H.B. Fuller history

By 1888, the company, which was really just Fuller serving as jack-of-all-trades, added its first employee, Fuller's oldest son, Albert.

In 1892 the company acquired a Minneapolis competitor, The Minnesota Paste Company, for $200.

In late 1893 Harvey successfully produced Fuller's Cold Water Dry Wall Cleaner, intended for use on wallpaper (at that time it was customary to clean walls twice yearly, but existing cleaners tended to decompose under warm conditions), and applied for a patent.

Initially incorporated as the Fuller Manufacturing Company, in 1915 the company reincorporated as the H.B. Fuller Company.

1924 H.B. Fuller expands product line with new formulas for canning

1929 H.B. Fuller sales reach unprecedented revenue level at $157,000

In 1930, following the stock market crash, Fuller acquired The Selvasize Company of St Paul, the maker of a combination plaster and wallpaper adhesive, for $2,000.

1934 Elmer Andersen joins H.B. Fuller, specializing in advertising and sales

1938 Ray Burgess develops revolutionary new hot pick-up adhesive

1941 Harvey Fuller sells company to Elmer Andersen

Both during and followi ng the war, the company focused on decentralizing operations--bringin g the product closer to the customer--by establishing a number of bra nch plants, beginning with Kansas City in 1943.

1946 H.B. Fuller sales reach $1 million

In 1949, Andersen was elected to the state senate and became a part-t ime company president.

1950 H.B. Fuller establishes seven branch plants; growth rate skyrockets

1953 H.B. Fuller’s 11th facility opens in Portland, Oregon, United States

1956 H.B. Fuller produces 600 adhesive products; sales reach $6 million

In 1958, the c ompany launched H.B. Fuller Company (Canada) Ltd. in Winnipeg.

1959 H.B. Fuller begins international expansion in Canada and the Bahamas; H.B. Fuller sales reach $10 million

Al Vigard assumed control of day-to-day operat ions in Andersen's absence; he later became president when Andersen e xtended his political career by winning the governorship of Minnesota in 1960.

1965 Record sales hit $20.8 million as company reorganizes into four geographic regions

1968 Sales at H.B. Fuller increase to new high of $36.6 million

1974 H.B. Fuller sales top $100 million, even during recession

1978 H.B. Fuller purchases 180 acres in St Paul (Vadnais Heights), Minnesota, United States, for future headquarters

1980 Sales of $296 million set new records

1981 Construction begins at Willow Lake in St Paul, Minnesota, United States, site of new H.B. Fuller lab; H.B. Fuller reorganizes, focusing on strategic business units

1982 H.B. Fuller acquires Isar-Rakoll Chemie; expands European presence

H.B. Fuller, meanwhile, became a Fortune 500 company in 1984 when revenues hit $425 million.

By 1985, however, earnings had improved dramatically, and three years later, Andersen was named executive of the year by Corporate Report Minnesota.

1986 H.B. Fuller reaches $500 million sales goal

Plant expansi ons around the globe, as well as continuing investment in research an d development, typified the company through 1992.

1994: Sales surpass $1 billion.

Kissling added the CEO position as well in 1995.

During 1998 Fuller spent $92.4 million on acquisitions, purchasing the Australian and New Zealand adhesives business of Croda International PLC and Peterson Chemicals Adhesives from Ecolab Inc.

Stroucken told ana lysts in mid-1999 that he was identifying acquisition targets with sa les of at least $100 million, a huge jump from the $5 million to $10 million companies that Fuller typically purchased.

With its newfound focus on cost containment and improved profitability and a more aggressive attitude toward acquisitions, H.B. Fuller was certain to be a much more formidable competitor in 2000 and beyond.

Earl y in 2002 Stroucken launched another major restructuring to slash the firm's existing manufacturing capacity by 20 percent and yield annua l savings of more than $10 million.

By 2003 the company had shut down 14 manufacturing plants, mainly in North America, eliminated 556 positions from the payroll, and recorded pretax restructuring charge s of more than $40 million.

In the spring of 2005 Fuller shifted its operations in Japan and Chin a into joint ventures with Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd., a Japanese con struction supplier and house manufacturer.

2009 H.B. Fuller celebrates the grand opening of its new Asia Pacific Regional Technology Center in Shanghai, China

2010 H.B. Fuller acquires Revertex Finewaters Sdn.

2011 H.B. Fuller acquires Liquamelt Corp., and patented Liquamelt™ adhesive system

2012 Opened new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pune, India

2013 Worldwide sales surpass $2 billion