Building Strong Bonds: SABA's Global Adhesive Strategy

Report: Murat Soygür

With its deep-rooted heritage dating back to 1933, SABA stands out through the strong connections it has forged between people, materials and markets. In an interview we conducted, Ewa Frankowska-Śrama, Director of SABA Foam Adhesives (FBA) Business Unit, shared with our readers how this approach contributes to innovation on a global scale and to long-term business partnerships.

Could you briefly tell us about yourself and your professional background?
I am Ewa Frankowska-Śrama, and I lead SABA's Foam Adhesives Business Unit. In this role, I guide our commercial teams across the EMEA and APAC regions, and I am also responsible for our marketing and product management activities. I place great importance on fostering collaboration across the organization and continuously advancing quality.

With extensive background in international commercial leadership, strategic implementation and market development, I bring both experience and a passion for innovation to my role at SABA. My core focus is to elevate the SABA brand to new heights, expand our market position, and accelerate innovative initiatives while enabling our teams to closely monitor changes in customer needs, ensuring we remain competitive globally.

This approach is an integral part of SABA's corporate culture. Founded in 1933 and operating in 77 countries today, SABA has believed from day one in "the power of connection." Connections forged between materials, between people and between goals. This understanding is what has brought us to where we are today: to be a global player that grows by building close relationships. This vision gives me the privilege of both working with a global team and customer network, and being close to each region's specific needs.

What truly sets SABA apart is that it is still a family business. This means we think not only about today, but also about tomorrow. We invest in developing the best products, build increasingly stronger relationships every year, and make sustainable choices. Because we believe that progress is meaningful only when it makes the world a better place.

What are your main product groups and the industries you serve?
As SABA, we are proud to be one of the leading specialist companies offering adhesives specifically developed for foam processing, bedding and upholstered furniture industries. Our product portfolio is designed to meet the demanding needs of modern manufacturers.

We offer advanced technology hot-melt adhesives specifically developed for automatic and high-capacity mattress production. These solutions stand out for increasing efficiency without compromising quality. Our water-based systems, which have earned a strong reputation for providing clean processes and consistently reliable results, are frequently preferred by industry professionals. We also offer solvent-based solutions where specific performance requirements are in question, while directing our customers towards more sustainable and low-emission alternatives wherever possible.

Our specialized adhesive solutions are specifically formulated for bonding foam to different materials and surfaces. In this way, we respond with precision and flexibility to the high demands of today's furniture and mattress production.

We serve leading mattress manufacturers, upholstered furniture manufacturers and foam processors in Europe, North America, APAC and increasingly in the Middle East and North Africa. Wherever we operate, our approach is the same: rather than being average across all areas, we choose to be excellent in specific applications. Because the strongest bonds are forged this way.

How would you describe your company's current position in the global adhesives market?
As SABA, we take great pride in being recognized as a reliable, quality-focused and forward-thinking business partner with deep expertise in bedding and upholstered furniture. Our genuine passion is to drive the industry forward and make a meaningful difference for our customers. Over generations, we have built relationships as strong and enduring as our solutions.

Over the years, we have become one of the world's most trusted names in the field of foam adhesives. We were the company that developed the first water-based adhesive to provide instant adhesion without the need for solvent-based alternatives. This pioneering spirit is what gives true meaning to the expression "A Strong Bond" for us. This is not just a slogan; it is a reflection of our operations, beliefs and approach.

By establishing a strong position in developed markets, we have built a solid reputation for reliability and results-orientation. While doing so, we are not resting on our laurels; we continue to pursue our growth ambitions by opening up to new and emerging markets.

What sets us apart in a competitive market are not just commercial relationships; our technical expertise and field support, combined with our focus on building genuine and long-term partnerships, distinguish us. Our flexibility, our ability to develop solutions and our determination to always go one step further define our way of doing business. From 1933 to today, we continue to build lasting relationships with all stakeholders in need.

Our global operations give us the strength of a large international player, while allowing us to maintain the personal approach and customer-focused perspective that an adhesive specialist possesses. We are greatly excited about contributing to the success of our business partners wherever they are in the world.

In an increasingly competitive market, what are the factors that distinguish your adhesive technologies from others?
First and foremost, we place great emphasis on reliability. Our solutions are designed to deliver consistent and reliable results that ensure manufacturing processes run smoothly and efficiently at every scale and in every situation.

The second distinguishing factor is our customer-focused technical support. This support goes far beyond conventional service understanding. Our customers do not view us merely as a supplier; we are their knowledge partner.

We provide confidence and support at every stage, treating their problems as our own. We work in close collaboration with our customers through co-design processes, developing adhesive applications tailored to their specific needs. This approach allows us to customize our solutions, share knowledge and develop innovation together.

Our experts conduct more than 200 adhesion tests for customers each year. This is just one concrete example of our partnership in the field. A significant portion of our customer managers hold Certified Adhesive Specialist (EAS) or Certified Adhesive Engineer (EAE) certification. This allows us to approach every customer meeting not only from a commercial perspective but with strong technical knowledge. Additionally, we offer innovative application solutions such as our SABA Plug'n Spray and Zero Overspray technologies, helping our customers reduce adhesive consumption, improve working environments and increase production efficiency.

We continue to advance where others give up. You can feel this determination in everything we do, in every test we conduct and in every detail we improve.

What promising adhesive technologies is your R&D team currently working on?
SABA dedicates more than 10% of its annual budget to R&D and aims to bring at least 10 new products to market each year. The principle of continuous improvement lies at the foundation of our corporate culture. For this reason, we continue to research, test and improve. Where necessary, we take major steps; in subtle details that go unnoticed, we also make improvements. Because we believe quality is built through the dedication demonstrated every day, in every decision and in every detail.

Our R&D efforts are shaped in line with our customers' needs, focusing on adhesive technologies that provide cost efficiency, recyclability and operational flexibility.

Among our priority objectives is developing adhesives that simplify assembly processes. Another goal of ours is to design single-material solutions that facilitate the recycling of end products and support circular economy principles. To this end, we have launched a water-based polyurethane product portfolio suitable for both automatic and manual applications.

We are also focused on developing formulations that maintain high bonding performance while optimizing adhesive coating distribution. The goal is to apply the right amount of adhesive needed for maximum efficiency; thereby reducing material usage and lowering production costs. This approach also enables faster curing and packaging processes.

Overall, our R&D agenda is built on contributing to our business partners in achieving their strategic objectives. These objectives include reducing costs, increasing recyclability and advancing more sophisticated production techniques.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for customers. How does SABA integrate environmentally friendly principles into its product portfolio? 
Sustainability is a core part of our business strategy and shapes every decision we make and every innovation we implement. We design our products with sustainability in mind and make intensive efforts to make our processes more efficient. In practice, this means we aim to use less adhesive and reduce waste, thus helping our customers save energy and reduce their waste. At the same time, we take steps to facilitate preparation for the circular economy by developing solutions that enable materials to be easily separated when necessary.

We are also aware that sustainability and cost efficiency are mutually supportive factors. Reduced adhesive usage, waste reduction and enabling leaner production processes provide direct cost advantages. For this reason, we design our sustainable solutions to be strong and attractive not only from an environmental perspective but also from a commercial perspective.

Beyond our products, as a responsible manufacturer we seek ways to continuously improve ourselves. Responsible production is one of our core values, so we ensure that our operations meet high standards in terms of environmental sensitivity. For us, sustainability is not just a goal; it is an integral part of our design, development and future planning.

Because ultimately, the strongest bond is the one we build together; with our customers, with the materials we bring together, and with the world we share.