Rebranded Zanders focuses on packaging

Last year’s change of shareholding and rebranding of Metsä Board Zanders as Zanders GmbH has helped drive the company’s reputation for specialty rather than standard papers as it focuses more on the fast-growing packaging market.

‘Zanders will establish itself as an independent, universal provider of papers and boards for high quality niches and special products whose activities are not limited by strategies or interests of the parent company,’ explains Zanders managing director Dr Lennart Schley. ‘As part of the process we are focusing on packaging applications.’

In order to react more quickly and flexibly to fast-changing customer requirements, hierarchy levels were partially removed and departments merged, giving the company a flatter structure. ‘One thing is clear: since the change in shareholders, the focus is no longer on the factory as an extended workbench of a corporate parent, but instead on addressing customer wishes,’ says Dr Schley.

In concrete terms this has seen the company develop additional special applications in weights of 25-400 gsm with the focus on functional coatings.

‘For example, we have been producing a barrier application for the food industry for several months now prior to the official product launch,’ says Dr Schley. ‘And in select niches of the graphic industry, such as digital printing, new products are also being developed.’ Contract manufacturing is being built up as an additional pillar within this strategy, leading to the enlargement of Zanders’ R&D department and more in-depth cooperation with external research institutes.

The last six months have seen Zanders launch new products in all its key end user segments in the beverage, food, graphics and print, cigarette and pharmaceutical industries. New label papers include Zanlabel touch, Zanlabel lin and Zanlabel high gloss. On the packaging side are Zankraft packaging and laminating paper and Zanpack SBS cartonboard, as well as a liquid toner paper and high-speed inkjet papers.

‘In order to achieve these results in a short time as well as to progress our planned developments in the field of functional paper applications, our pilot coaters were brought into service again,’ explains Dr Schley. ‘All of this demonstrates emphatically that we have grown significantly faster and more flexibly along the entire value chain.’

Growth strategy

As well as pursuing growth organically with its own products and resources, Dr Schley says Zanders could also grow by acquisition. ‘There is a clearly defined M&A process for inorganic growth. The geographical focus for Zanders’ products is Europe, with its core market as Germany. However, activities already commenced in the USA will be expanded further. We will also begin exploring the South American and Asian markets.’

Up to now, all activities have been coordinated from Germany, but the opening of additional offices is only a matter of time, says Dr Schley. ‘In order to address customer requirements, we will place the emphasis on local presence, at least in the form of locally resident sales staff. We are also establishing cooperative ventures with other paper producers or finishers and look forward to the possibility of cooperating with paper merchants.’

Zanders runs a modern fleet of large paper and coating machine, and future investments will focus on increasing process stability of the paper machines. ‘No shut-down of machines or capacities are anticipated nor would it suit the planned growth process,’ says Dr Schley.