GREBIEN QUALIFIBER® GmbH

What GREBIEN QUALIFIBER® GmbH does

Grebien Qualifiber GmbH is a privately held Austrian industrial machinery builder specializing in stock preparation systems for the paper industry, founded by Edmund Grebien in 1998 and headquartered in St. Stefan im Lavanttal, Carinthia, with a German branch in Velbert-Langenberg opened in 2023. The company designs and supplies equipment for waste paper processing and fiber preparation, including the QF HoleScreen series with proprietary Fibercurtain technology, QFA HoleScreenCleaners, multi-stage Cleaneranlage, FinalSlotScreens, Fiberfraktor fractionators and QFA Dirtpumps. It also offers proprietary laser hardfacing for rotors and screens, conversion kits for installed OEM equipment (e.g., Voith Combisorter), spare parts, rotor reconditioning, the Mobilab mobile analytical laboratory service, and 3D plant engineering via a partnership with sigma3D. The business model is direct B2B enterprise sales, quote-based pricing, to paper and paperboard mills globally across more than 40 countries on five continents, with revenue streams from new and second-hand machinery, spare/wear parts and engineering services. Named enterprise customers include Smurfit Kappa (Germany, Mexico, Westrock Hoya), ESKA Hoogezand, Mayr Melnhof Količevo and Grünewald Papier.

Name

GREBIEN QUALIFIBER® GmbH

Legal name

Grebien Qualifiber GmbH

Website

https://qualifiber.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grebien Qualifiber GmbH is an Austrian manufacturer of stock preparation machinery and fiber processing equipment for the global paper and paperboard mill industry, supplying proprietary screening, cleaning and pulping systems plus spare parts, conversion services and a mobile laboratory to enterprise paper mills in over 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paper Mill Machinery

NAICS

Sawmill, Woodworking, and Paper Machinery Manufacturing (333243)

SIC

Pulp Mills (2611), Paper Mills (2621), Paperboard Mills (2631)

akta.pro primary industry

Recycled Pulp Manufacturing (IMAMAKAC)

Keywords

• Stock preparation systems
• Paper mill machinery
• Waste paper processing
• Fiber preparation equipment
• Pulper cleaning machines

Headquarters

HQ city

St. Stefan im Lavanttal

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Stock Preparation Machinery Sales: Sale of stock preparation machines including QF HoleScreen, QFA Cleaneranlage, QFA FinalSlotScreen, QF Fiberfraktor, QFA Dirtpump, and associated equipment. Machines are sold as new equipment, conversions, and second-hand alternatives.
2. Spare Parts and Wear Parts: Sale of replacement and wear parts for stock preparation machines including sieves, rotors, screen plates, and bearing assemblies. Parts are available for own machines and can be reconditioned.
3. Engineering and Project Services: Project support, analysis and optimization, construction and manufacturing of new machines, 3D plant/layout design, and machinery conversion services.
4. Mobilab Mill Service: Mobile laboratory analysis services including on-site testing of pulp suspensions and rejects, process analysis, and recommendations for improvement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Grebien Qualifiber GmbH designs, manufactures, and services stock preparation machinery for the paper industry, specializing in waste paper processing and fiber preparation equipment. The product line includes pulper cleaning systems, coarse and fine sorting machines, cleaners, and fiber fractionators, complemented by spare parts, machinery conversion services, wear-part reconditioning, mobile laboratory analysis, and 3D plant engineering for paper mills worldwide.

Product overview

Grebien Qualifiber GmbH is a technology leader in resource-saving stock preparation systems for the paper industry, offering a comprehensive portfolio of machines, services, and spare parts. The core product line includes QF HoleScreen, QF LastHoleScreen, and QF HoleScreenCleaner for coarse sorting; QF Cleaneranlage, QF FinalSlotScreen, and QF Fiberfraktor for fine sorting; and QFA Dirtpump (including Type H variants) for pulper cleaning. The company provides integrated services including Mobilab mobile laboratory analysis, Qualifiber 3D engineering with partner sigma3D, wear part reconditioning, and machinery conversion solutions (combisorter, pulper rotor, turbo separator). The product portfolio also includes spare parts such as rotors (Pulper Rotor, PC3 Rotor, OS8 Rotor Multifoil), screen plates (Siebblech), and bearing assemblies. With over 30 years of experience and operations across 40+ countries, Qualifiber focuses on energy efficiency and sustainability in stock preparation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• QF HoleScreen Coarse-sorting machine for separating heavy and light contaminants from usable fibers when processing unsorted waste paper. Can be fed directly from pulper accepts. Built on proprietary Fibercurtain technology. Targeted at paper mill stock preparation lines.
• QF LastHoleScreen Coarse-sorting LastHoleScreen using Fibercurtain technology for re-sorting rejects from QFA HoleScreens in stock preparation plants. Targeted at paper mills needing downstream coarse-sorting stages.
• QF HoleScreenCleaner Continuous heavy-contaminant separator for stock consistency around 2-4%, designed for sand, glass splinters, stones, and metal pieces smaller than the pulper screen hole diameter. Used together with the QFA HoleScreen in paper mill cleaning circuits.
• QF Cleaneranlage (QFA Cleaner System) Multi-stage cleaning system for removing heavy contaminants, light contaminants, and air from fiber suspensions in stock preparation. Targeted at paper mills needing fine cleaning of recycled fiber stock.
• QF FinalSlotScreen Horizontal, continuously operating final-stage sorter for fine separation applications in paper mill stock preparation lines.
• QF Fiberfraktor Machine for continuous separation of paper stock suspensions from waste paper into two fractions, typically aiming for 50/50 weight distribution. Used in paper mill fine sorting and fractionation.
• QF Sandseparator Machine for separation of glass and staples from heavy part locks of QF HoleScreen Cleaners. Accepts are free of heavy parts and can be returned to process water in paper mills.
• QFA Dirtpump Pump for large contaminants in waste paper providing reliable pulper cleaning in the paper industry. Available in sizes including Size 2 with DN350 inlet and outlet.
• QFA Dirtpump Type H Technologically optimized dirt pump that significantly increases operational reliability by eliminating spinning failures in the pump housing. Used for pulper cleaning in paper mills.
• Conversion Kit Combisorter Conversion kit for Voith Combisorter that increases machine capacity by 25% while installing Fibercurtain technology to improve reject cleanliness. Targeted at existing paper mills with Voith equipment.
• Reconditioning of Wear Parts Service restoring rotors and wear parts to original geometry, including rotor optimization and documentation with output protocols. Remanufacturing of used HoleScreenCleaner parts such as cleaner heads and cones at 30-40% cost savings versus new parts. Targeted at paper mills seeking cost-efficient spare parts.
• QUALIFIBER MOBILAB Mobile Analysis Laboratory Mobile analytical laboratory service offering on-site testing of pulp suspensions and rejects, including consistency measurements, Schopper Riegler values, laboratory sheets, dry content analysis, and hood balance creation for paper mills.
• Process Technology Engineering and consulting services for process optimization in stock preparation systems, offered to paper mill customers.
• Analysis and Optimizations Analysis services and optimization recommendations for existing stock preparation systems in paper mills.
• Qualifiber 3D Engineering 3D engineering service including 3D scanning of existing stock preparation systems and buildings via sigma3D, followed by 3D layout planning with new or optimized Qualifiber machines and technological details like piping. Targeted at paper mills undertaking retrofits.
• Second-Hand Machines Service supporting paper mills in searching for used machines and organizing refurbishment and transport.

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy reduction from 480 kW to 370 kW (25% savings) at Smurfit Kappa
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship/primary, supporting and core.

• IBS Paper Performance Groupflagship/primaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Strategic partnership announced April 2025 strengthening market position of both companies in solutions for highly efficient stock preparation. IBS Paper Performance Group is a technology leader in optimization of paper, board, pulp and tissue machines with high-quality machine components, innovative system solutions and services. Partnership aims to set new standards in stock preparation for sustainable future in paper industry.
• sigma3DsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for 3D scanning of existing stock preparation systems and buildings. Sigma3D performs 3D scanning, then Qualifiber completes 3D layout with new or optimized machines and technological details like piping.
• Mayr Melnhof Količevo (MM Količevo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing 20-year partnership ongoing. Qualifiber rebuilt inlay line and continues to work on preparing systems for future challenges using MOBILAB for bottleneck analysis.
• DHBW KarlsruhesupportingOthersDual education partnership with Karlsruhe Cooperative State University (DHBW). Markus Grebien completed Bachelor of Engineering Paper Technology degree as dual student with Qualifiber as training company.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Andritz AG: Global machinery giant with a Pulp & Paper division that supplies stock preparation, fiber processing, and pulp mill equipment — overlapping directly with Qualifiber's coarse sorting, cleaning, and pulper offerings, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Valmet Corporation: Leading pulp and paper machinery supplier covering stock preparation, fiberlines, and paper machines. Competes with Qualifiber for stock-prep scope on large greenfield and rebuild projects across recycled-fiber mills.
• Voith Paper: Major paper machinery OEM whose Combisorter is referenced by Qualifiber as a conversion target. Supplies full paper machines including stock preparation, making Voith a direct competitor on installation projects and an indirect supplier whose installed base Qualifiber services.
• Sulzer (Pulp & Paper): Through its Mixing & Pumping and related offerings, Sulzer supplies pumps and process equipment used in stock-preparation lines. Serves the same paper-mill customers but as part of a much broader industrial portfolio.

Direct peers

• Aikawa Fiber Technologies: Specialist in fiber processing and recycled paper stock preparation, supplying screens, cleaners, and pulpers. Closely comparable to Qualifiber in product scope and customer base within the recycled-fiber subsegment.
• IBS Paper Performance Group: April 2025 strategic partner of Qualifiber; supplies components, system solutions, and services for paper, board, pulp, and tissue machines. Operates in the same customer base and is now also a co-selling partner rather than a pure competitor.
• Kadant Inc. Specializes in stock-preparation equipment, fiber processing, and recycling systems for the paper industry — including rotary, screen, and cleaning products that directly overlap with Qualifiber's QF HoleScreen and QF Cleaneranlage lines.

Emerging players

• Bonetti Group: Italian supplier of cleaning, screening, and stock-preparation equipment for the paper and recycling industries; comparable mid-sized competitor to Qualifiber in recycled-fiber applications.
• Cellwood Machinery: Swedish specialist in pulping, deflaking, and stock-preparation equipment for recycled paper mills — closely comparable niche positioning to Qualifiber's coarse and fine sorting lines.
• A.Celli Paper: Supplies machinery and components for tissue, paper, and nonwovens, with stock-preparation and converting capabilities that overlap selectively with Qualifiber's portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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• Facebookfacebook.com/Qualifiber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grebien-qualifiber%C2%AE-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/qualifiber

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 GREBIEN QUALIFIBER® GmbH