page_title: Bostik
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Bostik / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Early 20th century dubbin tin from the Boston Blacking Co. under the Be-Be-Co brand name: Dubb-O
context_page_description: Bostik is a French manufacturer of adhesive and sealing products based in Colombes. The company develops, manufactures and distributes specialty adhesives and sealants for construction, industrial and consumer markets. With annual sales of €2.1 billion, the company employs 6,000 people and has a presence in more than 40 countries. Bostik is part of Arkema.
context_section_description: In 1889, the Boston Blacking Company, a producer of leather colourings and dyes, was founded in Chelsea, Massachusetts. The company became the chemical branch of United Shoe Machinery (USM) - an American leader in the shoemaking industry - and grew in several countries through mergers, acquisitions and organic growth.
  By the late 1920s, the Boston Blacking Company was established in 12 countries across three continents and employed over 1,000 chemists and technicians. A number of products has been launched under the Bostik brand as early as the 1940s and the company took on Bostik as a company name in the 1960s.
  In 1980, Bostik was taken over by the Connecticut group Emhart Corporation, which nine years later was, itself, bought up by Black & Decker. Black & Decker split apart the mechanical and chemical activities of the group to leave Bostik as a stand-alone concern.
  In 1990, the French oil and gas group Total acquired Bostik and merged its own adhesive affiliates into it.
  
  In 2000, 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.
  In 2013 Bostik revisited its brand identity, with a new signature “smart adhesives” and a gecko inspired from nature with a science-based connection to Bostik’s adhesives business.
  In 2015, Arkema, a global chemical major with leadership positions in specialty chemicals and high performance materials, acquired Bostik.
caption: Early 20th century dubbin tin from the Boston Blacking Co. under the Be-Be-Co brand name: Dubb-O
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