New Sheet Feeder in Eastern Germany

VPK Packaging, along with two private investors are building a new sheet feeder plant in Leinefelde, East Germany.

The Belgian company and its German jv partners, Thomas Schwalbach and Martin Schnizer are investing €30m into the project which is likely to come to fruition in 2013 in the shape of a 150 million m² pa sheet feeder plant. This plant will convert circa 80,000 tonnes pa of recycled containerboard into sheets, which will be sold on the open market and will become part of the group's Aquila business, which includes VPK's sheet feeder plants in Poznan and Radomsko, Poland. This new facility will be managed by their jv partners, who have the relevant experience and skills needed to run a successful new business in the German market.

VPK Packaging, operates a 450,000 tonnes pa recycled containerboard mill in Belgium and 13 corrugated packaging plants across Europe. We’ve heard  rumours that they’re considering the acquisition of Norske Skog's 270,000 tonnes pa newsprint PM at the Renkum mill in the Netherlands. This would fit as VPK have been expanding their corrugated side of the business, but they’re short of paper. There are also rumours that VPK have been in talks with some large European containerboard producers regarding a joint investment in new capacity. These rumours are, as yet, unsubstantiated, but it’s fair to say that they’re eager to grow their business and are on the look-out for new opportunities..

Posted Date: 19th Sep 2011