H B Plastics history

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.

In addition, Fuller's Paste was remarkably easy to work with, and advertisements boasted that 'a child can mix and use it.' By 1898, Fuller Manufacturing was posting annual sales of $10,000.

Nevertheless, upon his graduation from the University of Chicago in 1909, Harvey, Jr., joined the company full time and made an immediate impact by bolstering advertising and creating the first comprehensive catalog of Fuller products.

In 1915 the firm reincorporated as H.B. Fuller Company and issued stock valued at $75,000.

After the war, however, Fuller's sales dropped off and Harvey, Sr., fell ill, dying late in 1921.

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.

Every new sale, therefore, mattered greatly, which made all the more devastating the revelation in late 1937 that three of Fuller's regional salesmen had been undercutting the company's orders through the creation of a bogus firm, which they now claimed to represent.

Even more devastating to the company's long-term prospects was the debilitating stroke Harvey Fuller suffered in 1939.

In March 1941 a large Chicago competitor named Paisley Products approached the ailing St Paul firm with an acquisition offer.

1958: H.B. Fuller Company (Canada) Ltd., based in Winnipeg, is launched.

Al Vigard assumed control of day-to-day operations in Andersen's absence; he later became president when Andersen extended his political career by receiving the governorship of Minnesota in 1960.

1968 Company founded by Mr. and Mrs.

When Andersen's son, Tony, assumed leadership of the company in 1971, further rapidly paced growth came through overseas expansion.

At the close of the decade, Fuller ranked fourth among United States adhesives companies, behind National Starch (later owned by Unilever, then Imperial Chemical Industries PLC), Paisley Products (acquired by Fuller in 1975), and Swift.

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

Plant expansions around the globe, as well as continuing investment in research and development, typified the company through 1992.

Stroucken told analysts in mid-1999 that he was identifying acquisition targets with sales 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.

In 2001, HB Chemical took the necessary steps to become ISO 9001 certified to ensure our quality management system was adept at addressing all of our customers’ needs.

2007 Beginning of the first extrusion line.

2011 Development of our brand's visual identity and new engagement: "Transform to success."