tesa develops and produces self-adhesive specialty tapes and system solutions for industry, trade and end consumers.
tesa SE
Norderstedt (Headquarter Europe) · Hamburg · Offenburg · Concagno, IT · Sparta, US · Suzhou, CN · Singapore · Haiphong, VNNew on Amplifa
Adhesive technology since 1890
tesa SE is an international manufacturer of self-adhesive product and system solutions headquartered in Norderstedt. The portfolio comprises more than 7,000 products, including single- and double-sided specialty tapes, acrylic foam tapes (tesa® ACX plus) for structural bonding, insulating, mounting, protective and marking tapes as well as consumer products such as tesafilm®. Manufacturing is based on in-house adhesive development (polymerization, compounding) and coating technology, increasingly using patented solvent-free processes on film, fabric or paper. Optically clear adhesive films for smartphone and display applications are produced in cleanrooms; tape thicknesses range from 3 micrometers to over 5 millimeters. Main customer industries are the automotive industry (including e-mobility), electronics, printing & paper, construction, household appliances, solar and wind energy. With around 5,400 employees, 11 production sites and 11 Customer Solution Centers, tesa supplies customers worldwide, including Audi, BMW, Bosch and Siemens.
- Site
- Norderstedt
- Processes
- Production of single- and double-sided adhesive tapes (coating), Solvent-free adhesive production (patented process, extruded adhesive masses), Cleanroom production of optically clear adhesive films for displays, Production of double-sided acrylic foam tapes (tesa® ACXplus) for structural bonding, Adhesive tapes with hot-melt and water-based adhesive systems, Coating and converting processes for pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, Polymerization of adhesives, Development of customer-specific adhesive solutions (Customer Solution Centers, 11 worldwide)
- Materials
- Natural rubber, Synthetic rubber, Acrylates (acrylic foam tapes), Aluminum, Steel, Glass, Fiber composites, Plastics
- Certificates
- ISO 14001, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO/TS 16949
- Founded
- 1890 (root
- Employees
- approx. 5,400
- Industries
- Automotive industry (incl. e-mobility), Electronics industry, Printing & paper, Construction industry, Household appliances, Trade/craft
- 01
Polymerization and compounding of adhesive masses
- 02
Coating of backing materials (film, fabric, paper)
- 03
Solvent-free extrusion or cleanroom production
- 04
Converting/finishing
- 05
Quality inspection and delivery
Adhesive masses and backing materials
Natural rubber
Basis of many adhesive masses, mostly a renewable raw material.
Synthetic rubber
Adhesive base for versatile industrial applications.
Acrylates (acrylic foam tapes)
Basis of the tesa® ACX plus tapes for structural high-performance bonding.
PET (film/liner)
Backing and protective film material, e.g. protective film tesa® 50556.
Film, fabric, paper
Backing materials for adhesive tape coating.
Aluminum, steel, glass, fiber composites
Substrates that are permanently bonded with ACX plus acrylic foam tapes.
Production sites
Norderstedt
DEHeadquarter Europe, research and technology center (tesa Campus)
Hamburg
DESpecialty tape production (Hamburg-Hausbruch plant)
- Materials
- Acrylates, rubber
- Coating lines (solvent-free)
- Cleanroom production unit
- Polymerization plant (2015)
- ACX production plant
- Combined heat-power-cooling (CHPC) system
Offenburg
DELargest production site of tesa SE
- Special machinery construction
- Solvent-free coating processes
Concagno (Solbiate con Cagno)
ITProduction (Comet SpA – a tesa Company)
- Materials
- Hot-melt adhesives, water-based adhesives
Sparta, MI
USProduction for North American markets (>16,000 m²)
- Materials
- Plastics
- Solvent-free extrusion line S FX
- Pilot coater
Suzhou
CNProduction with cleanroom and Customer Solution Center
- Cleanroom production unit
Singapore
SGSubsidiary tesa tape Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
Haiphong
VNNew plant (investment approx. €55 million)
Adhesive tape solutions
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production of single- and double-sided adhesive tapes (coating)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Film, Fabric, Paper |
| Solvent-free adhesive production (patented process, extruded adhesive masses)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Natural rubber, Synthetic rubber, Acrylates |
| Cleanroom production of optically clear adhesive films for displaysPlastics | – | – | – | – | Acrylate, PET |
| Production of double-sided acrylic foam tapes (tesa® ACXplus) for structural bondingJoining | – | – | – | – | Aluminum, Steel, Glass, Fiber composites, Plastics, painted surfaces, powder-coated surfaces |
| Adhesive tapes with hot-melt and water-based adhesive systemsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Hot-melt adhesive, water-based adhesive |
| Coating and converting processes for pressure-sensitive adhesive tapesPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastics |
| Polymerization of adhesivesPlastics | – | – | – | – | Acrylates |
8 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coating line (production line) | – | – | – | – | tesa plant Hamburg |
| Cleanroom production unit | – | 1 | – | – | tesa plant Hamburg-Hausbruch |
| Polymerization plant | – | 1 | – | 2015 | tesa plant Hamburg |
| Combined heat-power-cooling (CHPC) system | – | 1 | – | – | tesa plant Hamburg |
| Solvent-free extrusion line (S FX) | S FX | 1 | – | 2023 | tesa plant Sparta |
| ACX production plant for double-sided adhesive tapes | – | 1 | – | 2010 | tesa plant Hamburg |
| Pilot coater | – | 1 | – | – | tesa plant Sparta |
| Cleanroom production unit (under construction) | – | 1 | – | – | tesa plant Suzhou |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and certification
All production processes are closely monitored; raw materials and suppliers are subject to strict testing criteria. DoE, FMEA and statistical process control (SPC), among others, are used in development and series production.
| Evidence | Hamburg | Offenburg | Sparta |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |||
| ISO 14001 | |||
| ISO/TS 16949 | |||
| IATF 16949 |
Company history
- 1890
Dr. Oscar Troplowitz takes over the laboratory of Paul C. Beiersdorf.
- 1896
Troplowitz launches the first technical adhesive tape on the market.
- 1936
tesafilm® comes onto the market.
- 1971
Foundation stone laid for the Hamburg-Hausbruch plant.
- 1982
Establishment of the Sparta site (USA) – first production facility outside Europe.
- 2001
tesa becomes an independent Beiersdorf subsidiary.
- 2009
Conversion into a Societas Europaea (tesa SE) on 30 March.
- 2010
Cleanroom unit and ACX production plant in Hamburg; launch of tesa® ACX plus.
- 2012
Start of the tesa® ACX plus range for structural connections.
- 2013
Groundbreaking for the new construction of the tesa SE headquarters (tesa Campus).
- 2015
Commissioning of a new polymerization plant at the Hamburg plant.
- 2016
Opening of the tesa Campus in Norderstedt (investment approx. €160 million).
- 2017
Acquisition of “nie wieder bohren ag”, Hanau.
- 2018
Three acquisitions: Twinlock (Polymount), FormFormForm Ltd. (Sugru®), Functional Coatings (USA).
- 2019
Expansion of the Suzhou site (investment >€30 million, cleanroom production).
- 2020
Decision for the new construction of the Haiphong plant, Vietnam (investment approx. €55 million).
- 2023
Expansion of the Sparta plant to over 16,000 m²; complete conversion to solvent-free production.