Vendor
	C.H.BECK Anna-Sophia Mäder
Original language
German

Henkel

Joachim Scholtyseck

From Washing Powder Manufacturer To Global Corporation

Persil, Ata, Pril, Somat, Pritt – many of the brands part of the multinational corporation Henkel have been a permanent fixture in the daily lives of many Germans for decades. But few are aware of the multilayered, turbulent history behind the Henkel name. For the first time, this comprehensive, well-researched account by Joachim Scholtyseck traces the history of an essential company to Germany from 1876 to the present day. He shows how Henkel went from being a washing powder manufacturer to a global corporation, and now a global leader in the adhesives market.

Henkel was a child of the early German Empire and benefited from the economic boom in the young German nation state. The population’s improved standard of living led to increased demand for everyday consumer goods, and the company rapidly stepped up its production of washing powder to meet this increasing demand. Founded in Aachen by Fritz Henkel, it quickly expanded and in 1900 moved its headquarters to Düsseldorf, where it is still based today. In 1907 the revolutionary detergent Persil came to market. It was advertised innovatively and heralded a quantum leap for the company. It is probably still the most famous brand to be associated with Henkel. But even in the early 20th century, Persil represented only a fraction of the product range of this extremely versatile company. Joachim Scholtyseck looks at the sources of Henkel’s success and analyses the elements which turned this Aachen start-up into a flourishing company. He explores the firm’s role in the Third Reich and shows how a washing powder manufacturer became a global corporation.

• The company behind Persil, Pril, Pritt and others – 150 years of Henkel