The ace up your sleeve

A joyful occasion rarely comes alone, according to the local saying with a touch of fancy. In 2019, Koehler celebrated 85 years of producing playing card board at its site in Oberkirch. The first coating machine was purchased in 1934. All the interesting facts were reported on our website and in the last edition of the Koehler Rundschau.

In the same year, Koehler was also able to celebrate a completely different occasion: becoming the world market leader. Our steadily increasing market presence in recent years has received a further decisive boost from the loss of a competitor. The whole team demonstrated impressive flexibility. "We have worked hard to achieve the title of 'world market leader'," says Marco Lang, Head of the Fine Paper Division, underlining the outstanding performance of all those involved. "From planning, continuing with production and equipping, to shipping and distribution, the cogs all fit together better than you could ever wish for."

The Casino Classic and Casino Imperial qualities with grammages from 260 to 410 gsm with different embossing and types of finishing have been played in the largest casinos in the world. But Koehler's card board is also suitable for other applications. The hype of the Pokémon cards at the turn of the millennium has not been forgotten. "Magic: The Gathering" is also a trading card game, and both are known around the globe. Supported by movies, computer games and their links to "real" playing cards, the passion for collecting and playing remains high, and new motifs are constantly being created. Pokémon now has 7,000 different cards and Magic has more than 20,000 different motifs!

In a content path that accompanied us throughout 2019, Koehler looked at the topic of playing cards from different angles. The highlight was a video project with students from the University of Karlsruhe.
And now we are world market leader. Koehler is proud of the title, but is also aware of its responsibility. "Of course, it shows that our efforts and stamina were worth it," says Lang. "It has always been our aim to produce the best card board in the world. And we will continue to do so."