The new trend of substituting bolts, screws, rivets and other attaching or fastening techniques with adhesives has been leading to the progress of the adhesive market. In this interview, Rahul Rajgaria, Founder, Pentagon Tapes, highlights on various R&D activities leading to the growth of pressure sensitive adhesive tapes.

What type of products and solutions are offered by Pentagon Tapes to the industries?

Sure, while major tape manufacturing and distribution companies focus on manufacturing tapes which could be used in the packaging industry, we always have had a simple aim towards making the lives of people a little easier with the same underestimated adhesive tape. Our intensive research and eye for detail has helped in developing some of the most reliable products which are certain to enhance the lives of the person using it. Few of our tapes like Anti-Skid Tapes help in creating a strong fiction between the floor and your feet to ensure that you do not slip. Our Frame Mounting Tapes ensure that even a teenager can stick a photographic frame or art piece on their walls without permanently damaging the walls with nails and hammer.

How is the market for pressure sensitive adhesive tapes? Are you seeing a recovery in 2021?

Adhesive tapes have been in the market for generations, but it is still a new concept to use adhesive tapes as a primary source of bond for heavy objects like glass and metal panels for skyscrapers, but we are giving our hundred percent to ensure that our country soon adapts this as a primary method to save time, efforts and expenditure on multiple raw materials. Talking about the international market stance, the adhesive tapes market size is projected to grow from $ 60.4 billion in 2020 to $ 79.9 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.7% during the forecast period. I truly believe that this estimation sits firm and this is an industry which is certain to grow and flourish looking at the rate of development each year. 

What are the advantages of pressure sensitive adhesive tapes over other traditional bonding systems?

Traditional bonding system like liquid adhesive, nuts and bolts, screws and rivets, and mechanical interlocks are all considered to provide a strong bond but all of them come with some or the other drawbacks like ‘messy application process’, ‘leaving permanent scars on both sides of the surface’, ‘Need for additional tools and resources’, etc. Pressure sensitive adhesive tapes on the other hand are independent when it comes to their application process and it is certain to not only provide an unbreakable bond, but is also certain to ensure an easy and cost-efficient solution.

Sustainability is a must in today's world. How is your company incorporating sustainability in manufacturing processes?

Understanding the gravity of how essential it is to protect our environment, our R&D team is constantly working towards introducing new technology which can help us reduce the overall wastage of both man-made and natural resources. When it comes to our products, we ensure that we use raw-materials which are of supreme quality and are environmentally friendly. This step ensures the long life of our product which leads to little to no wastage and helps in achieving our sustainability goals. 

How are megatrends like globalisation and urbanisation propelling demand for adhesive tapes? What kind of opportunities are you looking to tap in the automotive sector? 

Megatrends like globalization and urbanisation now mainly include CO? reduction and energy efficiency, demographic shift in average age, world connectivity, changing mobility and so on. Adhesive tape plays an essential role in the evolving consumer experience to digitalisation and connectivity. As cars are decreasingly involved in accidents, their design will become increasingly lighter in order to travel more efficiently. The autonomous vehicles industry can utilise adhesive tapes as innovative solutions towards light-weighting their product design. Developing light-weighting product design through the use of adhesive tape is an opportunity for the industry towards not only developing vehicles which are fast, but would require less energy source compared to our traditional adhesive method. 

Are you planning to bring to the market any new adhesives? 

We are in process to introduce a variety of tapes which includes heavy duty bonding tapes which are washable and removable with strong holding power. These tapes have a wide range of applications across industry and DIY segments. We are also developing tapes which have adhesive that are dermatologically safe and will be targeted to be used in the cosmetic section, for eg, adhesive tapes to be used to create a bond between clothes and our skin, to prevent wardrobe malfunction, adhesive tapes to cover nipples, etc. 

What are the overall emerging trends in the adhesive tapes market? What are your growth plans for the company? What are your expectations for 2021?

The fact that adhesives are nature friendly and do not cause any harm to the environment acts as an advantage and thus, adds to the overall growth of the adhesive tapes market in all parts of the world. Various research and developmental activities have led to the growth of the application category and thus, the market seems to be growing at a remarkable speed. The new trend of substituting bolts, screws, rivets and other attaching or fastening techniques with adhesives has been leading to the progress of the adhesive market at a global rate. Besides, there is new demand for lightweight vehicles and this is also adding fuel to the growth of the adhesive market.