Gluefast
Gluefast is a family-owned US manufacturer, founded in 1939 and based in Itasca, Illinois, that designs and sells industrial adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesive products, application equipment, and specialty coatings for packaging, converting, graphics, and picture framing customers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1939
- HeadquartersNeptune, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Gluefast does
Gluefast (legal name: The Gluefast Company, Inc.) is a privately held, family-owned manufacturer of adhesive application and dispensing equipment founded in 1939 and headquartered in a 17,000 sq ft facility in Itasca, Illinois. The company designs and produces a catalog spanning water-based adhesives, hot melt adhesives and glue guns, pressure sensitive adhesive products (its own Gluefast DUOS brand and distributed Glue Dots), protein/animal glues, and specialty coatings such as the Craquelure texture coating and the 2014 CV Series canvas coatings. Application equipment ranges from handheld applicators and tabletop devices (Label Pro 5.5, SOLO GLUE RITER) to larger industrial machinery (Captain B and Colonel Gluer label gluers, MELTCATOR hot melt roll coaters, Adjutant Press mounting press, Colonel AG protein glue machinery, edge gluers, SKID-LOCK palletizing applicators). Integrated systems such as the Wrinkle Tamer mounting system and the Duplexing System combine multiple pieces of equipment for end-to-end workflows.
Gluefast monetizes primarily through one-time hardware and consumable sales, with pricing conducted on a quote basis rather than published rates. SKUs range from single gallons and 1,000-dot boxes up to 55-gallon drums and 260-gallon disposable totes of bulk adhesive. A secondary revenue stream is custom adhesive formulation, in which the company's "Gluemaster" technical staff develops tailored adhesive recipes for specific customer requirements. Distribution combines direct sales from the Itasca office, a dedicated e-commerce storefront (shop.gluefast.com), and a global distributor network that exports to all continents.
The customer base is dominated by SMB and prosumer users across horizontal industrial use cases: packaging and converting (case/carton sealing, palletizing via SKID-LOCK, duplexing), graphics and wall art (canvas giclee coatings, Craquelure faux finishes), picture framing (mounting, matting, finishing), and smaller niches such as breweries, vineyards, greeting card producers, and craft galleries. The company markets through its website, a substantial video tutorial library, blog content, trade show participation (e.g., WCAF Expo), and catalog requests. Multiple sub-brands (SKID-LOCK, Gluefast DUOS, MELTCATOR, Craquelure, SOLO GLUE RITER, Dot'n'Go, Colonel AG, CV Coatings) sit beneath the Gluefast corporate identity.
Gluefast firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gluefast
- Legal name
- The Gluefast Company, Inc.
- Website
- https://gluefast.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1939
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Gluefast is a family-owned US manufacturer, founded in 1939 and based in Itasca, Illinois, that designs and sells industrial adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesive products, application equipment, and specialty coatings for packaging, converting, graphics, and picture framing customers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gluefast industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Adhesive Equipment and Consumables
- NAICS
- Adhesive Manufacturing (32552), Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510)
- SIC
- Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Adhesives (Structural & Assembly) (IMAEAGAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Label Stock, Inks, Coatings & Laminates (Materials Supply) (IMALAKAL), Adhesives & Sealants Chemicals (IMAEABAA)
Keywords
Where Gluefast is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Neptune
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gluefast business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Adhesive Products Sales: Gluefast generates revenue through the sale of various adhesive products including water-based adhesives, hot melt adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives (Glue Dots, Gluefast DUOS), protein/animal glues, and specialty adhesives. Products are sold in various quantities from small units (gallons) to bulk containers (55-gallon drums, 260-gallon disposable containers).
- Application Equipment Sales: Sale of adhesive application and dispensing equipment including label gluers (Label Pro 5.5, Captain B, Colonel Gluer), hot melt glue guns, edge gluers, roll coaters, hot melt applicators, moistener machines, and mounting presses. Equipment ranges from manual handheld tools to automated industrial machinery.
- Coatings and Specialty Products: Sale of acrylic coatings for canvas and paper prints, including Craquelure texture coatings, CV series pre-stretched/pre-mounted coatings, and protective finishes. These value-added products serve the wall art and picture framing industries.
- Custom Formulation Services: Gluefast offers uniquely formulated adhesives for specific customer needs. If standard products don't meet requirements, customers can contact the company to discuss custom adhesive formulations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Glue Dots products sold in self-dispensing boxes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gluefast DUOS sold in multiple packaging options |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Industrial application equipment |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk adhesive products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Coatings products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Gluefast product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gluefast manufactures and supplies adhesive application and dispensing equipment, industrial adhesives, and coatings used in packaging, graphics, converting, and picture framing operations. The company offers an integrated product line that pairs purpose-built dispensing hardware with compatible adhesive and coating consumables, allowing customers to source a complete bonding workflow from a single specialty supplier.
Product overview
The Gluefast Company is a family business established in 1939 that specializes in adhesive application equipment, dispensing machines, and adhesives for the packaging, graphics, converting, and picture framing industries. The product portfolio includes a comprehensive range of adhesive applicators (SOLO GLUE RITER, P.A.T. Sprayer), protein glue machinery (Colonel AG), hot melt equipment (HMG glue guns, MELTCATOR roll coaters), label gluers (Label Pro 5.5, Captain B), large-format mounting equipment (Colonel Gluer, Adjutant Press), and the SKID-LOCK palletizing/unitizing system. The company also distributes pressure-sensitive adhesives including Glue Dots and Gluefast DUOS (its own brand), along with water-based and hot melt adhesives. Supporting products include canvas and print coatings (Craquelure Texture Coating, CV Spray Kit), edge gluers, moisturizers, and various applicators for Glue Dots (Dot Shot Pro, AutoDot Pro, QuikDot Pro, EconoDot Pro, Dot'n'Go). The products work together as integrated systems, such as the 'Wrinkle Tamers' combining Colonel Gluer and Adjutant Press for bubble-free mounting, and the Duplexing System for creating laminated materials.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SKID-LOCK: Palletizing and unitizing adhesive system designed to reduce or eliminate the need for stretch wrap, corner boards, or slip sheets.
- Gluefast DUOS
- Glue Dots
- SOLO GLUE RITER
- MELTCATOR
- Craquelure Texture Coating
- CV Coatings
- HGM-MEGA Hot Melt Glue Gun
- Dot'n'Go
Products and services
- Adhesive application and dispensing equipment Mechanical applicators and dispensers built to apply adhesives in controlled volumes for packaging, graphics, converting, and picture framing operations; designed for industrial and small-business production users.
- Industrial adhesives Adhesive formulations supplied for use in packaging, graphics, converting, and picture framing workflows; sold as consumables compatible with Gluefast dispensing equipment and used by industrial buyers and small businesses.
- Industrial coatings Coatings sold to industrial and small-business customers for finishing and protection applications within packaging, graphics, converting, and picture framing operations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Label Pro 5.5 saves thousands of hours of labor compared to using double-backed tape for gluing greeting cards
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Gluefast
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Gluefast technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature8 records
Gluefast partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PMMI (The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies)coreGluefast joined PMMI (Institute of Packaging Machinery Manufacturers) in 1986, an organization that includes over 500 US and Canadian packaging equipment manufacturers. PMMI membership demonstrates Gluefast's commitment to the packaging and processing industries and provides networking and industry representation benefits.
- PMA (The Worldwide Community of Imaging Associations)minorGluefast is a proud member of PMA, the worldwide community of imaging associations. This membership connects the company with the imaging and photography industry, supporting their graphics and wall art product lines.
- Glue Dots International LLCcoreIn 2005, Gluefast became a distributor for the Glue Dots product line, representing the largest stocking distributor of Glue Dots on the East Coast. Glue Dots are pressure sensitive adhesives similar to Gluefast's own DUOS product. Disclaimer: Glue Dots is a registered trademark of Glue Dots International LLC, with Chicago Glue & Machine having no affiliation with Glue Dots International.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Gluefast competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Henkel: Global adhesives giant (Loctite, Pattex, Technomelt) producing industrial and consumer adhesives across packaging, automotive, and electronics — directly comparable in chemistry and end markets to Gluefast, but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
- H.B. Fuller: Large US-listed specialty adhesives manufacturer serving packaging, hygiene, construction, and converting — a direct broad incumbent competitor to Gluefast's water-based and hot-melt packaging adhesive lines.
- Bostik (Arkema): Adhesives business of Arkema, offering hot-melt, pressure-sensitive, and water-based adhesives for packaging, labeling, and industrial assembly — a major global competitor to Gluefast's core adhesive categories.
- 3M: Industrial conglomerate with significant adhesives and tape product lines (including pressure-sensitive adhesives and hot-melt systems) that overlap with several Gluefast product categories.
- Graco: Manufacturer of fluid handling and dispensing equipment, including adhesive and sealant applicators for industrial customers — comparable in equipment-side overlap with Gluefast's applicator portfolio.
- Avery Dennison: Global leader in pressure-sensitive label materials, with adhesive technologies and labeling solutions that overlap with Gluefast's label-application equipment and pressure-sensitive adhesive consumables.
- Illinois Tool Works (ITW): Diversified industrial manufacturer with multiple adhesive, packaging, and equipment businesses (including in the case/carton sealing and palletizing space) that overlap with Gluefast's packaging and unitizing product lines.
Direct peers
- Nordson: Manufacturer of precision adhesive dispensing and hot-melt equipment for packaging, product assembly, and nonwovens — a direct peer to Gluefast's hot-melt roll coaters, glue guns, and applicator systems.
- Valco Melton: Specialist in cold-glue and hot-melt adhesive application equipment for packaging, converting, and paper industries — a direct competitor to Gluefast's label gluers, edge gluers, and roll coater product lines.
- Glue Dots International: Manufacturer of the original pressure-sensitive adhesive dots product line that Gluefast distributes and competes against with its own Gluefast DUOS brand — a direct niche peer in the pressure-sensitive adhesive dot category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gluefast social profiles
Digital presenceGluefast financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gluefast leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Gluefast funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gluefast M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gluefast
What does Gluefast do?
Gluefast manufactures and supplies adhesive application and dispensing equipment, industrial adhesives, and coatings used in packaging, graphics, converting, and picture framing operations. The company offers an integrated product line that pairs purpose-built dispensing hardware with compatible adhesive and coating consumables, allowing customers to source a complete bonding workflow from a single specialty supplier.
Is Gluefast a public or private company?
Gluefast is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Gluefast founded?
Gluefast was founded in 1939. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Gluefast based?
Gluefast is headquartered in Neptune, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gluefast make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Adhesive Products Sales are the primary driver. The others are application Equipment Sales, coatings and Specialty Products and custom Formulation Services.
Who are Gluefast's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Henkel, H.B. Fuller, Bostik (Arkema), 3M, Graco, Avery Dennison and Illinois Tool Works (ITW). Direct peers are Nordson, Valco Melton and Glue Dots International.
Does Gluefast have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gluefast.
What industry is Gluefast in?
Gluefast's product category is Industrial Adhesive Equipment and Consumables. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAEAGAH, Adhesives (Structural & Assembly), with a secondary code of IMALAKAL, Label Stock, Inks, Coatings & Laminates (Materials Supply). Its NAICS code is 32552 and its SIC code is 2891.