What Neenah Gessner does

Neenah Gessner GmbH is a German specialty materials manufacturer producing technical specialty papers and synthetic nonwovens at two production sites in Bruckmühl and Feldkirchen-Westerham, Bavaria. The company, founded in 1955, employs 660–694 people and operates two distinct brand franchises: GESSNER, which produces filtration media at the Weidach (Feldkirchen-Westerham) site for automotive (engine air, fuel, oil, cabin filters), industrial process filtration, HVAC/air purification (NeenahPure™), and FFP/medical face masks (NeenahGuard™); and Indafor, which produces coated and sustainable papers at the Bruckmühl site serving industrial adhesive tape manufacturers, abrasive paper producers, and emerging sustainable packaging applications.

Core manufacturing capabilities span four in-house process platforms: (1) wet-laid paper machines using cellulose, synthetic, glass, and carbon fibers with basis weights of 18–250 g/m² and air permeabilities of 1–2000 l/m²/s; (2) meltblown nonwoven lines producing sub-10 µm microfibers at 10–300 g/m², with three meltblown machines installed since 2011; (3) impregnation and coating using Kiss Coat (methanol) and size press (water) processes with phenolic, epoxy, acrylic, and latex resins for hydrophobic, hydrophilic, oleophobic, flame-retardant, UV-stable, and antimicrobial functional properties; and (4) ultrasonic and hotmelt lamination bonding up to four substrate layers in a single pass. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, FSC®, and OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certifications.

Neenah Gessner operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mativ, Inc. (NYSE: MTV), a US-headquartered specialty materials group formed in July 2022 through the merger of Neenah, Inc. and Schweitzer-Mauduit International. Revenue is generated through a B2B direct-sales model, selling custom-tailored media as input materials to industrial converters and OEM supply chains rather than finished consumer products. Pricing is quote-based and application-specific. Customers span filtration OEMs (auto, HVAC, mask makers), adhesive tape converters, coated abrasive manufacturers, and packaging producers. Since July 2022 the company has been integrated into Mativ's global commercial and distribution network (~5,500 employees, $2.2B group revenue across three continents), while continuing to operate as an independent German legal entity with its own R&D center at Feldkirchen-Westerham.

Name

Neenah Gessner

Legal name

Neenah Gessner GmbH

Website

https://neenah-gessner.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Neenah Gessner GmbH is a German specialty paper and synthetic nonwoven manufacturer producing filtration media, adhesive tape backings, abrasive backings, and sustainable packaging at two Bavarian sites, serving B2B industrial customers globally as a subsidiary of US-based Mativ, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Specialty Papers and Nonwovens

NAICS

Paper Manufacturing (322), Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (3222), Other Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (32229), Abrasive Product Manufacturing (32791)

SIC

Papers & Allied Products (2600), Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Technical Paper Manufacturing (Electrical, Abrasive Backing, Medical/Pharma) (IMAMAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hygiene Paper Raw Materials & Components (Pulp, SAP, Nonwovens, Elastics, Adhesives, Fragrances) (IMAMAGAI)

Keywords

• Technical specialty papers
• Filtration media manufacturing
• Meltblown nonwovens
• Industrial adhesive backings
• Sustainable packaging materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Bruckmühl

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Specialty Papers: Sale of technical specialty papers for filtration, adhesive tape backing, abrasive paper backing, and sustainable packaging applications. Revenue generated from manufacturing and selling paper and nonwoven materials to industrial customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Neenah Gessner GmbH manufactures and sells technical specialty papers and synthetic nonwovens (wet-laid and meltblown), impregnated and coated papers, and multi-layer laminated materials used as filtration media, adhesive tape backings, abrasive paper backings, and sustainable packaging substrates. Products are produced at two Bavarian sites (Bruckmühl and Feldkirchen-Westerham) under the GESSNER and Indafor brands and sold B2B to industrial converters in filtration, automotive, HVAC, medical/personal protection, adhesive tape, abrasive and packaging industries.

Product overview

Neenah Gessner GmbH is a regional specialty materials manufacturer producing technical papers and synthetic nonwovens at two Bavarian sites. The company operates as part of Mativ, Inc. since 2022, with two main production facilities: the Weidach site (Feldkirchen-Westerham) producing GESSNER brand filtration media including NeenahPure™ and NeenahGuard™ products; and the Bruckmühl site producing Indafor brand coated papers for adhesive tapes, abrasive backings, and sustainable packaging. Core manufacturing technologies include wet-laid paper machines, meltblown nonwoven lines, impregnation/coating lines, and lamination capabilities. The company serves filtration (automotive, industrial, air, medical), adhesive tape, abrasive paper, and sustainable packaging industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GESSNER Filtration Media Technical specialty papers and synthetic nonwovens for the filtration industry, produced at the Weidach site in Feldkirchen-Westerham and sold under the GESSNER brand. Used in filter elements for automotive engine intake air, fuel, oil and cabin filters, face masks, and HVAC and air purifier filtration for buildings. Targeted at industrial filter manufacturers and OEMs.
• Indafor Coated and Sustainable Papers Coated and sustainable papers produced at the Bruckmühl site and sold under the Indafor brand. Serves manufacturers of industrial adhesive tapes and abrasive papers, and offers innovative sustainable packaging solutions (heat-sealable, printable, biodegradable papers). Targeted at industrial converters in adhesive tape, coated abrasive and sustainable packaging.
• NeenahPure™ Air Filtration Media Filter materials under the NeenahPure™ brand for air purifiers and HVAC systems, providing clean air filtration solutions for buildings. Targeted at manufacturers of air purifiers and HVAC filtration systems.
• NeenahGuard™ Face Mask Filtration Materials Filter materials under the NeenahGuard™ brand for FFP masks and mouth-nose protection, used in medical and protective face mask applications. Targeted at manufacturers of FFP masks and surgical/medical face masks.
• Meltblown Nonwovens Dry-laid, fully synthetic micro-fibred nonwovens with fiber diameters below 10 µm produced via meltblown technology. Weights from 10-300 g/m²; can be applied directly to carrier media (cellulose or spunbond) for combination filter media. Used for high-efficiency filtration.
• Wet-laid Technical Specialty Papers Technical special papers produced on inclined and flat wire paper machines using selected cellulose, synthetic, glass or carbon fibers. Weights from 18-250 g/m² with air permeabilities of 1-2000 l/m²/s; creping technology enables various surface characteristics from fine to rough crepe profiles with different stretch properties. Sold as filter media and other industrial substrates.
• Impregnated and Coated Papers Technical papers impregnated via Kiss Coat process (methanol-based) or size press (water-based) with phenolic, epoxy, acrylic resins or latex for high strength, dimensional stability, and resistance to solvents, chemicals and high temperatures. Special additives deliver hydrophobic, hydrophilic, oleophobic, flame retardant, colored, UV stable, bactericidal and fungicidal properties. Used as filtration media, adhesive tape carriers and abrasive backings.
• Laminated Composite Materials Multi-layered materials combining paper, wet- or dry-laid nonwovens, and films using ultrasonic dot-array bonding (up to 4 layers in a single process step) or hotmelt/reactive hotmelt adhesive lamination. Finely adjustable web tension supports light weight and high stretch substrates. Used as combined filter media and other industrial composites.
• Elastic Meltblown Nonwoven Elastic nonwoven fabrics produced from meltblown technology for use in textiles, shoes, seals, medical applications and other elastic nonwoven uses.
• Carrier Materials for Adhesive Tapes Specialty coated papers serving as backing materials for pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, supplied to industrial adhesive tape manufacturers under the Indafor brand.
• Backing Materials for Abrasive Papers Specialized backing papers for coated abrasive products (sandpapers and grinding discs), supplied to abrasive manufacturers under the Indafor brand.
• Sustainable Packaging Paper Solutions Heat-sealable, printable, biodegradable coated paper solutions for sustainable packaging, stretch-wrap alternatives to plastic films, surface protection and hydrophobic lotus-effect papers, supplied under the Indafor brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Meltblown fiber diameter <10µm (vs human hair 120µm) for high-efficiency filtration
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 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

One partnership is on record.

• Mativ, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 July 2022Neenah Gessner GmbH became part of Mativ, Inc. in July 2022 following the merger of Neenah, Inc. and Schweitzer-Mauduit International (SWM). Mativ is a global leader in specialty materials with headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, USA, approximately 5,500 employees on 3 continents, and $2.2 billion revenue. Neenah Gessner continues as an independent German company under the Mativ corporate umbrella.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ahlstrom: Finnish-headquartered manufacturer of specialty papers and nonwovens with deep overlap in filtration, industrial tape backings, and abrasive backings — the closest like-for-like competitor to Neenah Gessner's GESSNER and Indafor portfolios.
• Hollingsworth & Vose: US-based private manufacturer of wet-laid nonwovens and filtration media serving automotive, HVAC, and industrial customers — directly comparable to Neenah Gessner's GESSNER filtration platform.
• Glatfelter: US specialty paper and nonwovens producer with significant filtration and engineered materials businesses, overlapping directly with Neenah Gessner's technical specialty paper and meltblown nonwoven capabilities.
• Lydall (Freudenberg Filtration Technologies): Filtration and engineered materials specialist acquired by Freudenberg in 2024, serving automotive, industrial, and life sciences — a directly overlapping technical media manufacturer comparable in product mix to GESSNER.
• Sandler Group: German nonwovens manufacturer of comparable size producing wet- and dry-laid nonwovens for filtration, hygiene, and industrial applications, sharing both product technology and Bavarian/European manufacturing footprint.

Regional players

• TWE Group: German mid-market nonwovens producer with comparable specialty filtration and industrial media capabilities and a similar regional customer base in DACH and broader Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Johns Manville: Berkshire Hathaway-owned building products and engineered materials manufacturer with overlapping filtration media and high-efficiency nonwoven capabilities across a much broader industrial portfolio.
• Sappi Limited: Global specialty and packaging paper producer whose technical/specialty paper business competes with Neenah Gessner's coated and converted paper product lines in industrial tape and packaging end uses.

Others

• Schweitzer-Mauduit International (now part of Mativ): Sister entity within Mativ (formed via the 2022 Neenah/SWM merger), historically serving specialty materials end markets including filtration and industrial papers — directly relevant as Neenah Gessner's parent-affiliate operating in adjacent specialty materials.
• Filtration Group (formerly FiberMark): Prior owner of Neenah Gessner (under its FiberMark identity, 1998-2006) and a current player in filtration media and engineered materials — historically and technologically comparable, operating in adjacent filtration media categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Neenah Gessner