Henkel is pulling the plug on its Oak Creek manufacturing plant, a move that will erase 57 local jobs and quietly wind down a longtime industrial operation on the city’s south side. The facility at 420 W. Marquette Ave. is set to begin cutting staff this summer, with operations tapering off into early 2027, marking a slow-motion exit for a site that has supplied industrial adhesives across the region.
According to BizTimes, Henkel has filed a WARN notice with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development spelling out a staggered layoff schedule. The company plans to eliminate 32 positions on June 30, 2026, followed by 21 more on Sept. 30, 2026, with the final four jobs gone when the plant officially closes on Feb. 28, 2027. The filing identifies the action as a plant closure affecting 57 employees at the Oak Creek address.
Henkel, a global German chemicals and consumer-brands company, is hardly a bit player in the manufacturing world. Company materials report about 47,000 employees worldwide and more than 7,000 in North America, where the region generates roughly 26% of Henkel’s global sales, or about $6.1 billion in 2025, according to Henkel. The Oak Creek plant focuses on industrial adhesives and related products that feed into manufacturing supply chains across the area.
What the WARN notice means
By filing a WARN/WBCML notice, Henkel is formally alerting state and local workforce officials that a closure is coming and that jobs are on the line. Wisconsin’s WARN and business-closing rules require advance notice so workers are not blindsided and can tap into reemployment help, training and benefits through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. If an employer skips those notification rules, affected workers may have legal options under both state and federal law.
The Oak Creek facility shows up on federal environmental and regulatory maps, and the EPA’s TRI database lists Henkel US Operations at the 420 W. Marquette Ave. address. EPA TRI records and local references identify the site’s work in adhesives and sealants. The shutdown lands in the middle of a choppy year for regional manufacturing, following other plant closings such as a recent Milwaukee-area shutdown reported by PlasticsToday.
For Oak Creek’s affected workers, the WARN filing is the procedural starting gun. As the closure timeline unfolds, employees are expected to receive information on benefits, retraining and job search support from state and local agencies. Both employers and displaced workers can look to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and area job centers for guidance as the plant heads toward its final shutdown date.
