The only way for a company to last for 210 years is by connecting the past with the future. In the past few months the Koehler Paper Group, based in Oberkirch, South Baden, has set its sights firmly on the future with an investment of 300 million euros in a production plant for flexible packaging paper. This year, the company marks 20 years of success in the field of decor paper – the length of time that Paper Machine 6 has been operating at Koehler’s Kehl site. The company uses the machine to produce decor paper with optimal processing properties that lend it a high degree of resonance on the market. Julia Müller, Director Decor Paper Division at Koehler, had this to say: “With an increasing range of products and growing individualization, we’ve developed into an in-demand supplier in a highly competitive market. For Koehler, it pays off to continually develop the technological capabilities of our production facilities so that we can offer our customers products with genuine added value. Our specializations in this area include the excellent quality of our paper, particularly its dimensional stability. What’s more: We’re one of the few suppliers producing decor paper exclusively in Germany.”

When “PM 6” by the manufacturer Voith was launched for the first time ever 20 years ago, the Oberkirch-based family business proved that it was worth having the courage to try something entirely new: “It’s the first completely new plant built in Germany for decor paper production,” announced machine manufacturer Voith in its customer magazine at the time. And Frank Heyne, Production Manager Decor Paper at Koehler, adds: “Until then, it had been common to retrofit machines from the existing fleet for decor paper production. Here at Koehler, we were launching something entirely new with a team that remains highly motivated to this day and which works with the plant technicians to continually optimize the machine so that it can achieve peak performance.” Koehler’s entry into the production of decor paper for surfaces represented a logical expansion of its existing production of decor paper for edging.

The company’s “PM 6” is among the fastest machines of its kind. Initially producing 450 meters of paper per minute, the first speed record was set in 2003 with 731 meters per minute. Now, under ideal conditions, the machine can exceed the 1,000-meter mark.

While production 20 years ago was still limited to white decor paper, the product portfolio has now grown to cover a color spectrum ranging from cream to beige, brown, gray and even black with grammage of 50 to 140 gsm. In addition to the impressive range produced at the Kehl plant, the Oberkirch plant also produces edging base paper (110 to 300 gsm), for which Koehler is recognized as a global market leader. The team working on the “PM 6” joined Joachim Uhl, Mill Director at Koehler in Kehl, to celebrate their shared achievement of 20 years working on a machine that continues to run at peak performance. Joachim Uhl, Mill Director at Koehler in Kehl, had this to say: “We’re proud that with the ‘PM 6’, we’ve been able to gain a firm foothold in the market for decor paper over the last 20 years. We owe this position to our flexibility, our motivation and our close customer relationships.”