Henkel’s Personal Care and Laundry manufacturing plant in West Hazleton, Pa. received the Manufacturing Excellence Award from the Northeast Pennsylvania Manufacturers and Employers Association on May 8, 2012. The Manufacturing Excellence Award honors companies that have invested and innovated in areas such as community involvement, product and process innovations, or energy efficiencies and environmental improvements.

Henkel has signed an agreement with the US-based specialty chemicals company Cytec Industries Inc. to acquire its high-performance pressure sensitive adhesives (PSA) product range. Pressure sensitive adhesives are specialized adhesives used in the packaging, automotive, electronic and durable goods industries for foils and films, tapes or labels offering high performance adhesive characteristics.

• Sales rise 4.8 percent to 4,008 million euros (organic: +4.7%)
• Adjusted* operating profit: up 16.6 percent to 551 million euros
• Adjusted* EBIT margin: up 1.3 percentage points to 13.7%
• Adjusted* earnings per preferred share (EPS): up 19.2% to 0.87 euros
• Emerging markets again show above-average growth (+8.7%)
• Improved gross margin despite raw material price increases

Cheung Hoi Fai and Sun Yi, both from the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, won 1st prize in the fifth annual Henkel Innovation Challenge (HIC) with their innovative idea for the year 2030. Their Loctite Watts product makes it possible to convert heat waste energy into useful power when applied between the components of a special electronic device. The Chinese student duo beat out nineteen other teams from around the world in the HIC International Finals which took place last week in Warsaw, Poland.

For the fifth year in a row, Henkel has been named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” by the U.S. Ethisphere Institute. This honor recognizes Henkel’s ethical approach to corporate governance and its commitment to sustainable development. In North America, Henkel markets a wide range of consumer and industrial brands including Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Right Guard® antiperspirants, got2b® hair gels, and Loctite® adhesives.

New literature from Henkel Corporation details the company’s line of products for the photovoltaic industry. Henkel Solutions for the Photovoltaic Industry is a 20-page comprehensive guide that reviews the company’s broad offering of adhesives, sealants and cleaners that improve reliability, reduce costs, enable highly automated production processes, and increase production speeds for solar assemblies. 

Since 2010, Henkel Corporation and Loctite® have served as title sponsors of Racing For Our Heroes, a program created by World Challenge GT racing driver and former Marine Jason Carter to encourage the recovery and rehabilitation of severely wounded veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars. During the 2012 race season, Racing For Our Heroes will host approximately 200 more wounded warriors at events scheduled throughout the United States.

Leveraging research regarding contact resistance performance, Henkel Electronic Materials has developed an electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) that overcomes the drawbacks of older generation ECAs and extends the material’s advantages to multiple applications.  The adhesive system, HYSOL ECCOBOND CE 3103WLV, provides exceptional contact resistance stability on surfaces such as OSP copper and Sn alloys– metals which have previously been challenging for ECAs.

• Sales increase of 3.4% to 15,605 million euros (organic: +5.9%)
• Adjusted* operating profit: plus 9.0% to 2,029 million euros
• Adjusted* EBIT margin: plus 0.7 percentage points to 13.0%
• Adjusted* earnings per preferred share (EPS): plus 11.3% to 3.14 euros
• Double-digit increase in emerging markets (organic: +10.8%)
• Higher dividend proposed: plus 11.1% to 0.80 euros per preferred share
• 2012 financial targets reconfirmed

For more than two decades, Henkel has been publishing a dedicated Sustainability Report alongside its Annual Report. In the 21st issue, which is being published today, the company is presenting its new Sustainability Strategy 2030. At the core of this is the goal of achieving more with less and tripling its efficiency. The new sustainability strategy applies to all business sectors and the entire value chain.

A muddy flag has been pinned in a universe populated with flirty home décor, sexy shoes, and frou-frou wedding ideas: the muck-loving Dial® for Men brand has joined social sharing site Pinterest.

Expanding on its portfolio of advanced underfill materials, Henkel has developed LOCTITE UF3810, a new underfill technology that provides extremely high reliability while also allowing for easier reworkability as compared to previous generation products.

A simply-organized, easy-to-use brochure from Henkel Corporation details the company’s complete line of products and services for industrial surface treatment. The Henkel Surface Treatment Selector Guide is a 44-page brochure that provides detailed information on the company’s products for corrosion protection, paint adhesion and environmental safety. 

• Contract of CEO Kasper Rorsted extended by five years
• Contract of Hans Van Bylen as Executive Vice President Cosmetics/Toiletries also extended by five years

New literature from Henkel Corporation details the company’s complete line of products and services for the appliance industry. Henkel Solutions for the Appliance Industry is a 16-page comprehensive guide that reviews surface treatments, adhesives, sealants, lubricants, sound damping materials and other products for appliance design, assembly, manufacturing and maintenance. The literature also highlights Henkel’s training workshops, teardown analysis, manufacturing reliability surveys and chemical systems management program.

Henkel Corporation has introduced two groundbreaking threadlocker products that have achieved an MSDS health rating of 1. Loctite® 2400NA™ and Loctite® 2700NA™ threadlockers have been formulated to enhance occupational health and safety by eliminating allergic skin, CMR, and Prop 65 hazards.  Designed for locking and sealing threaded fasteners, these products provide uncompromised chemical and thermal performance.

Henkel has presented the first “Henkel Sustainability Award” to BASF. The annual award will recognize business partners who notably contributed to the development of more sustainable products from Henkel.

At the 2012 American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, Jan. 30-Feb. 4 in Orlando, Fla., Henkel recognized four outstanding suppliers for their excellent cooperation. The “Henkel Sustainability Award,” which was presented for the first time, was presented to BASF. The “Best Supply Performance Award” went to Evonik Industries. Winners of the “Best Innovation Contributor Award” were The Dow Chemical Company and Dow Corning.

From 2012 onwards, Henkel is purchasing certificates for sustainable palm kernel oil for its entire range of laundry and home care products. This ensures that for the quantity of palm kernel oil used in the production of the surfactants for Henkel’s detergents and cleaning products, a corresponding quantity of sustainable palm kernel oil will be produced and enter the supply chain. As early as 2009, Henkel committed to cover its overall product portfolio by certificates and to complete this step by 2015. To underline its clear commitment to sustainable palm oil production, Henkel is now accelerating the process for laundry and home care, its largest product category containing surfactants.

As the world’s population growth continues at a high rate, more pressure is placed on the planet’s limited resources, causing uncertainty about the future quality of life. Henkel, best known in North America as the company behind Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents and Loctite® adhesives, is working to ensure a bright future by sharing its sustainability initiatives in Washington, D.C. Henkel will attend “The Business Role in Sustainable Consumption” presented by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the World Wildlife Fund and the World Environment Center.

Dial® for Men, the personal care brand that encourages men to get their dirt on, is the presenting partner of the 2012 Spartan Race series. Spartan Race, the global leader in Obstacle Racing since 2005, hosts obstacle course races through mud and trails to test one’s resilience, strength, stamina, and quick decision-making skills. Dial for Men brand will sponsor all 38 US races which kick off January 28 in Temecula, CA.

For the fourth year in row, Henkel has provided gifts and an evening of fun to the children of the Village for Families & Children, Inc., a Hartford-based non-profit human services agency. Henkel, headquartered in Rocky Hill, Conn., purchased 30 new winter coats for the children of the Village. Each child also received a $25 WalMart gift card to spend as they wish during the holiday season. Part-time professional “Santa Claus” and Henkel employee Bill Niedbala, dressed in his full Santa ensemble, delivered the coats and cards to the children, ages 5 to 14, during a holiday pizza party at the Village on December 15.

In a significant formulation breakthrough, Henkel Electronic Materials announces that it has developed a new electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) compatible with lower-cost, tin-terminated components to enable more cost-effective assembly processes.  The new material, ABLESTIK ICP-3535M1 is a one-component, pre-mixed ECA that provides low and stable contact resistance when used with 100% tin-terminated components.

Henkel-sponsored freestyle snowmobiler Levi LaVallee shattered his standing world record for distance jumping on a snowmobile by soaring 412 feet, 6 inches over San Diego harbor on New Year’s Eve. LaValle, who relies upon Loctite® brand adhesives and sealants to keep his sled in top form, blasted toward the takeoff ramp at 100 mph, launched through the air across the gap between the North and South parks of Embarcadero Marina Park, and touched down forcefully but safely on the exit ramp.

Henkel has introduced a two-part, sprayable ceramic coating designed to protect metal surfaces on industrial equipment from wear, abrasion and corrosion. Packaged in a convenient, reusable dual-cartridge dispenser, Loctite® Nordbak® 7255™ Sprayable Ceramic Coating is sprayed onto metal components to create smooth, low-friction surfaces that improve equipment efficiency.