Henkel Adhesive Technologies recently announced that it has awarded the performance of three strategic partners with its 2021 Supplier Awards. BASF SE, Eastman Chemical Co., and Schütz GmbH & Co. KGaA received awards in the categories of Sustainability, Innovation, and Operational Excellence, respectively. With these annual recognitions, the business unit honors the close and successful collaboration across its value chains.

“The close collaboration with our strategic suppliers and partners is a key success factor to drive sustainable innovations and to generate value for our customers,” said Jan-Dirk Auris, executive vice president for Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “Especially in today’s volatile markets that are currently characterized by a strong pressure on the global supply chains our longstanding and robust partnerships are of utmost importance for our business. This makes it even more important to recognize the efforts and outstanding achievements of our suppliers.” 

Due to ongoing COVID-19 limitations, the award ceremony was conducted as a hybrid event. The physical ceremony was held at the Henkel headquarters in the Adhesive Technologies' new Inspiration Center Düsseldorf. In addition to raw materials suppliers, the company also welcomed partners in the areas of logistics and packaging at the event.

“Our strategic supplier program aims to set the foundation for a strong ecosystem alongside our value chains,” Auris said. “We believe that we together can unlock new potentials especially with regards to sustainable solutions that respond to the demands of the markets and that help creating value for our customers.” 
 

Sustainability Award: BASF 

In 2021, BASF reportedly demonstrated excellent support and showed an outstanding contribution to Henkel’s sustainability targets and ambitions. BASF and Henkel are jointly driving a variety of initiatives for a sustainable future. These initiatives, among others, include joint technology development projects to increase health and safety standards, enabling the reduction of the CO₂ footprint via bio-mass balanced raw materials for new adhesive products and the partnership in the ReciChain initiative. 

“Sustainability without a doubt has become the key megatrend impacting societies and businesses, and we see a massive increase of customer demands for solutions enabling CO₂-reduction, circular economy and health and safety,” said Csaba Szendrei, corporate senior vice president for Packaging and Consumer Goods Adhesives at Henkel. “BASF shares our deep commitment to drive sustainable change and has demonstrated strong contributions that support our ambitious sustainability targets.”
 

Innovation Award: Eastman

Henkel reports that its collaboration with Eastman was based on open exchange and early access to a strong innovation portfolio. Eastman’s outstanding commitment to collaborative innovation enabled the development of customized materials for new solutions across multiple technologies and business units. In addition, Eastman demonstrated strong leadership in creating sustainable technologies that will contribute to the reduction of Henkel’s carbon footprint. 

“The know-how and performance of our strategic suppliers play a key role for us in the development of groundbreaking innovations,” said Michael Todd, global head of Innovation and New Business Development at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “Thanks to the openness and spirit of the Eastman teams we have been able to launch some real game-changer innovations in focus markets and will continue to benefit from the strong innovation pipeline in the future.”
 

Operational Excellence Award: Schütz

Schütz reportedly received recognition for its outstanding supply performance in a challenging market environment. According to Henkel, Schütz achieved an excellent service level with strong “On-Time” and “In-Full” delivery scores. In addition, the company has demonstrated a strong commitment to build a global top-quality packaging partnership, supporting market growth while pursuing sustainability enhancement targets. 

“The close cooperation and open exchange with our strategic suppliers throughout the entire value chain enable us to translate the needs and expectations of our customers into impactful solutions,” said Thomas Holenia, corporate vice president for Purchasing at Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “Schütz provided best-in-class service levels for Henkel, despite all logistics challenges in 2021. The collaboration was characterized by aligned strategic priorities, which help making our joint supply chains more agile and resilient.” 

For additional details, visit www.henkel.com. Information regarding the reward recipients is available at www.basf.com, www.eastman.com, and www.schuetz.net.