What significance does the acquisition of National Starch hold for Henkel in Asia, especially in the electronics segment?
Kuhnert: When we look at the global competitive landscape in the industrial adhesives business, this acquisition actually merges the No.1 and 2 players in the market. The National Starch product range is the perfect complimentary fit for Henkel in terms of market segments, technology and regional diversification. In the electronics sector, close to 70 percent of National Starchs sales is in Asia, and at Henkels adhesives division, our current setup brings in 13 percent of sales in the region. Together, this is a big step forward for Henkels regional allocation of sales in Asia Pacific and it narrows the gap between our sales in the region and the overall importance of Asia Pacific in our relevant market segments. EM Asia: How is Henkel integrating its operations with that of NationalStarch? Kuhnert: Globally, we have five key priorities when it comes to the integration of National Starch. Firstly, we want to retain key talents from their company and not lose any key personnel from thei
