COMPETENCE IN PAPER

Newsletter

March 2022

From the association

Dear members and friends of ZELLCHEMING,

There is hardly a better word to describe the situation we have been facing for almost two weeks than "turning point".  The events in Eastern Europe are hardly tangible for the individual in rational terms and at the same time trigger a feeling of deepest consternation.

Our industry is also facing enormous repercussions. Not only individual companies are reacting - for example, by stopping business with Russia or shutting down plants located there and questioning or reorganizing supply chains - but also the Executive Board of the Association "The Paper Industry" has named and strongly condemned Russian President Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine in a formal statement. The press statement went on to say that it was aware that the war would pose a major economic challenge to the German paper industry with its indirect consequences on the energy market.

This brings me to the session "Energy, Environment, Climate", which we are currently preparing at full speed within the framework of the ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2022. The topic could hardly be more topical, even though we have certainly done anything but wish for this additional momentum: Global resource and energy consumption has been rising for decades. The causes are to be found in population growth, but also in the increase in the prosperity of countries. In addition, the nations have committed themselves to reducing resource consumption and emissions within the framework of various climate agreements.

In the session, which will be moderated by me, we want to shed light on and discuss how economic growth and environmental concerns could be reconciled. After all, achieving sustainability, i.e. combining economic growth with ecological goals, is one of the most important tasks and goals of our time. I am already looking forward to interesting presentations by speakers who will bring in the perspectives of politics and the association side. In addition, we will incorporate our suppliers' solutions and hear what approaches start-ups are taking.

We will present the complete program for ZELLCHEMING-Expo 2022 in early April. By then, all further information about the event will also be available and registration for participants will be open.

We see our event as a positive goal in these difficult times!

Best regards and stay healthy!

Prof. Dr. Helga Zollner-Croll
Deputy Chairwoman ZELLCHEMING Association

Dates

• 21 March 2022
  6th Women4Paper Web Event
• 26-27 April 2022
  Meeting Technical Committee Paper Making
• 28 April 2022
  Meeting Technical Committee Plant Engineering and Energy
• 5 Mai 2022
  Meeting Technical Committee Pulp and Paper Testing

From society & industry

Starting signal for German Packaging Award 2022!

Until May 15, companies, organizations and individuals can submit their innovations and new solutions to Europe's largest showcase of packaging achievements. The award, which is organized by the German Packaging Institute e. V. (dvi) will be awarded across all materials in 10 categories and is under the patronage of the German Federal Minister of Economics and Climate Protection.

"The packaging industry is not only relevant to the system, it is above all highly innovative," says Dr. Bettina Horenburg, Director Corporate Communications of the Siegwerk Group, dvi board member and overall responsible for the German Packaging Award. "With its solutions, it ensures hygiene, health, product protection and security of supply for people and the economy. In addition, more and more packaging is pioneering sustainability and the circular economy. I am convinced that the German Packaging Award will once again convincingly bring the performance of our industry to the big stage this year and I am already looking forward to the award ceremony on the first day of Fachpack 2022."

Products or prototypes can be submitted in 10 categories ranging from design & finishing, product presentation, economy and sustainability to logistics & material flow, digitalization and packaging machines. The jury consists of a broad-based panel of experts from business, research, academia and the media. It reviews all entries at a two-day meeting at the IGEPA group's premises according to fixed, category-specific criteria.

More information at: verpackung.org

Cepi report: usage patterns for paper and board are changing fundamentally

Like other sectors, the paper and board industry is recovering from the economic downturn caused by Covid-19. But new trends in the use of these materials, exacerbated by the pandemic, now suggest profound changes in the way consumers use them. This has prompted the industry to adjust its production, discontinue production lines and make investments to adapt to the change. Preliminary statistics for the past year published by the internal statistics team of Cepi, the European Paper Industry Association, bear this out.

While consumption of paper products had fallen by 6.6% in 2020, the sector is now showing signs of a strong recovery, with consumption in countries represented in the European Paper Industry Association up 5% last year. In response to renewed demand from European and global customers, production has increased by 5.8%. Exports outside Cepi countries, which had fallen 8.4% in 2020, have returned to 2019 levels, thanks to the strong increase in sales in North and South American markets.

In addition to the impact of the rebounding global economic engine, other factors are coming into play. Covid-19 has led to a dramatic increase in online shopping: Production of paper and paperboard used for this purpose is estimated to increase by 7.1% in 2021 compared to 2020, following a 2.1% increase in 2019.

New demand for more sustainable product packaging and the high recyclability of paper and paperboard have helped make these materials so popular with consumer-facing shippers and carriers. Various sectors now use paper and board packaging, particularly as a solution for the delivery of food or medical and pharmaceutical products. Paper is also a staple for the hygiene industry, and although demand for paper for sanitary purposes has declined somewhat in 2021, it is still slightly above pre-pandemic consumption levels.

Overall production of "graphic papers", i.e. paper for printing, drawing and writing, is now showing a slight increase, confirming the resilience of some sub-sectors amid a structural decline. However, demand for newsprint continues to decline.

Another statistic shows a more positive trend and perhaps an even deeper change. Production of packaging papers, used to make paper bags, increased by a whopping 11.7%, benefiting from the EU-sponsored phase-out of plastic packaging. The production of paper for innovative uses, mainly for industrial purposes, increased by as much as 9.6%.

These figures, which relate to both traditional and more innovative products from biorefineries, point to what is known in the industry as the "substitution effect." Paper and other forest-based products will gradually replace various less sustainable materials and chemicals to some degree. The pulp and paper industry is committed to supporting this. Although these products represent only a small percentage of total production, Cepi statistics show that these changes are occurring rapidly and even accelerating.

From the membership

In memoriam

Our long-time member Dipl.-Ing. Alfred Renker passed away peacefully in Zerkall on February 5, 2022, after a long and fulfilling life.

Alfred Renker was born in Zerkall on October 3, 1924, the son of the paper manufacturer, writer and politician Armin Renker and his wife Elfriede, née Schleicher. After completing his studies under Professor Walter Brecht at the Institute of Paper Manufacturing at Darmstadt Technical University, he joined the Zerkall Renker & Söhne paper mill. As Managing Partner, Mr. Renker implemented a large number of technical innovations in the production of genuine hand-made papers on the cylinder mold paper machine until his retirement in 1994, and pursued the adaptation of Zerkall hand-made paper to changing market requirements with numerous product developments.

In addition to his professional activities, Alfred Renker was involved in a number of honorary offices, such as the Board of Directors at TÜV Rheinland e.V., the Terminology Standards Committee in the DIN Standards Committee for Paper, Board and Pulp, the Tariff Commission in the Employers' Association of the Paper Producing Industry in the United Industrial Associations of Düren, Jülich, Euskirchen and Surroundings e.V. or the Vocational Training Committee of the United Paper Employers' Associations.

Until the end of his life, Alfred Renker maintained membership in particular in associations dedicated to promoting research and young talent in the paper industry, such as the Akademischer Papieringenieur-Verein an der Technischen Universität Darmstadt e.V. (Academic Paper Engineers Association at Darmstadt Technical University) or the ZELLCHEMING Association, from which he was awarded the Golden Ring of Honor for Paper History in 1994.

The Board of Directors and the Management of the ZELLCHEMING Association will always honor the memory of the deceased and wish the bereaved family much strength during this difficult time.

Dr. Michael Weiß is new Chief Technology Officer at Voith Paper

ZELLCHEMING corporate member Voith Paper appoints Dr. Michael Weiß, most recently Vice President Business & Research, as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and member of the Management Board.

Weiß started in his new role on February 1, 2022, succeeding Frank Opletal, who is taking well-deserved retirement after 38 years with Voith Paper. In his role, he will report directly to Andreas Endters, President & CEO of Voith Paper.

Dr. Michael Weiß has been involved in the development of trend-setting technologies and innovations at Voith Paper in various functions since 2006. Since 2017, he has led innovation management, the simulation department, and the central laboratory at Voith Paper as VP New Business & Research. As CTO, he will bring his many years of experience in research and development to drive Voith Paper's innovation strategy around the differentiators of sustainability, efficiency and full-line provider. The main aim is to find answers to the megatrends of sustainability and digitalization and make them useful for the paper industry.

Weiß, born in 1970, joined Voith Paper in 2006 as a development engineer. This was followed by various positions in research and development, where he worked on topics including process optimization, mathematical simulation, water management and wastewater treatment. From 2017, he held the position of Vice President New Business & Research. Dr. Weiß studied process engineering at RWTH Aachen University. He completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Oxford, UK, in 2004, followed by a two-year stay in France as a postdoc in industrial research and development.

Drewsen Specialty Papers increases size capacity

To continue the steady growth in its specialty paper formats, the ZELLCHEMING member company has invested in a highly efficient Questec small-lot sheeter from BW Papersystems tailored to its needs.  

A wide range of papers with a basis weight of 30-300 g/m², including center separation, are cut into formats in a single layer at speeds of up to 400 m/min. Security papers with matched watermarks can also be precisely finished. Since February 2021, the company has been working cooperatively with the supplier's specialists to develop solutions for the diverse demands of specialty papers on an 850 mm wide pilot line. All findings quickly flowed into the planning and construction of the Questec machine tailored to DREWSEN.

The new 1,350 mm wide line has now been installed and is off to a great start; the team is already cutting daily seven days a week. A particular success is the excellent stack quality as well as the highest cutting accuracy. "Thanks to the close cooperation with BW Papersystems, many of our operators' suggestions for the customized sheeter could be implemented. I think BW Papersystems has succeeded in a small revolution: cutting small lots so highly efficiently - that has never been done before!" reports Managing Director Dr. Matthias Rauhut.

We are happy to welcome new members again this month!

Dr. Axel Rußler, Lenzing AG: "Personally, I have been associated with the cellulose processing industry and thus indirectly with the paper industry for more than 25 years, including my studies in the wood industry. As a result, the ZELLCHEMING association has been a familiar name to me for a very long time and I have also been sent by companies to participate several times.

My current employer, Lenzing AG, as a fiber producer, is also a pulp producer and, to a small extent, a supplier to the paper industry.

My particular interest in the context of ZELLCHEMING membership is the Technical Committee Cellulose and Cellulose Derivatives (CELL). My membership serves in particular the possibility of being able to cooperate within this framework with people who have been familiar to me for a long time.

We welcome to the ZELLCHEMING association:

• Alexander Dehler, Neenah Gessner GmbH
• Jürgen Gehringer, UPM Ettringen Gebr. Lang GmbH
• Paul Rossmeisl, UPM Ettringen Gebr. Lang GmbH

Stay up-to-date and follow us!

You can object to the delivery of our newsletter at any time. Please click on the "Unsubscribe" button.

Imprint & Privacy Policy