Renergia – making energy from waste

cph news
July 2015
The company magazine for our employees
Renergia – making energy from waste
The Renergia facility in Perlen began incinerating waste in January 2015.
The new incineration plant provides steam for Perlen Papier.
Jeremiah Chapman A vision of recycling
from Zeochem
blister packs
On the Forbes “30 under 30” list
A visionary step towards reducing CO2 levels
July 2015 //
Editorial
04 Word from the CEO
Welcome
Welcome
Core theme
06 Working hard to ensure the efficient
use of energy
09 We take care of our health and the
environment
20 Jeremiah Chapman on the Forbes “30 under 30” list
6 Working hard to ensure the efficient use of energy
26 Ground-breaking in China is a milestone
From the companies
10 Renergia – making
energy from waste
13 One year accident-free at
the Perlen plant / Repeated award
success for service and quality
14 “Smart Move Forward”
16 CPH AGM: shareholders
vote electronically for the first time
18 Interview with Manuel Werder
20 Interview with Kaspar Kelterborn
22 Successful participation at the
FCE exhibition in Brazil
23 Perlen Packaging at
the API China show in Shanghai
24 Blister recycling - a vision
26 Ground-breaking in China is a milestone
28 Well positioned with global strategy
30 At the pulse of the US pharma industry
32 Zeochem’s Jeremiah Chapman
Personnel news
35 Personnel matters in the CPH Group
36 Tradition of appreciation
Dear Reader,
I
am delighted to present a new edition of cph news, featuring
various articles from the CPH Group. In this edition, we focus on our primary topic of environment and safety and reveal various aspects of everyday working life in CPH’s three business divisions.
We also report on the efficient use of energy as well as on environmental matters, which are becoming more and more significant. Following the successful launch of the new Renergia waste
incineration plant at the start of the year, our report shows how
waste can be transformed into energy and how the use of that
energy can be managed in a targeted manner. The need to look
after the environment is an issue that affects us all, both in our work and in our private lives.
An article on this topic from the Uetikon site is included in this edition of cph news.
We report on our successful participation in the pharmaceutical market and on the ground-breaking ceremony at the new site in Wujiang, China, which took place on 16 April following several delays. This edition also focuses on our apprentices in the technical professions who are
in the final year of their training. They report on their individual practical assessments, which
form part of their final exams. Jeremiah Chapman from Zeochem L.L.C. has taken a big step
forwards in his professional career. He was named on Forbes Magazine’s annual “30 under 30”
list, a tally of the 30 brightest up-and-coming stars in 15 different fields.
In this edition of cph news, we say goodbye to Dr Armin Pfenninger, a longstanding member of our editorial team who is taking his well-earned retirement this summer. We would like
to thank Dr Pfenninger for his valuable and always inspiring contributions and his great commitment, and wish him all the very best for the future.
On behalf of the editorial team, I would like to wish you a wonderful summer with many
sunny, enjoyable and relaxing moments.
Anna Ragozzino
CPH
CPH NEWS
3
July 2015 //
Dear Colleagues,
W
e had exactly two weeks at the
start of the year in which to enjoy CPH’s reinvigoration and
its good result for 2014. Until 15 January,
when the Swiss National Bank scrapped
the minimum exchange rate of CHF 1.20
to the euro, CPH’s outlook for 2015 appeared promising. Since then, the franc’s
value has increased by some 15 percent
against the euro. You will recall that the
exchange rate stood at CHF 1.50 to the
euro just a few years ago. At that time,
when we sold EUR 1 worth of products in
the eurozone, we earned CHF 1.50. In
mid-January 2015, the same euro was
worth CHF 1.20, and since 15 January we
have been making only a little over CHF 1
for every euro of sales.
This will have an impact on our business performance, particularly on our result for the first half of 2015. CPH generates 86 percent of its income in foreign
4 CPH NEWS
July 2015 //
Editorial
currencies, primarily in euros and secondly in US
dollars. If these currencies weaken, our income in
francs is reduced, even if our sales remain exactly
the same in euros and US dollars.
Viewed from a local perspective, our performance
in the first half of 2015 was quite good. We were once
again able to increase our sales volumes. However,
the quantities of paper, films and molecular sieves
sold are only one side of the coin. If market prices
rise, the picture improves, and revenues increase
even if sales volumes remain the same. The opposite
happens if prices fall.
In the paper industry, prices for newsprint were
significantly down year-on-year in the first half of
2015 due to structural overcapacities, and this is having a corresponding impact on sales in local currencies. We can combat falling prices to a certain extent
by increasing production volumes. These increased
production volumes have enabled us to maintain our
sales in the Paper Division in recent years.
The situation is somewhat more complex on the
cost side. Key questions are which currency the costs
are incurred in and whether they are generated in
the same currency as the sales. Most products from
the Perlen and Uetikon sites are exported, meaning
they generate revenues in foreign currencies. The
higher the proportion of costs generated in francs at
these sites, the greater the gap between income and
expenses due to the overvaluation of the Swiss franc.
For this reason, raw materials needed for production
in Switzerland are purchased in foreign currencies,
primarily euros, wherever possible, creating a kind
of natural hedge for us.
This is not possible with infrastructure and personnel costs, however, and they are incurred in local
currencies. Nevertheless, we also have to look for solutions here at the Swiss sites in order to combat
margin pressure. To this end, we planned a temporary extension in working hours at the Perlen site.
Unfortunately, the Unia union obstructed this measure even though the workforce and employee representatives had agreed to it. Given the paper indus-
try’s reliance on exports, this completely
incomprehensible attitude puts jobs at risk and damages Switzerland as an industrial centre. We will
have to look for other solutions to this problem.
In addition, we are in the process of implementing
ongoing and new efficiency improvement programmes with the aim of optimizing processes and
costs at all sites and at every production level. These
include the ProFIT project at Perlen Papier and the
Smart Move Forward project at Perlen Packaging,
for example. Implementing these programmes puts
us in a position to remain competitive. And we have
indeed managed to do so thanks to our employees’
untiring commitment over many years, as is evidenced by our return to profit last year. In the first
half of 2015, however, we will report a loss due to the
appreciation of the franc.
Despite this turn of events, we are confident that we
are correctly positioned with our strategic focus. The
construction of the Packaging division’s site in China
is progressing well. The ground-breaking ceremony
has taken place, and we plan to be manufacturing our
first products locally and selling them on the local
markets within a year. This will enable us to gradually
reduce our dependence on currency developments
and the saturated European markets and react more
quickly to the needs of local growth markets.
There is a lot going on in the Paper division, too.
The process of procuring steam from the Renergia
facility has begun. As a result, we are proud to announce that the CPH Group’s production is now
practically CO2-neutral. With this in mind, the main
topic of this edition of cph news could not be more
apt. The Environment and Safety departments introduce themselves and demonstrate that we are making an important contribution to ensuring the careful use of resources. The paper factory in Perlen is
basically a recycling plant in which recovered paper,
woodchip waste and energy are recycled into newsprint and magazine paper. Of course it is not just for
environmental reasons that we believe we are manufacturing a useful product that is in great demand on
Editorial
the market. Printed newspapers will continue to exist long into the future.
We do not believe that the Internet will
completely replace the printed press. The
disappearance of newspapers and magazines was already predicted when the radio emerged in the 20th century and then
again with the spread of the television.
Now we have the Internet too, and all the
different media continue to exist alongside one another. Interestingly, 72 percent
of today's 20- to 30-year-olds, who have
grown up with smartphones and the Internet, still continue to read physical
newspapers. This means that the proportion of readers in this group is virtually
the same as it is in the older generations.
There are many good reasons for print.
The website www.printpower.eu has compiled numerous examples and case studies. Have a look, it’s worth it.
In the second half of 2015 we will continue to work on becoming even better
and even more efficient in order to offset
the competitive disadvantage we are facing on the international markets as a result of the currency situation. If you compare purchasing power in Switzerland
with that in the rest of Europe, the franc
ought to be considerably weaker. But the
past has shown that exchange rate imbalances can exist for a long time.
For those of you who are going away
this summer, I hope you have a relaxing
and enjoyable holiday. I look forward to
tackling the second half of the year with
all of you.
Thank you for your valuable contribution and great commitment.
Peter Schildknecht CEO
CPH Group
CPH NEWS
5
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
Environment and Safety
View of the Perlen Papier AG site from the east (from the Renergia chimney): compliance with
the requirements of the Swiss Clean Air Act (LRV) with regard to waste gas emissions (boiler
house, waste incineration plant) is monitored and ensured.
Increasing the moisture content of the paper made in PM7 has reduced the amount of
drying/live steam required in paper production, enabling us to save some 1,500,000
kWh of thermal energy per year.
Working hard to ensure the
efficient use of energy
Environmental issues are becoming ever more important. At Perlen Papier, the
Environment department is the first port of call both internally and externally
for all matters related to the environment. Its main focus is on the efficient
use of energy and resources.
T
he guiding principle of the CPH
Group is “to act in a responsible manner towards our employees, business
partners, society, the government and the environment.” This is defined more precisely as
“the efficient use of resources and the avoidance of emissions, waste and waste water are
crucial to the success of our company.” The
Environment department is the place where
everything comes together. The Head of Environmental Management is an internal contact
person and service provider for all topics re6 CPH NEWS
lated to the environment and also works with
other divisions on specific projects. In addition, he is responsible for contact with the relevant external partners, i.e. with official federal and cantonal authorities, with specialists
and with interested or affected members of
the general population.
Growing importance of environmental
issues
In day-to-day business, the Head of Environmental Management acts as an expert for en-
Environment and Safety
In the internal waste-water treatment plant, waste water is cleaned, cooled and fed into the
works canal in compliance with the Water Protection Ordinance.
vironment-related questions on authorizations, malfunctions and waste disposal. As
the company’s “environmental conscience”, he
is responsible for compliance with legal, regulatory and other requirements with regard to
the environment as well as for maintaining
and updating the environmental management system in accordance with ISO 14001.
It is clear that environmental issues have
grown in importance in recent times and that
this trend will continue for many years to
come. For companies, this means a constantly
increasing number of obligations and responsibilities. Changes in the legal situation result
in a greater administrative workload, for example, and more time is required for monitoring, reporting and compiling statistics.
Additional restrictions on planning permission, and new authorization requirements
and agreements are placing ever greater demands on the Environment department.
Energy efficiency – every kilowatt-hour
counts
We place a special focus on improving energy
efficiency and ensuring the conscientious and
efficient use of electricity and heat. When you
consider that Perlen Papier uses 630 million
kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and 530
million kWh of steam every year, it is obvious
why. After the costs of buying fibres, energy
costs represent Perlen Papier’s second largest
variable cost block, meaning that they have a
major influence on the earnings of what is
one of Switzerland’s most energy-intensive
businesses. Alongside numerous individual
projects with considerable savings potential,
the effect of changing one’s day-to-day behaviour must not be underestimated. By acting
responsibly, every single one of us can reduce
energy consumption, do our bit for the environment and save money, even if it’s just
through small actions such as switching off
CPH NEWS
7
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
Environment and Safety
lights, machines and PCs when they are
not in use or consistently closing doors
and gates. Taken together, targeted actions have an immediate effect.
Perlen Papier signed such an objectives agreement
with the Swiss Federal Office of Energy in March
2015. In this agreement, we commit to progressively improving our energy efficiency by 2.8 percent
by 2022.
This objective will be achieved with a total of 30
measures and an investment volume of approximately CHF 2 million. The most important measures are:
Energy savings
WIP High-pressure steam accumulator
8 million kWh/year
PM7 Decommissioning of RT fan
3.2 million kWh/year
TMP Use of energy-efficient
dolphin rotors (sorting)
3 million kWh/year
PM4 Condensate level hood air supply 3
2.9 million kWh/year
PM7 Increase in paper moisture content
1.5 million kWh/year
Energy Strategy 2050 – ambitious
plans
At present, the Environment department’s most significant and challenging
project is related to the federal government’s Energy Strategy 2050, which is
aimed at securing Switzerland’s electricity supply and increasing its energy efficiency over the long term. As part of the
strategy, large-scale electricity consumers such as Perlen Papier can exempt
themselves from surcharges on the price
of electricity by committing to increase
their energy efficiency (see box). The basis for this is an objectives agreement
with the federal government which sets
out the percentage by which a company
is going to improve its energy efficiency
The implementation and monitoring of this obby 2022 and how it is going to do this. jectives agreement is one of the things that will
continue to occupy the Environment department
for some years to come. The same is true of the
company’s participation in the Business Energy
Good to know
Agency’s programme to actively reduce CO2 emisAll electricity consumers in Switzersions. Here, too, an objectives agreement recogland pay what is known as compennized by the federal government/the Federal Office
satory feed-in remuneration (KEV).
for the Environment has to be implemented. FinalSince 1 January 2015, this has stood
ly, additional guidelines, restrictions and regulaat CHF 0.011/kWh. The money is
tions in the area of the environment are one more
used to finance renewable energies.
thing which is keeping the Environment departLarge-scale consumers have the opment busy.
tion of having the KEV surcharge
refunded.
8 CPH NEWS
Patrick Birrer
Perlen Papier AG
Environment and Safety
We take care of our health
and the environment
Asim Fazlji checks and looks after the banks of the lake.
D
tems have gradually been renovated and fitted
with modern filters. All exhaust air systems
now meet the required threshold values for
dust. There are no more dust emissions unless
a technical defect has occurred.
In 2007, Zeochem had an environmental
impact assessment carried out on the site. This
study showed which conditions would have to
be in place for the company to expand its activities on the site of the chemical plant. Factors taken into account included traffic volumes, air, water and soil emissions and the
effects on accident prevention systems.
Over the last ten years, the issue of energy efficiency has very much come to the fore. Zeochem is participating in the programme of the
Business Energy Association and has undertaken to continuously reduce its CO2 emissions. This programme has been particularly
successful and won an award from the international organization Responsible Care in 2009.
Last year, another important environmental
project was implemented. The residual heat
from waste water in our internal treatment
plant is now used as a source of energy by the
Uetikon heating complex. When complete, the
system will have the capacity to provide 5.2
million kWh of energy per year in the form of
thermal heat and warm water, thus contributing to a further reduction in CO2 emissions.
The heating complex was officially inaugurated
on 9 May 2015.
ue to various accidents and the resulting changes in people’s attitude
toward the environment, Switzerland
introduced a new Environmental Protection
Act in the 1980s.
Following the Schweizerhalle disaster, the
canton of Zurich set up its own risk committee to support the Uetikon chemical plant with
the implementation of the new environmental
guidelines. Over the following years, structural changes were made to the large buildings to
divide them into separate fire areas, new firefighting concepts were devised and catch basins were installed for chemical leaks and extinguishing water. These measures will prevent
chemicals from spreading and leaking into
Lake Zurich in the event of an accident.
The areas of focus have changed since the Dr Armin Pfenninger
turn of the millennium. The ventilation sys- ZeochemAG
CPH NEWS
9
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
Environment and Safety
From the companies
Energy usage
One crucial factor for Perlen Papier is the use of
the energy generated by the incineration process.
The steam produced by Renergia is fed through
pipes into the nearby paper machines, where it is
used in the drying of the paper.
The steam is also used to generate electricity, with
the Renergia steam turbine producing up to 155
gigawatt-hours of electricity per year and meeting
the needs of around 38,000 households. The electricity is fed into the CKW grid.
We asked Ruedi Kummer, project leader and managing director of Renergia Central Switzerland, to
tell us how the project was coming on.
Renergia – making
energy from waste
The Renergia facility in Perlen began incinerating waste in January 2015.
A replacement for the old Ibach incinerator, the new incineration plant
provides steam for Perlen Papier AG.
Increased capacity
The new facility has a significantly higher capacity than the old incineration plant in the
Ibach industrial zone on the outskirts of Lucerne. The two Renergia incinerators can
burn up to 200,000 tonnes of waste per year.
Instead of transporting a large part of the
waste created in central Switzerland to neigh10 CPH NEWS
bouring cantons such as Zurich, Aargau or
Glarus, it can now be incinerated in Perlen.
With double the incineration capacity, Renergia can dispose of waste from the whole of
central Switzerland, thus eliminating the need
to transport waste over long distances and
significantly reducing the amount of work involved.
Mr Kummer, Renergia has been in operation for three months
now. Are you happy
with how the project
is coming on?
It was always clear that
such a complex facility
could not just be started by pressing a button
and that numerous obProject leader Ruedi Kummer.
stacles would have to
be overcome before the
plant could go into regular operation. Accordingly,
numerous start-up engineers and technicians have
been busy eliminating all the weaknesses since the
first fire. That said, we are very happy overall.
Have there been events that you consider to be
particularly positive?
On 5 January 2015, the Lucerne incineration plant
was officially decommissioned, and two days later
Renergia went into operation with the same team.
The fact that the whole process worked without a
single tonne of waste having to be sent elsewhere
was an excellent achievement by the whole team!
CPH NEWS
11
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
Environment and Safety
From the companies
One year accident-free at the
Perlen plant
On 11 June 2015, we finally reached a whole year without a single industrial
accident. The pleasure is all the greater since we have often had to record an
incident shortly before reaching this milestone over recent years.
H
And what about the more negative experiences?
As I said, there are thousands of little problems that
are keeping us busy at the moment, but that is normal. However, after the steam turbine went into
operation, there were serious concerns that the turbine had been severely damaged and also that other parts of the facility might have suffered internal
damage. Meetings were held with the insurers and
claims experts and a number of people from the
project leadership team suffered sleepless nights.
Luckily the all-clear was given after two weeks.
What are the next steps in the project?
The approval of the plant and the takeover by Renergia is planned for midJune. Until then, we will be carrying out
final improvements and training and
putting together the final documentation. At the opening ceremony at the
end of June 2015, we will be saying thank
you to everyone involved for their contributions to this exciting project.
Thank you for your explanations, Mr
What is happening at the moment in the new Kummer. We would like to congratulate
you on the successful start of operations
incineration plant?
We are currently working through all specified op- and wish you continued success.
erating scenarios as part of a test run with subsequent proof of performance, and a number of
PEPA employees are feeling the effects of this. Franz Graf
Whether it be emissions, noise generation or the Perlen Papier AG
use of resources; basically, all parameters guaranteed by the manufacturers are being measured.
12 CPH NEWS
ealth and safety plays an important role in
our enterprise.
We have set ourselves the goal of protecting our staff from hazards at the workplace and ensuring their health and safety. Injuries at work primarily cause pain and suffering for the employees
concerned and their families. At the same time, accidents and work-related illness entail high costs for
the company. So it is extremely important to constantly maintain and enhance high standards in
terms of health and safety and work.
To help us achieve this, we will continue to rely on
your assistance going forward. You should report
any danger points, near misses and physical damage immediately so that an appropriate response can be made promptly.
You can play your part in health and
safety and work to ensure that, together,
we can have yet another year without any
industrial accidents. We would like to
thank everyone who helped to achieve
this goal by working safely.
Peter Henz
Perlen Packaging
Repeated award success for service
and quality
S
ome news that gives us great pride: on 12
May 2015 Perlen Packaging again received
an award from the Brazilian Pharmaceutical Industry Association for Best Service and
Quality in partnership with Brazilian pharmaceutical companies.
This award from “SINDUSFARMA – Sindicato das Indústrias Farmacêuticas” is the result of
excellent cooperation with our customers on a
local and global level.
Johannes Giessler
Perlen Packaging
(from left to right) Johannes Giessler, Perlen Packaging,
Carina Ventura Martins and Patrick Thüring, Selectchemie.
CPH NEWS
13
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
EBIT
No. Topic
“Smart Move
Forward”
S
mart Move Forward is the name of the
programme set up to enhance processes
and results at Perlen Packaging. The aim
of this programme is to help us return to results at the year-ago level at the least following
the weak first half of 2014. This was the goal
stated in the article in the last issue of cph
news dated December 2014. It was already becoming apparent in December 2014 that the
initiated measures were starting to bear fruit,
yielding the expected improvement in results.
Unfortunately, it was too late to make up for
the weak first half of the year.
The decision announced by the Swiss National Bank on 15 January 2015 to give up the
minimum rate for the franc against the euro
took us completely by surprise. The appreciation of the franc this triggered against all the
currencies of relevance for us required extra
measures to be taken immediately to enhance
processes and results. Alongside further activities in the 13 existing sub-projects, it was
necessary to shelve investments of CHF 1.783
million as well. The details can be found in the
tables at the top.
14 CPH NEWS
1.1
1.2
1.3
2.0
Total
measures
Waste Müllheim
0
Waste Perlen
140
Waste Packaging
35
Planning (optimization available capacity)
70
3.1 Productivity/performance Müllheim
245
3.2 Productivity/performance Perlen
140
3.3 Productivity/performance Packaging
4.0 Procurement
420
5.0 Logistics/SC
175
6.1 Staff Müllheim*
6.2 Staff Müllheim and Perlen*
210
210
7.0 Sales
350
8.0 Other measures
Total
CASH
The work in the 13 sub-projects since the
summer of 2014 has yielded pleasing results.
Major advances have been achieved in the
fields of waste and productivity involving the
Explorer in particular. This meant that it was
not necessary to use the Muck machine for
coating in the first five months of this year.
Improvements have also been achieved in all
the other projects at the same time. It’s not
just the big gains but also the many small advances that are important and necessary.
The table below to the right shows the results achieved in Smart Move Forward as of
31 May 2015 compared with the targets set.
The start has been successful: more than 50
percent of the target has been attained.
Thank you for your efforts and the achievements to date. Now we need to keep going to
ensure that the project remains right on track.
Peter Henz
Perlen Packaging
0
Reduction, Müllheim facility
Reduction, Perlen facility
Negative effect, ventilation
Reduction, L.L.C.
IT reduction
Total investment reduction
1.1
Waste Müllheim
1.2
Comments
Compliance with demanding budget, improvement in 60 ym manufacturing
Implementing measures (length, waste from coating, ECONOMY quality)
Reduction of cutting waste in the USA
Range adjustments/streamlining
Measures (block manufacturing, process optimization, calendar performance enhancement)
Realising production optimizations (multiple passes, programmes, cleaning,
etc. LZW 87 instead of 85%)
No further potential in 2015
Solvin contract, further procurement optimization
Further optimisation of shipping costs, optimization of packaging and
materials
Reduction of contract workers
Extended working hours, 3/2 shift model on the Muck
Optimization of homo/copo types, food range, additional business in the
high-margin segment, sales Waste rolls
Further optimizing overdeliveries, travel cost optimization
Improvement on 2015 budget
140
2,135
Total
measures
1,740
93
–600
150
400
1,783
No. Topic
From the companies
Comments
Automatic packing/cylinder/other
Other
Ventilation renovation / price gain on primer coating head
Other projects
Other projects
2015
target
Status
to
31/5/15
Comments
Project status 29/4/2015
0
–17
Waste Perlen
140
155
Reduction of coating waste
1.3
Waste Packaging
35
11
Reduction of cutting waste L.L.C.
2.0
Planning (optimizing available capacity)
70
0
3.1
Productivity/performance Müllheim
245
96
Elimination of performance bottlenecks
3.2
Productivity/performance Perlen
140
583
Improvement in Explorer hourly performance
3.3
Productivity/performance Packaging
0
0
4.0
Procurement
420
412
14 measures under way
5.0
Logistics/SC
175
60
Optimization of L.L.C. and IC delivery
6.1 Staff Müllheim
210
126
Staff shortfall
6.2
Staff Müllheim and Perlen
210
35
Staff reduction / no Muck production
7.0
Sales
350
104
Turnover booked
8.0
Other measures
140
70
Travel costs
2,135
1635
Total
Total improvement
CPH NEWS
15
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Peter Schaub, welcoming the shareholders. The
electronic voting devices are in the foreground.
CPH AGM: shareholders vote
electronically for the first time
O
n 1 April 2015 (no April fool’s joke!),
187 shareholders gathered in the Lucerne Culture and Convention Centre (KKL) for the Annual General Meeting of
CPH Chemie + Papier Holding. They represented 80 percent of the voting rights. No less
than 20 votes and elections were on the agenda, more than ever before. Indeed, in the wake
of the Minder Initiative, the Annual General
Meeting has received additional competencies:
It is required to vote on the remuneration paid
to Board members and senior executives and
elect members to the Personnel and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.
16 CPH NEWS
Amended bylaws and stock split
This meant that the CPH bylaws similarly
needed to be revised and approved. In addition, the Board of Directors introduced a
stock-split motion at a ratio of one to twenty.
In other words, one share would now trade
for around 50 francs instead of 1,000 francs.
This measure was intended to make the share
“lighter” and hence more attractive. A further
innovation related to the mode of voting, using electronic means instead of a show of
hands as before. The Chairman of the Board
of Directors, Peter Schaub, conducted the
meeting with his usual aplomb and oversaw
From the companies
Shareholders in lively conversations in the KKL foyer in Lucerne after the AGM.
the voting, with all the motions being approved by
large majorities. Two new members of the Board of
Directors were elected as Hanspeter Balmer had
resigned in summer 2014 and Dr Max Walter did
not stand for re-election at the Annual General
Meeting for age reasons.
compared himself with a relay runner
who, after finishing his leg, passes on the
baton to the next member of the team.
Taking up the baton on the Board of Directors are Manuel Werder and Kaspar
W. Kelterborn, both of whom were
elected with enormous majorities. As a
lawyer and partner with Niederer Kraft
& Frey, Manuel Werder brings broad
knowledge of corporate law and company transactions to the Board of Directors. A proven expert in finance, Kaspar
W. Kelterborn is CFO of Conzzeta and a
member of its Executive Board. You can
find out more about the new members
of the Board of Directors in the short interviews on pages 18 and 20.
Dr Max Walter passes on the baton
Dr Max Walter was closely linked with the fortunes
of CPH for a quarter of a century. He was first
elected to the Board of Directors – at that time of
Perlen Holding AG – in 1990. This company was
absorbed by CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG in
1998, at which point Dr Walter assumed the position of vice chairman of the Board of Directors. He
was also a member of the Finance and Auditing
Committee. Peter Schaub praised his major contributions to the long-term development of CPH, notably highlighting his far-sighted, sustained and Christian Weber
positive attitude towards innovation. Dr Walter CPH
CPH NEWS
17
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
From the companies
Goal-oriented team player
Manuel Werder joined the Board of Directors of CPH on 1 April 2015.
He replaces Max Walter, who did not stand for re-election for age reasons.
MANUEL WERDER
––– Date of birth
13 June 1974
Family
Two children
––– Career
After studying jurisprudence and
gaining a licence to work as a lawyer, Manuel Werder practiced in various law firms at
home and abroad. Today he is a partner at
Niederer Kraft & Frey in Zurich, specialising in company law as well as domestic and
international M&A transactions.
Where will CPH be ten years from now?
Manuel Werder: By then, I believe that CPH
will have long since achieved the targeted regional cost leadership in the Paper division and
strengthened its position in the Packaging and
Chemicals divisions. It’s also likely that the
Packaging and Chemicals divisions will have a
stronger presence abroad. There’s also a fair
chance that CPH will have commercial activities in other areas.
You’re one of the descendants of the large
Schnorf family that founded CPH. How many
shareholders still come from the extended
family today?
Around a hundred shareholders from the extended family have at least indirect holdings in
CPH through UBV Uetikon Betriebs- und Verwaltungs AG. A number of these family members also still directly hold shares in the company today.
How would you describe your working style?
I see myself as a team player and would describe
myself as goal-oriented, pragmatic and efficient.
18 CPH NEWS
What did you want to be when you were
growing up, and why didn’t this happen?
When I was young, I wanted to be a doctor,
partly because both of my parents were in the
medical profession. When I started thinking
seriously about possible careers before going
to university, I realised that I had more interest and skills in negotiating and resolving
conflicts than in the natural sciences and that
I felt far more at home in the world of business than health care.
the opportunities to do so have become rarer
since I had children.
Where do you like going on holiday?
In the past, it couldn’t be exotic or far enough
away for me. I’m really interested in foreign
countries and cultures. At the latest when I
had children, I rediscovered the beauty of our
Alps and right now I like to go on holiday in
the mountains and lakes of Switzerland. But
I’m also looking forward to the next stage of
my children (plus my wife and me) heading
Who is your role model, and what can we off for some foreign corner of the world.
learn from this person?
What is your favourite TV show?
I’ve never really had just one role model. This
may be because everyone who might act as a I hardly watch any TV shows today. I used to
role model in certain respects also has their watch occasionally when I was living in New
weaknesses. Over my life, I’ve encountered York from 2001 to 2004. Of those that were
various people who are role models in some airing at that time I liked “Seinfeld” and
way and from whom I’ve been able to learn “Friends” the most.
something. In some cases, it was their analytWhat would you like to do at least once in
ic and tactical skills, in others, the ability to
find a healthy balance between work and your life?
home, and yet more, their social talents and I’m really pretty satisfied with the way life is
panning out and thankful that I’ve already
their sense of responsibility.
had the chance to experience so much. Maybe taking a flight in a hot air balloon would be
What hobbies do you have?
Sport and exercise are very important to me. good. I’ve not done that yet.
This includes hiking, cycling, swimming and
skiing. I like playing football as well. I also en- Christian Weber
joy going to the theatre or cinema, although CPH
CPH NEWS
19
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
From the companies
Efficient communicator
Kaspar Kelterborn was added to the CPH Board of Directors on 1 April 2015
to succeed Hanspeter Balmer, who resigned last summer.
KASPAR W. KELTERBORN
––– Date of birth
22 March 1964
Family
Two children
What fascinates you about CPH?
Kaspar W. Kelterborn: CPH is a company
with very deep roots and three lucrative lines
of business. It’s also in the middle of a very
exciting period of international expansion. I
also see numerous parallels with my current
employer. Just like Conzzeta, CPH also has a
broadly diversified business portfolio, a decentralised leadership structure and a shareholder base with majority owners from the
founding family. I had the chance to get to
know the senior management team at the
awayday we held at the end of April; I was really impressed by the depth of their knowledge and the open, uncomplicated way they
communicated, but also by the complexity of
the business models and the challenges posed
by the strong franc.
Where will CPH be ten years from now?
Gazing into the crystal ball is not really my
––– Career
thing… but I will do all I can to ensure that
After studying ecoCPH can pursue and achieve its strategic
nomics at the Universigoals efficiently, keeping it an attractive firm
ty of St. Gallen, Kaspar W. Kelterborn held for our employees, customers and investors.
down leading domestic and international positions in finance at the Clariant Group. FollowHow would you describe your working
ing his return to Switzerland, he was CFO and a style?
member of the Executive Board at Unaxis. He I like to work in a way that is efficient, approhas been CFO and a member of the Executive priate and goal-oriented. Within this, I appreBoard of Conzzeta since 2006.
ciate pragmatic processes, clear responsibilities and direct lines of communication.
20 CPH NEWS
What did you want to be when you were
growing up, and why didn’t this happen?
Like many other young boys, I wanted to be a
pilot – I was simply fascinated by the freedom
seemingly enjoyed by aircraft, and I secretly
still look up to the see the plane whenever I
hear one (smiles)… But when I got my first
pair of glasses, that dream was quickly put to
rest, although I did still manage to gain a
parachuting licence while at university. My
last jump was actually a few years ago now.
What hobbies do you have?
I still dream of flying… otherwise, I really like
spending time with my family, try to do the
cooking every now and then, enjoy music and
like getting out in the great outdoors.
Where do you like going on holiday?
Pretty much anywhere I haven’t been before.
What would you like to do at least once in
your life?
Naturally there’s a whole list of things, but I
Who is your role model, and what can we still have plenty of time for all that. At present, it’s important for me to get my personal
learn from this person?
As far as I’m concerned, a role model emerges and professional life right in the here and
from the connection with a given situation in now.
which a person or a group has achieved something out of the ordinary. So I don’t really Christian Weber
have a role model – rather I’m moved by peo- CPH
ple like Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill
and Neil Armstrong, and the list also includes
Walt Disney, Roger Federer and my parents.
They all did something great in quite specific
situations, believed in their visions, values
and missions, prevailed even in difficult circumstances and always kept their feet on the
ground. In the course of my life so far, I’ve
come across numerous interesting people
from whom I’ve been able to learn much.
CPH NEWS
21
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
From the companies
Successful participation at the
FCE exhibition in Brazil
Common booth with
Selectchemie.
Richard Immer (Regional Sales Director, Perlen Packaging) discussing with
Stephen Lin (Purchasing Manager, Boehringer Shanghai)
T
his year was the 20th FCE pharmaceutical exhibition in São Paulo and
again we took part, sharing a booth
with our Brazilian agent Selectchemie. In
short: there was major interest in our barrier
products and a gratifying supplier award.
FCE Pharma is the leading technology exhibition for the pharma industry in Brazil. It
was held from 10 to 12 May in tandem with
the FCE Cosmetique and was a big success,
attracting nearly 17,000 visitors.
The same can be said for Selectchemie and
Perlen Packaging. Selectchemie combined the
exhibition with their own customer event to
celebrate their 45th anniversary. Perlen Packaging had many excellent meetings, including
some with major pharma companies, on the
subject of high barrier films. Our products
Tristar ultra, Tristra Ultra protect and Up 360
attracted the most attention.
22 CPH NEWS
Second place in the supplier awards
Traditionally the winners of the annual supplier awards are crowned during the FCE
Show. Perlen Packaging gained an excellent
second place and was honoured with a “Golden Oscar”.
The exhibition was also a great opportunity
to cement the cooperation with Selectchemie
and Sekoya. We have decided to jointly
strengthen our position in the Brazilian market, which bodes well for the future.
Fredy Brunner
Perlen Packaging
Perlen Packaging at
the API China show in Shanghai
T
he API was held from 15th to 17th
May at the new exhibition centre near
Hongqiao airport, and Perlen Packaging participated for the first time. On our
18m2 booth we welcomed many Chinese and
multinational customers from various regions
of China.
Despite the sub-optimal timing of the event
over the weekend and the transportation collapse on the first evening, the exhibition was
an overall success with interesting new leads.
We will soon be back in Shanghai for the
next exhibition: the CPhI / InnoPack from
24th to 26th June at the SNIEC centre on the
Pudong side.
Richard Immer
Perlen Packaging
CPH NEWS
23
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
Ambitious environmental goals with PVC
Every year 37 million tons of PVC are produced across the world – 5.5 million tons in
Europe alone. The European PVC industry
employs about 500,000 workers in 21,000
companies. These are bound together by the
commitment of the chemical industry for sustainable development from idea to end user.
Since 2003 the amount of PVC being recycled
has been steadily increasing and peaked at 0.4
million tons in 2003. By 2020 the goal is to
reach 0.8 million tons/year, of the theoretically recyclable 2.9 million tons/year across the
EU, by using one of the established recycling
processes. The remaining quantity is either
not accessible, e.g. underground piping, in
landfills or mostly incinerated, as in the case
of blister films.
Post industrial waste.
Blister recycling - a vision
PVC and PVC laminates can now be recycled using various technologies. The
profitable processes long used for window frames, pipes and floor coverings
are not yet available for blisters that contain aluminium, however. Together
with the AGPU, ERPA and VINYLplus, Perlen Packaging is taking first steps
towards recycling instead of the usual method of incinerating blister waste –
this visionary step to reduce CO2 greenhouse gases is being closely followed by
our customers.
24 CPH NEWS
Recycling of blisters is in its infancy
The share of blistered material is relatively
small – only 0.4% of the PVC produced is
used as films for tablet packaging. The established recycling process used for window profiles, pipes and floor coverings cannot be applied for blisters. Apart from technical aspects,
the logistical issues are complex: it is not possible to collect the “post-consumer” economically. Therefore, in the pharmaceutical industry the focus is on “post-industrial waste”
collected directly at the pharma companies,
such as punch scrap or rejected, empty blister
packs. These valuable secondary raw materials
can be transported to a central collection
point and there the plastics can be separated
from the aluminium. So far there is neither a
business model nor any practical experience.
From the companies
Recyclable PVC-Granulate.
ERPA and VINYLplus. In unprecedented
fashion Perlen Packaging is bringing together
customers, members of the PVC associations
and representatives of the recycling companies to define goals and milestones. Customers are providing tons of their secondary raw
materials. Using a new technology the material is first shredded and then the aluminium
is separated from the PVC laminate. The results are 0.5-0.7 mm aluminium balls and
PVC pieces, which remain flat. The electrostatically charged PVC particles can be simply
separated from the aluminium by granulometric fraction. Subsequently, new products
can be made from the recycled material using
the appropriate and existing recycling process,
thereby maximising existing resources and
minimising new raw materials. The CO2 balance is positive: compared to making new material, every ton of recycled plastic saves between 1.5 t and 3.2 t of CO2 greenhouse gases,
which directly impacts the climate.
The experience and synergies gained from
other plastic sectors are helping here in the realisation process and its sustainable implementation. A lot of customers are eagerly
awaiting our results.
Gathering practical experience for a visionary idea
Perlen Packaging is supporting the recycling Dr. Stefan Bokorny
of blisters in close cooperation with the AGPU, Perlen Packaging
CPH NEWS
25
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
usually became very rich. The farmers were
aggrieved by this and organised themselves
into a farmer council. To avoid any civil disputes this council was included in the release
process of the land-lease grants with the aim
of providing fair, retroactive compensation.
Ground-breaking ceremony.
Ground-breaking
in China is a milestone
你 好(Nǐ hǎo) – hello from Suzhou, on 16th April 2015 we celebrated the
ground-breaking ceremony of our new facility in China. Although the process
to get the land lease encountered a few unexpected delays, the remaining
project phases are on track.
A
s we reported in the last Perla News
eLetter, unfortunately there were
some delays in our China project
timetable. The originally targeted date for the
ground-breaking turned out to be overly optimistic.
grants but also of the compensation of the
original “owners”, i.e. the farmers. Before industrialisation these plots of land, which now
belong to today’s Business Parks, were worked
by farmers. For generations it was their home
and the basis of their income. When these
lands were re-zoned for industrial use, the
Granting of land lease linked to compensation farmers were displaced, lost their homes and
The release of land leases not only depends on received little compensation. The new owners
the examination of potentially incorrect developed the land into business parks and
26 CPH NEWS
From the companies
Remaining project phases on track
The focus of the construction project team is
to make up as much time as possible through
tight management. The other project phases
are still on track. The new coating line is well
underway and is being prepared in the manufacturer’s factory for FAT “Factory Acceptance
Test” in the middle of June. Our temporary office in Wujiang is fully operational and
equipped with all the necessary technology.
It’s too early to show you any impressive pictures of the building site, however we’re
pleased to show you a photo of the setting of
the first pile, which was a great moment for us
after the months of waiting.
再见 (Zài jiàn), Byebye
Valuable help from our Chinese partners
When we signed the Investment Agreement
in the middle of last year this process was
completely unknown. Our partners at the
Wujiang Business Park assume that all landlease deals will take much longer in future.
Despite the dedicated help from the Business
Park managers, the process to get the “Land
Certificates” took an extra three months. After passing these additional hurdles between
“Business License” and “Land Certificate”, we Philipp Morgenthaler
were finally able to hold the ground-breaking Perlen Packaging
ceremony on 16th April.
Project of major regional importance
Our project is of important significance in
Wujiang, so we were honoured by the presence of all the high-ranking officials of the
Business Park, such as Shen Guofang, the
Mayor of Wujiang, Sheng Hongming, the
CEO of the Administrative Committee of the
Business Park, and Zhang Jinzheng, the Vice
Director of the Business Park. The ceremony
was also covered by local media and reports
appeared on local TV and on the front page
of the local newspapers the next day. After official speeches by Wolfgang Grimm, CEO
Perlen Packaging, and the highest officials of
Wujiang Business Park, we presented two
cowbells – traditional and symbolic Swiss
gifts. As tradition and symbolism are highly
valued in China our gifts hit the mark. The
ceremony was brought to a close with the setting of the first pile.
Wolfgang Grimm, CEO Perlen Packaging during his speech.
CPH NEWS
27
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
From the companies
Well positioned with
global strategy
The revenue growth rate in the pharma industry has slowed somewhat,
however the increased demand for blister films and the higher barrier
requirements of new APIs are supporting growth. That’s why Perlen
Packaging’s international strategy and focus on barrier packaging puts
us in a good position for the future.
I
n one of the previous newsletters I talked
about lifestyle trends being one of the
drivers behind the growth of the pharma
industry. In addition to the issues of population ageing and increasing global urbanisation, lifestyle diseases also play an important
role. Today I’d like to highlight the development of the pharma market from a different
perspective.
Pharma growth rates are down
For the last few years the turnover growth
rates of the pharmaceutical companies have
been dropping. The main reason for this is
the influence of individual governments and
their policies on sales prices and setting upper limits.
Another reason is that several of the blockbuster drugs are off-patent, resulting in generic products being brought on to the market by multiple companies at substantially
lower prices.
These are the main factors responsible for
the dampened turnover growth of the pharma industry.
28 CPH NEWS
The good news for our business is that the
quantity of drugs is significantly rising, which
means a bigger global demand for blister materials.
New drugs require more protection
From our customers we have learned that
many new drugs require more protection
against moisture and in some cases also
against oxygen. This is partially due to the
sensitivity of the APIs but increasingly also
due to higher regulatory demands from the
health authorities.
With our product portfolio and our focus on
higher barrier films we have our finger on the
pulse of the times.
Global distribution
The multinational companies manufacture
their products for the global pharmaceutical
market and the trend toward more globalisation is a further growth driver.
Importantly, the world is split into different
climate zones and each climate zone has its
own demands on the barrier characteristics of
the packaging. It makes a huge difference if a
product is sold here in Europe or in a tropical
region.
We can offer our customers the right barrier
product for their climate zone.
Summarising, we can say that the turnover
growth of the pharma industry has slowed
down somewhat, however it remains much
stronger than the growth of the global economy. The above-mentioned factors show that
the turnover and volume growth must be
viewed separately and that the latter is much
stronger.
With our new plant in China and our strategy to focus on barrier films, we are ideally
set up to serve our global pharmaceutical
customers in the future.
Developing countries posting double-digit
growth
Many developing nations have improved
their healthcare systems for their citizens,
which of course considerably benefits pharmaceutical sales and pushes industry growth.
Tablets in blister packs are the ideal packaging form, as it’s easy to dispense the correct
dosage to patients and each tablet is individ- Johannes Giessler
ually protected.
Perlen Packaging
CPH NEWS
29
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
From the companies
At the pulse of the
US pharma industry
Europe is losing ground against the growing pharmaceutical markets such as
India and China, while the USA – on the other hand – is expected to maintain
its position as the largest global pharmaceutical market. Thanks to our presence in Whippany, Perlen Packaging is also successfully participating in the
market growth.
W
ith our subsidiary Perlen Converting LLC in New Jersey – the
heartland of the American pharma industry – Perlen Packaging has been
present in the metropolitan region of New
York since 2006.
“About 60% of the US pharmaceutical industry has sites in close proximity to our company, so we are literally at the heart of the pharma industry. Our slitting and logistics centre
allows us to provide quick and excellent service to our growing customer base in Canada,
Mexico and the USA”, explains Douglas
Voreis, Vice President of Perlen Converting
LLC.
Developments in the blister market
“The American pharmaceutical packaging
market is quite different from that of Europe,
Asia and South America. In the USA solid
dosage forms, such as tablets, are normally
packed in glass or plastic bottles. Blister packaging is gaining popularity and market share,
however. If you look at Mexico and Canada
the picture is reverse and more like Europe:
30 CPH NEWS
Paxit® from Remedi SeniorCare®.
* Aclar is a registered trademark of Honeywell.
nearly all tablets are blistered”, comments Johannes Giessler, VP Sales and Marketing.
Trend toward barrier films and Aclar® alternatives
The blister packaging sector in the USA is
mostly characterised by different PCTFE
(*Aclar®) specifications. It is for this very reason that Perlen Packaging has been extraordinarily successful in the US market. “With our
range of PVdC coated films we can offer an
equivalent alternative to every PCTFE specification – with significant processing advantages and commercial benefits. Our pharmaceutical customers are increasingly under
cost pressure and we can offer solutions here”,
adds Michael Thol, Sales Manager NAFTA. In
addition, drugs and APIs are becoming more
complex and putting higher demands on
moisture, oxygen and UV barrier characteristics. Perlen Packaging’s two high-end products
PERLALUX®-Tristar
ultra
and
PERLALUX®-Ultra protect provide a commercial solution, which are widely used in the
USA, Mexico, Canada and globally.
“Track and Trace” and Medication Compliance
Doctors and nursing staff in hospitals and
skilled nursing facilities are under enormous
pressure in terms of time and cost, and medications can change daily, which is an additional challenge for the staff. This is the main
reason companies such as Remedi SeniorCare®, one of our partners, has grown so successfully. Remedi operates as a long-term care
pharmacy with multiple locations through
the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest and offers Paxit©, a 24-hour medication management and
compliance system. Through its proprietary
automated dispensing system, individually
bar-coded blistered tablets are packed into a
date, time and patient-specific labelled pouch
that is then delivered to its customers on a
daily basis. This saves a huge amount of time
administering medications, significantly reduces medication waste and minimizes the
risk of med-pass errors in an institutional or
community-based setting. “In a recently concluded project Perlen Packaging provided a
solution that allowed us to lower certain
packaging costs by 18%”, explained Alan
Bronfein, Senior Vice President of Remedi.
Perlen Converting LLC
For the last nine years Perlen Packaging has
been present in the USA through Perlen
Converting LLC – a warehouse for mother
rolls and a slitting centre. As with all Perlen
Packaging’s production sites, GMP is strictly
adhered to – the slitting is conducted under
clean room class 7 standards. Our US subsidiary offers our entire PERLALUX® product
range – from Mono PVC through Duplex
PVC/PVdC, Tristar PVC/PE/PVdC right up
to Tristar Ultra PVC/PE/PVdC and Tristar
Ultra protect.
Michael Thol
Perlen Packaging
CPH NEWS
31
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
Jeremiah Chapman in the control room.
Hand screening batch progress at the ball wheel.
Chapman Named to Forbes’s
“30 Under 30” List
Forbes Inc. is a leading American media and publishing company
considered one the best in delivering information on business
news and financial information.
Forbes has released their 3rd annual
“30 Under 30” List for 2015, which profiles 30 rising stars in 15 honour different industries. It is an incredible honor
to be featured among the prestigious
millennial innovators and leaders; participants are chosen from a pool of over
20,000 nominations. Zeochem is very
proud to announce our very own Jeremiah Chapman is featured in the Manufacturing and Industry category.
32 CPH NEWS
Chapman is a 2013 graduate of the
University of Louisville Speed School of
Engineering, with a master’s degree in
chemical engineering. He joined manufacturing as a process engineer at Zeochem in 2013.
The whole thing started when he was
in college. Chapman began collecting
spent cooking oil from restaurants for
biodiesel experiments. During his investigations, he was shocked at the
amount of oil restaurants were using. This inspired him to start experimenting with naturally occurring adsorbent silica to neutralize
fatty acids and free radicals, which cleanses
the oil and extends the life.
These experiments led to Chapman being a
recipient of the Vogt Award, a local innovation award which distributes USD 20,000 of
non-dilutive capital, enabling the founding of
FreshFry. FreshFry manufactures FreshFry
Pods, a packet which contains proprietary
materials to cleanse oil being used in deep
fryers, extending the life of the oil so restaurants can reduce costs. FreshFry also manufactures Fryer Eye, a Bluetooth enabled sensor which continuously monitors the oil
quality in a deep fryer.
Chapman began with the first production of
pods and was able to secure several local customers who used his technology in their restaurants. With the consent of Zeochem, Chapman works on the further development of his
product for local customers in his free time in
order to solidify his market and his brand.
From the companies
Wyssmont Dryer.
Chapman's current outlook for his venture
is to allow the restaurant market to take
FreshFry where it sees fit. He does not base
success on the rate of growth, but instead values the quality of development. He wishes to
develop enhancements based upon predetermined customer needs in order to use his
time and resources wisely.
Chapman made it a point to express why
Zeochem has been integral in his development as a professional. He points out that
while FreshFry gives him complete autonomy
with everything including product development, marketing, and sales, Zeochem allows
him to grow as an engineer. He most appreciates the ability to sharpen his problem-solving skills, receive mentorship, and learn large
scale business functionality while working
with a dedicated team.
Zeochem LLC plant manager, Jackie RustSchmidt, explains Chapman's dedication:
“Jeremiah has an excellent work ethic. He
loves to learn, is willing to listen to opposing
views and is willing to tackle difficult plant
CPH NEWS
33
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
People
Personnel matters in
the CPH Group
In the Paper division,
Alex S. Bellakovics joined
Perlen Papier AG as head
of Logistics on 1 April. He
has many years of experience in various management functions in transport logistics. The most
recent position Alex held was head of the
Carriers / Shippers Business Unit at SBB
Cargo AG.
problems. This has been demonstrated
in his work with the new silica bound
materials. He has worked closely with
the operators, R&D, and maintenance
to produce the precursor for the commercialization for the OP-76 and ESI-24
materials. In addition, Chapman has
been known to bring humour to the
group. That added dynamic helps add to
the strong team we are developing in the
manufacturing group. We try to never
take ourselves too seriously
but we get the job done together as a team. He is a
great pleasure to work
with.”
Chapman feels being a part of the passionate
Zeochem
team allows him to
34 CPH NEWS
maintain positivity in his own ventures. He iterates,
“I would never have pursued FreshFry if I did not
have the confidence Zeochem has instilled in me as
a professional. My passion is something I have
strengthened while here at Zeochem, a constant
with which I work, the application is the variable.”
Thank you to Forbes Inc. for recognizing and
honouring the accomplishments of young entrepreneurs and visionaries. Congratulations to Jeremiah on his well deserved recognition, the people
of Zeochem are proud to have you as a part of our
talented team of professionals.
Jennifer Rosenberg and Mike Steinmetz
Zeochem L.L.C.
The Sales department
in the Packaging division
was reinforced on 1 May
2015 when Daniel Egger
became Area Sales Manager responsible for the
Africa / Middle East /
South Asia region. Daniel
brings many years of international experience
in the pharmaceuticals segment with him.
Before joining us, Daniel worked in pharmaceutical packaging in the Sales and Export
In the Chemistry division, Steven M. unit at Amcor Flexibles.
Whitthoeft is retiring after 16 years of service
to be replaced by Robert
L. Gray as General Manager of Zeochem L.L.C.
“We would like thank Steven for his tireless efforts
and wish him all the best
for the future”, says Alois
Waldburg-Zeil, CEO of
the Zeochem Group. “We’re delighted that,
with Bob, we’ve found a successor with a profound knowledge of products and markets
who will expand Zeochem’s position going
forward.” Robert L. Gray boasts many years of
experience in the molecular sieve industry,
gathered largely at UOP. Part of the Honeywell Group, UOP is one of the world’s biggest
producers of molecular sieves. His most recent position at UOP was Global Business Director Separations, Additives and Specialties.
CPH NEWS
35
July 2015 //
July 2015 //
From the companies
Tradition
of appreciation
Anniversary celebrations were held in Perlen on Wednesday, 25 March 2015.
This year, 21 people counting 25, 35 and 45 years of service to our company
were honoured. This makes for a grand total of 615 years of loyal service.
36 CPH NEWS
D
People
nance, repair and overhaul services, upgrades
as well as manufacturing and integration of
subsystems on aircraft and helicopters –
throughout their entire service life. Split up
into two groups, we were given a guided tour
of various workshops. The two expert guides
had plenty to recount. Upon leaving the last
building, we encountered an F/A-18 rolling
across the airfield. Imposing, loud, fascinating.
The trip continued to Lake Lucerne, where
we enjoyed an excellent lunch in a restaurant
overlooking the lake.
After this, attention turned to the guests of
honour. Wolfgang Grimm opened the proceedings with a speech, highlighting among
other things that 14 people were celebrating
25 years of service in 2015 and another five 35
years of service. In addition, two faithful servants were celebrating an impressive 45 years
with the company. He honoured the first veteran, after which Philipp Morgenthaler, Peter
Henz and Daniel Büchi also expressed their
respect, thanks and appreciation to employees from their respective companies. Markus
Keller concluded the official part of the day
with a wide-ranging speech thanking all the
long-serving employees. After all this, desserts could be enjoyed in a relaxed atmosphere. There was just time to take a few
group photos before returning to Perlen: by
the lake, in the water, against a wonderful
mountain backdrop. There was plenty of
light-hearted posing, accompanied by much
laughter and wet shoes. Then the coach took
us back to Perlen, where the veterans had the
chance to see out the day in style in the restaurant.
aniel Büchi welcomed the guests of
honour that morning in the restaurant of Die Perle and took them on a
journey through time spanning 45 years. It’s
amazing what has happened around the world
over all that time, the technical innovations,
what people have discovered, achieved and
created. Listening, you always had the feeling:
Was it really that long ago? And then the surprise: But that was just the other day...
The day continued by coach, destination unknown. The journey did not take long – we
were expected at RUAG Aviation in Emmen.
RUAG Aviation is a leading supplier, support
provider and integrator of systems and components for civil and military aviation. The Anna Ragozzino
company’s core competencies include: mainte- CPH
CPH NEWS
37
Editorial team
contact address:
[email protected]
Anna Ragozzino, Editor-in-Chief,
CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG,
Tel. +41 41 455 87 56,
[email protected] |
Jacqueline Felber, Perlen Packaging,
Tel. +41 41 455 88 30,
[email protected] |
Dr. Armin Pfenninger, Zeochem AG,
Tel. +41 44 922 92 39,
[email protected] |
Christa Biotti, Perlen Papier AG,
Tel. +41 41 455 80 93,
[email protected] |
Christian Weber, CPH Chemie + Papier Holding AG,
Tel. +41 41 455 87 51,
[email protected]