Henkel partners with ALPLA to Invest more than $130 million in Infrastructure and Equipment at the Bowling Green Plant

Henkel, a leader in Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies, announced it will make another significant investment in building infrastructure and equipment to enhance laundry product production at its facility in Bowling Green, KY. In addition, the company will partner with its packaging supplier ALPLA, to invest in infrastructure and equipment for a new bottle production area on the Henkel Bowling Green campus. Together, the investments total more than $130 million to increase efficiency, create capacity for growth and drive energy savings at the plant.

“These investments are a tribute to the dedication and passion that Henkel employees bring to making this community a great place to live and work and to putting our customers and consumers at the center of all we do,” said Kurt Naxera, Plant Manager. “Over the last three years, Henkel has already invested more than $100 million in the Bowling Green plant. This new investment will transform our 25-year-old plant into the factory of the future with a modernized infrastructure, new equipment, and modern IT systems – all designed to enhance efficiency and support future growth.”

“The United States is one of Henkel’s biggest and most important markets, and the company has continuously strengthened its position here through nearly $5 billion in investments over the past four years,” said Stephan Fuesti-Molnar, President, Henkel Consumer Goods North America. “This new investment at our flagship laundry detergent production facility will help us build on our strong market position in the U.S. laundry market, with our iconic brands that consumers know and love – including globally renowned Persil^®; Snuggle^®, with its well-loved Snuggle bear; and ‘all^®, the trusted family brand; along with brands from our retailer partners. With 70% of U.S. households buying laundry and home care products made by Henkel, we are well positioned for sustainable long-term growth in the region.

Henkel is the largest operation in the South-Central Kentucky Industrial Park, and the Henkel Bowling Green plant is the largest laundry plant in the company. At more than 2 million square feet, it is roughly the size of 40 football fields.  

The investments by Henkel and ALPLA will create a new packaging operation that will be more than 170,000 square feet, run by ALPLA. Following the construction of the new packaging operation, ALPLA will hire and manage employees at the onsite bottle blowing operation, bringing specialized expertise and training to their expanding staff at the new operation.

“While these packaging operations will be handled by a trusted supplier with expertise in this area, Henkel will focus on its core expertise of manufacturing and marketing high-quality laundry and home care products that consumers have come to know and trust,” said Dirk Holbach, Corporate Senior Vice President Global Supply Chain, Laundry & Home Care at Henkel. “This partnership represents another step forward in Henkel’s international supply chain strategy to leverage its operational expertise to drive efficiency and sustainability, from manufacturing all the way through to our customers.”

“ALPLA is a family owned business and has been manufacturing bottles for more than 60 years,” said Philipp Lehner, Chief Financial Officer, ALPLA. “We are pleased to build on our presence in the Bowling Green area and expand our 34-year global partnership with Henkel.”

The new packaging operation managed by ALPLA will begin operations in mid-2020.

“Henkel has been a major economic development engine in our community,” said Ron Bunch, President & CEO of the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce. “Beyond their direct employment contribution and community service efforts, the investment partnership with ALPLA is a prime example of how the company’s supplier network, especially within the transportation and packaging sectors, further magnifies their economic impact locally.”

About ALPLA
ALPLA is one of the leading companies involved in plastic packaging. Around 20,800 employees worldwide produce custom-made packaging systems, bottles, closures and moulded parts at 178 sites across 46 countries. The high-quality packaging is used in a wide range of areas, including for food and drinks, cosmetics and care products, household detergents, washing and cleaning agents, pharmaceutical products, engine oils and lubricants. ALPLA operates its own recycling plants: PET Recycling Team with a site in both Austria and Poland, and in the form of a joint venture in Mexico. A collaboration with FROMM/Texplast in Germany has been in place since July 2018.