COMPETENCE IN PAPER

Newsletter

September 2025

From the board

New board and advisors elected

We are delighted to announce that the following association members were newly elected or confirmed in their positions at the beginning of July during the ZELLCHEMING general meeting:

Board
Chairman: Dr.-Ing. Frank P. Meltzer
Deputy Chairman: Dr.-Ing. Tiemo Arndt
Treasurer: Carsten Melchert

Main Committee
Chairman: Dr. Martin Zahel
Deputy Chairman: Dr. Mathias Stanzel

Advisory Board 
Prof. Dr. Helga Zollner-Croll (Former President)
Prof. Dr. Markus Biesalski
Erich Kollmar
Gerrit Lund
Carsten Melchert
Prof. Dr. Frank Miletzky
Rosario Othen
Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Porkert
Alexander von Reibnitz
Xaver Weig
Prof. Dr. Markus Wildberger
Dr.-Ing. Ernst-Ulrich Wittmann
Chair APV Darmstadt (Andreas Jäger)
Chair APV Dresden (Falk Friedrich)
Chair VPM München (Frank May)
Birgit Bläsing
Manfred Eberhardt
Dr. Eva Nagy
Victoria Scherzinger

This means that the Executive Board has been elected to serve for the next two years. The next regular elections for the Executive Board will be held at the 2027 General Meeting.

The association honored the deserving members who stepped down from their leadership roles. This is particularly true for Prof. Dr. Markus Biesalski, who stepped down from his position as Chairman of the Main Committee. He served in this role successfully for many years.

The Technical Committee held a total of 15 meetings in the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025. The North, West, East, and South regional groups are active, and some successions and collaborations are currently being reviewed. Under Markus Biesalski's leadership, the revised role description for volunteer positions in the association was also completed.

We thank all members who cast their votes and all board candidates who volunteered and supported the ZELLCHEMING association.

Additionally, we would like to thank the technical committees involved in ZELLCHEMING Insights. Integrating the expo and association activities significantly improved the technical program's quality!

We are pleased to announce that the new member database is now available online. Member data has been imported, and data storage and rights management have been set up. Information on invoices and membership fees for 2025 has already been stored.

Link to the Members' Database: https://www.vereinonline.org/Verein_ZELLCHEMING_eV

Lastly, on behalf of the Executive Board, members, and employees of ZELLCHEMING, we would like to thank the Association of the German Paper Industry (DPI) for its warm congratulations and kind words on our 120th anniversary and the 75th ZELLCHEMING Expo. We were particularly pleased that the DPI emphasized the trusting and constructive cooperation between our two organizations as an important pillar for securing the future of our industry in its letter of congratulations.

We are also convinced that close ties and open dialogue with DIE PAPIERINDUSTRIE will significantly contribute to innovation and help us overcome the challenges of the coming years together!

Dr.-Ing. Frank P. Meltzer      Dr. Tiemo Arndt
Chairman                                Deputy Chairman

Series of short interviews

In this and future newsletters, as well as on our social media channels, we will gradually introduce the Executive Board members.

We will start with Dr. Frank P. Meltzer, the new ZELLCHEMING Chairman.

Dr.-Ing. Frank P. Meltzer, Director of Technical Sales and Marketing at Mercer Pulp Sales GmbH, has been Deputy Chairman of the Association since 2023. He began his professional career in 1991 at Voith Paper and then at Sulzer Escher-Wyss. There, he held various management positions in engineering and sales in Europe and North America, and was responsible for R&D, stock preparation, fabrics, and tissue. Through Voith, he joined ZELLCHEMING in 1991 and has been a member ever since. Prior to joining Mercer in September 2016, he worked for Canfor Pulp and Arjo Wiggins Decorative Papers. Dr. Meltzer studied process engineering at RWTH Aachen University. After graduating with a degree in engineering, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on “Pulp Grinding Technology.”

What motivated you to become more involved in the ZELLCHEMING association?
Frank Meltzer: "Volunteering comes naturally to me, even in my personal life. I have a desire to give back to the community. My main motivation for working with ZELLCHEMING is continuing the consistent development and clear objectives of previous boards. The team works well together, the advisory board is made up of many motivated young members, and the tasks are distributed among many people. I want to show others that this position can be enjoyable and reconciled with professional commitments.

What are your thematic priorities for your term as chair of the ZELLCHEMING association?
I would like to raise the association's profile further and strengthen its role as a link between science and technology at the national and international levels. We must expand our activities to include colleges and universities, and we must make the career day attractive to students from disciplines outside the paper industry because our industry is looking for qualified young talent in many fields. At the same time, it is important to attract more women to our industry. The Women4Paper initiative, which has existed for over five years, provides a platform for women to exchange ideas and support each other. I would like to see this network become more firmly established within member companies and expanded beyond existing structures.

What makes the ZELLCHEMING association special?
It is open to all players in the paper and fiber-based industries. We want to leverage our unique position to promote networking even further. We see ourselves as the "hub of a large wheel": we bring people, ideas, and expertise together. In the digital age especially, our members and their companies greatly value personal exchange.

What factors do you think are important for the association's further development?
The biggest challenges lie in developing our membership—attracting new members, retaining existing ones, and actively involving them. This includes encouraging greater commitment from member companies and increasing their willingness to send employees to our events, such as technical committees, regional groups, and the expo. We must communicate the added value of active networking more clearly.

What specific contribution would you like to make in this regard?
I want to play an active role in making our industry more visible and attractive to society!

Awards

The ZELLCHEMING association honored Erich Kollmar's entrepreneurial achievements and commitment to the paper industry by awarding him the Eugen Lendholt Memorial Medal. The presentation took place on stage at the forum in the exhibition hall during Expo 2025.

In his laudatory speech, Philipp Katz emphasized that Erich Kollmar is the sixth generation of his family to run the Bellmer company, alongside his brothers. Over the course of more than 25 years, he has grown the company through strategic acquisitions of businesses in Germany and abroad. He has also supplemented these acquisitions with targeted start-ups and developed the company into a complete portfolio provider in the paper industry. Consequently, Bellmer now ranks alongside the world's largest suppliers. Together with his brothers, Philipp and Martin, Erich has shaped the entire process industry. Katz continued, "His dynamism and passion are contagious, and his enthusiasm drives projects forward at an impressive speed."

Katz said, "He is an entrepreneur who not only successfully runs the family business but is also committed to the well-being of the industry through his involvement with VDMA and ZELLCHEMING. Promoting future generations in the paper industry is particularly close to his heart.”

f.l.t.r.: Philipp Katz, Erich Kollmar, Dr.-Ing. Frank P. Meltzer

From the office

From July 1 to 3, ZELLCHEMING Expo 2025 offered around 2,300 registered visitors—almost 20% more than last year—a wide range of opportunities for intensive information exchange and informal networking. Over 160 sponsors and partner companies presented themselves on nearly 2,000 m² of exhibition space, marking a 10% increase compared to 2024. Thus, the North Hall of the RMCC was fully booked.

Additionally, surveys confirm the event's exceptionally high standard:

from the visitors

• Over 86% of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with the expo and trade congress.
• Nearly 82% rated the ZELLCHEMING-Expo as the most important trade fair in the industry.
• Sixty-five percent are already planning to visit the ZELLCHEMING-Expo in 2026.
• Nearly 90% would recommend the ZELLCHEMING-Expo.

from the exhibitors

• Eighty-four percent of participants described their experience as successful or very successful.
• Ninety percent would recommend the ZELLCHEMING Expo.
• Sixty percent are already planning to attend the 2026 ZELLCHEMING Expo.

Numerous personal reports and articles in company newsletters, such as Modellfabrik Papier, were published on social media channels, such as LinkedIn, immediately following Expo 2025: https://modellfabrikpapier.de/news/erfolgreich-auf-der-zellcheming-expo-2025/

We also received positive feedback from Matthias Walter, the head of the paper-making school in Gernsbach. He described the ZELLCHEMING Career Day as follows:

"It was an extremely interesting and enriching day for our master's students. We received positive feedback from everyone—in particular, they emphasized how committed the exhibiting companies were to our group. Thanks to your preparation and support, everything went very well.”

"We are delighted with this extremely positive response! The passion and enormous energy that the office and the association have invested in the expo over the past few years is now paying off,” said Petra Hanke, managing director of ZELLCHEMING Service GmbH.

Currently, 67% of the North Hall of the RheinMain CongressCenter (RMCC) has been reserved for ZELLCHEMING Expo 2026.

Save the date!

ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2026 will take place from June 16 to 18 at the RMCC in Wiesbaden.

From the association

We welcome to the ZELLCHEMING Association:

• Amit Singh Gaur, Hochschule München
• Harald Gulden, Nalco Deutschland GmbH
• Vida Hasanisadi, Hochschule München
• Andre Jagodowski, AS Drives & Services GmbH
• Hauke Janßen, Technikum Laubholz GmbH
• Dr. Grete Korte, Eeden GmbH
• Aditya Kumar, Hochschule München
• Dr. Gregor Lavrič, Pulp and Paper Institute
• Nana Ama Antwiwaa Osei, Hochschule München
• Dr. Stefanie Plöger, Eeden GmbH
• Judith Rauert, Nordland Papier GmbH
• Paul Sausville, Hochschule München
• Michael Schwarz, Buckman Laboratories GmbH
• Tobias Tiede, Buckman Laboratories GmbH
• Dr. Thomas von Langenthal, Voith Paper Krieger GmbH & Co. KG
• Zohreh Mohammadi Yazani, Hochschule München

Dates

• 25 September 2025
  Meeting Technical Committee Plant Engineering and Energy (ENEN)
• 21 October 2025
  Meeting Technical Committee Environmental Issues (ENVI)
• 13 November 2025
  Meeting Technical Committee Data Management (DATA)
  Meeting Technical Committee Paperboard Technology (PBTC)
• 14 November 2025
  Meeting Regional group North ZELLCHEMING/VPM
• 19 November 2025
  Meeting Technical Committee Finishing of Paper and Paperboard (FPPB)
• 26 November 2025
  Meeting Technical Sub-Committee Energy (ENEN1)

From the network

PTS Coating Symposium 2025

The PTS Coating Symposium is the international meeting place for experts from industry, research, and development to explore and exchange ideas on the latest innovations in the coating and surface finishing of paper and board materials.

This three-day event takes place in the historic city of Bamberg and offers a carefully curated scientific program alongside numerous networking opportunities. Look forward to engaging expert presentations and discussions that highlight current developments and future trends in the industry.

The symposium also features an accompanying exhibition where leading companies will showcase their latest products and technologies.  Registration deadline: September 18, 2025.

More information: https://www.ptspaper.de/de/veranstaltungen/symposium/symposium-detail/pts-coating-symposium-2025/#main

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