Entrepreneurial passion for future generations: This is the Koehler Group’s mission

Jacob Pfeil of Ettlingen purchases the paper mill in 1802, but by 1807 he has become insolvent, and the mill passes over to Otto Koehler. Although he only worked there for a short time, Pfeil seems to have had to undertake structural improvements on the building. A keystone, which was originally set above the door of the mill, testifies to his work. The stone bears his initials, the date 1803, and a paper-maker symbol.

No plans or pictures of the machine exist anymore. A Berlin newspaper dated 1884 contains an illustration of one of Hemmer’s machines from that time, giving us a rough idea of what a papermaking machine looked like in the second half of the 19th century. The machine had a working width of 135 centimeters.

The waterwheels are replaced with water turbines and a steam engine is added to the paper machine.

From the time when machine production began in 1865, the workforce grew from eight to more than 100. During that same period, production increased from around 60 to 800 metric tons per year, plus approximately 800 metric tons of wood pulp in Hubacker. The need for space grew accordingly, and the company expanded in every direction.

Up until 1901, paper manufacturer August Koehler’s apartments had been in his factory in the western part of the building that was constructed in 1865. But with this accommodation becoming increasingly constricted by the business’s growing need for space, August Koehler purchases a piece of land at the turn of the century. On that piece of land, he builds a prestigious house—a villa, a symbol of his success.

Tub paper machine PM 2 with a working width of 185 cm is delivered along with a Hollander machine by J.W. Erkens of Niederau by Düren.

The Lautenbach hydroelectric power plant had two turbines and an output of approximately 450 horsepower. The plant still supplies environmentally friendly electricity to this day.

The company is converted into a joint stock company. August Koehler junior, his two sisters, the Brüggemann brothers, and Willie Euler of Bensheim hold shares in its capital.

In return for the investment made by the new shareholder Willie Euler of Bensheim, who was the manager and shareholder of W. Euler Maschinenfabrik AG, August Koehler junior invests in the Bensheim company.

A new hall is constructed to expand the capacity of the plant; paper machine 3, with a 210-centimeter working width, is then built inside in 1924. This machine is still in operation today, having been converted and modernized several times during its existence.

The company invests in its first coating machine, thereby taking the first step toward a finishing process that will play a pivotal role in its success in the decades to come. The machine is used to coat card for playing cards. This has been an important product for the Koehler fine paper division for over 80 years and remains so to this day.

The new paper machine 4 begins operation on October 12, 1962. The 330 centimeter-wide machine doubles annual production capacity to 20,000 metric tons. Paper machine 4 has been modernized several times since and now produces almost all of Koehler’s fine paper range.

In collaboration with Robert Linnemann in Sassenberg, ‘furniture embellishment paper’ is produced on paper machine 1 and subsequently on paper machine 3. A niche product with potential for growth, it eventually evolves into what we now call Koehler Decor Paper.

A contract between Pelikan and Koehler paves the way for Reacto carbonless paper.

The biggest investment in the company’s history is made and presented to the public in October 1978: Paper machine 5, with a working width of 360 centimeters, is commissioned in a newly erected building in 1980.

In July 1986, the company moves its offices into a new administrative building opposite the plant at Bundesstrasse 28.

The heat power plant in Oberkirch burns coal and uses an environmentally friendly, circulating fluidized bed incineration system, a cutting-edge technology which drastically reduces flue gas emissions. It is the first power plant of its kind to be used in the paper industry.

Between 1986 and 1988 a new plant is built on an 80,000-m² plot at the Rhine River port in Kehl. At the heart of this plant is paper machine 1 with its 420 centimeter working width and a production capacity of around 50,000 metric tons per year, which produces carbonless paper. Two hundred new jobs are created in Kehl.

Coating machine 1 is constructed with a 420-centimeter working width and a production speed of 1,200 meters per minute.

Thanks to the acquisition of the Greiz paper factory in Thüringen, the company now has a total of five locations in addition to those in Oberkirch, Kehl, Ettlingen, and Bensheim.

Paper machine 6, with a working width of 230 centimeters, begins operating and is used to produce decor paper.

Koehler Holding GmbH & Co. KG is founded on September 11, 2001, with the owning families investing almost 95% of their shares. This lays the foundation for the future Koehler Group.

These three new machines expand the production capacity at the Kehl plant.

The first biomass combined heat and power plant is put into operation. It supplies the paper and coating machines with steam, and the electricity generated is then fed into the public grid.

On August 22, 2007, Koehler celebrates its 200th anniversary. Gretel Furler and Federal Minister of the Interior Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble are among the honorary guests attending the celebrations in Oberkirch.

The KATZ Group, global market leader in the production of beverage coasters, has been part of Koehler since October 2009.

Koehler Renewable Energy GmbH is founded in 2012 as a subsidiary of Koehler Holding GmbH & Co. KG, with the aim of making a sustainable contribution to the energy turnaround in Germany.

Koehler Innovative Solutions has been founded to develop and manufactures microcapsules for different applications and industries.

A record 300 million euros is invested at the Kehl location with the aim of applying the company’s decades of coating technology expertise to the area of flexible packaging paper. On production line 8, Koehler produces paper that can be used as a substitute for plastic in flexible packaging. After a record construction time of less than two years, production line 8 starts operations. It consists of paper machine 8 and coating machine 8.

Since the beginning of 2020, US-based company Beaver Paper, a leading manufacturer of sublimation media to the dye-sublimation and digital printing industry, has been part of Koehler.

The Koehler Group now employs around 2,500 members of staff worldwide.

Koehler Renewable Energy acquired a majority of the Zollikofer Group for the long-term supply of raw materials for the biomass power plants. Zollikofer is an international logistics and commercial company that focuses on sawmill byproducts and reclaimed, forest, and fuelwood.

The Koehler Group acquired 100% of the shares in Marienthaler Werbe-Offsetdruck GmbH & Co. KG. Marienthaler is specialized in the distribution and production of beverage coasters.

Koehler Paper signs a climate protection agreement together with the Baden-Württemberg Environment Ministry. As part of its efforts to become climate neutral, Koehler Paper has set itself the objective of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2030, compared to the baseline year 2020. This corresponds to about 360,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.