GORDANA BRAŠIĆ, PRESIDENT AND HR DIRECTOR, HENKEL SERBIA

GORDANA BRAŠIĆ, PRESIDENT AND HR DIRECTOR, HENKEL SERBIA

Growing Investment, Growing Exports

In the past two decades, Henkel Serbia has managed to realise the vision of this German company - to supply markets of more than 70 million inhabitants from its production facilities in Kruševac and Inđija. In the last five years alone, more than 90 million euros have been invested in the opening of three new factories and a logistics centre

We are proud that, thanks to our dedicated work, we have for several years been on the list of the top 10 exporters from Serbia and we expect to finish this year in 6th place ~ reveals Mrs Brašić, pointing out that the company’s goal is to achieve even better results in the future.

You welcome this year’s anniversary in Serbia with excellent results. You must be very proud...

So far, more than 350 million euros have been invested in operations in Serbia, in the modernization and expansion of production and storage capacities. In the last five years alone, more than 90 million euros were invested in the opening of three new factories and a logistics centre, so that today liquid, powder and caps detergents as well as toilet freshener factories and the Somat factory for dishwashing machine tablets are operating in Kruševac. Some of Henkel’s leading brands, such as Persil, Bref and Somat are produced in Serbia. In Kruševac there is also a regional logistics centre from which 37 markets are supplied, and in Inđija we have the Ceresit factory for the production of powder construction adhesives and liquid mortars. It is also Henkel’s first greenfield investment in Serbia, which this year marks 15 years since its opening. Our factory was the first in Serbia to receive the ISO 50001 certificate for energy efficiency, as well as the LEED Gold certificate for leadership in the field of green construction. With excellent results, Kruševac has secured a place among the leaders in the Henkel system, but this success is primarily the result of the dedicated work of our staff, their team spirit and openness to challenges.

Henkel holds 6th place among the largest exporters in Serbia. Where do your products end up? What percentage goes to the world?

Serbia’s excellent geographical position enables easy and rapid connections to many countries around the world. Thanks to our regional logistics centre in Kruševac, Henkel detergents and household chemicals go to the homes of more than 70 million people around the world. In recent years, through continuous investment, the opening of new production facilities and the expansion of capacity, we have managed to increase production and today export about 97 per cent of the total production.

Henkel Serbia provides a major contribution to the Serbian economy and we expect that our share in Serbia’s GDP will amount to 0.4 per cent by the end of this year.

How does the company fulfil its promises to support the local community?

We focus on measures to mitigate climate change, a functional circular economy and the protection of nature and biodiversity, while at the same time delivering to our customers and consumers safe and excellent solutions for products and technologies. This year we are celebrating 15 years since the start of the “Make an Impact on Tomorrow” corporate volunteering programme. The company provides funds to its employees for projects that contribute to progress in the fields of education, science, culture, sports, environmental protection and health. Under this initiative, over the past 15 years, more than 100 volunteers have carried out almost 200 projects, worth around 750,000 euros. I would like to single out the project I love river, do you?, which encompasses the cleaning of water surfaces and is conceived as a long-term initiative.