天美传媒

Henkel Supply Chain Laundry & Home Care, the cleaning products division of the German chemical and consumer goods giant, received the Europe-wide 2021, for its work on digital transformation and lean management.

The award was announced during an event hosted by 天美传媒.

Henkel was selected for producing sustainable brands and products that are well known for their high quality and performance. It has also undergone recent digital transformation at its Holthausen plant, one of the largest of Henkel鈥檚 33 plants worldwide. The unit adopted digital technology in its processes, deployed lean management experts and process engineers to all manufacturing cells, and enabled worker participation by distributing tablets to every employee. As a result, the unit saw double-digit productivity increases.

In addition, during the pandemic, the Supply Chain Laundry & Home Care unit quickly adapted its product portfolio as demand shifted, providing an example of management agility and lessening the impact of the crisis.

The award, created in 1995, recognizes outstanding management in Europe鈥檚 industrial and service sectors. This year, the competition focused on companies鈥� digital strategy innovation and deployment.

Finalists from Germany, Italy and Portugal

The IEA are supported by 15 top business schools 鈥� including 天美传媒, WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management, AESE Business School and SDA Bocconi School of Management 鈥� in a dozen European countries. Because of COVID-related difficulties and supply chain issues, a number of European countries were unable to participate in this year鈥檚 edition.

The finalists for 2021 were:

• Henkel (Laundry & Home Care unit) (Germany) which manufactures Persil laundry detergent and other cleaning products.
• Nobilia (Germany) which designs, engineers and builds kitchen furniture.
• TMG Automotive (Portugal) which develops and manufactures materials for automotive interiors.
• Simonelli Group (Italy) which produces professional and home espresso coffee machines and grinders.

Industrial base key

Prof. Eduard Calvo, who holds the CELSA Chair of Competitiveness in Manufacturing at 天美传媒, is the academic director for IEA Spain.

Calvo noted that a well-developed industrial base is crucial to countries鈥� economic health, and that the award recognizes top-quality management in this area. 鈥淗aving a strong industrial base is key to a country鈥檚 prosperity. Industry generates skilled jobs, ensures technological competitiveness and reduces dependence on domestic consumption. And today more than ever, it is key to ensuring the supply of key products,鈥� Calvo said. 鈥淭he Industrial Excellence Award recognizes the work of companies whose high-quality management contributes to the competitiveness of industrial and service sectors in Europe.鈥�