The WEPA Group with its headquarters in Arnsberg-Müschede is a German family business for

sanitary paper Sanitary paper includes papers used for toilet paper, sanitary napkins, facial tissues, paper towels, napkins and some disposable diapers. The paper is processed to be soft and absorbent. Global production of the category in 2013 was 30.9 million t ...

. With approx. 4.000 employees and a turnover of approx. 1.3 billion euros, WEPA is the third largest manufacturer of hygiene paper in Europe.

History

WEPA (Westfälische Papierfabrik) was founded in 1948 by Paul Krengel as a wholesale company for lining, wrapping, and gift wrap paper. It was not until 1953 that the processing of hygiene papers began in

Arnsberg Arnsberg (; wep, Arensperg) is a town in the Hochsauerland county, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the location of the Regierungsbezirk Arnsberg administration and one of the three local administration offices of the Hochs ...

. In 1958, the company's own paper production began with the construction of the first paper machine for crepe paper in Müschede. Construction of the plant in Marsberg-Giershagen in 1963 marked the beginning of further processing for the manufactured paper. In 1980 the company started to develop its first private labels. In 2001 WEPA took over Kriepa GmbH in Kriebethal (today WEPA Saxony), where a joint venture with the paper factory Kübler & Niethammer had already existed since 1990. From 2004 onwards the company expanded. WEPA consequently founded the joint venture GC & WEPA S.L. in

Ejea de los Caballeros Ejea de los Caballeros (); an, Exeya d'os Caballers; (commonly known simply as Ejea) is a town and municipality in the province of Zaragoza, part of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It is one of the five main towns in the ''Comarca de l ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, and took over the majority shares of the Polish hygiene paper manufacturer Fabryka Papieru Piechowice SA (today WEPA Piechowice) and the

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

mill of

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

. In 2009, the operating establishments of an Italian competitor in Italy (

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one o ...

and

Cassino Cassino () is a ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Southern Italy, at the southern end of the region of Lazio, the last city of the Latin Valley. Cassino is located at the foot of Monte Cairo near the confluence of the Gari and Liri rive ...

), Germany (

Leuna Leuna is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, eastern Germany, south of Merseburg and Halle, on the river Saale. The town is known for the ''Leunawerke'', at 13 km2 one of the biggest chemical industrial complexes in Germany, where a very wide range of ...

) and France (

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

) were also integrated into the WEPA Group. In 2015, WEPA sold its shares in the Spanish joint venture and bought a further site in

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

, France. 2 years later, with the takeover of the family business Van Houtem, a site in

Swalmen Swalmen (; li, Zjwame ) is a town in the south-eastern Netherlands. The town is situated between the German border and the river Meuse (''Maas'' in Dutch). Until 1 January 2007, Swalmen was a separate municipality, covering the villages Swalmen, ...

, Netherlands, for the manufacture of AfH products was incorporated. In 2018 WEPA took over all shares of the joint venture UK Northwood & WEPA LTD (now WEPA UK), which was founded in 2014 in

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...

. In 2019, WEPA expanded its locations with the acquisition of the Greenfield plant in

Château-Thierry Château-Thierry () is a French commune situated in the department of the Aisne, in the administrative region of Hauts-de-France, and in the historic Province of Champagne. The origin of the name of the town is unknown. The local tradition att ...

, France. WEPA Greenfield only produces recycled fibres (DIP) cleaned of printing ink. WEPA is therefore represented with thirteen locations in six European countries. Today, the WEPA Group is managed by Martin Krengel (Chairman of the Board), Harm Bergmann-Kramer, Ralph Dihlmann, Andreas Krengel and Menno Oosterhoff. The Supervisory Board comprises Friedrich Merz (Chairman), Hans-Joachim Körber, Wilken von Hodenberg and Hartmut Wurster.

Products and brands

Today, the WEPA Group is the third largest manufacturer of hygiene paper in Europe. According to current information, the company secures 25% of the market share in Germany and 8% in Europe. The 21 paper machines have a production capacity of 780,000 tonnes, which are processed into

toilet paper Toilet paper (sometimes called toilet tissue or bathroom tissue) is a tissue paper product primarily used to clean the anus and surrounding anal region of feces after defecation, and to clean the perineal area and external genitalia of u ...

, tissues, cosmetic tissues,

paper towels A paper towel is an absorbent, disposable towel made from paper. In Britain, paper towels for kitchen use are also known as kitchen rolls, kitchen paper, or kitchen towels. For home use, paper towels are usually sold in a roll of perforated shee ...

napkins A napkin, serviette or face towelette is a square of cloth or paper tissue used at the table for wiping the mouth and fingers while eating. It is usually small and folded, sometimes in intricate designs and shapes. Etymology and terminology ...

and industrial rolls at more than 90 automatic converting machines. In the consumer sector, WEPA sells the manufactured hygiene papers mainly as private label products (

trademarks A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

) to the European food retail trade. In addition, the WEPA Professional division offers hygiene paper and dispenser systems with the brands BlackSatino and Satino by WEPA typically for public washrooms, industry, offices or health care facilities.

Locations / production sites

Plant Marsberg-Giershagen Production facility Kriebstein With thirteen locations in six European countries, WEPA operates plants at the following locations: * Arnsberg-Müschede, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Marsberg-Giershagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Kriebstein-Kriebethal, Saxony, Germany * Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany * Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Lille, France * Troyes, France * Château-Thierry, France * Bridgend, Great Britain * Cassino, Italy * Lucca, Italy * Swalmen, Netherlands * Piechowice, Poland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wepa Group Companies based in North Rhine-Westphalia Pulp and paper companies of Germany