Reference Henkel AG & Co. KGaA - The Future of Washing 2020
Future Scenarios for Clothes Laundering 2020
Initial Situation and Project Goals
Looking into the future is something every innovative company must do. In this context, one essential aspect of the innovation process is the use of techniques that are applied strategically and systematically. For Henkel this innovation process is fundamental to ensuring that in the future it can continue to market products for which there is a ready demand. Innovation ensures the profitability and sustainability of Henkel. Under the banner “Let’s innovate”, Henkel had already developed a wide array of ideas with which to drive the innovation process. This was the basis upon which UNITY embarked on its work: Which ideas are favored and disfavored by the market leader? What kind of product development chronology makes sense? What steps are needed to tap new markets? These questions made it possible above all to direct the innovation strategy over the long term in line with future scenarios and to focus on relevant areas.
“With the help of UNITY we developed future scenarios for laundry care in the year 2020. These scenarios enabled us to identify attractive new strategic areas of focus that offer plenty of potential for our business of tomorrow. By clearly focusing on the identified areas of innovation we can ensure that in the future Henkel will continue to lead innovation in laundry care.”
Ulf Wentzien, Global Unit Laundry Care, Corporate Director Global Marketing, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
Tasks of UNITY
UNITY, in close collaboration with the client, marked out the company’s innovation roadmap up to the year 2020. Focus areas such as health and medicine were identified with the aid of market- and technology scenarios. These were then quantified with respect to their market potential so that the focus could be narrowed to those fields that were most promising.
Benefits for the Client
This systematic approach and the consideration given to drivers in the areas of market and technology enabled the fusion of the innovation process already anchored within the company with the future scenarios produced by UNITY’s experts. The focus on selected reference scenarios enabled the client to put a wide range of previously developed ideas to use. It thereby contributed to shaping Henkel’s long-term innovation planning. The identified focus areas provide clear indications of the business of tomorrow. As a result, the resources required by the innovation process can now be deployed in a more strategic, targeted manner.
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA operates globally in three strategic business areas: laundry and home care, cosmetics and toiletries, and adhesives technologies. The company is headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Around 55,000 employees are responsible for the worldwide success of Henkel. Of these employees, 80 % work outside Germany. In 2007, Henkel generated sales of €13,074 million. The company’s slogan “A Brand like a Friend” underscores its vision of making people’s lives easier, better, and more pleasant. People in more than 125 countries place trust in Henkel’s innovative brands and technologies.
