Perlen Industrieholding achieves transformation milestones
Root - Perlen Industrieholding from the canton of Lucerne is making strides in its strategic realignment from a traditional paper manufacturing firm into a diversified industrial enterprise. For example, the subsidiary Perlen Papier is entering the fiber molding market. This is intended to strengthen its competitiveness the core market of graphic papers.
Perlen Industrieholding AG has achieved the first milestones in its transformation process into a diversified industrial enterprise, according to a statement. However, the initial focus has been on taking “difficult but necessary decisions” over the past few months in order to improve the company’s competitive standing “in our core market of graphic papers, where we continue to expect a challenging market environment”, as CEO Dr. Florian Geiger explains. While additional measures have been implemented to set the future course of the company, Geiger is also aware that this represents “only the beginning of the transformation process”.
These strategic decisions include a new focus for the subsidiary Perlen Papier with the aim of bolstering its competitiveness: In future, it will concentrate on the sustainable, profitable development of its core market of press and magazine papers in Europe. Moreover, Perlen Papier is entering the market for fiber molding for packaging solutions. This recyclable material is seen as a promising alternative to plastic and is increasingly being used in trays, outer packaging and bottles.
The company disposes of the necessary base materials required for this in the form of wastepaper, wood pulp and cellulose. Therefore, it sees itself as “ideally positioned” to establish this business segment in Switzerland. At the Empack trade fair in Bern on January 28 and 29, Perlen Papier will be showcasing initial test products in addition to specialty papers.
Furthermore, in conjunction with the company Wattss from Frauenfeld in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, Perlen Industrieholding is in the process of constructing on its own premises a battery storage facility that offers 10 megawatts of output and 20 megawatt hours of capacity. This is scheduled to commence operations at the end of 2026. Further energy infrastructure projects and the potential establishment of data centers on the site are currently in the conceptual planning phase.
