Henkel expands RP presence

GERMAN producer of home and industrial products Henkel will use the Philippines as the launching pad for its detergent bar business, Henkel Philippines Inc. president Norman Goldberg said.
       Although it already has global leading brands in the laundry and home care segment like Vernel, Persil, Purex, Perwoll and Pril, Henkel will only start venturing into the detergent bar business in the Philippines.
       Goldberg said Henkel, which is now celebrating its 30th year of operations in the Philippines, will be developing a “superior but very affordable” brand for the Filipino masses.
       He said although competition in the detergent bar business in the country is cut-throat, the market is still relatively big for new players to come in.
       As a policy of Henkel, brands getting a critical market share in a particular market will be produced in that market. Also, Goldberg said Henkel is willing to manufacture a particular product in a country when the clients there demand it.
       Henkel has a manufacturing plant at the Laguna Technopark in Biñan, Laguna.
       In the case of the detergent bar, Henkel will be sourcing it locally although initially, it might tie up with another firm for its production. Once the critical mass has been reached, Henkel will start producing it in its Laguna plant.
       Last year, Henkel’s overall Philippine sales totaled P1.7 billion. It has been growing by 10 percent to 15 percent annually and Goldberg said they hope to maintain that this year.
       Henkel recently launched in the market its powdered detergent Sky Clear, sourced from China.
       Henkel’s industrial products include engineering adhesives, sealants and surface treatments, servicing the electronics, aviation, automotive, metal processing and packaging industries. Max V. de Leon