“We as a town want to be your partner”

Tradition plays an important role in the paper industry. Indeed the history of papermaking in the Thuringian town of Greiz, which goes back more than 415 years, speaks volumes. The range of products has changed multiple times over the years, but the site now produces only high-quality recycled paper with a variety and quality that only experts can distinguish from fresh-fiber paper.

Greiz is a site with great potential

This is something the Mayor of Greiz, Alexander Schulze, was able to discover for himself last Tuesday. The 47-year-old family man was born and raised in Greiz and has been its mayor since June 2018, but this is his first visit to the paper mill, and he seems impressed by what rolls out of Greiz day after day to be sent out into the world.

Schulze was greeted at the mill site by Managing Director Udo Hollbach and Mill Director Holger Palm, who not only gave him a tour of the Greiz mill but also highlighted the site’s huge potential for development. “In August 2019 alone, we invested 500,000 euros in the mill”, says Palm as he talks about current and forthcoming projects.

Koehler: sustainability as a strategy

Hollbach also emphasizes the significance of the Greiz mill for the parent company Koehler Paper Group, which is based in Oberkirch in the Baden region. “With its recycled paper, Greiz fits perfectly into Koehler’s strategy”, he says. This strategy targets sustainability, both in the way the company does business and in its development of new products.

Before his election, Schulze was considering setting up a business advisory council for the town of Greiz, and he finds a sympathetic ear in Koehler. “Greiz has so much potential”, says Hollbach, emphasizing the synergies that can be generated between economy and politics. Schulze also stresses how important Koehler is for Greiz. After all, with 120 employees the company is one of the biggest employers in the town. “We as a town aim to be a partner to you”, Schulze affirms.