Frequently Asked Questions

What does Forbo’s industrial adhesives business bring to H.B. Fuller?

  • Forbo’s industrial adhesives business will enhance H.B. Fuller’s business in a number of ways, including the following.

1. Fortifies our presence in Europe Significantly increases the size of our business in China;
2. Increases the number of markets served in North America
3. Complements and enhances our product offerings in core markets
4. Brings proprietary technology in labeling and in polymers
5. Expands our product line in reactive hot melts
6. Provides entry into new durable assembly markets

How does this acquisition affect H.B. Fuller’s strategic growth plan?

With the acquisition, H.B. Fuller takes a major step forward in realizing its strategic growth plans. Forbo’s industrial adhesives business will accelerate H.B. Fuller’s ability to grow in many adhesive markets. It will make the company stronger and more competitive.

How does this change the way H.B. Fuller does business?

We have the solid strategy, with the right balance of global and regional expertise and the right culture to do things the right way.
We have the right focus: delivering value to our customers through our products, services and solutions, and value to our shareholders by delivering results and meeting  expectations. The goal with this acquisition is not to change what we do or how we do it. This acquisition will make our company a better, more effective company winning in the market.

What are the key synergies in this transaction?

There is overlap between our two organizations in areas such as raw materials, manufacturing and duplication of services to customers. We will capture synergies by consolidating manufacturing facilities, removing duplication in staff functions and optimizing our value propositions to customers.

What affect will this acquisition have on customers, suppliers, OEMs and allied suppliers?

Customers – H.B. Fuller has strengthened its leadership position in the adhesives industry. Our strategy is built on offering our customers innovative and differentiated products that offer them the lowest cost solution to their needs. We expect that, for most customers, we will be able to leverage our combined knowledge of products and applications to offer a higher level of service.
Suppliers – H.B. Fuller is now even better positioned to partner with suppliers to innovate. Of course, we also expect to have more favorable terms with suppliers as our level of purchases will be higher.
OEMs – H.B. Fuller has strengthened its leadership position in the adhesives industry. We will solidify our capabilities to innovate and service customers jointly with our OEM partners.

How will Forbo’s capabilities be integrated with H.B. Fuller’s commercial offering?

We believe that Forbo’s capabilities will complement H.B. Fuller’s commercial offering. We are working closely with our new colleagues from Forbo to build and implement very detailed transition plans as we learn more about each other’s business, technology and customers. We will communicate any changes as soon as information becomes available. Our first priority is to maintain our customer service levels.

Will H.B. Fuller continue to make all of Forbo's industrial adhesives and synthetic polymers products available?

We will be studying in detail the product offerings of both Forbo and H.B. Fuller’s businesses to determine how we will service customers with equivalent or superior levels of products and services wherever possible. We will surely find some products across the portfolio that are appreciably the same and may look to capture the synergies associated with that duplication, but that is not our key initiative at this point.

Who does a Forbo customer need to contact for sales, customer service and support?

For the near term, customers should continue to utilize their existing contacts until informed to do otherwise. The combined sales and customer support teams are working together to build and implement very detailed transition plans, and we will communicate any changes as soon as information becomes available.

How will support for customers be impacted?

Our first priority is to maintain our customer service levels. We anticipate that, combined, our organizations will be able to offer not only a wider range of expertise and faster support, but also a wider range of products.

When will customers be able to meet with both companies (together) to discuss their business?

Please contact your existing account managers to discuss joint meetings.

Is there a risk of supply chain disruption? Can you guarantee supply of the same quality and lead times?

We are planning carefully to ensure a smooth transition to one company. We do not anticipate that the integration of our businesses will cause any disruption to our supply chain, and we are working to ensure that all customers continue to receive a high level of quality products and services. Now that we are officially one company, our business leaders are working together to harmonize quality procedures, which should make the combined organization even more capable of providing security in supply chain. In addition, the combined plant footprint will give us the opportunity to optimize where we make our products. This optimization will likely mean some changes, but we anticipate that the vast majority of them will be positive, and we will communicate any changes as soon as decisions are made.

What will the economic impact be for communities where we operate?

In the locations where we continue to operate, our employees and local suppliers will benefit from a stronger H.B. Fuller. We are not in a position today to provide specifics on impacts to individual locations. H.B. Fuller has an excellent reputation for being proactive in the communities in which we operate. We will continue our commitment to this approach and to working with our external stakeholders in locations where changes will occur.

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this document may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the following: the Company’s ability to effectively integrate and operate acquired businesses; political and economic conditions; product demand; competitive products and pricing; costs of and savings from restructuring initiatives; geographic and product mix; availability and price of raw materials; the Company’s relationships with its major customers and suppliers; changes in tax laws and tariffs; devaluations and other foreign exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of litigation and environmental matters; the effect of new accounting pronouncements and accounting charges and credits; and similar matters. Further information about the various risks and uncertainties can be found in the Company’s SEC 10-K filing for the fiscal year ended December 3, 2011. All forward-looking information represents management’s best judgment as of this date based on information currently available that in the future may prove to have been inaccurate. Additionally, the variety of products sold by the Company and the regions where the Company does business make it difficult to determine with certainty the increases or decreases in net revenue resulting from changes in the volume of products sold, currency impact, changes in product mix, and selling prices. However, management’s best estimates of these changes as well as changes in other factors have been included.