Adhesive tapes, graphic films and sophisticated labels for upmarket consumer goods demand innovative adhesives, and Henkel has developed a comprehensive portfolio to meet such needs. Offering solutions in both areas, it comprises removable, repositionable and permanent products.

Flexible packages offer top functionality combined with low material costs and low weight. Manufacturing them demands increasingly innovative and sustainable solutions. To meet these needs, Henkel has expanded its product portfolio by adding a new solvent-free Liofol brand laminating adhesive based on renewable raw materials that makes it ideal for biofilms. In addition, the globally leading adhesives manufacturer is presenting two solvent-free and TDI-free laminating systems with a long pot life.

Since 2011, packages for food have been subjected to even more stringent regulations than ever. They are governed by legislation such as the European regulation on plastic materials, which specifies limits for migration of ingredients into packaged foods. In order to ensure that practically no substances can migrate from the adhesive to the food, Henkel is now offering Low Migration versions of its well-known water-based adhesives under the Adhesin brand.

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.

At this year’s SURFAIR in Biarritz, France, the emphasis lies on sustainable innovations in surface treatments for the aerospace industry. During the conference, Henkel will be presenting the new products Alodine 5923 Plus, a chromate-free conversion coating, and the borate- and silicate-free cleaner Turco C 8000 GL. In addition, the globally leading adhesives manufacturer will be introducing a new three-component technology for surface treatment.

For high-volume applications like laminating, efficient processing is especially important. The innovative Aerobond system from Henkel significantly speeds up laminating processes in the paper and woodworking industry while improving their efficiency at the same time.

• 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

Digital printing is booming. Books on demand, photo books, doctoral theses or small print runs of catalogs and company brochures are increasingly being produced digitally rather than by classic offset printing. Henkel has put together a complete product range of bookbinding adhesives to meet the specific needs of this sector.

For high-performance spine gluing of books and brochures, precise application of the adhesive is absolutely essential. Any errors at this stage in the bookbinding machine can rapidly lead to several thousand rejects. Henkel is now offering the “Smart Control” monitoring system that allows users to detect production errors instantly.

With its range of emission-reduced polyurethane hotmelt adhesives (PUR hotmelts), Henkel is setting new standards of occupational health and safety in the graphic arts industry. The innovative adhesives of the Purmelt MicroEmission series are a response to the growing awareness of the need for sustainable production processes in the industry and are recommended by accident insurance institutions. At Drupa 2012, Henkel is presenting improved products for spine binding and also emission-reduced PUR hotmelts for side gluing and endpapering.

Demonstrating its commitment to leadership in sustainability, Henkel Argentina celebrated the world Earth Day by organizing and participating in several activities, aimed at the reflecting and creating awareness about the importance of environmental care.

Henkel will be showcasing its complete portfolio of products and technologies for the printing and packaging industries at Drupa 2012 from May 3 to 16 in Düsseldorf. The global leader in adhesives, sealants and surface treatments will be presenting innovations ranging from an automatic monitoring system for spine gluing in bookbinding machines and especially eco-sustainable laminating adhesives to Low Migration effect coatings that give food packages a brilliant metallic gloss.

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.

Henkel’s DAC Disinfectant brand has achieved two bronze awards at the Dubai International Advertising Festival 2012. In the best used media category, the Doctor Endorsements campaign convinced the jury, comprising of international communications experts, due to its strategy, creativity, and effectiveness. Furthermore, two radio ads on DAC Disinfectant received additional awards.

Advances in power electronics are key to a sustainable energy future: Semiconductor power devices such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) deliver the high switching speeds which are critical for energy efficiency in electric cars, trains and other industrial applications. For the use of alternative energies, ultra-high efficiency and high-power density designs are imperative. Recognizing these market needs, Henkel has developed a comprehensive range of materials to further advance power electronics technology and will showcase these innovations from 8 to 10 May at SMT in Nuremberg.

At the 2012 World Battery Congress, Henkel will discuss advances in sealing material for the containment of fluids or gases without leaks for the life of high voltage batteries and fuel cells. Additionally, the presentation will cover methods for evaluating energy performance requirements, and effective seal designs for demanding environments.

Henkel will discuss its new coating technology for automotive combustion engine applications in a technical presentation at SAE World Congress and Exposition. It highlights a study Henkel conducted in collaboration with FEV that shows that Henkel’s Electro Ceramic coating technology reduces emission formation and has the potential to reduce fuel consumption inside the combustion chamber of internal combustion engines.

Henkel has recently been chosen by the British company Rexam plc, the world’s largest beverage can manufacturer, to receive its prestigious “Supplier of the Year” award. This honor was conferred on Henkel by Rexam BCE&A (Beverage Can Europe & Asia) in recognition of Henkel’s contributions, including its latest product innovations and the savings achieved in Rexam’s overall production process.

Facebook’s announcement of a new design for company fanpages, the so called “chronicle”, was welcomed as an opportunity for Henkel, to re-design its global Facebook page and develop a conceptually new fanpage.

Held in Düsseldorf on April 16, 2012, the Annual General Meeting of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA saw all of its agenda resolutions passed by the voting shareholders, of whom a total of some 2,000 attended the event.

At today’s Annual General Meeting, Henkel CEO Kasper Rorsted outlined the main success drivers for the company’s business performance in 2011. “Henkel recorded the best year in its company history. We fully met all our financial targets and even overdelivered on a number of them. The strong focus on our vision and values and on our strategic priorities, as well as the global footprint of our company significantly contributed to this achievement.”

Walmart Mexico and Central America recognizes Henkel in Mexico as "Best Consumables Supplier" of the year 2011 for its sales performance and its dedication to sustainability which is reflected in its products.

Loctite instant adhesives for industrial applications already encompass a broad range of different categories, such as light-curing, low-bloom, impact and shock resistant, as well as toughened products for flexible bond lines. Loctite instant adhesives are also extensively used for joining difficult-to-bond plastics, for gap-filling applications and in medical devices. Now, with Loctite 401, 406 and 454, three products with an enhanced formulation have been launched onto the market, capable of withstanding service temperatures of up to 120 °C.

When browsing through the Henkel websites, users are now faced with an optimized internet presence for mobile devices.

Henkel and 4SC Discovery have agreed a research collaboration in the area of compound screening. The aim of the joint research project is to identify new and more effective laundry detergent ingredients. For its part, 4SC Discovery will perform property calculations for several million substances. Henkel will then use application testing to determine the substances most suitable for new detergent formulations.

Since its introduction to the Spanish market in January 2012, the high-performance dishwashing tablets Somat 10 with immediate active formula are convincing more and more consumers every day. The best Somat ever dissolves two times faster and offers best cleaning power, even in short and low-temperature dishwasher cycles – confirmed by a leading German test institute. Somat 10 is rinsing off even most stubborn stains such as eggs, dried in sauce residues or tea stains.

Filter manufacturers can now process their products with adhesives that are even more thermally stable – and save money at the same time. Henkel, the global leader in adhesives, sealants and surface treatments is presenting its innovative adhesives at the World Filtration Congress in Graz, Austria, from April 16 to 20.

Henkel Peru donates clothes and blankets to over 250 people combating extreme weather conditions, of about -10°C, all year round in the vicinity of the Andean Mountains.

Henkel today signed a new 800 million euros revolving credit facility. The facility with a tenor of 5 years and two additional one-year extension options serves as a backup for Henkel’s Commercial Paper programs, securing flexible financing for the company. The existing 700 million euros 5-year revolving credit facility signed inMarch 2010 will remain in place. Due to Henkel’s excellent cash situation the company decided to reduce the total volume of its revolving credit facilities from 2.1 billion euros to 1.5 billion euros.

Henkel aims to create more added-value products with fewer resources through its new sustainability strategy.

As a leader in development of high-performance adhesives, Henkel expanses its portfolio of surface-mount adhesives (SMA) with the company’s new product Loctite 3621. This adhesive has been validated for use with non-contact dispensing technologies, often referred to as jetting. This capability makes the SMA even more ideal for high-volume production environments and enables higher throughput as well as more uniform dot dimensions.

Henkel attained excellent results in the survey of the American financial magazine. Both CEO Kasper Rorsted and Investor Relations were rated highest in their respective sectors.

As a leading global supplier of adhesives, Henkel will again be present this year at the world’s No. 1 trade fair for the composites industry, JEC Europe 2012 in Paris. In a short interview, Stefan Wickmann, General Manager Aerospace, tells where and how Henkel adhesives for composites are used in the aerospace industry.

The Mexican detergent factory in Toluca has been awarded the Clean Industry Certificate for the second consecutive time.

Henkel’s low-pressure molding Macromelt technology portfolio has recently been expanded to include a material designed specifically for high thermal stability and chemical resistance. The product, Macromelt MM6208, has all of the benefits consistent with Macromelt technology, but has a high Relative Temperature Index (RTI) rating of 95° C, making it ideal for certain automotive, consumer and appliance applications, where a very high RTI rating is required for good thermal stability.

In today’s electronic devices such as smartphones there are numerous complex engineering components. Expanding on its portfolio of advanced underfill materials, Henkel has developed Loctite UF3810, a new underfill technology that provides extremely high reliability while also enabling easier reworkability as compared to previous generation products. Ideally suited for today’s handheld communication and entertainment applications, Loctite UF3810 delivers excellent drop and shock protection.

The vehicles in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup exhibit reliable performance under the most challenging conditions. Henkel’s Automotive and General Industry divisions are powerful partners with their sophisticated technologies, supporting Porsche in its race for success. With its Loctite brand, Henkel, the innovation leader in the field of adhesives, sealants, and surface treatment, has been supporting the entire Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup series as an official sponsor for four years now. Henkel will once again be visible on all of the Porsche 911 GT3 race cars during the 2012 season.

• 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. 

Henkel Colombia has joined the “Look Good…Feel Better” initiative, in its quest to help woman combating cancer. This initiative which has supported over 2.700 women with cancer since 2010, works together with many cosmetics companies and supports women suffering from cancer by boosting their appearance thus their self-confidence.

JEC Europe, the biggest composites exhibition in Europe, will open its doors from March 27 to 29 in Paris, Porte de Versailles. Henkel, the worldwide leading producer of adhesives, will present innovative solutions for the industry at the fair.

JEC Europe, the biggest composites exhibition in Europe, will open its doors from March 27 to 29 in Paris, Porte de Versailles. Henkel, the worldwide leading producer of adhesives, will present composite solutions for the aerospace industry. This year, the main focus is on the innovative curing epoxy-based composite surface film Hysol EA 9845 SF enabling 30 percent weight saving, as well as the high temperature modified epoxy film adhesive Hysol EA 9658 having excellent high temperature strength and long term thermal durability.

This year once again, Henkel will be represented at the JEC Composites Show  in Paris, Porte de Versailles, from March 27 to 29. The trade show for the global composite industry offers the optimal showcase for the innovation of the world leading producer of adhesives: a polyurethane-based composite matrix resin that cures faster than the traditional epoxy resins.

Frekote mold sealers from Henkel are favored worldwide by manufacturers in a variety of molding processes. When applied to a mold, Frekote sealers form micro-thin, thermally stable surfaces that are chemically bonded to the mold surface sealing micro porosity. Combined with Frekote release agents this results in multiple, contaminant-free releases and reduced manufacturing costs. Henkel will showcase its new Loctite Frekote CS-122 at this year’s JEC trade fair in Paris.

In 2012, Henkel Central Eastern Europe (Henkel CEE) is announcing its call for entries to participate in the 11th Henkel Art.Award. competition for Central and Eastern Europe. The art award targets creative visual artists from 23 countries in the region. The prize is granted in cooperation with KulturKontakt Austria and the Museum of Modern Art in Vienna (Museum der Modernen Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien - mumok). The winner will not only be given a monetary prize of 7,000 euros, but an exhibition in his or her native country and an individual presentation at mumok in Vienna. Thus the total value of the art prize is 35,000 euros.

The nine best student teams presented their innovative ideas for the year 2030 at the national final of the Henkel Innovation Challenge.

Schwarzkopf is, for the fourth consecutive time, official sponsors of this year’s Bogota Fashion Week which took place from February 16 to 21. Sixteen professional hairdressers from Schwarzkopf in charge of hair dressing showcased the latest hair style trends for 2012 at the 4th Edition of the Bogotá Fashion Week.

• 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

In a recently produced video, a climber shows the superior performance of the Henkel Loctite 3090 super glue.

As part of a company effort to help children learn to be responsible citizens, twenty employees from Henkel Venezolana volunteered their time by participating as teachers in Domitila Fernández Primary School, a school located in Estado Carabobo, about three kilometers from the Henkel adhesives factory.

Sustainable and responsible: Henkel was awarded with the King Khaled Award for Responsible Competitiveness for 2011 and the CHEP Awards 2011 for Sustainability in Saudi Arabia.

Labeling adhesives have to satisfy multiple requirements. A new generation of casein-free adhesives now offers extended properties and a performance profile that ensures trouble-free production processes for beverage manufacturers while extending their options. As the leading supplier of adhesive technologies, Henkel is dedicated to application-driven research and development of innovative solutions that respond to the growing needs of the market and the environment.

Henkel has yielded laudable results in varying Sustainability Rankings, like the „Global 100 Most Sustainable Companies“ and in the „Sustainability Yearbook 2012“.

Henkel has presented the “Henkel Sustainability Award” for the first time on January 30, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. The award will annually recognize business partners who notably contributed to the development of more sustainable products from Henkel. The “Henkel Sustainability Award 2011” has been conferred to BASF.

At the 2012 American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, January 30 through February 4 in Orlando, Florida, Henkel recognized four outstanding suppliers for their excellent cooperation. The “Henkel Sustainability Award”, which is presented for the first time, was conferred 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 in 2009, Henkel committed to cover its overall product portfolio by certificates and to complete this step by 2015. To underline the clear commitment to a sustainable palm oil production, Henkel is now accelerating the process for laundry and home care, its largest product category containing surfactants.

For the eighth year in a row, Henkel has accompanied the competing teams as one of the main sponsors of the Dakar Rally. This year’s route was 8,377 kilometers long and was held in the mountains and deserts of Argentina, Chile and Peru. With a Loctite first aid box and skilled Henkel mechanics, Henkel supported the race.

Construction for Henkel’s new 500 million roubles (approx. 12 million euros) logistics center in the Perm region of Russia is on schedule for completion by next month. The logistics hub, located near the Henkel production facility, will feature an automatic conveyor, as well as a shipment system for its finished products. The facility will cover an area of 12,500 m² and boast storage capacity for up to 25,000 pallets.

In a ceremony held at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt last night, Henkel CEO Kasper Rorsted was awarded with the HORIZONT Award. The Award recognizes personalities from marketing, advertisement and media, who have distinguished themselves through their entrepreneurial spirit, commitment and the significant achievements they have made in the industry. Rorsted received the prize in the marketing category.

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 Iberica sponsors Dakar Rally winner Marc Coma and his team at the 2012 Dakar Rally in hopes of further promoting its Loctite adhesives and sealants. Coma currently ranks second in this year’s competition.

Henkel-sponsored freestyle snowmobiler Levi LaVallee just shattered his standing world record for distance jumping on a snowmobile by soaring 412 feet, 6 inches over San Diego harbor. 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.

Makoto Tamaki, President of Henkel Japan, visited Dr. Hidekiyo Tachiya, Mayor of Souma City, Fukushima Prefecture and other city officials in December 2011, to formally present cars and money donated by Henkel to the victims of last year’s terrible earthquake. Henkel CEO Kasper Rorsted also had some encouraging words for the Mayor which he expressed in a personal letter.

A detergent factory of Henkel Polska in Racibórz, as one of the first in Poland and the first Henkel plant in the world, has achieved ISO 50001 international standard. ISO 50001 is one of the newest and best global practices aimed at rational and efficient energy management.

The Dakar Rally! The world’s most grueling and most challenging annual off-road cross-country rally. Hosted in South America, this year’s Dakar Rally entails surmounting nature’s forces like the wide plains in Argentina, the gigantic Andes Mountains and the severe desert climate from Chile to Peru – and these natural forces are the major hurdles during this race.

Fossil fuels are finite, but the sun’s energy is inexhaustible – all of our planet’s energy resources in the form of oil, coal and natural gas add up to just 20 days of sunlight. Energy from the sun is not only a dependable long-term option but clean as well, and that is why it makes sense as an alternative to fossil fuels. This is the credo of Novatec Solar. Headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany, this company uses its own patented concentrated solar thermal technology to operate the first commercial power plant of this kind. Since 2006, Novatec and Henkel have been jointly developing a high-tech adhesive solution for this application. 

Modern chemical autodeposition processes have evolved into a powerful alternative to cathodic dip coating (e-coating). Especially in cases where uniform coating of interior surfaces and edges is required, or where powder topcoating is used, they can deliver significantly better corrosion protection results. In Germany, companies like Räckers and BBL have therefore opted for the non-electric Aquence technology from Henkel, a sustainable coating process that additionally does completely without hazardous heavy metals.

Sustainability and glamour – can the two be combined? Very well in fact, as MiraFoil from Henkel shows. At topac GmbH, a company specializing in print products and carton packagings, the environmentally sustainable metallic-effect UV coating delivered convincing results in extensive practical trials.

The Italian Technology and Passion Club conferred Europe’s most prestigious awards for innovations in tissue and towel manufacturing in October. The year 2011 event – held in the Tuscan town of Lucca – was sponsored by Henkel.