Introduction
The American Chemical Manufacturing Summit, taking place December 9-10, 2025, at the JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria, is the premier gathering for senior executives shaping the future of the chemical manufacturing industry. This gathering of leaders will bring together 100+ top leaders from global chemical companies to tackle the most pressing challenges in advanced manufacturing, quality, HSE, and supply chain performance.
Among the standout voices shaping this year’s agenda is Loan Ngô, Vice President of Quality, Americas at Henkel, who will lead a compelling Quality & HSE session focused on “Leveraging Total Quality Management (TQM), Data Analytics, and Culture to Drive Continuous Improvement.”
With more than 25 years of global leadership experience, Loan is widely recognized for transforming complex manufacturing ecosystems through a deep commitment to quality, operational discipline, and people-centered leadership. In her current role at Henkel, she oversees quality initiatives across a diverse and expansive region, including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Latin America, embedding a culture of continuous improvement across borders. Her track record includes senior positions at industry leaders such as Mortenson, Valspar, Barnes Group, Pratt & Whitney, and Honeywell, where she championed excellence across the value chain.
A lifelong learner, Loan’s credentials include degrees and executive education from institutions like UNC Kenan-Flagler, Kettering University, UC Berkeley, Wharton Online, and Cornell. As she prepares to take the stage at the 2025 American Chemical Manufacturing Summit, attendees can expect insights forged from decades of real-world experience—and a vision for the future of manufacturing that is as bold as it is actionable.
We had the incredible opportunity to get exclusive insight into Loan’s career path, key industry trends, and what attendees can look forward to at the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit!
Can you give us a preview of what you’ll be speaking about at the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit?
I’ll be speaking about the power of a comprehensive quality culture and how it can be a true differentiator in today’s highly competitive landscape. My session will explore the impact that a strong quality foundation can have on business performance, resilience, and long-term success.
I’ll also dive into how organizations can harness emerging technologies from the Fourth Industrial Revolution to drive continuous improvement and create sustainable, strategic advantages. It’s about more than just tools and systems; it’s about building a culture that embraces innovation, accountability, and excellence at every level.
How do the core principles of TQM contribute to both operational and business success at Henkel?
At Henkel, Total Quality Management (TQM) is far more than a methodology—it’s a strategic enabler of operational excellence and long-term business success. We see TQM as a competitive advantage, embedded into our culture, systems, and leadership behaviors, ensuring that quality is not only proactive and systematic but also aligned with value creation across the enterprise.
Customer Focus: Building Trust Through Zero-Defect Ambitions
Through our Five Quality Fundamentals, we proactively prevent defects and eliminate root causes of nonconformance. Our focused implementation ensures we are not just compliant, but competitive.
Leadership Commitment: Inspiring Ownership and Accountability
Henkel’s leaders champion a culture of quality through visible commitment and cross-functional alignment, and our engagement model inspires every team member to act as a steward of excellence—transforming compliance into a shared mission.
Data-Driven Decision Making: One Truth Across the Enterprise
With global operations, Henkel relies on harmonized KPIs and digital dashboards to ensure decisions are grounded in a single version of truth. By leveraging analytics and benchmarking, we identify trends, mitigate risks, and accelerate improvement.
Process-Oriented Collaboration: Synergy Across Functions
TQM at Henkel thrives on cross-functional collaboration. From R&D to Supply Chain, teams co-create solutions that are right the first time. One example is our Quest for Purity initiative, which exemplifies this, aligning Innovation, Operations, and Quality to deliver a unified cleanliness strategy that meets diverse customer needs while optimizing efficiency.
Continuous Improvement: Turning Challenges into Capabilities
Zero-defect is our ambition, but every deviation is a learning opportunity. Whether resolving pigment agglomerates or redefining contamination thresholds, we use insights to strengthen systems and raise standards. Our closed-loop approach—activate, mobilize, re-energize—ensures continuous improvement is embedded, not episodic.
TQM empowers us to drive consistent, measurable impact, both operationally and strategically. It’s how we turn quality into a growth engine and ensure that excellence is built into everything we do at Henkel.
What leadership strategies have proven most effective in building a high-performance, TQM-driven culture?
At the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit, I’ll be sharing insights on leadership strategies that have had a positive impact in cultivating a high-performance quality culture. It is about defining and driving the necessary behaviors to sustain this culture.
The journey begins with emotionalizing and inspiring quality, helping team members see the impact of their daily decisions and actions, and then providing them with the resources to empower and mobilize them to take ownership of quality, both individually and collaboratively.
Ultimately, sustainable quality culture comes from alignment—between vision and behavior, systems and people. As leaders, we have the responsibility to continually inspire, enable, and engage our teams to live out that culture every day.
How do you sustain momentum in continuous improvement initiatives across large, multi-site operations?
Our strategy involves a closed-loop approach: Activate, Mobilize, and (Re)Energize. At the summit, I will be sharing how we activate cross-functional and multi-site teams, providing the framework for these empowered teams to identify and work on projects that reduce risks for our customers and set us up to compete strongly in the market.
What role does cross-functional collaboration play in driving quality excellence and future readiness?
Loan Ngô and the NA quality leadership team taking a moment to celebrate team achievements
"At Henkel, we believe that quality is not a department—it’s a shared responsibility. And, cross-functional collaboration is how we bring that belief to life."
From the earliest stages of product development, our Application Engineering, Product Development, and Customer Quality teams work in lockstep to design solutions that meet both market needs and customer expectations. However, we don’t stop there. We partner closely with our manufacturing facilities to scale those solutions into production, establishing robust control plans that ensure consistency, compliance, and confidence.
This end-to-end alignment is what allows us to “get it right” from the very beginning. Our Supply Chain and Purchasing teams are integral to this process, ensuring that quality is embedded not just in the product but in every decision, every supplier relationship, and every operational handoff.
What are you most excited about as you join the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit this year?
What excites me the most about joining the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit this year is the opportunity to connect with colleagues who share the same passion for excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
I look forward to learning how other organizations are approaching their own “Quest for Excellence”, whether it be through technologies, cultural transformation, or bold quality initiatives. I believe these conversations will undoubtedly spark valuable insights into how we can further advance our own quality culture at Henkel.
Henkel facilities in Chanhassen, MN
Conclusion
Loan Ngô’s insights offer a powerful look into how Henkel is using Total Quality Management, data, and culture to fuel continuous improvement and strategic growth across a complex, global operation. Her leadership perspective reflects the caliber of thought-provoking dialogue that defines the American Chemical Manufacturing Summit.
Join us this December 9–10 at the JW Marriott Houston by The Galleria to engage with industry pioneers like Loan, explore innovative strategies, and gain the tools needed to elevate quality, safety, and performance in your own organization.
Register now: chemmansummit.com