Rifles, a retired teacher, and a €5.5 billion business: the story of Loctite stickers

In 1942, as World War II bombs fell across half the planet, an intern spent his hours locked in a laboratory at the American giant Kodak. His name was Harry Wesley Coover. He was 25 years old and studying organic chemistry at Cornell University in upstate New York. By then, the photography company had adapted to the war economy, and the department to which Coover had been assigned had been given a mission: to research a polymer that would improve soldiers' vision through the sights of precision weapons, such as rifles. Through a process of trial and error, the student stumbled upon cyanoacrylate. It was a completely new chemical substance with great adhesive properties, but since it wasn't suitable for solving that specific problem, it was discarded.

Today, cyanoacrylate is known by the brand name Super Glue and is one of Loctite's flagship products. The sticker brand, owned by the German group Henkel, had a turnover of €5.5 billion in 2024. But how did they manage to transform Coover's invention into one of the most famous glues in history?

The resurgence of the invention

Cyanoacrylate remained stored in a laboratory drawer for years. It wasn't until 1951 that Fred Joyner, another Kodak researcher, revived it for a new project. He thought it could be useful for coating airplane cabins, and it worked. This time, Coover realized it could have many more applications and convinced Kodak to market it: first, under the name Eastman 910; later, under the name Super Glue. It wasn't a huge sales success—in fact, Kodak never managed to make the invention profitable—but it established Coover's reputation within the company. Over the course of his career, he granted the company 460 patents. In 1980, Kodak spun off Super Glue, which went to another chemical company: National Starch.

Now, the Super Glue popularized by the Loctite brand isn't the one invented by Coover. Parallel to this scientist's story, a retired chemistry professor and his son, also an expert in the field, invented anaerobic adhesive. It was in the laboratories of Trinity College in Connecticut. It was a resin that would be transported very quickly and without the need for air. This invention, born in 1953, marked a turning point for many sectors of industry. Until then, the snails that tightened machinery and pipes in workshops constantly came loose due to the vibration of the engines. The product of Vernon Krieble and his son, Robert Krieble, solved this problem. It was only necessary to apply it to the nails to prevent them from slipping. To market the adhesive, the family created the company American Sealants. By 1963, it had already surpassed $1 million in sales and changed its name to Loctite Corporation.

However, five years later, Loctite glues were still used only in very specific sectors of industry. In 1970, for example, the product was making its way into the automotive market, with the aim of preventing engine vibration. The big step forward came in 1975. The company had heard about Coover's cyanoacrylates, and its laboratories developed its own formula. In 1975, Loctite marketed its Super Glue for the first time, specifically for the domestic market.

Ten years later, the giant Henkel bought 25% of Loctite's shares. That same year, the company added Harry Wesley Coover, the inventor of the original Super Glue, to its business management. In 1996, Henkel took another bite out of the shareholding: it kept 35%. It was the prelude to the decision it would make the following year: to keep all of Loctite. Today, Loctite is present in more than 130 countries, closed 2024 with a turnover of more than €5.4 billion, and markets adhesives for all types of applications: from the original application for fixing machinery snails to electronics adhesives, lubricants, cleaners, and coatings.