2021 has been a year marked by ups and downs, twists and turns in the Spanish and global business world and much, much, panic on the health front. A year in which Filomena surprised us with a great snowfall. A year in which, at last, the Covid vaccine could be inoculated to 47% of the world’s population. A year in which our elite athletes managed to place Spain in 22nd place in the medal table at the Tokyo Olympic Games, with a total of 17 medals. A year in which the volcano of La Palma Cumbre Vieja erupted and ferociously devoured a large part of the territory, causing great havoc among the population of La Palma.
However, 2021 has also been a year marked by optimism, at least for Colcar Products. Thanks to the perseverance of the team that makes up this Catalan company, we have managed to overcome the obstacles left by the Covid-19 pandemic and we have revalidated our leadership as one of the most solvent entities in the hot melt adhesives sector, thanks to the application of a prudent financial policy and risk management, as well as the collective work of its members.
To ensure that this year is not forgotten, we wanted to make a compilation of the most significant moments that this company has experienced during 2021.
Business markets
Based on the premise that Occupational Risk Prevention is one of the foundations on which the business philosophy of Productos Colcar is based, with the onset of the pandemic, this commitment has been, if possible, even stronger. So much so that we designed and implemented an effective and mandatory contigency plan for all workers, suppliers and customers, to ensure safety and health at work and stop the spread of Covid.
In 2021, we have also strengthened different business markets. For example, we have reinforced our glue line for the manufacture of PLV displays that many companies use to advertise their products or services.
We have also managed to meet a historical demand of paper bag manufacturers: the resistance. This guarantee can only be achieved by applying hot melt adhesives such as those manufactured by Productos Colcar. For both sealing and handle adhesion, hot melt adhesives create a strong and fast bond at the time of application.
New hot melt adhesives
2021 has also been a year of product launches. One of them has been the incorporation of a new metallocene adhesive to our wide range of solutions. This is our hot melt Goma Solí M-2022, developed especially for the manufacture of pocketed springs, given the crisis of raw materials, especially the chemical products used for its development and formulation.
This product, which is also very useful for closing boxes used in the agri-food channel, requires less consumption than EVA-based glues, protects application equipment and has high thermal stability.
2021 has also enabled us to introduce a new line of adhesives for gluing wood edges and we are working to add another range for personal hygiene.
These innovations are proof that our laboratory is working every day to offer more effective solutions adapted to our customers and sectors of activity.
We are greener
In 2021, environmental awareness also marked a major milestone: we succeeded in manufacturing our hot melt adhesives using energy from renewable sources! Undoubtedly, an achievement that makes us “greener” and more respectful of the environment.
At a time when the environmental awareness of consumers continues to grow, companies of various kinds have opted to use environmentally sustainable resources and products. At Productos Colcar, we have not been oblivious to this trend and have developed sustainable hot melt adhesives that, in addition to being effective, minimise environmental impact.
Because for us, the manufacture of sustainable hot melt adhesives is a necessity. These adhesives, in addition to complying with a series of guidelines that avoid or, failing that, minimize environmental, economic and social impact, offer our customers the opportunity to practice “responsible adhesion” by using glues that are as efficient as they are environmentally friendly.
We must not forget that in our company we also recycle 99% of the solid product. Our maxim is to reuse everything and throw nothing away, in strict compliance with environmental and waste regulations.
Product and service quality
In 2021 we have not left quality aside either, a parameter that guides us in the pursuit of excellence, since for us, both the quality of the product we manufacture – hot melt adhesives – and the quality of service is a maxim to which we will always aspire.
What’s more, we will never fail to comply with it because we are clear that our customers deserve to receive a 360º quality service.
With the cold weather hitting our country and taking into account that one of the elements that can negatively influence the effectiveness of hot melt adhesives is the temperature, in Productos Colcar we have designed manuals containing detailet information about the temperatures of our glues according to the ambient temperature in the factory.
Our intention with these user manuals has been none other than to facilitate the correct use of our hot melt adhesives by our customers and, therefore, to increase their satisfaction.
Hot melt adhesives market milestones
2021 also surprised us with a pressing shortage of polymers shortage of polymers that affected more than 3,000 Spanish companies. The Spanish Association of Plastics Industrialists (ANAIP), reported back in March that “plastics processing companies (manufacturers of the product) both in Spain and in the rest of Europe had been observing a significant increase in the price of raw materials for several months, a circumstance derived from the shortage of supply that causes delays in production and delivery of orders”.
Faced with this reality, Productos Colcar was not oblivious and continued working to fulfill with the supply chain, maintaining the quality and efficiency of our hot melt adhesives.
During this year that is about to end, a historic event also took place: polyolefin-based hot melt adhesives prevailed over EVA-based adhesives! The reason is quite simple: they offer greater efficiency, while their prices are becoming increasingly competitive and the industry is using them more regularly. This led to an increase in market demand and, in many cases, their use spread considerably.
International expansion and future plans
At the international level, it is worth remembering that 2021 has allowed us to strengthen alliances with other countries around the world. The proof is that in a short period of time we have gone from being a 100% national company to exporting more than 50% of our production. We currently market our adhesives in more than 30 countries, including Spain, Portugal, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Costa Rica, Cuba, Brazil, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and South Africa. In addition, we have established contacts with new distributors to export to Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, USA, Canada and Mexico.
Some say that things will never go back to the way they were. We think that time will tell, but what is clear to us is that we will continue to work very hard to become more efficient. What’s more, our plans for the future are to continue to grow steadily, with our maxim of offering only high-quality adhesives. This will enable us to continue to compete with the world’s leading hot melt manufacturers and to satisfy our customers with efficient, tailor-made solutions.
We are confident that 2022 will help us to meet our objectives based on international expansion, customer loyalty and maintaining our financial strength and flexibility to face any new scenario.
Happy New Year 2022 to all!
If you need more information, please contact us at marketing@productoscolcar.com.
