Professional Builder discovers that, when it comes to Gorilla, the ‘Glue’ really is in the name
The company has clearly, to excuse the pun, been on a bit of a chest beating exercise of late, but the brand is relatively new to the UK. What’s the background?
Gorilla Glue was originally developed in the USA, and sold exclusively to furniture makers who demanded an extremely effective adhesive. Around 1999 it was made available to a much wider consumer audience and, after being purchased by Lutz Tool, changed its name to the Gorilla Glue Company. Today, it is recognised as America’s best-selling glue and adhesive brand.
When did it arrive in the UK?
The UK arm launched in 2008 with its European Headquarters set up in Chorley, Lancashire and, with its prominent strapline and image, quickly established itself with tradespeople across the construction sector. Current MD, Simon Damp has an enormous amount of experience in the adhesive industry, having started as European Sales Director and, together with his team, is totally committed to driving the brand on to even greater success over the next twelve months.
We are all aware that it is a highly competitive market. How do you intend to stand out from the crowd?
The brand has already seen numerous new products come to market over the past year, with more to come in due course, so the key for us now is to explore and develop new channels of distribution for the full family of glues and duct tape.
Already this year we have launched a further three new products to extend the range, one of which is Gorilla Grab Adhesive – an all-purpose, all-surface adhesive.
This move sees a new direction for the brand, which has never before entered the grab adhesive marketplace. It follows several years of planning and rigorous testing in the field with the result that our 290ml cartridge, with its ‘Easy-Flow Formula’, is compatible with any adhesive or sealant gun on the market – and, of course, leads with the claim ‘Grabs Virtually Anything Instantly’.
It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor projects and is flexible, paintable and even bonds underwater. The Gorilla Glue brand is constantly evolving and the move into new sub-categories forms the latest milestone on the journey.
Tell us about your place in the Guinness book of records?
To really showcase the ‘tough’ properties that have become synonymous with Gorilla Glue, and in support of the company slogan ‘For the Toughest Jobs on Planet Earth’, the team have recently become official world record holders for the ‘fastest time to duct tape a person to a wall’.
They beat the official Guinness World Record set by an American, by using their own product range, Gorilla Tape, which meant a quicker technique that required less tape, and which resulted in Simon breaking the record in just 28.53 seconds.