In an inventive twist, Fix & Flash uses LED light to cure glue fast on virtually all types of surfaces and materials. Bostik’s new, extra-strength repair glue brings a cutting-edge professional technology to consumers for the first time, for small DIY jobs, decoration and creative hobbies. Here’s how it works.
How can you tell when an innovation is a success? When customers stick with it like glue! Fix & Flash has achieved that level of popularity. French consumers voted
Bostik’s latest consumer glue the “2019 Product of the Year” in the “repair glue” category just a few months after its launch. “This accolade proves that our product offers a real plus to consumers and users by making their lives easier. We’re honored
by the distinction, a guarantee of quality and performance,” says a pleased Vincent Legros, Chairman and CEO of Bostik, an Arkema subsidiary.
AN EXTRA-STRONG GLUE THAT SETS AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT
Fix & Flash is the product of a meeting between Bostik’s DIY marketing team and researchers at its Spanish start-up Afinitica. “They started by looking at the main drawback of this kind of consumer
glue, the fact that people’s fingers stick together before they have time to properly position what they’re working on. The researchers wanted to make it possible for users to initiate bonding when it suited them, by exposing the item to an LED light.
Our chemical wizards found a way to do that using a type of solvent-free, non-irritating, odorless glue. The result is impressively effective,” says an enthusiastic François Court, Bostik Research, Development & Innovation Director. Fix &
Flash stands out for other reasons too. “An innovative technology like this one needed to be presented and packaged differently,” comments Olivia Pierre, Bostik Global Category Manager for Consumer Adhesives. As a result, “we have a premium product
with a fantastic tool: a reusable applicator nozzle and refillable tube, something no competitor offers. Plus, there’s no need for hazard pictograms. Last and most important, Fix & Flash can glue and invisibly, solidly and durably repair any kind
of object and material and any type of surface, from concrete, wood and rubber to ceramic, stone, metal and glass.”
INNOVATIVE, LONG-LASTING AND EASY TO USE
During development of Fix & Flash, a number of other potential innovations were identified. “We carved out a unique position for Fix & Flash as an all-purpose adhesive and forged a strong bond with our users through a novel advertising campaign
and a strong web and social media presence. And that’s just the start,” adds Olivia Pierre. “We plan to keep growing in the French market and to sell this glue in the United Kingdom and Germany this year, before expanding to other countries such as
Australia, the Philippines and Russia. This year, we’ll also kick off the international rollout of Fix & Glue, which uses the same bonding technology minus the light. It’s an easy-to-apply glue that is safe for humans and the environment, but
more effective than competing glues in that segment.”
LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN FREE
The ideal adhesive for all your creative projects, Fix & Flash replaces plastic glue, metal glue, wood glue and glues for many other types of materials. The multi-substrate adhesive inspired Bostik’s marketing team, which uploaded
around 20 DIY tutorials to the https://glue.bostik.com site. Whether you want to fix a phone charger cable or your eyeglasses
or create a mirror, light fixture or small piece of furniture, Fix & Flash lets you go wherever your imagination takes you. The website, promoted via social media and bloggers, is a big hit with the public.
The Fix and Flash of It
- The Fix side is a strong glue based on a next-generation cyanoacrylate known as methoxyethyl cyanoacrylate, or MECA.
- Flash is an LED light on the applicator that initiates drying of the adhesive via capillary action. This “shadow curing” technology is similar to what dentists use to bond dental braces. It means that customers can adjust and reposition the adhesive
before exposing it to the light. Fifteen seconds and you’re done!
