Could you provide an overview of Henkel's business and presence in Thailand? 

Established in 1972, Henkel Thailand operates the Adhesive Technologies and Beauty Care business units and has approximately 520 employees across four sites in the country. These include an office in Bangkok and three plants in the Eastern Economic Corridor. The Henkel adhesive plant in Bangpakong is a smart factory while the other two plants are in progress to become smart factories. 

For the Adhesive Technologies business, Henkel Thailand offers customers a competitive advantage through its integrated, total value-chain solutions of adhesives, sealants, cleaners, lubricants, and functional coatings for a wide and growing range of industries.

The recent acquisition of Shiseido’s Hair Professional business in Asia-Pacific is an expansion of Henkel’s portfolio of established brands. Globally, Henkel has merged its Beauty Care and Laundry & Home Care business units to form Henkel Consumer Brands. We are currently exploring additional opportunities for the Laundry and Home Care business in Thailand.

How is Henkel Thailand driving digital transformation through innovations and technologies? 

By investing in smart technologies and systems, Henkel Thailand is leveraging digitalization and Industry 4.0 technologies to strengthen its manufacturing excellence and create added value for its partners, customers, and consumers. For example, at the adhesive smart factory in Bangpakong, automated and robotic systems, intelligent scanners and data analytics help to manage the production value chain from raw material to finished goods. Agile processes and smart systems have improved decision-making, productivity, safety and sustainability. 

Smart factory system provides real-time data updates and higher traceability in manufacturing process as well as improving productivity, thereby lowering downtime process and reducing footprint. 

In addition, our smart factory in Bangpakong is certified to the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and IATF 16949 standards. 

Did the Smart Factory system make the production plant more environmentally friendly? 

Sustainability is a central element of Henkel’s business strategy, and is embedded in its purpose, “Pioneers at heart for the good of generations”. The company has long been committed to leadership in sustainability and has launched a new 2030+ Sustainability Ambition Framework in 2022. To support achieving climate-positive operations by 2030, Henkel Thailand has installed solar panels on the roofs of its plant in Bangpakong, and continually explores ways to reduce energy and water consumption and waste generation at all its sites. 

In Henkel Adhesive Technologies, every site in Asia-Pacific has a detailed plan for how to limit waste, reduce energy consumption and save water each year. By digitalizing and automizing manufacturing and shipping, paper in factories is arbitrary. Once paper is removed, it reduces the CO2 footprint of the production sites. 

Can you comment on the Green Star Award 2023? 

The Henkel adhesive plant in Bangpakong recently won the Green Star Award 2023 awarded by the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), which recognizes Henkel for environmental and safety governance. This recognition affirms Henkel’s commitment to its sustainability goals and aligns with the government’s initiative to encourage public sector participation in environmental and safety compliance. 

The IEAT held an award ceremony on January 19, 2024, to recognize 154 factories in 32 industrial estates for excellent environmental management and performance assessment results. The plants were assessed using international auditing standards based on five dimensions across 13 areas which encompass the management of green spaces, drainage systems, the promotion of local and community economies, water and waste management, the regulation of volatile organic compounds and air quality management, employee safety and health, incident management, public feedback management, the quality of life for plant employees and the community living near the plants, as well as overall plant management. 

Do you have a final message? 

Industry 4.0 is already in full swing, and Henkel will leverage projects and activities in this area going forward – from planning, sourcing and production to the delivery of its products and solutions. In addition, Henkel will continue to take advantage of this rise in automation, sensorics, data exchange and analytics in real time, and strive to produce and deliver products smarter, faster and more efficiently, thereby opening a new world of possibilities.