years of Henkel – years Henkel AG & Co. KGaA Timeline 40191 Düsseldorf Germany Phone: +49 (0) 211 / 797-0 Publications Henkel Archives www.henkel.com Fritz Henkel in the period when he established the company. 2 | Timeline 1876 – 2016 1876–1877 Company development Research, technology Products Employees / Year Germany Abroad and production and distribution Engagement Fritz Henkel The Canadian Water glass had been The first advertising Number of employees: 1876 (3/20/1848–3/1/1930) William N. LePage used as a soap sub stitute appeared for Universal- 3. founded the company established a business during the American Waschmittel, which was Henkel & Cie in Aachen. (Henkel acquisition in Civil War (1861–1865). mainly water glass in It was entered in the 1995) after discovering This gave Fritz Henkel powdered form. This first Commercial Register on how to manufacture a and his two partners the brand-name product was September 26. His two stable glue from fish. idea of manufacturing a marketed in 200-gram partners were Otto Dicker Production was handled laundry detergent based packets, which were sold and Otto Scheffen, who, by the Russian Cement on water glass. at 10 pfennigs (until 1878). one year earlier, had Company in Gloucester, founded one of the first Massachusetts, USA. The company’s first The first newspaper ads German water glass product was a laundry for Universal-Waschmittel factories – the Rheinische 25 years of Eau Ecarlate. detergent with the name appeared on December 8 Wasserglasfabrik – The brand was introduced Universal-Waschmittel. in the Stadtanzeiger of in Herzogenrath near to the French market in As it had to be washed out the Kölnische Zeitung and Aachen. The new company 1851 (Henkel brand since with alcohol in order to on December 9 in the thus had a reliable source 2014). become solid, the manu- Gladbacher Volkszeitung. of water glass as a raw facturing costs were material for the produc- disproportion ately high. tion of laundry detergents. December 15/18: Suitable premises were at last found in Aachen. The new company bought factory and residential buildings on a 715 square meter site at Rudolfstrasse 15. The factory in Aachen Otto Dicker left Together with the chemist Leaflets were produced 1877 Henkel & Cie, and his Dr. Richard Thompson with advertising and partnership was dissolved. in Bradford, England, instructions on how to use The property on the Ernst Sieglin succeeded in Universal-Waschmittel. Rudolfstrasse in Aachen turning soap into powder. was sold to Back in Aachen, Sieglin Handelsgesellschaft marketed the soap powder Scheffen & Dicker and “Dr. Thompson’s Seifen- leased back for an pulver Marke Schwan,” initial period of one year. which was also one of the first brand-name products On July 5, the chemist in Germany. Ernst Sieglin (4/21/1848–10/30/1927) founded a company in Aachen for the production of soap powder (Henkel subsidiary since 1929). Sieglin traveled to England to gain more experience. Ernst Sieglin In the Timeline, the development of Henkel is shown in black text throughout, while that of the current affiliated companies and businesses is shown in blue – up to the time of their acquisition by Henkel. Throughout this publication, the word „tons“ refers to „metric tons“. Timeline 1876 – 2016 | 3 Year Company development Research, technology Products Employees / Germany Abroad and production and distribution Engagement 1878 September 6: An entry Henkel started to April 30 saw the first From the very first days in was placed in the produce bleaching soda. reference to Henkel’s Düsseldorf the office staff Commercial Register, Made from readily soluble Bleich-Soda (bleaching received free copies of announcing the water glass and calcined soda). It was sold in the local newspaper, the relocation of Henkel & Cie (water-free) soda, it was 500-gram packets at Düsseldorfer Stadtanzeiger. from Aachen to the result of Fritz Henkel’s 10 pfennigs. Fritz Henkel believed that Schützenstrasse 27–33 own research. The bleaching soda they should be properly in Düsseldorf-Flingern, reduced the yellowing informed about the events where a factory had been effect caused by iron in of the day. leased on a 968 square the washing water. meter site. The production Fabrics washed with facilities in Aachen were Henkel’s Bleich-Soda were too cramped, and there thus whiter than those were no railroad or inland laundered with the usual waterway links. soda crystals. This created the impression that they had been bleached more effectively. First exports: On May 31, the grocery wholesaler Franz Rudolf Maurer of Berne, Switzerland, placed an order for 200 pounds of Universal-Waschmittel and 200 packets of Henkel’s Bleich-Soda. 1879 February 28: April 26: Otto Scheffen left the The Prussian Ministry of company. Fritz Henkel Trade and Industry was entered as the sole granted Henkel & Cie a owner in the Commercial definitive license to Register. manufacture bleaching soda. 1880 September 24: A vast deposit of borax In February, Matthes & For the first time, Fritz Henkel transferred was discovered in Death Weber, founded in Henkel participated in an his company to Valley, California, USA. Duisburg in 1838, put a exhibition: the Industrial Gerres heimer Strasse 171 Up to 2002, Dial marketed new factory into opera- and Art Exhibition in in Düsseldorf-Oberbilk, borax under the brand tion. It used the ammonia- Düsseldorf. The exhibits where he purchased name 20-Mule Team Borax. soda process (replacing included Henkel’s Bleich- a 3,500 square meter site the Leblanc process). Soda and water glass. (subsequently ex tended to From 1882, after extensive 6,730 square meters) for con version work, the pro- Ernst Sieglin was 13,200 Marks and built his duction of soda proceeded appointed exclusive own factory. Construction satis factorily. (Henkel distributor of work on the new factory subsidiary since 1917, sold Dr. Thompson’s soap started in October. in 1994.) powder in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands. 4 | Timeline 1876 – 2016 1878–1884 Company development Research, technology Products Employees / Year Germany Abroad and production and distribution Engagement January 1: A circular was Ferdinand Sichel Henkel purchased soda 1881 mailed to customers (9/29/1859–4/30/1930) from Matthes & Weber and suppliers, informing invented the world’s first in Duisburg, which was them of Henkel & Cie’s ready-to-use decorator’s probably its sole supplier. relocation. glue. Sichel’s father, The total volume in 1881 Joseph, was a master was 130 tons. On December 1, in decorator at the Royal Chemnitz, Saxony, Theodor Court in Hannover. Böhme (d. 1909) founded a (Sichel has been a Henkel business selling pharma- subsidiary since 1962.) ceuticals, dyes and techni- cal products (Henkel partic- ipation since 1935). A board fence was erected Successful launch of A list dated June 27 shows 1882 around Henkel’s Indische Blumenseife soap that there were 19 employ- Gerresheimer Strasse site. by Wolff & Sohn ees subject to mandatory (Schwarzkopf subsidiary insurance working for the from 1971 to 1989). Henkel & Cie bleaching soda factory. It also gives details of their ages and wages. They were obliged to join the “General Factory Workers’ Support Fund in Düsseldorf.” Ernst Sieglin’s com pany In Vienna, Gottlieb Voith Another story was added Number of employees: 24. 1883 was listed in the Aachen ventured into business to Henkel’s warehouse on address book under the on his own account, the Gerresheimer Strasse. At Thompson in Aachen name R. Thompson & Co. founding a small factory to the staff comprised the manufacture the products owner, Ernst Sieglin, one he had previously distrib- 60-year-old male worker, uted (as representative of two 14-year-old boys, two a German match and shoe girls (packers) and one polish factory). female home worker. Henkel took over On July 14, after First sales of water glass Fritz Henkel hired his 1884 the Rheinische strong protests by the from Henkel’s own first master craftsman: Wasserglasfabrik. The neighboring residents, factory. Matthias Klingenberger plant and all of its equip- and under strict con- from Herzogenrath, who ment were transferred ditions, Henkel was To improve liquidity and became manager of the from Herzogenrath to granted a license to build make better use of the water glass factory. He Düsseldorf. a water glass factory. traveling sales staff, provided the necessary Fritz Henkel decided to know-how for water glass August 19: Henkel was expand the business by production. Henkel had connected to the also selling merchandise. been in contact with him Düsseldorf telephone The range included since 1878. network under the num- gloss starch (until 1889), ber 75, after signing a pomade for cleaning The “Düsseldorf Joint a contract to this effect (until 1888) and Ultramarin, Local Sickness Benefit with the Imperial Regional a laundry bluing agent Fund” was established. Post Directorate in (until 1887). All Henkel non-salaried Düsseldorf workers automatically became members. The chemical factory Landshoff & Meyer OHG was founded in Berlin- Grünau. The factory manufactured dye inter- mediates, the first of which was α-naphthol. (Henkel subsidiary as of 1986, since 1999: Cognis, sale of Cognis in 2001.) Timeline 1876 – 2016 | 5 Year Company development Research, technology Products Employees / Germany Abroad and production and distribution Engagement 18851885 Henkel & Cie joined the Fritz Henkel took the first On May 27, Matthes & May 2: Henkel participated On October 15, the newly founded step toward ex panding Weber was granted for the first time in an exhi- “Internal Code of Rules of Berufs genossenschaft der the business beyond a patent for a “method for bition abroad, the Inter- the Water Glass and chemischen Industrie national borders: Carl the manufacture of porous national Indus trial Exhibi- Bleaching Soda Factory of [workers’ compen sation Pathe was sent to Vienna bodies from cement, tion in Ant werp.