Investing in adhesives: Why ROI is more than just the payback period

Here, Matthew Baseley, Technical Sales Executive at Intertronics, explains the considerations that determine return on investment (ROI) in an adhesives process.

If you’ve ever tried to source an adhesive for your application, you probably realised quickly that there is no universally perfect
adhesive. Everything from the substrates you’re bonding to the operating temperature and humidity, through to the exposure of the assembly to solvents, weather and mechanical stress, will influence your choice.

It is worth understanding that the adhesive choice will only be one component
of the full bonding process (which includes surface preparation, adhesive mixing, application and dispensing, curing and QA) and it is in this entire process that you are investing. It is important to take a holistic view; for example, application and curing equipment costs, and
efficiency of the method, are factors that will affect an ROI calculation and allow comparison to other options. 

We think of ROI as a measure of how fast we get our money back after making an investment. For a bonding process, an investment
in equipment can be justified by improvements in the method, or savings in resources like labour, energy, or space. However, there are many hidden, intangible benefits that come with suitable investment – ones that go beyond the headline ROI figure...

Read the full article in DPA's September issue