Koehler Group Innovation Campus inaugurated

Packaging Solutions

The Koehler Group has now inaugurated its new Innovation Campus at its headquarters in Oberkirch. The new building, which will house the technological activities carried out by Koehler Innovation & Technology, provides employees with a state of the art work and laboratory environment on an area of more than 1300 m2. Designed to optimise the use of space, this environment delivers ideal conditions for developing innovative and recyclable paper products – and not only features cutting edge equipment, but also highlights such as a development laboratory, a central analytical chemistry area, recycling and biodegradability testing capabilities, and flexible open plan spaces.

‘This building is much more than just a place to work. It embodies our relentless pursuit of innovation, sustainability, and futureproof development. Our new open plan office spaces are an expression of a modern work environment that nurtures creativity and teamwork. It is where the ideas that will enable us to continue being successful in the coming years will be born,’ said Koehler Group COO Dr Stefan Karrer while explaining the strategy of the family owned company. The new Innovation Campus also merges and centralises laboratory units that were previously separate so as to take full advantage of synergistic effects and make our technology team even more agile.

By founding its Koehler Innovation & Technology subsidiary in 2019, the group put its focus on the development of sustainable paper based solutions that followed circular economy approaches, securing its pioneering role in the industry as a result. ‘We want to make the world a more sustainable place every day by designing products and processes for the circular economy. With the help of our new state of the art laboratory environment and our fellow team members’ know how, we are making development – from the raw material to the finished product – a reality while also researching the solutions of tomorrow on a daily basis. Among other things, this should further optimise the practices and approaches that have enabled us to come up with our innovative Blue4est blue cash register receipt and our high performance flexible packaging paper for chocolate bars and ready to eat meals, for example,’ explained technology corporate director Dr Christian Kölmel.

Needless to say, extremely sophisticated building and technical considerations were incorporated into the construction of the new building. ‘The laboratory and equipment rooms span several floors and conform to the latest state of the art in terms of energy efficiency and occupational health and safety,’ explains Central Plant Engineering corporate director Michael Trautmann.

Pictured (left to right): Dr Stefan Karrer (Koehler Group COO), Michael Trautmann (Central Plant Engineering corporate director, Koehler Innovation & Technology), Volker Oestreich (head of construction Planning – Central Plant Engineering, Koehler Innovation & Technology), Wolfgang Furler (chairman of the supervisory board, Koehler Group), Dr Christian Kölmel (technology corporate director, Koehler Innovation & Technology), Klaus Furler (supervisory board, Koehler Group), and Frank Lendowski (Koehler Group CFO) exploring the new innovation campus with great interest.