New shareholder continues innovation and sustainability course

Wietasch plans to further expand the company at the Bad Harzburg site on a strategically sustainable course. Production processes and product quality are to be further optimized. “I am delighted to be continuing a company with such a long tradition,” Wietasch reports. “Despite the challenging market conditions, we are very well positioned and can continue our production at a high level. We continue to ensure our outstanding quality.”

In addition to the production of grayboard and boxboard, the core business also includes the manufacture of refined specialty products such as water-repellent and resin-reinforced cardboard, which is used to produce environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional packaging. The cardboard factory produces entirely from recycled waste paper. With a closed water cycle and in-house water treatment, the highest level of sustainability is achieved. There are also plans to operate the cardboard factory even more efficiently in future thanks to a state-of-the-art energy management system.

The transfer of the company was prepared over the course of 2024 with the support of experts and completed on schedule in October. The transaction creates a solution for the continuation of the company, not only to ensure continuity for customers and employees, but also to ensure the consistent continuation of the innovation and sustainability strategy. Neidhardt is delighted to have found a young yet experienced successor in Wietasch. “My daughter and my nieces are going in different directions, so I had to think about a non-family succession early on. I am therefore delighted that in Alexander Wietasch we have found someone with outstanding entrepreneurial expertise,” says former owner Tobias Neidhardt.

About A. Obenauf GmbH & Co. KG

Pappenfabrik Obenauf is an owner-managed company with over 135 years of history. Since 1886, the company has specialized in the production and processing of cardboard made from waste paper. The cardboard, which is manufactured in 3-shift operation, is produced and processed for packaging, technical requirements, blanks and special packaging. At the Harz site, the company employs around 40 dedicated employees who stand for quality and sustainability.

Abbildung: Daniel Schache