What Laakirchen Papier does

Laakirchen Papier AG is an Austrian paper manufacturer founded in 1867 and headquartered in Laakirchen, operating as a subsidiary of privately held Heinzel Holding GmbH. The company produces recycled and virgin containerboard, supercalendered (SC) publication papers, kraft papers, and sawn timber, serving primarily European packaging converters, publishers, and industrial customers. Its production is anchored by a multi-machine paper mill complex, most recently expanded through the EUR 140 million conversion of paper machine PM11 to recycled containerboard in April 2025 and reinforced by the January 2024 acquisition of UPM's Steyrermühl mill.

The business operates a capital-intensive, integrated production model that combines wood procurement, sawmill operations, pulp processing, and paper manufacturing on a single Austrian site. This integration supports cost control across the fiber and energy value chain, while certifications including FSC, PEFC, ISO 9001/14001/45001/50001, EcoVadis Silver, and CDP A-List act as procurement prerequisites for European packaging customers operating under ESG mandates. Production runs on large-format paper machines that have been systematically rebuilt over the past decade, with PM10 converted from SC paper to containerboard in 2017 and PM11 following the same pivot in 2025, signaling a deliberate strategic shift toward packaging grades.

Revenue is generated through B2B contracts with European converters and publishers, with sales executed via the dedicated Starboard (containerboard) and Grapho (SC paper) channels and distributed through the Heinzel Group sales network and Europapier merchant platform. The company reported standalone revenue of EUR 211.7 million in 2017 and EUR 301.4 million in 2018 (with 426 employees), while Heinzel Group revenue exceeds EUR 2 billion following the Steyrermühl acquisition. Pricing follows industry-standard paper market benchmarks with customer-specific contractual terms.

Name

Laakirchen Papier

Legal name

Laakirchen Papier AG

Website

https://heinzelpaper.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Laakirchen Papier AG is an Austrian paper manufacturer founded in 1867, producing recycled containerboard, SC papers, kraft papers, and sawn timber for European packaging converters and publishers. It operates as a subsidiary of Heinzel Holding GmbH.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaging Paper Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Paperboard Container Manufacturing (322219), Other Wood Product Manufacturing (3219)

SIC

Paper Mills (2621), Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400)

akta.pro primary industry

Flexible Paper Packaging & Wraps (kraft wrap, pouches, laminations) (IMAMAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing (IMAMABAE)

Keywords

• Containerboard manufacturing
• Kraft paper production
• Publication paper supply
• Sawn timber products
• Sustainable packaging papers

Headquarters

HQ city

Laakirchen

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Paper Products Manufacturing and Sales: Manufacturing and direct sales of sustainable packaging papers (containerboard, kraft papers) and sawn timber products. Products are made from recycled or renewable materials and are recyclable. Primary markets include Austria, Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, and Italy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Laakirchen Papier AG manufactures sustainable packaging papers and sawn timber products at its Laakirchen and Steyrermühl mills in Upper Austria. The product range includes containerboard (sold under the 'starboard' brand), kraft papers (including STARKRAFT), super calendered (SC) publication papers (under the 'Grapho' brand), and sawn timber products, all made from recycled or renewable materials.

Product overview

Laakirchen Papier operates as a paper mill producing sustainable packaging papers and wood products. The product portfolio includes Containerboard (sold under the 'starboard' brand), Kraft paper (including STARKRAFT brand), and Sawn timber products. The company also produces stabilization products. The 'starboard' brand offers containerboard grades for corrugated packaging applications, while the 'Grapho' SC paper brand serves publication paper markets. The company operates paper machines PM10 and PM11 at the Laakirchen site, with a combined focus on recycled fiber-based packaging papers and specialty publication papers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• starboard: Containerboard product brand for packaging solutions including Starboard Schrenz, Starboard Wave, Starboard WaveLiner, Starboard Liner02, Starboard Liner 03, Starboard IceWave, Starboard IceWave Pro, Starboard Liner Plus, Starboard Shopper Pro, Starboard Liner 01
• Grapho

Products and services

• Containerboard (Wellpappenrohpapiere) - starboard brand Stable packaging papers for industrial, agricultural, and e-commerce packaging applications, produced from recycled paper fibers. Sold under the starboard brand (Schrenz, Wave, WaveLiner, Liner02, Liner03, IceWave, IceWave Pro, Liner Plus, Shopper Pro, Liner 01 grades).
• Kraft papers (Kraftpapiere)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduction of specific CO2 emissions by around one-fifth from SC paper production
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heinzel Group (parent company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaakirchen Papier AG is a subsidiary of the international Heinzel Group. The company operates as part of Heinzel Group which produces market pulp, packaging papers, and sawn timber products at four mills in three European locations and trades globally with pulp, paper, recovered paper, and carton.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Mayr-Melnhof Karton: Austrian-headquartered leading European producer of recycled cartonboard and folding boxes with comparable containerboard/folding boxboard product portfolio. Closest geographic and product peer to Laakirchen Papier, competing in similar European packaging paper markets with comparable recycled-fiber focus.
• Raubling Papier: Sister company within Heinzel Group operating a containerboard mill in Raubling, Germany. Shares the Starboard brand portfolio and distribution channels with Laakirchen, providing direct product and geographic overlap as part of the same parent group strategy.
• Zellstoff Pöls: Austrian sister company within Heinzel Group producing market pulp and kraft paper (STARKRAFT brand). Closely coordinated with Laakirchen under common ownership, sharing trading infrastructure and offering complementary product mix.
• RDM Group (Reno de Medici): Italian-headquartered European recycled-fiber containerboard and folding boxboard producer. Direct product overlap with Laakirchen's Starboard range and serves overlapping Southern European packaging customers including Italian converters.

Broad incumbents

• Mondi Group: UK-headquartered global paper and packaging group with significant containerboard and kraft paper operations across Europe. Substantially larger and more diversified than Laakirchen but competes directly in European containerboard markets and serves overlapping packaging customers.
• Smurfit Kappa: Ireland-headquartered global containerboard and corrugated packaging leader with deep European footprint. Competes with Laakirchen for European packaging customers and has greater downstream integration into box converting.
• Stora Enso: Nordic-headquartered global renewable packaging materials provider with significant European containerboard and kraft paper capacity. Operates at greater scale and broader product breadth than Laakirchen but overlaps in European packaging paper markets.
• Sappi Europe: European division of South African-headquartered global paper group producing coated woodfree paper, packaging boards, and dissolving pulp. Historically competed with Laakirchen in SC paper markets and serves overlapping European printing and packaging customers.
• UPM-Kymmene: Finnish-headquartered global forest products company previously owning the Steyrermühl mill divested to Heinzel Group in 2024. Operates significant European paper and packaging capacity with overlapping European customer base.

Emerging players

• Palm Paper: UK-based newsprint and containerboard producer operated by the Achenbach family. Comparable in scale and recycled-fiber focus, competing in adjacent European paper markets with similar cost-positioning profile to Laakirchen.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/heinzelgroup

Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Laakirchen Papier