Recognising a growing need among customers for direct access to technical expertise, application best practice and the latest industry innovations, specialised chemicals, adhesives and sealants manufacturer Henkel South Africa launched its first Training Day on August 17.

Held at the Birchwood Hotel and the OR Tambo Conference Centre, in Johannesburg, the event brought together customers from a range of industries that rely on adhesive technologies, including manufacturing, packaging, consumer goods, industrial assembly, maintenance and engineering.

The day was designed to bridge the gap between product knowledge and practical implementation, helping customers maximise performance, efficiency and reliability in their operations, says Henkel Adhesives South Africa head Natasha Naidoo.

While professionals from different industries created opportunities for knowledge sharing and cross-industry learning, the versatility of Henkel’s technologies, with its “commitment to supporting customers across multiple sectors with tailored expertise” was also demonstrated.

The initiative enabled attendees to explore how Henkel’s solutions could be optimised for a specific application, as products deliver their “utmost value” when customers understand how to apply them effectively in their own environments.

“Without technical guidance, customers may miss opportunities to improve performance, reduce downtime, increase efficiency or achieve greater sustainability outcomes,” she adds.

Real-World Challenges
The Training Day was led by Henkel’s application engineers. Customers typically engage with them when operational, maintenance, reliability, productivity or infrastructure challenges impact on their business performance, says Naidoo.

These range from broad objectives, such as reducing downtime, extending asset life, improving efficiency or lowering maintenance costs, to specific technical issues affecting individual components or applications.

Naidoo says application engineering acts as a bridge between research and development, sales and customers, consequently translating market needs into technical innovations. This enables Henkel to validate performance through testing and trials, thereby reducing risk before full-scale implementation, in addition to co-innovation with customers helping to develop tailored solutions.

Application engineers demonstrated real-world applications during Training Day, which familiarised customers with the way in which Henkel’s solutions address challenges before they disrupt production.

“We wanted to provide a platform for open dialogue, allowing us to better understand our customers’ challenges and work together on tailored solutions. It was a win-win for both sides,” Naidoo says. The demonstrations covered Henkel’s Loctite, Pattex and Tangit brands, with application engineers highlighting their uses.

Loctite is suited to applications where equipment, vehicles or infrastructure suffer recurring failures, owing to components loosening, leaking, wearing down, corroding or breaking.

The application engineers help identify the root cause of these failures and recommend solutions that improve reliability, reduce unplanned downtime, extend equipment life and lower maintenance costs.

During the event, Henkel also demonstrated how Loctite adhesives reduce assembly time, improve production efficiency and replace traditional mechanical fasteners.

Pattex is typically ideal for building, repairing, fixing, mounting or sealing applications. The application engineers help ensure that the right product is selected for the specific materials, conditions and performance requirements, consequently enabling end-users to complete jobs efficiently and achieve professional-quality results without specialist equipment, Naidoo explains.

Tangit is designed for leaking, damaged or poorly performing plastic piping systems in water, sanitation, irrigation, building and industrial applications. Engineers recommend the appropriate joining, sealing and repair solutions to improve system reliability, prevent water loss, and help build resilient infrastructure.

Across all three brands, application engineers work closely with customers to understand their specific operational challenges to create practical solutions.

Knowledge Partner
Dedicated application engineering teams operate at customers’ facilities, supported by innovation centres that enable Henkel to test, validate, customise and co-develop solutions. This brings the company closer to customers and accelerates innovation and implementation.

“Manufacturers have a responsibility to share knowledge, not just products. As technologies become more advanced, customers increasingly need support to apply them effectively and safely,” Naidoo elaborates.

Consequently, Henkel offers technical training, best-practice sharing and guidance to help customers unlock more value.

It also provides insights into technologies, sustainability trends, process innovations and industry best practice, which helps its customers improve their competitiveness.

This creates a continuous feedback loop, during which customer challenges inform future innovation and new technologies are developed with real-world applications in mind, Naidoo says.

Given the positive response to the event, the Henkel Training Day was “more than a one-off initiative”, with the company aiming to continue creating opportunities for technical learning and collaboration.

Naidoo says the event contributed to building skills and technical capabilities, which are essential in strengthening the manufacturing sector’s global competitiveness.

Moreover, such initiatives can foster greater collaboration, encouraging innovation across the value chain, she concludes.