We drive Powerful Innovations and develop leading technologies that create value for our customers, Henkel

Q. Could you provide an update about your company’s operations in India?

Henkel Adhesives Technologies India Private Limited (Henkel India), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Germany, operates in two business areas: Adhesive Technologies and Beauty Care, both in the business-to-business realm.

Henkel is the leading solution provider for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings worldwide. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of tailor-made solutions for our customers. Our team of experts partners with customers to deliver best-in-class service. Our powerful innovations and leading technologies under top-brands such as Loctite create sustainable value for industrial customers.

The adhesive business in India is divided into 4 Strategic Business Units, each following its own business model and targeting different markets and customers:

Packaging and Consumer Goods business develops innovative and sustainable solutions for articles such as packaged food and beverages, diapers and hygiene products, plasters and bandages, clothes and shoes, furniture and much more.

Transport and Metal business provides customers in the automotive, aircraft, aerospace, and metal processing industries with outstanding system solutions, a comprehensive technology portfolio, and specialized technical services.

General Industry business offers has been a leading supplier of state-of-the-art industrial adhesives and sealants, metal pretreatment technologies, metalworking compounds, and high performance coatings to a variety of industrial markets for assembly and maintenance and repair.

Electronics business offers customers from the electronics industry a specialized portfolio of innovative high-technology adhesives and materials for the manufacture of microchips, electronic assemblies and thermal management systems.

In India, our Beauty Care business only offers professional haircare under the brand Schwarzkopf Professional. The focus of this business is to provide innovative product concepts and support services based on the philosophy of “Professional partnership” that fulfill the salon needs of today while anticipating those of tomorrow.

Q. What are the new technologies or products your company will be focusing on?

Henkel, as a company, believes in driving powerful innovations and developing leading technologies. One such example is the recent launch of Loctite universal bonders, LOCTITE® HY 4060GY™ and LOCTITE® HY 4090™ powered by patented hybrid technology, combining the most critical attributes of structural, instant and epoxy adhesives.

Features of LOCTITE® HY 4060GY™
LOCTITE® HY 4060GY™ is a two component, general purpose structural adhesive that provides high strength combined with fast fixture at room temperature. Besides offering good chemical resistance, it provides good temperature and moisture resistance making it suitable for applications in high temperature and humidity environments. It is designed to bond a variety of substrates including metals, most plastics and rubbers. It is machinable on metals and has a good gap-fill ability of up to 5mm.

Applications of LOCTITE® HY 4060GY™
This universal repair adhesive is a go-to adhesive for durable, general-purpose repair on a variety of substrates. It caters to the maintenance industry, especially plant managers, maintenance managers and operators, who are constantly looking for novel ideas to optimize efficiency, reduce costs and look for new solutions that keep plants running smoothly and safely.

Features of LOCTITE® HY 4090™
LOCTITE® HY 4090™ is a general-purpose adhesive that offers good moisture, temperature and chemical resistance. It is resistant to impact, vibration and shock loads, and can be used for cold-temperature applications. LOCTITE HY 4090 has a high viscosity and is an off-white to light yellow gel. Its fixture time is 90 – 180 secs and is suitable for gaps up to 5 mm.

Applications of LOCTITE® HY 4090™
Having the highest combination of critical attributes, it creates limitless possibilities for designers and OEM engineers looking for ways to improve assembly applications, streamline process steps or bond materials in applications with difficult requirements. It is designed to bond a variety of substrates including metals, most plastics and rubbers at fast cure speed. The thixotropic nature makes it suitable for applications where good gap filling properties on rough and poorly fitting surfaces are required.

Q. What is the work being done by the company in your business arena?

At Henkel, customer is at the center of whatever we do. We drive powerful innovations and develop leading technologies that create value for our customers. One of the ways we do this is by studying mega trends, and based on them developing high impact solutions that make our customers’ products safer more sustainable and efficient. Based on these trends, our Adhesive Technologies business offers high-impact solutions to customers enabling new products, makes existing products better and improves processes.

Henkel has a broad range of global technologies. We closely collaborate with our global customer base to understand their specific needs and accordingly create high-impact solutions for diverse industry sectors. These solutions need to be customized for the specific requirements of local markets; for example, different legislations.

We benefit from our global reach and proximity to the technical design centers and manufacturing hubs of major customers in different industries. By moving innovation capabilities and production sites close to our growing customer base in India, we have been able to provide local solutions while leveraging global technologies and expertise.

Q. Are there any specific projects that your company is working on that you would like to mention?

We are a specialty material company, and innovation has been the key driver for our growth. Our innovation center at Pune was set up with the aim to develop products for various adhesive technologies across multiple industrial applications. Here, our teams work closely with the customers to understand their requirements and develop the products accordingly. I am delighted to share that we have been able to develop cost effective solutions for many of our customers. At present, we have a core team of 50 engineers and scientists at the innovation center. We have recently inaugurated an acoustic lab and an MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) Center of Excellence. The MRO center focuses on increasing reliability and efficiency of its customers. The acoustic lab has an anechoic and reverberation chamber. It facilitates vehicle, appliance and component level testing for different applications as per international standards. It also helps meet high level product validation tests.

We offer chemical sealing solutions for various industrial equipment; viz., pumps, engines, gensets and chemical processing equipment, to name a few. Typically, mechanical fastenings such as nuts and bolts are used by the industrial equipment manufacturers, which we feel can be replaced with adhesives that are highly effective and can perform very well under extreme conditions. This is one of the examples of disruptive innovations that are going to set new market trends and open a lot of avenues in the future. In India, awareness on using adhesives is limited; hence, the market has not fully developed. To convert non-users to users, we have been creating awareness through educational seminars, trade shows, promotions, white papers/ articles on technological benefits in magazines and other relevant publications.

Q. What is the company’s vision for growth in India over the next five years?

India holds a strategic position for Henkel as a part of the company’s long term growth strategy both as a domestic market and a base to serve the other international markets. Our biggest focus areas are strengthening Henkel India’s manufacturing and innovation footprints in the country as well enhancing product development resources. We have already made an investment of USD 36 million to set up the first phase of India’s largest adhesive manufacturing unit at Kurkumbh near Pune. This plant will enable us to localize our product portfolio and reduce imports while bringing the best global technology to India. Henkel India Innovation Centre at Pune is yet another step to provide an integrated one-stop for adhesive technologies, testing facilities, dispensing systems and application training. We have also set up a flexible packaging academy at Thane and an innovation center at Pune. These investments bear testimony to our commitment to the Indian market.

We see India as a high potential market, with adhesives being used in almost every sector including manufacturing, renewable energy, auto, aviation, construction, FMCG and healthcare among many others. India’s manufacturing sector has the potential to account for 25-30 percent of the country’s GDP by 2025. The government’s Make in India initiative has further given a boost to the sector, placing India on the world map as a manufacturing hub. As market leaders, we intend to take on the challenge of converting this latent potential into actual market. With the increased investments in innovative solutions and leading technologies, we see a great opportunity across different industry verticals. Henkel plans to consolidate its position as the largest industrial adhesive manufacturer and supplier in India.