INVESTORS IN MSK

Fibers From Nature

Lenzing Biocel Paskov is one of

the companies with a strong Austrian

imprint. The traditional pulp producer was

first part of the Austrian family company

Heinzel for ten years and now belongs

to the multinational Lenzing Group,

which is based in upper Austria. This

Czech-Austrian cooperation is evaluated

exclusively for POSITIV Business & Style

Magazine by the CEO of Lenzing Biocel

Paskov, Ing. Kateřina Kupková.

Let’s start with the basic facts. How was

the cooperation between Biocel and Lenzing born

and how long has your cooperation lasted?

Lenzing bought our company in 2010. At that time, we

belonged to the Austrian family company Heinzel and

we produced pulp for paper mills. The owner at the time,

Alfred Heinzel, as a very knowledgeable expert within

our industry, saw significant potential and possibilities

for further development in Biocel. He wanted to

acquire a financially strong partner with the appropriate

know-how for our pulp mill. At that time, the Lenzing

Group was growing rapidly, expanding its viscose

fiber production capacity and was looking for another

source of raw material. Our pulp technology fitted

very well into the Lenzing Group's product portfolio.

The decision to sell did not take long. Immediately after

joining the Lenzing Group, we started to make large

investments of hundreds of millions of euros.

We supplemented the existing technology in Paskov

with new equipment that enabled us to produce a new

type of pulp called viscose pulp for the production of

viscose fibers. Thus we have moved from the paper

industry into textiles, hygiene and special applications.

We have also made very important investments in the

energy sector. Today, we generate our own heat and

electricity for our own purposes and still have surplus

electricity that we sell to the public grid.

The Lenzing brand is not well known in the Czech

Republic. Can you give us an overview of Lenzing's

current position in Austria and what this cooperation

brings to your company?

The Lenzing Group has a very long tradition in

Austria. It dates back to 1892 and was founded by

the industrialist Emil Hamburger, who built the first

paper mill in Lenzing. Lenzing started to develop textile

fibers in the 1970s and expanded globally around ten

years later. Since 1985, the company has been listed

on the Vienna Stock Exchange. Today it is a large

multinational company with a turnover of 2bn EUR.

The group is a leader in the production of viscose fiber

‘We Certainly Have Very Similar

Work Habits to Our Colleagues in

Austria and the Same High Level of

Responsibility for Our Employees’,

Says Lenzing Biocel Paskov CEO

Ing. Kateřina Kupková

and in the research and development of new types of

viscose fiber, holding many patents in this field.

What is Lenzing’s main product?

Lenzing produces viscose fibers, the flagship brands

being TENCEL™ and VEOCEL™ . The basic raw material

for the production is the pulp produced in Paskov. Our

fibers are mainly used in the textile industry. But not

just there. A significant part of the fibers is also used

in the production of hygiene and healthcare products

or in cosmetics, e.g. biodegradable wet wipes. Hence

the slogan ‘Fibers for Life’. Lenzing fibers can be found

almost everywhere and they are environmentally friendly.

What is cooperation

with the Austrian management like?

The cooperation with our Austrian colleagues is at a very

strong, professional level. We are in contact almost

on a daily basis. As we are a multinational company,

we speak only English with each other. We don't only

work with colleagues from Austria but with many other

nationalities within the group. We participate in various

projects or activities throughout the group. I can give

one current example. At the moment, our experts are

going on an extended working trip to Brazil to help

with the ramp-up of a new plant there. Production in

Brazil is very similar to ours in terms of technology. My

colleagues with their expertise will therefore be a great

asset.

Thank you very much for the interview, Ms Kupková.

Text: redakce

Foto: archiv

Lenzing Biocel

Paskov

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