By Dr Ralf Schelbach, vice president of Asia Pacific Jowat Group; Sebastian Schaefers, general director of Jowat Vietnam; and Andreas Weymann, Tim Rosenthal, and Marius Misch, product managers of Jowat SE
The ongoing pandemic and changes in consumer behavior have created many challenges for panel and furniture manufacturers around the globe. The demand for furniture products is still high, along with the evergrowing demand for sustainable products. Many countries have taken actions and launched stimulus packages to promote “green growth”. This is further spearheaded by retailers who strive to stand out by offering sustainable products to their consumers. Consequently, manufacturers need to classify and establish their supply chains, which ensure the highest possible amount of renewable and recycled materials in their products in line with that demand.
As an adhesive manufacturer with focus in the panel and furniture segment, Jowat has been researching and developing solutions to meet the targets for renewable and recycled materials, while ensuring there is no compromise in product performance and suitability for efficient industrial processes.
The global adhesive demand is estimated to about US$37 billion in 2021. The fastest growing region is Asia-Pacific, led by China as the world’s largest adhesive market. Thefurniture and panel industry is a small, highly specialised sub-segment. Of the approximately 10 million metric tonnes of adhesives used annually in Asia-Pacific alone, less than 2% are used in this market segment. Nevertheless, products based on renewable raw materials will play a significant role in the future.
The full article is published on Panels & Furniture Asia Nov/Dec 2021 issue. To continue reading, click here.
