Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Düsseldorf, Germany) announced a $23-million investment in its North American manufacturing facilities. This major investment will provide new equipment and a series of improvements that will support additional production of Dial liquid hand soap and hand sanitizers at its Geneva, NY and West Hazleton, PA sites.
“We are thrilled to announce a supply expansion of essential products in North America,” said Doug Parkinson, Vice President of Operations at Henkel’s Geneva facility. “It’s not only a win-win for our business, it will support our local job and economic growth. Investing in Dial will provide consumers and businesses with much needed home and personal hygiene products.”
Henkel’s Facility in Geneva NY (Source: Henkel)
To support new lines, which will contribute about 45 to 55% of total production at the Geneva facility, the company will be creating 180 new jobs at the plant. The company’s facility in Geneva, acquired by Henkel in 2018, will also be re-branded from Zotos Professional to Henkel to reflect the expansion of its operations beyond professional hair care products to supply essential products like antibacterial soap and hand sanitizers.
The new expansion includes a $17.3 million investment in new equipment and technology at Henkel’s Geneva, NY facility to support production of Dial hand sanitizers and foaming hand wash, in addition to $2.5 million at the West Hazleton facility. As part of this overall expansion, Henkel has also invested $3 million in additional equipment to support on-site production at both sites.
Some aspects of the new technology will be installed in October and operational in November 2020, and the remainder will be up and running by June 2021.
“This new investment builds our long history of commitment to the Geneva community and sustainability efforts. In 2011, we invested $6 million to build two 1.6MW wind turbines that now provide up to 20 percent of total site consumption equivalency, and on a windy day, the turbines can fuel the entire plant. Additionally, the facility is investing $5 million in a wastewater treatment system that will ensure a clean effluent stream, ultimately enabling reuseable water as a pillar of our community sustainable strategy,” said Parkinson. “With this new Henkel investment and the addition of the powerhouse Dial brand, our modern operations support the addition of 180 highly-skilled & talented employees that we are attracting from our local community to help further strengthen the Finger Lakes economy. We are extremely proud to be increasing our essential manufacturing of Dial soap and sanitizer products, during this challenging time.”