Taking care of business

Henkel Polska, a subsidiary of the international giant of the same name, posted total sales of zł.1.3 billion last year - a result 12 percent higher than in 2005.

Growth was stimulated mainly by the technology and detergents sectors, with three of the firms' brands - Pur, Persil and Clin - taking record-high percentages of the detergents market. In fact, the results of the detergents lines ranked the department in the top-three among all of Henkel's CEE-region subsidiaries.

Thanks to advertising investments, Henkel also increased revenues in the personal-care sector, especially in hair dyes, where its share of the market was at its highest point in two years. As for glues, and faćade and insulation materials, the firm's sales were spurred by a warm winter and a longer construction period as well as general prosperity in the construction sector.

"2006 turned out to be a year of a record sales for Henkel's Polish office," says Janusz Gołębiowski, CEO of Henkel Polska.

Henkel's position in the CEE region was further improved last year by zł.18 million in investments, including a E1.5 (zł.5.84) million vacuum-impregnation center in Bielsko-Biała. The center will be launched in April and will provide services for a Fiat factory, among others.

Globally, Henkel saw 6.4-percent growth in sales y-o-y, worth E12.74 (zł.49.6) billion and an EBIT of E1.298 (zł.5.06) billion - 11.7 percent higher than in 2005. The company sees the CEE region as one of the fastest-growing parts of the company's structure. Henkel has been operating in Poland for 16 years. It has six factories and employs over 110 people.