OUR STORY
+130 YEARS OF INNOVATION
Ever since the beginning, Bostik has responded to pressing issues of the times through innovation. Through our quest for smarter solutions, we've gained a reputation of being ahead of the curve in generating adhesive solutions that address both existing and emerging needs.
THE BOSTON BLACKING COMPANY
In 1889, the Boston Blacking Company was founded in Chelsea, Massachusetts. A producer of leather colourings and dyes for the shoemaking industry, the company grew in several countries through mergers, acquisitions and organic growth. By the late 1920’s, the Boston Blacking Company was established in 12 countries - including Australia, founded in 1915 - across three continents and employed over 1,000 chemists and technicians. A number of products were launched under the Bostik brand as early as the 1940’s, with the business taking on the Bostik company name in the 1960’s.
GROWTH THROUGH AQUISITION
In 1980, Bostik was taken over by the Connecticut group Emhart Corporation, which nine years later was itself bought by Black & Decker. Black & Decker split apart the mechanical and chemical activities of the group to leave Bostik as a stand-alone brand.
In 1990, the French oil and gas group Total acquired Bostik and merged its own adhesive affiliates into it.
TotalFina and Elf Aquitaine merged to form TotalFinaElf, subsequently renamed Total. Their respective adhesives divisions, Bostik and Atofindley, were brought together to form Bostik Findley SA and the name was subsequently changed in 2004 to Bostik SA.
JOINING THE ARKEMA FAMILY
In 2015 Bostik was acquired by Arkema, and has been the Adhesives Solutions segment of Arkema ever since.
Arkema is a specialty materials player structured around 3 growth platforms with strong synergies: Advanced Materials, Coating Solutions, and Adhesives Solutions.
Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema designs materials to address the ever-growing demand for innovative and sustainable materials, driven by the challenges of new energies, new technologies, and the depletion of resources, mobility, and increasing urbanization.
LOOKING FORWARD
From pioneering waterproof boots to launching the first elastic attachment adhesive used in a baby diaper, our history is full of smart innovation.
Since 1889 we’ve patented over 9,000 technologies, covering everything from aerospace interior adhesives to Blu Tack®, growing from a local dye manufacturer to a global industry leader.
We continue to pursue innovation just as vigorously as our predecessors and we look forward with the confidence to the next 130 years of our history.