“This acquisition represents a milestone in our corporate history and points Henkel clearly in the direction of further profitable growth”, says Ulrich Lehner, chairman of the management board. The acquisition was preceded by the carve-out of the businesses to be acquired by Henkel and the requisite antitrust and anticompetitive investigations by the relevant authorities. “We will do everything in our power to integrate this excellent company with its outstanding employees and products quickly and smoothly”, he added.
By acquiring the businesses, Henkel further strengthens its leading position substantially in the global adhesives markets, particularly in the industrial segment. The purchased commerce and the existing Adhesives Technologies portfolio complement each other. Within Henkel’s Adhesives Technologies business sector the acquisition will have a particular impact on the electronics business, among others. In the field of electronics applications, National Starch offers a specialty adhesive with which, for example, chips can be bonded on smartcard substrates, while Henkel offers solutions for the protection of these sensitive chips against environmental influences. The combination of both now enables customers to source the entire solution from a single supplier. Henkel also sees a significant strengthening of its regional market positions. The share of sales accounted for by the Asia-Pacific region will, with the acquisition of the National Starch businesses, increase from 8 % to around 12 %, and the share of sales of the adhesives business per se in this region will actually double due to the already strong position of both companies. At the same time, the strong market position enjoyed by Henkel in Europe, particularly in the growth region of Eastern Europe, can be leveraged to accelerate expansion by enabling brands and technologies from National Starch to be offered via the Henkel sales and distribution network already established in this region. For more than 130 years, Henkel has been a leader with brands and technologies in three business areas – Home Care, Personal Care and Adhesives Technologies. The corporation ranks among the Fortune Global 500 companies. In fiscal 2007, the concern generated sales of 13.074 bn euro and gained an operating profit of 1.344 bn euro. The multinational has a staff of around 53,000 employees worldwide and serves customers in more than 125 countries. (gbw)
SMT, booth 9-353
EPP Europe 418
