EBM

Eminence Business Media

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Henkel’s new ideas for new markets

The technical center in Seoul, South Korea
Henkel has been moving innovation closer to its customers in emerging markets. One focus of Henkel’s strategy is business expansion in the growth regions through the introduction of high-performing innovations. New research and development sites in the growth regions help Henkel develop innovations that meet the specific needs of customers in these countries. The company has already opened four R&D centers in the United Arab Emirates, South Korea, India and South Africa.

At the innovation center in Dubai, Henkel develops innovative laundry and home-care products that are specifically tailored to the requirements of consumers in the Africa/Middle East region. Dubai’s excellent infrastructure and the good business conditions in the country have attracted international, highly-qualified personnel to the state-of-the-art laboratory.

With new innovation centers in Seoul and in Pune, India, Henkel Adhesive Technologies is also closer to its customers in these important markets – thereby creating a platform for further profitable growth. Leading manufacturers from the consumer electronics industry are among the customers who profit from the new technical center in the South Korean capital of Seoul. The center mainly develops adhesives needed for the production of displays, for example for smartphones and tablet PCs. Pune – which is the hub of the Indian automotive industry – focuses on product development and application solutions for the automotive and general industrial markets. The laboratories develop new adhesives, sealants and functional coatings. The center combines global and local expertise by working with more than 800 automotive suppliers.

In 2012, Henkel Beauty Care opened a Schwarzkopf test salon inJohannesburg. With new formulas tested on more than 1,500 models each year, the test salon plays an important role in developing products since it provides detailed information on customers’ needs.

With four new innovation centers and a significant expansion of its R&D center in Russia, Henkel has already taken a big step toward its goal to open or expand seven R&D centers in emerging markets by 2016.