Global Adhesive Tapes Growth Opportunities

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Adhesive Tapes Industry

Transformative Mega Trends

• Why: Evolving trends and dynamics across industries drive tape demand. The eCommerce surge in the packaging industry and electrification and connected and autonomous driving trends in the mobility sector are spurring demand for tapes with superior functionality and performance that can serve a multitude of emerging requirements. The development of tapes that meet the needs of these evolving applications will steer new product development and innovation in the tapes market
• Frost Perspective: The paradigm shift in the packaging industry is leading to increased demand for the development of sustainable tapes. Environmentally friendly liners, backing materials, and adhesive formulations are becoming crucial in terms of increasing the overall package's sustainability. Tapes with superior thermal, electrical, flame-retardant, and acoustic properties will gain momentum due to advances in the automotive, electrical, and construction industries. Specialty tapes that perform multiple functions in addition to bonding will gain traction during the forecast period.

Competitive Intensity

• Why: Sustainable product development is a key competitive aspect for companies in the tapes market. Bio-based, renewable, and recyclable adhesive formulations and the move to paper-based backing materials from plastic-based materials are some of companies' key focus areas. As tapes are used across end-industries, developers must focus on improving end-products' environmental profiles, which will drive the need to enhance tapes' sustainability quotient.
• Frost Perspective: Tapes that accelerate production processes and minimize waste in end-industry applications facilitate easy repair and replacement. In addition to being environmentally friendly and sustainable tapes, sustainable processes are also an important aspect to tape manufacturing. Waste management, circular processes, and energy/material and process efficiency are focus areas for manufacturers and those that can address those areas more than 1 of these attributes are likely to remain competitive.

Disruptive Technologies

• Why: Strong demand for tapes across end-industries is driving the need to automate tape application to improve speed, precision, and repeatability. In addition to tapes’ durability and strong bonding, several applications demand easy debonding ability of the adhesives used in tapes. The growing indication to increase the repair, maintenance, and replacement of automotive and E&E components is accelerating the need for debonding of tapes so that specific components can be easily separated from the system.
• Frost Perspective: Manufacturers should focus on developing tapes that allow various levels of automation, ranging from handheld devices to cohesive robotic systems. Packaging companies and automotive and E&E applications can benefit from automated tape application to improve their processes. The use of advanced adhesives is not only aimed at repair and replacement but also offer effective end-of-life (EoL) separation and disposal of tape materials based on their environmental profiles.

Market Overview and Introduction

• Adhesive tapes (henceforth referred to as tapes) comprise a backing/carrier material (such as paper, plastic film, cloth, or foil) coated with an adhesive and a release liner, if required. The adhesive-coated carrier/backing is wound into jumbo rolls and slit into narrow-width bands to produce rolls of tape.
• Adhesive tapes have emerged as an ideal replacement for conventional joining methods that involve welds, rivets, screws, and fasteners. Tapes offer greater protection to surfaces, and their application can be readily automated, thereby speeding up production processes in various applications.
• Tapes are of several types, including bonding tapes, masking tapes, dielectric tapes, transfer tapes, insulation tapes, and wire harness tapes.
• Pressure-sensitive adhesives are commonly used in tapes, while water/moisture- and heat-activated adhesives are also used.

Segmentation

Global Adhesive Tapes Market

• Chemistry
  • Acrylic
  • Rubber
  • Silicones
  • Others (Epoxy, PU)
• Product Type
  • Pressure-sensitive Adhesive Tapes
  • Heat-sensitive (heat-activated) Tapes
  • Water/moisture-activated Tapes
• Adhesive Technology
  • Water-based Tapes
  • Solvent-based Tapes
  • Hot-melt Adhesives
  • UV-curable Hot-melt Adhesives
• Function
  • Bonding Tapes
  • Masking Tapes
  • Transfer Tapes
  • Others1
• End Market
  • Packaging
  • Consumer (home and office)
  • Automotive
  • Electrical and Electronics (E&E)
  • Building and Construction (B&C)
  • Others2

Key Questions the Study will Answer

• What are the key drivers, restraints, and challenges in the global tapes market?
• What are the major end-industry dynamics impacting tape demand in various applications?
• How does the value chain work in the tapes market?
• How does the demand for tapes vary depending on technology, product type, chemistry, and end-industry needs?
• What are the market’s regional trends?
• What are the major competitive factors governing the market?

Growth Drivers

• The robust growth of end-industries, such as packaging, automotive, E&E, B&C, and medical, will accelerate tape demand.
• End-industries’ Mega Trends, including the surge in eCommerce in the packaging industry, vehicle electrification and lightweighting, and miniaturization in E&E, will boost tape penetration in a wide range of applications.
• The growing demand for enhanced tape functionality and performance across various end-industries augments price growth. Sustainability trends further contribute to the development of bio-based renewable and recyclable tape materials, boosting average prices.
• Significant advantages of tapes (over conventional A&Ss as well as other bonding techniques, such as welding and riveting), including ease of installation, design freedom, and reduction of adhesive curing/baking time along with additional functionalities, such as thermal, fire-retardant, and acoustic insulation properties, boost penetration.

Growth Restraint

• Tapes’ higher prices than liquid adhesives, due to the need for additional components (liner materials, backing materials) and processes (slitting, coating) results in competition from liquid adhesives in certain applications.