Kanzan Specialty Papers

What Kanzan Specialty Papers does

Kanzan Spezialpapiere GmbH (Düren, Germany) is a specialty paper manufacturer founded in 1990 that produces thermal papers and inkjet papers at the historic Neumühl site, where paper has been made since 1710. The company operates Paper Machine 6, two coating machines (SM1 and SM2), and Slitter Rewinder 7 to produce its portfolio. Thermal papers use color reagent coatings that react to direct heat transfer for image creation, serving high-speed applications including self-adhesive labels for logistics, lottery and gambling tickets, transport and event tickets, bank statement papers, and POS/receipt papers. The inkjet paper portfolio spans standard matt grades (KIP 88-10MS, 98-10MS, 128-10MS) and premium matt grades (KIP 90-11M, 12-11M, 16-11M) for large-format printing and self-adhesive label converters.

The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan's Oji Group, the world's leading thermal paper manufacturer with approximately EUR 10.5 billion in turnover and operations across Japan, USA, Germany, Thailand, and Brazil. Kanzan serves as the European arm of this group, holding ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 50001 certifications alongside FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certifications and an EcoVadis Gold Medal (2025). The company employs approximately 300 people at Düren, generates approximately EUR 130 million in annual revenue, and distributes through direct sales subsidiaries in France (KANZAN France S.A.R.L.) and the UK (KANZAN Paper Sales UK), supplemented by a sales partner network covering 50+ countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America. A biomass power plant for CO2-neutral energy production is planned for 2026 commissioning. The company is led by two co-CEOs — Andreas Euler and Yoshiharu Kawashima — with Kawashima representing Oji Group ownership.

Name

Kanzan Specialty Papers

Legal name

KANZAN Spezialpapiere GmbH

Website

https://kanzan.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kanzan Specialty Papers is a German manufacturer of thermal and inkjet specialty papers, producing coatings for logistics labels, lottery and transport tickets, banking documents, and large-format printing at its Düren site for European and global converter customers as part of Japan's Oji Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Paper Manufacturing

NAICS

Paper Manufacturing (322), Converted Paper Product Manufacturing (3222)

SIC

Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Paper Manufacturing (Coated, Release, Thermal, Filter, Security) (IMAMAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Paper Converting Services (slitting, sheeting, coating, laminating, rewinding) (IMAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Specialty paper manufacturing
• Thermal paper production
• Inkjet paper manufacturing
• Self-adhesive label papers
• Industrial paper converting

Headquarters

HQ city

Düren

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Paper Products: Manufacturing and sale of thermal papers, inkjet papers, and other specialty paper products. Revenue generated through direct sales to converters, processors, and industrial customers. The company generates approximately 130 million euros in annual revenue from paper production and sales.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KANZAN Spezialpapiere GmbH manufactures specialty papers at its Neumühl mill in Düren, Germany. Its portfolio centers on thermal papers (used in self-adhesive labels, tickets, lottery and gaming receipts, banking documents, and POS/healthcare/tachograph records) and inkjet papers (used for large-format printing and self-adhesive labels). Production runs on dedicated assets including Paper Machine 6, coating machines SM1 and SM2, and Slitter Rewinder 7, supported by a technical consulting service for converters and end-users.

Product overview

KANZAN Specialty Papers is a specialty paper manufacturer producing thermal papers and inkjet papers as its two core product lines. The thermal paper portfolio includes self-adhesive labels, lottery and gambling papers, tickets and tags, banking papers, and POS/receipt papers. The inkjet paper portfolio includes Standard Matt grades (KIP 88-10MS, KIP 98-10MS, KIP 128-10MS) and Premium Matt grades (KIP 90-11M, KIP 12-11M, KIP 16-11M). The company also provides consulting and technical service support for product applications. KANZAN operates as part of the Oji Group and positions itself as the leading European supplier of thermal papers, with production facilities in Düren, Germany.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thermal Papers

Quantifiable outcome

• Leading European supplier of thermal papers, inkjet papers and specialty products
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Oji GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent company and strategic partner. Oji Group is a Japanese, globally active group of companies and one of the largest paper manufacturers worldwide. With around 38,000 employees worldwide, Oji generates approximately EUR 10.5 billion in turnover, almost 40% outside Japan. Oji is the world's leading manufacturer of thermal papers with operations in Japan, USA, Germany, Thailand and Brazil. KANZAN benefits from global know-how, experience, innovative strength and reliability through this partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Felix Schoeller Group: Osnabrück-based specialty paper manufacturer producing photographic, inkjet, and specialty coated papers. Comparable German specialty paper manufacturer serving imaging, printing, and graphics end markets with similar converting capabilities.
• Jujo Thermal: Japanese thermal paper manufacturer (subsidiary of Jujo Paper) focused on POS, label, and ticket-grade thermal papers. Direct competitor in thermal paper, particularly as a fellow Japanese-headquartered specialty paper producer serving global logistics and retail markets.
• Koehler Paper: German family-owned specialty paper manufacturer (Oberkirch) producing thermal papers, carbonless, and flexible packaging papers. Closest direct competitor given German base, thermal paper focus, and similar mid-sized European specialty paper positioning.
• Hansol Paper: Korean specialty paper manufacturer with thermal paper and inkjet paper lines serving Asian and global markets. Direct competitor in thermal and inkjet specialty grades, particularly relevant given Kanzan's APAC sales partner coverage.
• Appvion: US-based manufacturer of thermal, carbonless, and specialty coated papers headquartered in Wisconsin. Direct competitor in thermal paper serving North American and global markets with overlapping logistics, gaming, and POS applications.
• Mitsubishi HiTec Paper Europe: European subsidiary of Mitsubishi Paper Mills producing specialty coated papers (thermal, inkjet, carbonless, security). Direct competitor to Kanzan in thermal and high-quality inkjet grades serving similar European converters and industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Ahlstrom: Finnish-headquartered global specialty fiber and paper materials supplier with operations in technical, filtration, and specialty papers. Comparable as a broader European specialty paper incumbent with overlapping coated-paper capabilities and larger scale.
• Sappi Europe: European operations of South African-headquartered global pulp and paper group producing coated, packaging, and specialty papers. Comparable broader European paper incumbent with overlapping specialty grades and inkjet/silicone release paper capabilities.

Others

• Oji Holdings Corporation: Japanese parent group and world's leading thermal paper manufacturer with operations across Japan, USA, Germany (Kanzan), Thailand, and Brazil. Comparable as the corporate parent and global thermal paper platform that Kanzan is the European arm of.

Regional players

• Twin Rivers Paper Company: North American specialty paper manufacturer producing thermal and carbonless papers. Comparable specialty paper peer serving a different geography (North America) with similar thermal paper product mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kanzan

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Kanzan Specialty Papers