Hot melt adhesive actually had its birth with an individual, Walter G. Nord, and the U.S. Automatic Company. This company originated in Amherst, Ohio in 1909 and produced parts for the Automobile Industry which was in its infancy. In 1935 the U.S. Automatic Company incorporated, and under the leadership of Mr. Nord, began producing specialized parts essential for supporting the defense effort of the United States during World War II. At the conclusion of the war, Mr. Nord’s sons joined him and initiated a search for a new product to sell. They decided to market and produce airless spray equipment, thereby inaugurating the Nordson Compatible Division of the U.S. Automatic Company.

From an historical perspective, this led to the development of equipment to apply thermoplastic adhesives, commonly known as hot melt. Hot melt adhesive was used for product assembly operations and for bonding cartons and cases. Nordson Compatible then enlarged its hot melt adhesive business to create a broad scope of hot melt applications for product assembly and packaging. Presently, the company has three distinct branches of business, with one solely devoted to hot melt adhesive dispensing and hot melt nonwoven fiber systems.