Additives: How TOPCORE Adapted Its Products to Market-Specific Needs (2016)

The year 2016 marked a turning point for TOPCORE. Our experience in producing dextrin adhesives revealed one consistent truth—every production line and every customer has unique needs. To meet these diverse demands, we introduced a breakthrough innovation that reshaped the adhesive industry: additives for industrial adhesives. This step not only enhanced the performance of our products but also broadened our customer base and helped optimize production costs.

1. Why Additives? What Role Did They Play in Industrial Production?

In the production of paper products, where bonding strength and speed are essential, our clients were facing a number of critical challenges:

• High scrap rates due to insufficient bond strength
• Poor structural integrity of paper tubes
• Tube ovality issues disrupting further processing
• Excessive tube moisture leading to longer drying times and increased energy costs

Customers were seeking solutions that would:

• Improve bond strength and consistency
• Reduce reliance on expensive dextrin
• Accelerate drying and lower energy consumption
• Ensure high performance across varying production conditions

“At that time, no one in the adhesive industry offered additives like we did. Some products slightly improved performance, but no one delivered a comprehensive solution—10 critical components blended into one formula.”— Petr Červinka, Co-founder of TOPCORE

Additives became a vital tool for optimizing the entire production process.

2. Developing New Products: From Lab Tests to Industrial Scale

The development of additives was intensive and innovation-driven. We understood that:

• Dextrin represents over 60% of the cost of liquid adhesives, making consumption reduction essential
• Additives could dramatically improve performance, even in small quantities
• Adaptability was crucial—some production lines needed faster drying, others required stronger bonds

Development Process:

• Laboratory Testing – We sought optimal formulations, determining how far dextrin content could be reduced without compromising quality
• Iterations – Initial prototypes were created and refined in-house
• Customer Testing – First samples were sent to select clients for real-world production trials

Early Successful Outcomes:

• Lower dextrin content without sacrificing adhesive quality
• Faster tube production through optimized drying
• Stronger paper-to-paper bonds for improved product stability

“It took us about 1–2 years to develop the additives. It wasn’t just about mixing in new ingredients—it was about striking the right balance between performance and production economics.”— Zdeněk Vařejka, Co-founder of TOPCORE

3. Impact on Customers and Internal Production

Transforming TOPCORE’s Production:

Until then, we had primarily produced liquid adhesives. Additives, being powder-based, required a new production approach. We invested in updated mixing technology to ensure precision and efficiency.

• Introduced advanced mixing systems for powder-based blends
• Reduced production times while helping clients lower dextrin usage

Customer Adoption and Economic Impact:

• In the first year, we supplied trial batches in tens of kilograms
• Orders scaled up as customers saw real savings and production gains
• Long-term, our additives became a standard for paper tube manufacturing optimization

“Additives didn’t just change our economics—they transformed our customers’ operations. We enabled them to reduce dextrin use while achieving better bonding quality. This was a game-changer in our industry.”— Petr Červinka

4. A New Chapter: Additives as a Foundation for Future Innovation

The launch of additives was more than just a product innovation—it was the beginning of a new direction. This strategic shift laid the groundwork for what, in 2023, officially became known as BLENDECO.

With tailor-made solutions, TOPCORE now helps customers optimize not only the adhesive itself but their entire production process.

What’s Next?
In the next part of The Evolution of TOPCORE, we’ll explore the milestones of 2018, when we moved into a modern facility and introduced 100% quality control—further elevating our brand.

Want to learn more about our tailor-made adhesive solutions?
Visit our product page to discover how TOPCORE can support your transition to smarter, sustainable production.