weld, Clag, Gripfill, Flexacryl and Aquamac weatherband.[3]