Henkel Wins Altair Enlighten Award

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich., August 6, 2021 /3BL Media/ - More than 4 million vehicles are pretreated annually with Henkel’s next generation metal pretreatment process, which today received the second-place award in the sustainability category of the 2021 Altair Enlighten Awards.  The award honors the greatest sustainability and lightweighting advancements in the automotive industry. Henkel’s Altair Enlighten Award recognizes the use of the PALLUMINA™ metal pretreatment process on the 2021 Toyota Tacoma and Tundra.

Metal pretreatment is an essential part of vehicle production, as it enables paint adhesion to the vehicle body, while preventing corrosion. Henkel’s next generation metal pretreatment process, also referred to by Henkel as the Bonderite® Thin Film Process and PALLUMINA, reduces the manufacturing steps of a conventional metal pretreatment process from seven to four. Key environmental advancements include the elimination of heavy metal phosphates, such as zinc phosphate, nickel phosphate and manganese phosphate, up to a 90 percent reduction in sludge generation, up to a 40 percent reduction in energy and up to a 50 percent reduction in water usage.

“Sustainability advancements are absolutely crucial to both Henkel and our customers,” said Mike Quail, Senior Corporate Vice President, Global Automotive OEMs, Henkel. “Ambitious targets to cut carbon footprint, reduce waste and use more renewable energy are in place throughout the automotive industry. Henkel’s next generation metal pretreatment process is just one example of how we’re helping our customers reach those goals.”

Henkel’s next generation metal pretreatment process is effective across all major metals and can process up to 100 percent aluminum, further enabling the use of this lightweight metal. Use of aluminum is expected to double from approximately 13 percent on passenger cars and trucks today to 26 percent by 2040, according to the Center for Automotive Research. Aluminum plays an essential role in improving fuel economy standards of internal combustion engine vehicles and off-setting added weight of Battery Electric Vehicles.

Additional information about the Altair Enlighten Awards is available here.

PALLUMINA™ is a trademark of Nihon Parkerizing. Henkel has a technical alliance with Nihon Parkerizing and is supplying Toyota with PALLUMINA as their OEM product.

About Henkel

Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is a global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2020, Henkel reported sales of more than 19 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of about 2.6 billion euros. Henkel employs about 53,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.

About Henkel in North America

In North America, Henkel operates across its three business units: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care, and Laundry & Home Care. Its portfolio of well-known consumer and industrial brands includes Schwarzkopf® hair care, Dial® soaps, Persil®, Purex®, and all® laundry detergents, Snuggle® fabric softeners as well as Loctite®, Technomelt® and Bonderite® adhesives. With sales of around 6 billion US dollars (5 billion euros) in 2020, North America accounts for 27 percent of the company’s global sales. Henkel employs approximately 9,000 people across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.henkel-northamerica.com, and on Twitter @Henkel_NA.

A video regarding the next generation metal pretreatment process is available here. Photo material is available at www.henkel.com/press

Contact: Carrie McGuire
Phone: +1 248 840 6879
Email: carrie.cioffi-mcguire@henkel.com