BOSTIK

In 2004 Bostik became the official name for Bostik Findley, which was originally formed in 2001 as a result of the merger of France's largest oil & gas Companies Total Fina and Elf Aquitaine and their respective Adhesives Companies: Bostik and Ato Findley.

Bostik is a company with a long and rich history, founded as the Boston Blacking Co. in Chelsea Massachusetts in 1889, it has its origins in the shoe industry and shoe adhesives. In 1929 it was taken over by USM (United Shoe Machinery) and was developed on a global scale, focusing on the shoe industry until the 1950's when the company embarked on international expansion and diversification. In 1990 Bostik was purchased by TOTAL, the French oil company, who invested in the growth of Bostik through a steady acquisition policy that developed Bostik into one of the market leaders.

Ato Findley came forth with a similar background. Founded in 1911 when Frank G. Findley purchased the Wisconsin Paste Company, a manufacturer of wallpaper and billboard paste. In 1917, the company became known as F.G. Findley Co. and later Findley Adhesives, Inc. Through the years, in an effort to grow sales, their technologies became more sophisticated and they began to serve new and different markets.