Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V.

What Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V. does

Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V. (FFI) is a registered German trade association (eingetragener Verein under German law) founded in 1948 and headquartered at Kleine Hochstraße 8, Frankfurt am Main. The association represents the interests of the German folding carton industry across the full supply chain, with a 4-person management team led by Managing Director Christian Schiffers, a Board Speaker (Matthias Bauer, elected June 2026 succeeding Andreas Helbig), and a Deputy Board Speaker. FFI's membership comprises 72 member companies and 36 associate/partner companies that operate approximately 80 production locations in Germany with around 9,500 employees and account for roughly two-thirds of the German folding carton industry's turnover. Member-company aggregate production is approximately 943,000 tonnes per year with a production value of EUR 2.16 billion.

FFI's service portfolio centers on industry representation, knowledge dissemination, and standards development rather than on technology products. Core offerings include annual reports (FFI Jahresbericht, published 2017-2025), the LAUFRICHTUNG trend magazine (published jointly with Pro Carton), a portfolio of Technische Richtlinien technical guidelines covering cartonboard quality tolerances, scoring, print-data exchange, and Braille on pharmaceutical packaging (subsequently incorporated into DIN standards), the International Kartondatenbank online database of folding carton cardboard products with certificates, the FFI/PTS recyclability study for household paper streams, and seminars covering topics such as PPWR implementation, technical leadership, and sales management. FFI maintains a registered trademark on its name and image branding.

FFI's business model is association membership-driven. Revenue is generated from membership dues (not publicly disclosed; billed annually) and from publications and training seminars, with publications provided free of charge to members. Go-to-market is community-led: FFI recruits and retains members through personal relationships, industry events, technical forums, committee meetings, and seminars for technical leaders. Customer engagement is split between folding carton manufacturers as the primary segment and supply chain partners (e.g., machinery manufacturers, raw material suppliers, service providers) as a secondary segment, with media and public stakeholders addressed through press relations. FFI also participates in EU-level advocacy and standards bodies, including partnerships with Pro Carton, ECMA, CITPA, CEPI, and Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS).

Name

Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V.

Legal name

Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie e.V.

Website

https://ffi.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V. (FFI) is a German trade association founded in 1948 representing 72 member companies and 36 supply-chain partners, accounting for two-thirds of Germany's folding carton industry turnover. It delivers publications, technical standards, training seminars, the Kartondatenbank database, and political advocacy to its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Packaging Industry Trade Association

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels (BPADANAB)

Keywords

• Folding carton industry
• Packaging industry association
• Industry standards development
• Packaging technical guidelines
• Industry advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: FFI generates revenue through membership fees from 72 member companies and 36 associate member companies from the supply chain.
2. Publications and Training: FFI sells publications including annual reports, trend magazines, technical guidelines, and studies. Also provides training seminars for members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie e.V. (FFI) is a registered German industry trade association for the folding carton (Faltschachtel) industry that bundles and represents the interests of its members across the entire supply chain. It delivers industry representation in political, legal and technical matters, develops and disseminates technical standards and guidelines, publishes reports and trend magazines, operates the Kartondatenbank technical database, and runs seminars, training programs and networking events for its members.

Product overview

Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V. (FFI) is a German industry association for the folding carton industry, founded in 1948 and headquartered in Frankfurt. Rather than a software product company, FFI offers a portfolio of industry services including annual reports (FFI Jahresbericht), the Trendmagazin LAUFRICHTUNG trend publication, technical standards and guidelines (Technische Richtlinien) covering scoring quality, data exchange, Braille requirements, and carton quality specifications, the Kartondatenbank cardboard database for technical specifications, research studies on recyclability (FFI/PTS), seminars and training programs for members, and compliance documentation including ECMA GMP guide translations. FFI represents 72 member companies and 36 partner companies across the supply chain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FFI Jahresbericht (Annual Report) Annual publication providing overview of German folding carton industry data, association performance and future challenges. Available for years 2017-2025; targeted at FFI members, supply chain partners, media and public stakeholders.
• Trendmagazin LAUFRICHTUNG Trend magazine exploring packaging design, sustainability and innovation topics, published in collaboration with Pro Carton. Four editions published as of 2025; targeted at brand owners, designers and folding carton industry stakeholders.
• FFI Festschrift (75th Anniversary Jubilee Publication) 75th anniversary publication commemorating FFI's history since 1948, highlighting members and significant milestones. Targeted at FFI members, supply chain partners and industry historians.
• Kartondatenbank (International Carton Database) International online database providing technical specifications and certificates for folding carton cardboard products. Includes bending stiffness, thickness, moisture and whiteness data searchable by technical criteria. Targeted at folding carton manufacturers, brand owners and converters selecting cartonboard.
• Technische Richtlinie Gute Rillbarkeit (Technical Guideline Good Scoring)

Quantifiable outcome

• Members represent approximately two-thirds of the German folding carton industry turnover
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers17 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Pro CartoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Association of Carton and Folding Carton Manufacturers. FFI collaborates with Pro Carton on joint publications including the LAUFRICHTUNG trend magazine, Young Designers Awards, and market studies.
• ECMA (European Carton Makers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean carton makers association. FFI is a member and collaborates on technical guidelines and industry standards development.
• Papiertechnische Stiftung (PTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaper technology foundation. FFI commissioned PTS to conduct studies on recyclability of folding cartons and material combinations.
• CITPA (International Confederation of Paper and Board Converters in Europe)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational confederation for paper and board converters. FFI maintains membership for international industry representation.
• Die Papierindustrie e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman paper industry association. Partner in industry representation and policy advocacy.
• Wirtschaftsverband Papierverarbeitung (WPV) e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman paper processing industry association. Partner in industry representation.
• Hauptverband Papier- und Kunststoffverarbeitung (HPV) e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain association for paper and plastic processing. Partner in industry representation.
• Verband der Wellpappen-Industrie e.V. (VDW)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman corrugated board industry association. Partner in industry representation.
• Verband Vollpappe-Kartonsgen (VVK) e.V.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman solid board packaging association. Partner in industry representation.
• Confederation of European Paper Industries (CEPI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean paper industry confederation. Partner in international industry representation.
• Bundesverband Druck und Mediendruck e.V. (BVVD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman printing and media association. Partner in related industry representation.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fachverband-faltschachtel-industrie-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie E.V.