First Quality Home Care Products, Great Neck, NY, will build a new production facility in Archbold, OH to support its recently formed First Quality Home Care Products division—a unit created after it acquired Henkel’s “retailer brands” business in North America, including laundry detergents, dishwashing detergents and fabric finishers.

The project—a $300 million investment—will renovate an existing structure into a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, according to First Quality.

The new facility is expected to be operational in early 2028. It create approximately 400 new jobs in the Archbold area, which is approximately 40 miles southwest of Toledo.

“The addition of a new Home Care Products location in Northwest Ohio represents a crucial step in building the long-term foundation for this division. Beyond increasing our capacity, this site will strengthen our ability to scale efficiently, innovate faster and deliver the value customers expect from First Quality,” said Jim Dodge, chief financial officer, First Quality.

Additionally, First Quality says it will create a R&D and collaboration center in Trumbull, CT, which will solidify “its commitment to innovation and new product development in home care.”

Henkel’s Divested Detergent Business

When Henkel signed the accord with First Quality Enterprises, LLC in 2025, its retailer business had annual sales of approximately €500 million. Henkel identified it as a “non-core activity” within its consumer brands business unit. The First Quality transaction was the last major divestment of portfolio optimization measures that had been underway at Henkel since 2022.

First Quality, which also has existing home care operations in Salt Lake City, UT and Concord, Ontario, Canada, sells diapers and personal hygiene products.