Consumables
Topping-Off Ceremony for Paper Mill Extension in Königstein
Monday 16. February 2009 - The extension to the Königstein (Saxony) subsidiary of Papierfabrik Louisenthal is progressing well within schedule.
Following a construction phase lasting roughly nine months, the topping-off ceremony for the production hall is being held today. The new cylinder mold machine, one of the fastest and most advanced machines of its kind in the world, will go into operation as planned at the end of this year. In future, up to 11,000 tons of high-grade special paper for banknotes will be produced at the plant in Saxony every year. The extension will create around fifty new jobs in the region – over forty of which are already filled. Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) is investing around 70 million euros in the environment-friendly expansion of its production capacities.
On behalf of the company, Ulrich Spiegel, Plant Manager of the Königstein paper mill, thanked all the construction workers and the project team for their untiring efforts. “The adverse weather conditions didn’t always make it easy for our team, yet all the work was accomplished faultlessly and on schedule. Now that we have reached this major milestone, we can be sure of starting production punctually at the end of this year,” Spiegel continued. In their welcoming addresses, Dr. Walter Schlebusch, Group Executive of the Banknote business unit at G&D, and District Administrator Michael Geisler emphasized the strategic significance of both site and investment, while Site Foreman André Paschke gave the traditional inaugural blessing. Some 100 employees and guests, including Member of Parliament Klaus Brähmig and Member of State Parliament Dr. Horst Metz, came to see for themselves how far the construction work had progressed.
Work on the building to house the biomembrane filtration system has already been completed. The wastewater treatment plant has been installed and is currently being commissioned. Assembly of the ultra-modern paper machine is to begin in mid-March.
Together with the Louisenthal plant, the Königstein paper mill will continue to reinforce its leading position in the competitive international market for the production and finishing of high-grade banknote paper. In making this investment and expanding its capacities, the company is consistently pursuing its strategy for long-term growth.