Starkraft

What Starkraft does

Starkraft is the bleached kraft paper brand and business unit of Zellstoff Pöls AG, itself part of the family-owned Austrian Heinzel Group. Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Pöls, Austria, with a second production site in Steyrermühl, Starkraft produces high-quality bleached kraft paper products for packaging, hygiene, industrial, and sublimation applications. Its product portfolio spans thirteen grades including Bags, Shopper, Formfill, Medicine, Flexpack, Release, Tapes, Liner, Paper Sticks, Lamination, Industrial, eCommerce, and Sublimation papers, serving converters and brand owners in food packaging, retail, medical/pharmaceutical, industrial, and flexible packaging end markets.

Starkraft operates three paper machines with a combined nameplate capacity of 340,000 tonnes per year: PM2 and PM3 in Pöls (200,000 tonnes combined) and PM6 in Steyrermühl (140,000 tonnes, started May 2024). Technical differentiation rests on the world's largest welded high-precision drying cylinder (6.7m diameter) used to produce MG (machine glazed) papers with high strength and one-sided smoothness. The PM3 machine, commissioned in June 2019 with a EUR 130 million investment, is among the largest and most modern MG paper machines in Europe. Starkraft is vertically integrated with in-house pulp production at Zellstoff Pöls, enabling consistent quality and supply reliability, and has extended upstream via the Heinzel Group's strategic equity investment in Paracel (Paraguay).

The business model is B2B hardware sales of kraft paper, distributed globally through the Heinzel Sales Network (covering 86 countries), Europapier (13 country subsidiaries in Central/Eastern Europe), and country-specific direct sales organisations. Go-to-market is enterprise field-sales driven, supplemented by major trade shows (Fachpack Nuremberg, Pack Expo International Chicago) and an internal Starkraft Sales Convention that coordinates the Heinzel sales network. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers can request A4 samples for qualification. Sustainability positioning is a central commercial lever, supported by EcoVadis Gold (2026), CDP Climate Change A List (2024), 4evergreen alliance membership, and a zero-waste bioenergy concept supplying district heating to 15,000 households.

Name

Starkraft

Legal name

Starkraft Business Unit of Zellstoff Pöls AG

Website

https://starkraft.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Starkraft, the kraft paper business unit of Austria's Zellstoff Pöls AG (Heinzel Group), produces 340,000 tonnes/year of bleached kraft paper for converters and brand owners across food, retail, medical, and industrial packaging end markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Kraft Paper Manufacturing

NAICS

Paper Mills (322120)

SIC

Paper Mills (2621)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Flexible Paper Packaging & Wraps (kraft wrap, pouches, laminations) (IMAMAHAF), Dry Foods & Staples Packaging (Cereals, Pasta, Rice) (IMALAHAJ)

Keywords

• Bleached kraft paper
• Kraft paper manufacturing
• MG paper production
• Paper packaging materials
• Release liner paper

Headquarters

HQ city

Judenburg

HQ country

Austria

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, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Kraft Paper Manufacturing & Sales: Manufacturing and direct sales of high-quality bleached kraft paper products including bags, shoppers, formfill, medicine packaging, flexpack, release, tapes, liner, paper sticks, lamination, industrial, eCommerce, and sublimation papers. Products sold to converters and brand owners globally through Heinzel Sales network.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Starkraft is the kraft paper business unit of Zellstoff Pöls AG, producing high-quality bleached kraft paper grades (MG and MF papers) on three paper machines at Pöls and Steyrermühl, Austria. The portfolio spans Bags, Shopper, Formfill, Medicine, Flexpack, Release, Tapes, Liner, Paper Sticks, Lamination, Industrial, eCommerce, and Sublimation grades, sold globally to packaging converters and brand owners through the Heinzel Sales Network.

Product overview

Starkraft is a kraft paper brand and business unit of Zellstoff Pöls AG, producing high-quality bleached kraft paper for sustainable packaging applications. The company operates multiple paper machines and offers a comprehensive portfolio of kraft paper products including Bags, Shopper, Formfill, Medicine, Flexpack, Release, Tapes, Liner, Paper Sticks, Lamination, Industrial, eCommerce, and Sublimation. These products serve diverse end markets including retail and e-commerce, industrial applications, hygiene and personal care, and food packaging. The company operates paper machines PM3 in Pöls and PM6 in Steyrermühl, with combined production capacity of 340,000 tonnes of kraft paper per year.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bags Kraft paper grade designed for paper bag applications used in retail and packaging.
• Shopper High-quality kraft paper for shopping bags and retail carrier applications.
• Formfill Kraft paper for form-fill packaging applications.
• Medicine Specialized kraft paper for medical and pharmaceutical packaging applications.
• Flexpack Flexible packaging kraft paper solutions for lamination and packaging films.
• Release Release liner kraft paper for adhesive and label applications.
• Tapes Kraft paper for tape backing applications.
• Liner Kraft paper liner for corrugated board and industrial packaging.
• Paper Sticks Kraft paper sticks used in food and packaging applications.
• Lamination Base kraft paper for lamination processes.
• Industrial Industrial-grade kraft paper solutions.
• eCommerce Kraft paper solutions for e-commerce packaging applications.
• Sublimation Kraft paper for sublimation printing applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• First year production of 58,429 tonnes delivered to 43 markets, exceeding business plan projections
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments14 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 4evergreencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2020Industry alliance to increase the share of fiber-based packaging to sustainably reduce climate and environmental impacts. Heinzel Group joined in July 2020.
• SCA Forest ProductscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 April 2013Sales cooperation for printing papers, pulp, kraftliner, and flexible packaging. Heinzel Sales also took over two SCA sales offices in Poland and Italy. Strategic partnership to expand market presence across Europe.
• IPV (Industrievereinigung für flexible Verpackungen)minorOthersIPV represents interests of flexible packaging companies and suppliers. Holds internal meetings at Starkraft facilities.
• Smith Anderson (UK)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerUK packaging company. Guest speaker at Starkraft Sales Convention 2015 providing customer insights.
• Bioenergie Aichfeld GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture between Zellstoff Pöls AG and Bioenergie Wärmeservice GmbH for district heating. Utilizes waste heat from pulp production. Invested EUR 18 million with 18km district heating pipeline.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Holmen Paper: Holmen Paper operates European mills producing coated and uncoated printing paper plus kraft paper at Workington (UK). Comparable in MG/MF paper technology and customer base serving converters in sustainable packaging and graphical applications.
• Mondi Group: Mondi is a European-based global leader in kraft paper and paper-based packaging, operating integrated pulp and paper mills comparable to Starkraft's bleached kraft offerings. Direct overlap in flexible packaging, kraft paper, and bag grades, with similar sustainability-driven product strategy.
• Stora Enso: Stora Enso is a major European pulp and paper producer with significant kraft paper and packaging paperboard capacity. Its packaging materials division competes head-to-head with Starkraft in renewable packaging substrates for food, retail, and eCommerce.
• Billerud: Billerud is a Swedish specialty kraft paper producer focused on virgin-fiber kraft and sack paper for medical, food, and industrial packaging. Closely comparable in product grade, sustainability focus, and end-market overlap with Starkraft.

Broad incumbents

• Smurfit Kappa: Smurfit Kappa is the world's largest containerboard/packaging producer. While primarily a downstream converter, it competes with Starkraft at the bag-grade and corrugated-liner substrate level and increasingly in fiber-based eCommerce packaging.
• UPM-Kymmene: UPM previously owned the Steyrermühl facility now operated by Starkraft. As a global forest products giant, UPM has overlapping kraft and specialty paper offerings across communication papers, label materials, and biomaterials serving the same converter base.
• International Paper: International Paper is a global pulp and paper giant with European operations producing kraft and packaging papers. Overlaps with Starkraft in industrial and consumer kraft papers; the scale and breadth of IP represents a competitive benchmark.
• Sappi Europe: Sappi produces coated and specialty papers, packaging boards, and dissolving pulp from European mills. Its packaging and specialities business (incl. kraft grades for food and flexible packaging) overlaps with Starkraft's portfolio at the converter and brand-owner level.
• Laakirchen Papier AG: Laakirchen Papier is a Heinzel Group sister company producing supercalendered and SC-B paper at the Laakirchen site neighboring Steyrermühl. While focused on magazine/printing grades rather than kraft, it shares group ownership, raw materials, and infrastructure with Starkraft.

Emerging players

• Nordic Paper: Nordic Paper produces specialty kraft and greaseproof papers at Swedish mills for food packaging, industrial, and medical applications. A focused niche peer with comparable specialty paper positioning and similar end-market exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/starkraft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Starkraft