Kao Chemicals GmbH expands Emmerich site with €30m investment
- Total investment of €30 million across 2020–2022, with Phase 2 a €25 million build in 2021.
- Phase 1 (2020) expanded the plant for shampoo and hair-dye precursors, completing by end of 2020.
- Workforce rising from 240 (2020) to a projected 250 by 2022, adding 10 jobs.
- Apprenticeships increased: 9 started August 1, 2020; 7 more planned in 2021, totalling 26 trainees (10.4% of workforce).
Investment
Kao Chemicals GmbH is investing €30 million at its Emmerich site in a two-phase programme spanning 2020–2022. Phase 1 (2020) expanded existing production for shampoo and hair-dye precursors and was due for completion by the end of 2020. Phase 2 (2021) is a €25 million construction of a new facility for precursors used in disinfectants, cleaning and care products; it is the largest single investment at the site since its 1952 founding.
Employment and training
The site employed 240 people in 2020, including 20 apprentices across six vocational fields. The expansion is expected to raise headcount to about 250 by 2022, creating 10 net new positions. Nine apprentices began on 1 August 2020 in roles such as chemical technician, laboratory technician, industrial clerk, electronics technician (operational technology), IT specialist (system integration) and industrial mechanic. Seven further apprenticeship positions were planned for 2021, bringing total trainees to 26 (about 10.4% of the workforce).
Products and local role
The Emmerich plant produces raw materials and precursors for cosmetics (shampoos, shower gels, bath products), cleaning agents, disinfectants, concrete and dry-mortar flow agents, and specialty surfactants for technical applications. The investment reinforces the site’s role in regional employment and in supply chains for cosmetics, cleaning and technical chemical sectors.
Context
Jürgen Jonalik became managing director on 1 January 2020. Kao Corporation (Japan) remains the parent and has signalled continued long-term commitment to the Emmerich site despite global economic challenges noted in the period. The site traces its origins to a company founded about 80 years ago by a Dutch hairdresser and was previously known as CHEM-Y.
