November 7, 2017

Adhesive Technologies business to further enhance smart packaging solutions for customer applications

Henkel launches NFC pilot with Indola #SimplySmarter

Düsseldorf – Henkel Adhesive Technologies is further expanding its Smart Packaging activities for near field communication (NFC) solutions. The business unit supported the launch of the Indola #SimplySmarter line. 

Indola, a Henkel professional hair care brand, uses three styling products connected via NFC tags in this new line as an innovative way to inspire professional hairstylists.  With a volume of 100,000 products to be rolled out in 35 different countries, Indola #SimplySmarter is one of the largest NFC pilots in the beauty care market to date. 

Products enabled with an NFC tag allow brands a new way of communicating with their customers by creating digital consumer experiences with a physical product. In this case, professional hairstylists can simply tap the Indola product with a NFC-enabled smartphone and a landing page pops up immediately. It displays product information, how-to videos by celebrity ambassadors, and most importantly, a curated Instagram wall that is refreshed regularly to inspire and connect professional hairstylists all over the world. This also has the carry-on effect of helping hairstylists and Indola’s business partners inspire and excite their own clients. 

Smart Packaging is one of the strategic innovation initiatives at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. It collaborates with various partners globally to develop breakthrough solutions and to drive the implementation of the NFC technology. For the Indola launch, Henkel partnered with All4Labels, one of the world’s largest label manufacturers, and Goodstag, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) smart product services platform to encode and digitally connect the NFC tags. 

“The IoT is a megatrend that is gaining exponential traction and every day we see more products enabled with NFC solutions coming onto the market,” explained Paolo Bavaj, Head of Corporate Venturing and Scouting in Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “Smart Packaging allows Henkel to empower brands with a holistic solution to address their consumer pain points.”

Henkel serves thousands of brands globally with its adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings. Through close relationships it has established over the years with customers, Henkel has become an expert in their processes, organizational cultures, and brand values. 

Additionally, Henkel taps on the knowledge of brands under its roof, like Indola, to better understand what different brands need to win in today’s digital age. Bavaj believes this gives Henkel a unique value proposition in its one-stop shop approach for Smart Packaging.

“We have over a million different touch points with our customers and suppliers every year and one of the largest technical customer service and sales force in our industry,” adds Bavaj. “We want to leverage that to connect brands with our Smart Packaging ecosystem – we offer brands a valuable and convenient turn-key solution to bring more interactivity to their products.”

Caroline Schaul, International Marketing Manager for Indola, is eager to see what the NFC pilot could bring. “We wanted Indola to stay relevant and to ensure the products do more to inspire professional hairstylists, who are often also inspirations to others in their community. We believe the NFC pilot has given us a chance to do that and we will closely monitor and look for ways to improve the experience for our hairstylists, end consumers, and business partners.”

Henkel previously launched a smart packaging pilot in October 2016 with the Henkel Unibond Aero 360° e-connect moisture absorber system.

Henkel is also part of NECOMADA, a consortium funded by the European Commission to develop advanced materials for IoT opportunities such as low-cost NFC tags. Based on its wide-ranging, high-performance portfolio of conductive inks, Henkel especially aims to develop the up-and-coming printed electronics markets and to create an alternative to the existing manufacturing process.

To learn more about the Henkel Smart Packaging initiative, visit http://www.smart-packaging.com.

To learn more about the Indola #SimplySmarter NFC pilot, visit http://www.indola.com/en/home/nfc_technology/nfc_technology.html.
About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2016, Henkel reported sales of 18.7 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of 3.2 billion euros. Combined sales of the respective top brands of the three business units – Loctite, Schwarzkopf and Persil – amounted to more than 6 billion euros. Henkel employs more than 50,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.

About All4Labels 
All4Labels Global packaging group is one of the world’s leading packaging manufacturers, producing adhesive labels, flexible packaging solutions, and security and identification technologies at 26 locations worldwide. With a comprehensive product portfolio in security technology, ranging from security holograms, RFID labels, and product security mechanisms to the combination of labelling and RFID technology, the All4Labels Global Packaging Group is a leading provider of integrated, intelligent product identification and product tracking solutions along the entire value chain in the industrial and consumer goods sectors. www.all4labels.com 

About GoodsTag
GoodsTag, based in Berlin, Germany, provides Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for global ID and product relationship management. Their ‘Smart Product Services Platform’ offers efficient integration and global implementation of mobile product services across the entire product lifecycle to brands, premium manufacturers, and their partners. The platform allows precise and secure control over the digital serialization of products during the production process, as well as easily configurable and mobile applications and services for product and marketing managers, retailers, and consumers. http://www.goodstag.com

Photo material is available at http://www.henkel.com/press

Contact	Sebastian Hinz	Jennifer Ott
Phone	+49 211 797-85 94	+49 211 797-27 56
Email	sebastian.hinz@henkel.com	jennifer.ott@henkel.com                               	

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

Henkel´s professional hair care brand Indola has launched three NFC-enabled styling products. 

The Indola #SimplySmarter line is one of the largest NFC pilots in the beauty care market to date.