Palm Group

What Palm Group does

Palm Group (legal entity Papierfabrik Palm GmbH & Co. KG) is a fifth-generation, family-owned German paper and packaging manufacturer headquartered in Aalen, Germany, founded in 1872. The company operates 38 production locations across nine European countries (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Czech Republic), employing approximately 4,800 people and generating €2.0 billion in annual turnover. Its operations are organized in three vertically integrated divisions: Papierfabrik Palm runs five paper mills producing roughly 2.6 million tonnes per year of newsprint and corrugated base paper from 100% recycled fiber; Palm Packaging Group operates 33 corrugated board plants producing about 900,000 tonnes per year of converted packaging, displays, and e-commerce solutions; and Palm Recycling runs two recycling companies in Germany and the UK that supply recovered paper to the mills. Notable technical assets include the world's widest paper machines for both newsprint (King's Lynn, UK, 10.63m) and corrugated case material (PM5 in Aalen-Neukochen, 10.90m, 750,000 tonnes/year), with PM5 featuring six technological world firsts including the ability to produce lightweight grades down to 60 g/m².

The business model is B2B manufacturing with direct, regional field sales executed by sales teams at each of the 38 production sites, serving industrial customers, retailers, newspaper publishers, and e-commerce companies across Europe. Pricing is quote-based on bulk orders rather than published list pricing. The product portfolio includes Testliner, Corrugated Medium, Kraftliner, and Palm Twin for corrugated base paper; Palm News, Palm Print, Palm Top, Palm Diamond, and Palm Cover for graphic paper; and a wide range of converted products (Fanfold, Heavy-duty, Laminated, Lightweight, Rolled, ElastoWell, Shelf Star, displays). Customer segments are primarily newspaper publishers and printers (newsprint), industrial and retail companies (corrugated packaging for shipping, retail-ready, and e-commerce), with growing emphasis on sustainable, circular-economy-positioned offerings.

Recent strategic activity has been heavily inorganic and capacity-driven: a 2024 acquisition of John Hargreaves (UK), a July 2025 acquisition of five corrugated packaging plants from International Paper across France, Spain, and Portugal, a November 2025 50% joint venture in Power Packaging s.r.o. (Czech Republic), and a €200 million greenfield corrugated board plant in Alzenau that started production in June 2026. The group is led by fifth-generation family member Dr. Marina Palm alongside Dr. Wolfgang Palm and co-directors Philipp Erdmann, Stephan Gruber, and Karsten Risser, with Martin Lüer heading the Palm Packaging division. The group is recognized for sustainability performance via multiple EcoVadis Gold/Platinum medals and finalist status at the German Sustainability Award.

Name

Palm Group

Legal name

Papierfabrik Palm GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://palm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1872

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Palm Group is a fifth-generation, family-owned German manufacturer of recycled-fiber paper and corrugated packaging, operating 38 European production sites (5 paper mills, 33 converting plants) with €2.0 billion in annual revenue serving industrial, retail, newspaper, and e-commerce customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paper and Packaging Manufacturing

NAICS

Paperboard Mills (32213), Corrugated and Solid Fiber Box Manufacturing (322211), Paper Mills (32212)

SIC

Paperboard Mills (2631), Paperboard Containers & Boxes (2650), Paper Mills (2621)

akta.pro primary industry

Recycled Containerboard (Testliner) Manufacturing (IMAMAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Folding Carton & Paperboard Packaging Printing (IMALAKAH), Newsprint Paper Manufacturing (IMAMAEAB)

Keywords

• Paper manufacturing
• Corrugated packaging
• Recycled fiber paper
• Newsprint production
• Industrial packaging solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Aalen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices37 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Paper Manufacturing: Palm Group operates 5 paper mills producing approximately 2.6 million tonnes of paper per annum including newsprint and corrugated base paper made from 100% recovered fibre
2. Corrugated Board Packaging: 33 corrugated board plants producing approximately 900,000 tonnes of corrugated board packaging annually
3. Paper Recycling Services: Raw materials made from 100% recycled paper, collected by Palm and processed in own plants

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Palm Group is a fifth-generation family-owned paper and packaging manufacturer producing approximately 2.6 million tonnes of paper and 900,000 tonnes of corrugated board packaging annually. The company operates 5 paper mills producing newsprint and corrugated base paper from 100% recycled fiber, 33 corrugated board plants serving industrial, retail, and e-commerce customers, and 2 recycling companies for raw material collection and processing.

Product overview

Palm Group is a fifth-generation family-owned paper and packaging company operating three integrated divisions: Papierfabrik Palm (5 paper mills producing newsprint and corrugated base paper from 100% recycled fiber), Palm Packaging Group (33 corrugated board plants offering display and e-commerce packaging), and Palm Recycling (2 recycling companies). The company produces approximately 2.6 million tonnes of paper per annum. The product portfolio includes Testliner, Corrugated Medium, Palm Twin, and Kraftliner for corrugated applications; Palm News, Palm Print, Palm Top, Palm Diamond, and Palm Cover for graphic paper; and various corrugated board types including Fanfold, Heavy-duty, Laminated, Lightweight, Rolled, and ElastoWell. Palm Packaging offers shelf-ready solutions like Shelf Star, display products (Clackdisplay, Floor Stands, Pallet Displays, Shelf Displays, Chute Displays), E-Commerce packaging, printing services, and consulting through Palm Advice. The company operates 38 production locations across Europe with 4,800 employees and annual turnover of €2.0 billion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% increase in loading capacity at Wörth facility through Konecranes modernization

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Power Packaging s.r.o.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Palm Group acquired 50% stake in Power Packaging s.r.o. in the Czech Republic, strengthening its packaging division through a joint venture.
• KonecranescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2025Konecranes secured a contract from Palm to modernize an automated paper roll warehouse at Palm's Wörth facility in Germany. The project involves delivery of four automated cranes equipped with vacuum lifters, new crane runways, extensive software upgrades, and new control system for floor-based material handling equipment. Implementation runs 2025-2027 and is expected to increase loading capacity by 30%.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Sappi Europe: South African-headquartered global paper group with significant European operations in coated graphic papers, packaging board, and dissolving pulp. Comparable to Palm's graphic paper division and adjacent to its packaging board business.
• Stora Enso: Nordic-based global player in renewable packaging, biomaterials, and wooden constructions with significant European containerboard and packaging operations. Comparable in paperboard production and corrugated packaging, but broader scope including forestry and biomaterials.
• UPM-Kymmene: Finnish forest industry group producing graphic papers, specialty papers, and label materials across Europe with growing interest in biofuels. Comparable to Palm's European paper manufacturing footprint but with significantly broader product portfolio and larger scale.

Direct peers

• Mondi Group: UK-listed integrated paper and packaging group with substantial corrugated packaging, containerboard, and kraft paper operations across Europe. Highly comparable to Palm's combined paper-and-packaging model and target customer base; similar exposure to European cyclical dynamics.
• DS Smith: UK-headquartered specialist in corrugated packaging and recycled paper for European customers. Now part of International Paper, but historically one of Palm's closest direct competitors in European recycled containerboard and corrugated packaging, particularly relevant given Palm's acquisition of International Paper's French/Spanish/Portuguese plants.
• Smurfit Kappa Group: Global leader in paper-based packaging with significant European corrugated operations and integrated paper mills. Directly comparable as a vertically integrated paper and corrugated packaging manufacturer serving the same European FMCG, industrial, and e-commerce customers; far larger by revenue (>€20B) and more globally diversified.

Regional players

• Billerud: Swedish paper and packaging company producing kraft and sack paper, containerboard, and specialty paper. Comparable to Palm's containerboard and kraft paper products but focused on Nordic markets with different end-use mix (sack paper, medical packaging).
• Mayr-Melnhof Karton: Austrian-listed European leader in recycled folding boxboard and carton packaging. Comparable as a European family-grown packaging board specialist, though focused on folding cartons rather than corrugated board; useful benchmark for recycled fiber positioning.

Emerging players

• Heinzel Group: Austrian family-owned paper and packaging group with European magazine paper, kraft paper, and containerboard operations. Comparable in scale and family-owned status to Palm; serves similar European customers with overlapping recycled containerboard grades.
• Kotkamills (now part of Mayr-Melnhof): Finnish producer of folding boxboard and laminated paperboard with focus on sustainable, recyclable packaging. Smaller scale than Palm but adjacent in recycled-based board production for European packaging converters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/palmgruppe

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Palm Group