Press Release / PDF - Henkel

25th edition of the Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation
Groundbreaking ideas for market success
Press release
Düsseldorf, February 8, 2007
Innovativeness has a long tradition at Henkel. The relentless striving of Company founder Fritz
Henkel to devise new products is still a shining example today for the Company’s employees.
Every year, for the past 25 years, teams composed of researchers, product developers,
engineers, and marketing and sales experts have been rewarded with the Fritz Henkel Award
for Innovation for product innovations that have proved especially successful on the market.
Today, Henkel honored four teams as the winners for the year 2006.
Düsseldorf – In addition to 100 Years of Persil, Henkel is celebrating a younger but no less important
anniversary this year: 25 years of the Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation stand for the systematic
fostering of a very special innovation culture throughout the Company. “Henkel is so internationally
successful today because we have succeeded again and again in creating forward-looking solutions.
And once again, we have four teams whose new developments have been enthusiastically welcomed
by consumers and markets alike,” said Albrecht Woeste, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and the
Shareholders’ Committee of Henkel KGaA, on February 8 at the awards ceremony for the winners of
the 2006 awards.
The ceremony also clearly reflected the broad diversity of Henkel’s businesses. The four winning
innovations ranged from a fabric softener to a floor leveling compound and from a hair treatment to an
industrial cleaner, all of which were launched simultaneously in several countries. And the
multinational composition of the teams themselves underscored the global scope of the Company’s
operations. The Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation was conferred for the following projects.
• Vernel and Silan Aromatherapy: This fabric softener with essential oils not only softens
laundry but also imbues it with a fascinating fragrance.
• Gliss Kur Total Repair 19: A high-performance formula with 19 active ingredients restructures
the hair and protects its surface.
• Thomsit XXL: Very low-emission floor leveling compound that creates mirror-smooth surfaces
for installation of floorcoverings and parquet.
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• P3 Disperse for LCD Color-Filter-Cleaning: A series of highly concentrated, water-based
specialty cleaners for the manufacture of high-performance color filters for LCD flatscreens.
“Innovation is the key to the future,” asserted Prof. Dr. Ulrich Lehner, Chairman of the Management
Board of Henkel KGaA. Congratulating the winners, he continued: “Companies that can empathize
with their customers, anticipate their future wishes and be the first to provide an answer to them have
the all-important ability to stay ahead of the competition and to enhance their corporate value.
More information on the award-winning innovations can be found in the attachment.
“Henkel - A Brand like a Friend”. Henkel is a leader with brands and technologies that make people's
lives easier, better and more beautiful. Henkel, a Fortune Global 500 company, operates in three
strategic business areas – Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesives, Sealants and Surface
Treatment. In fiscal 2006 Henkel generated sales of 12.740 billion euros. More than 50,000
employees work for Henkel worldwide. People in approximately 125 countries around the world trust in
brands and technologies from Henkel.
Contact
Henkel KGaA
Corporate Communications R&D and Sustainability Communications
Ernst Primosch Wolfgang Zengerling
Phone: +49-211-797 -3533 Phone: +49-211-797-9336
Fax: +49-211-798 -9208 Fax: +49-211-798-5598
press@henkel.com
www.press.henkel.com
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The winning projects in more detail:
Vernel and Silan Aromatherapy
Fascinating experience for the senses
Wonderfully soft laundry in a variety of exclusive fragrances has always been the quality promise
offered by the fabric softeners that Henkel markets under the Vernel and Silan brands. The team that
received the Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation has succeeded in creating a completely new dimension
in this product category through a special combination of fabric softeners and essential oils. The
positive effect of fragrances on body and soul is well known. In aroma therapy, essential oils are used
to activate self-healing powers. Depending on their composition they have a soothing or stimulating
effect. So the fabric softener provides that little extra which allows housewives to “pamper” themselves
while doing the laundry. This insight, gained through dialoguing with many consumers, was the
starting point for developing the new Vernel and Silan products.
The new line comes in four varieties, each of which contains two essential oils which interact to
develop the fragrance effect. Hibiscus and rosewood, for example, produce a sensual fragrance
composition, while water lily and lemon grass radiate freshness. From the moment the bottle is
opened until the garments are worn, these long-lasting fragrance compositions develop their beneficial
effects. At the same time, softening actives smooth the fibers and enhance the wearability of the
items.
Vernel and Silan Aromatherapy have been introduced in 30 countries since the fall of 2005. Total
sales achieved by the Henkel fabric softeners business and its market share have been significantly
boosted by Vernel and Silan Aromatherapy. The products have also succeeded in persuading new
consumer groups to purchase fabric softeners. This was due in no small part to the consistently
emotional brand presentation which appropriately communicated the sensuous character of the
products from the packaging design through to the TV spot.
Gliss Kur Total Repair 19
Hair like new
With its steadily rising growth rates, Gliss Kur is one of Henkel’s most successful cosmetic brands.
The specialty products for dry and stressed hair offer consumers tailor-made solutions for each hair
problem. Highly effective active ingredients have already been used in these products to restructure
the hair. The new series Gliss Kur Total Repair 19 provides ample proof that even an exceptionally
high-quality product line can be optimized still further.
The development goal was to enable deep repair of damaged hair, achieving results that would be
both objectively measurable and subjectively perceivable. After intensive research and development,
this goal was achieved with a novel high-performance formula consisting of 19 active ingredients
including amino acids, proteins, vitamins, botanical extracts, and a moisturizer. The patent-pending
formulation is a technological advance. After treatment with it, the internal and external hair structure
has been repaired in depth – resulting in hair like new. The innovative repair complex reduces hair
breakage by up to 95 percent and makes the hair up to 95 percent more resistant.
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The flagship of the new line is an expert system, Gliss Kur Repairist, consisting of three products:
intensive cleanser, deep repair, and shine finish. The hair falls more naturally, feels softer and has an
exceptional shine. Gliss Kur Total Repair 19 made a significant impact on the market and has
substantially improved the position of the entire brand. Already a market leader in hair treatments,
Gliss has now achieved this position in conditioners. And the shampoo has considerably expanded its
market shares. Overall, 2006 was a record year for Gliss.
Thomsit XXL Premium Levelling Compound
Flows like water, is as smooth as ice and as hard as granite
Floors are the most heavily stressed surfaces in any building. This calls for high quality floorcoverings,
of course, but the best quality floorcovering will not last long unless the subfloor is appropriately
prepared. Subfloors have to be flat, smooth and hard. The removal of old floorcoverings during
refurbishing automatically affects the smoothness of the subfloor. The surfaces are generally uneven
due to residues of old flooring adhesives. These irregularities can be smoothed out using floor leveling
compounds – cement-based building chemicals in powder form that are mixed with water, then poured
onto the floor where they dry to a hard layer. To obtain a very smooth surface, the layer of compound
normally required grinding. The new Thomsit XXL Premium Levelling Compound makes work much
easier for flooring professionals. In only one work step it creates a surface that is smooth as glass and
ready to be covered.
The product is a soluble as instant coffee and flows like water, making it exceptionally easy to use.
Once it has been poured over the substrate, Thomsit XXL Premium Levelling Compound smoothes
itself and hardens completely within 24 hours.
In developing this product, the Henkel team worked with the University of Siegen, Germany, to
perform an in-depth scientific study of the raw materials and the operating mechanisms of floor
leveling compounds. Armed with these deeper insights into the chemical and physical processes
involved, the experts went on to develop an innovative technology, patent pending, which is also
transferable to further formulations. The new leveling compound also has very low emission levels and
is therefore environmentally compatible. The product was initially launched in Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, the UK and the Benelux countries, where it has generated excellent sales. At the same
time, Thomsit, the European number one in flooring technology, has increased its technology and
market lead still further.
P3 Disperse for LCD Color-Filter-Cleaning
Better cleaning, sharper images
Henkel’s cleaning expertise is by no means restricted to laundry and home care. It also includes a
very wide variety of specialty cleaners for industrial applications. Among the globally successful
brands is P3. The P3 Disperse series was specially developed for specific cleaning steps in the
production of modern flatscreens. It significantly improves the production process and enhances the
image quality of the finished flatscreens.
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The international development team is composed of employees from China, Japan, Korea and
Taiwan. The P3 Disperse series is used for partial removal of color resist layers applied to glass
surfaces. The resulting grid structures act as color filters. In producing these color filters, the edges of
the grid lines have to be as sharp as possible in order to produce sharp images. The new cleaners
master this challenge easily, delivering significantly better results than predecessor products.
The patent-pending formulation of the P3 Disperse series is based on an alkaline cleaner with
stabilizers and defoamers. The resulting super-high-performance cleaning system shows excellent
temperature stability and very low foaming. The cleaner solution is more concentrated than other
products conventionally used in LCD production. Instead of clouding, it remains transparent
throughout the cleaning process. The new cleaning system reduces the manufacturing effort while
significantly improving product quality and is therefore of enormous benefit to the LCD industry. Sales
of this P3 series have grown considerably since the market launch.
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