The Model Group, which is active in the field of solid and corrugated cardboard packaging, reports consolidated Group sales of 874 million Swiss francs for the past financial year, which corresponds to an increase of 42 per cent compared to the previous year.
In the reporting year, the Group employed just over 4,200 people, almost 1,000 more than in the previous year. With more than 900 employees, the share in Switzerland is 22 per cent. According to the company, the main reason for this growth is that the Acquisition and integration of the former P-Well Group in Germany to Model GmbH. The expansion of geographical sales markets increased the proportion of European Group customers, with the result that important national markets such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Benelux and Switzerland contributed more than 4 per cent to the growth trend. Investments totalling 88 million Swiss francs were made in innovation, modernisation and expansion projects.
Good sales volume / New plant in Poland
In its national markets of Switzerland, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Benelux, France, Austria, Slovakia and Croatia, the Model Group sold almost 1,200 square kilometres of corrugated cardboard packaging/sheets and more than 26,000 tonnes of solid board packaging from. The two Swiss paper mills in Weinfelden and Niedergösgen together produced 383,000 tonnes (previous year 375,000 tonnes) Waste paper-based corrugated board papers. The new plant in Nowa Sól, Poland, the third Model plant in Poland, has just started production with around 60 employees and state-of-the-art processing machines.
Outlook: Innovative project in Switzerland
According to Model, the slight economic recovery in Europe, together with the exciting innovation projects in the Group, should be able to partially offset the negative effects of the strong Swiss franc. In a month's time, the first trials with a new stock preparation plant in Weinfelden, which can process good paper fibres that have mostly been thermally disposed of to date, are due to start. For the current year, the Model Group is aiming to invest the same amount as last year in improvements to logistics and productivity.
