Henkel has no plans to break up, its chief executive told a German newspaper, adding the German consumer goods group’s current structure gave it enough flexibility to grow.
Industrials groups around the world are grappling with shareholder pressure to reduce their complexity to create value and get rid of conglomerate discounts, leading some, including General Electric and Thyssenkrupp, to restructure.
“These trends and debates come and go. But we are generally sticking to our three business areas,” Hans Van Bylen told Sueddeutsche Zeitung in an interview.
“That translates into stability and balance. At the same time, all three areas have freedom and a clear focus on their markets and customers,” he added.
More than 61 percent of Henkel’s ordinary shares are owned by members of the Henkel family share-pooling agreement, making it less vulnerable to attempts by activist shareholders to push for change.
“We are very happy about that. The family is pursuing a long-term strategy. This provides us with stability to develop the group on a long-term basis,” Van Bylen said.
By Christoph Steitz
Source: Reuters
We are closing the chapter of the Chemicals Import Export Headquarters, and opening a new chapter under the name of Qemetica – a chemical group driving many industries on all continents. Therefore, the change of name is also accompanied by the adoption of the key goals of the business strategy for the next 6 years. – says Kamil Majczak, President of the Management Board.
In its efforts to advance chemical recycling, Neste has successfully conducted its first processing trial run with a new challenging raw material, liquefied discarded tires. In the processing run, Neste produced high-quality raw material for new plastics and chemicals.
Sika is opening a state-of-the-art facility in Lima, Peru, to produce synthetic macro fibers, and expanding the rollout of a product range with great growth potential in Latin America. With this innovative technology, Sika is further strengthening its position as a leading supplier to the mining industry and a strong partner for infrastructure projects.
