September 2013

Extract from Dossier “Dragon Plant”

Original Recordings and Interviews

Kasper Rorsted, Henkel CEO
“This new adhesives factory will contribute significantly to the achievement of our strategy 2016: It will enable our Adhesives business to expand and leverage its global reach, and win market share in emerging markets.”

Jan-Dirk Auris, Executive Vice President Adhesive Technologies 
“The inauguration of the Dragon Plant is an important milestone for us and our customers. Having this larger production facility brings us closer to our customers in the region, not just geographically but also by reinforcing our commitment to partnering for innovation and mutual success.” 

Faruk Arig, President of Henkel China
“The new state-of-the-art adhesives facility will enable us to cope with the rapidly growing demand in China and the Asia-Pacific region for its industry leading adhesives. The new adhesives factory is also a result of the company’s efforts to further optimize its overall manufacturing activities by concentrating on higher performance factories that will generate more significant cost, productivity, efficiency and sustainability advantages.”

Rolf Knörzer, Vice President Operations & Supply Chain Asia Pacific Global Transport and Metals
“The Dragon Plant is not just another adhesives factory in China, it is a benchmark plant. Our vision was to build a plant that enables us to serve our customers with best quality products while setting highest priority on safety and sustainability. Today, I can tell you, we made this vision come true. With the Dragon Plant, Henkel’s adhesives production facility in China will significantly expand capacities for existing and new technologies while at the same time setting a new benchmark on safety and environmentally compatible standards.”

Mike Olosky, President of Henkel Asia-Pacific and Head of Adhesives for the region 

What were the key steps on the way to making this ambitious plan a reality?
“Our people joined forces to bring this factory to life together. Progress was steady: We selected the site in March 2011 and held our groundbreaking ceremony in August of the same year. We then began construction, and by November 2012 we had installed the roof on our main building. The Dragon Plant is a 50-million-euro investment, and our customers are very impressed when they see it. Ultimately, everything can be traced back to our new strategy. We need top class facilities, top class people from around the globe and best-in-class sustainability practices to achieve our goals for 2016.” 
What contribution is the Dragon Plant making right now?
“The Dragon Plant is now driving our global business forward, strengthening our customer relationships and giving our brands more power in the Asia-Pacific region. Customer audits gave us great opportunities to talk to customers about their needs. We adjusted our portfolio and now we’re providing the best possible adhesives, sealants and surface treatments for our customers in the automotive, packaging and aerospace industries, to name just three. We have innovative technologies that set us apart from other providers, and our efficient factory is driving down costs, increasing the profitability of our entire business, and opening up areas to leverage production and supply chain synergies.”
What role will it play in our future?
“The Dragon Plant is a future-facing factory, because our strategy aims for long-term success in emerging markets. Innovation is our central focus. In January, we opened the Henkel Display Center, a research laboratory for screens and displays. We’re also building a new R&D center that will make Shanghai an innovation hub, attracting the top international talent and adding new products to our portfolio.By 2015 we will have built Phase 2 of the Dragon Plant site, which will increase the range of products it can produce. We can also expand our 150,124-square-meter site by a further 50,000 square meters.”

Edward Gao, Director of Operations for Adhesive Technologies in China
On sustainability on the Dragon Plant: 
“The Dragon Plant was designed with sustainability in mind. It has been aligned to make operations more environmentally compatible as the new adhesives factory will set a high industry standard for its high operational efficiency, low energy and water consumption as well as low carbon emissions.”

“The Dragon Plant has a number of best-in-class environment and efficiency measures, including a system that recycles 100 per cent of waste heat from air compressors, and loading bays that eradicate the risk of leaks and spills. Our factory doesn’t just produce innovations: It is an innovation.”

Sharpin Zou, Start-up Manager Dragon Plant
On the name of the Dragon Plant: 
“The Dragon is one of China’s national symbols, and is deeply rooted in Chinese tradition and culture. It represents success and a future with great destiny. That is why we have named our new adhesives factory the Dragon Plant”. 

Celia Liu, Quality Assurance Supervisor Dragon Plant
On customer audits for quality, environment and health: 
“The Dragon Plant will supply Henkel products to 2,000 customers, so it’s vital to have all of its quality, environmental and health management systems certified by our partners. The internationally recognized certifications provide official recognition that the Dragon Plant meets the very highest standards for sustainability, and ensure that the people working in the factory remain safe, healthy, and ready to deliver Henkel’s products to the world.”

Contact:

Wulf Klüppelholz		Holger Elfes
Corporate Media Relations		Business Unit and Brand PR/
Headquarters, Düsseldorf/Germany		Adhesive Technologies I 
				Headquarters, Düsseldorf/Germany
Telefon: +49-211-797-1875		Telefon: +49-211-797-9933
Telefax: +49-211-798-4040		Telefax: +49-211-798-9832

www.henkel.com/press
press@henkel.com
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA