WEPA Successfully Starts up 32,000-tonne/yr Tissue Machine at its Piechowice Mill

Headquartered in Arnsberg, Westphalia, the WEPA Group has followed through on its plans to put a new paper machine into operation in Piechowice, Poland in the first quarter of 2017. Following a successful construction phase, the first paper was produced in mid-February and made into toilet paper. More than 20 new jobs have been created at this location.

Martin Krengel, CEO of the WEPA Group, says, "Our willingness to invest in state of the art technology is part of our future-oriented corporate strategy. By starting up this first tissue paper machine in Piechowice, we can further optimise our supply chain and strengthen our position in the highly promising Eastern European market."

The new unit makes a considerable contribution to reducing CO2 emissions thanks to its high efficiency. This saves resources and optimizes cost structures. Furthermore, reducing additional purchases of intermediate goods will allow the WEPA Group to optimize logistics flows within its European locations.

With an annual production capacity of 32,000 tonnes, the unit increases the location’s overall capacity to a total of 65,000 tonnes of raw paper per year, which is primarily processed for the consumer industry and the away-from-home sector, with products including toilet paper, kitchen roll and paper towels, primarily for the Polish market.

The new AHEAD 2.0S tissue paper machine from Italian manufacturer Toscotec is state-of-the-art technology, equipped with an inlay headbox, double press, TT SYD-15FT steel drying cylinder, Toscotec Milltech cover and vapor and dust extraction system. This was done within the planned investment budget of 30 million euros.

Janusz Brylinski, plant manager in Piechowice, is very pleased about the successful commissioning: "Since the WEPA Group took over the location in 2005 there has been continuous investment. More than 65 million euros in the past six years. This next step of having our own tissue paper machine expands our production programme and secures jobs in the region."

In doing so, the WEPA Group is strengthening its competitiveness in its capacity as the third biggest European manufacturer in the sanitary paper market. With a total of 20 paper machines now in use and a production capacity of around 750,000 tonnes/yr, more than 400 million consumers in Europe will be supplied with high-quality tissue products.

The WEPA Group is a medium-sized family enterprise, employing around 3,000 people at 11 locations throughout Europe. Founded in 1948 under the name Westphalian Paper Factory, WEPA initially started out as a trading company, but has developed into a manufacturing enterprise, and since 1958 WEPA has been successful as an enterprise with its current core business in the paper production industry.

WEPA produces popular sanitary paper products and offers solutions that focus on the demands of consumers in Europe. A total of 750,000 tonnes/yr of high-quality toilet paper, kitchen roll, handkerchiefs, facial tissues, napkins, industrial paper rolls and paper towel products are produced by 20 paper machines, which corresponds to about 150,000 truckloads. Ever since its foundation, the annual revenue of the WEPA Group has continuously increased, now totalling around one billion euros, which represents a market share in Germany of approximately 25 percent and a European market share of seven per cent in the sanitary paper product sector. These products are sold to the consumer industry, predominantly as private labels (trademarks) to the European food retail industry and to chemists. Additionally, the company’s business unit, WEPA Professional, provides a complete sanitary paper and dispenser system to the "away-from-home" sector, especially for applications in the area of "lavatory and cleaning".