The Dax group Henkel is closing a factory in Germany. As the manufacturer of Pril and Persil confirmed to the “Handelsblatt”, the site in Heidenau, Saxony, will be closed at the end of the year.
As the “Handelsblatt” writes, around 40 employees work in the Heidenau factory. The company explains that employees were informed of the closure in early 2023. Nevertheless, the news is surprising: as recently as August, Henkel boss Carsten Knobel told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” that cuts were planned – but no plant closures in Germany.
According to the company, these were not false statements; Henkel only referred to consumer brands such as Pril, Persil and the cosmetics brands Dial and Syoss. Adhesives, for example for the furniture industry, are produced in Heidenau. Nevertheless: As the “Handelsblatt” further writes, the supervisory board was also surprised by the closure.
Since the beginning of 2022, Henkel has been restructuring on a large scale – including with global layoffs. The company employs 8,400 people in Germany, with a total of 47,800. This year, Henkel has revised its forecasts upwards twice. Heidenau was taken over in 1991; Glue was already produced here in the GDR. Since the plant is highly specialized, it was not considered cost-effective within the company, according to “Handelsblatt”.