#AViewFrom Henkel North America: Delaware, OH

If you’ve ever enjoyed soda or sparkling water from an aluminum can, driven an electric vehicle ‏(EV), or flown in an airplane, you can thank employees at this Henkel site for their contributions in making those products possible. Here, a lean and efficient team manufactures lubricants, dispersions, and surface treatments used in metal packaging, EV battery production, and metal cleaning and finishing. Learn more in this segment of #AViewFrom: Delaware, OH.

Just a short drive from Ohio’s capital city of Columbus sits the town of Delaware, where a longstanding 130,000 sq. ft. Henkel production site runs 24 hours a day, five days a week. Here, Henkel employees are manufacturing a variety of BONDERITE® brand chemistries including release lubricants used in metal can manufacturing; surface treatment and metal cleaning formulas for metal forming production, sheets, stamping, and others; and unique graphite products that are a vital enabler of electric vehicle ‏(EV) lithium-ion batteries. Serving the company’s automotive, metal packaging, aerospace, and electronics businesses, about 60 employees in production, material handling, engineering, maintenance, safety, and quality are dedicated to enabling customers’ operations, Henkel brand excellence, and coworker success.

“Our customers are making millions of aluminum cans daily. Henkel’s release lubricants help their equipment release the cans from the molds efficiently at extremely high speeds; high-volume manufacturing would be impossible without them. Also unique to this site are our graphite dispersion formulations and processes. These dispersions are special because they do not allow the graphite to settle over time allowing our customers to have the highest quality dispersion throughout their process. We are one of a few facilities globally that have mastered the complexity of this technique, which is exclusive to Henkel, and a significant contributor to several advanced technologies, most notably EV batteries,” explains Operations Director Dave Bryant.

Built in 1954 by the Pennsylvania Salt Manufacturing Company ‏(Pennsalt), Henkel took over the Delaware, OH site in 2001 after acquiring Atofina’s metal treatment business. Since then, the facility has undergone several expansions, investments, and added new processes to its capabilities. Ongoing improvements have seen the addition of new equipment to the factory and enhanced sustainability efforts. Engineering and Maintenance Manager Tim Moore, a 30-year Henkel employee, comments on the latest initiatives designed to save water and capture operational metrics.

TEAM BUILDING, CULTURE AND COMMUNITY COMMITMENT:

Ask any Delaware employee, and they will tell you the culture is just different here. Kind-hearted, generous people who care about their coworkers, community, and their employer, make up the team at this Henkel plant. Production Manager Kenny Mouton joined the Henkel family earlier this year and felt welcomed from the start. “The staff here is authentic, down to earth, and so encouraging. I’m still learning and have been guided and trained with exceptional professionalism and positivity. Every day is different, and everyone is committed to excellence. I really enjoy working here.”

Quality Manager Tara Franklin oversees incoming raw material and outgoing product quality testing, and she also spearheads many of Delaware’s team building and employee appreciation endeavors. Tara ensures birthdays are celebrated and that notable events like the recent solar eclipse bring the team together for fun. The site also supports the local community, participating in Christmas clothing drives, among other activities, and recently donating Henkel products to local families impacted by a devastating tornado. “People needed cleaning supplies, so we donated Persil® brand laundry detergent and Dial® brand hand soap,” Tara recounts. “It was heartening to be able to help those affected with products our company makes.”