CHARLOTTE, NC --

 tesa tape inc., a manufacturer and supplier of pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, is marking its 75th anniversary of the first tesa-branded product being produced and made available by parent company Beiersdorf.

The roots of the first tesa product date back well beyond 75 years, with an initial adhesive medical bandage developed by Paul Beiersdorf in 1882 in Hamburg, Germany.

In 1906, Beiersdorf, held a contest among its employees to suggest brand names for the adhesive tape line. Ms. Elsa Tesmer, a secretary at the company, submitted the word “tesa”, which represented a combination of letters within her name. The brand name became legalized, and the first tesa-branded product - tesa-Klebefilm - a transparent film-backed tape designed for general-purpose holding applications, hit the market in 1936.

Additional key milestones of the tesa brand include:
1940s – The first branded tesa product – “tesa-Klebefilm” – is renamed to “tesafilm”.

1950s – Due to its large number of products, the Beiersdorf Company segmented its sales force into two teams: one for consumer markets; one for industrial markets.

1960s – The company installed tesa product displays in a variety of DIY (do it yourself) retail stores.

1970s – The tesa brand product line expanded to approximately 600 products. Parent company Beiersdorf segmented its business into three divisions: cosmed (cosmetics), medical, and tesa tape.

1980s – Beiersdorf expanded production facilities outside of Europe; opened a plant in Sparta, MI.

1990s – The tesa division met requirements of the ISO 9000 quality standard.

2000s – tesa AG spun off from Beiersdorf, becoming an independent company.
*tesa introduced a major product innovation for paper and printing markets – tesa EasySplice. *tesa began solvent-free production at select plants.
* tesa AG became part of the Societas Europaea (SE), a European company; the company name changed to tesa SE.
*tesa SE joined the Global Compact – a group of international companies committed to socially and ethically responsible practices.

2010s – tesa developed a clean-room production environment.
*tesa continues to engage emerging and expanding markets.

Today, the tesa company is one of the largest manufacturers of pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes and accessories in the world, employing more than 3,700 people based in more than 50 affiliate offices worldwide. The global product line includes more than 7000 products to meet the needs of various industries, including electronics, healthcare, renewable energies, woodworking, automotive / transportation, printing, consumer and many more.

Posted by Rich Christianson