100 employees stand to lose their jobs because of the economic difficulties of the Lenninger company. Large buyers for its grass paper are still lacking. The Scheufelen workforce must once again cope with bad news: The company filed for insolvency yesterday. "Despite significantly cutting staff, we have massive fixed costs," says managing director Stefan Radlmayr, explaining the recurring difficulties faced by the Lenninger company in an interview with regional newspaper Teckbote.
Insolvency proceedings
The sales of grass paper had grown much slower than expected. Currently, the 100 employees produce 500 to 1,000 tons per month. To be economical, at least three times that amount should be produced. Due to the low sales, the investors had to pay a higher six-digit sum per month. "That's where we failed," says Stefan Radlmayr.
Now, a bankruptcy trustee will take care of the continuation of the company. Wages and salaries of employees are secured until May 1st. According to the Chairman of the Advisory Board of Scheufelen GmbH, among the major buyers were Rewe and Norma. They bought trays for fruits and vegetables or bags made of grass paper. But on the whole, the market is apparently still too cautious about the innovative product.
Innovative concept
At last year's Fruit Logistica, the company's grass paper won another bronze award at the Innovation Award. The organic packaging material consists of 50 percent fresh grass fibers and is fully recyclable and biodegradable. The use of grass fibers, a renewable raw material, should help to reduce energy and water consumption. Conventional pulp fibers require 30,000 liters of water and 6,000 kW/h of energy per ton, compared to 0 liters and 150 kW/h for grass fibers.
For more information:
Scheufelen GmbH
Adolf-Scheufelen-Straße 26
73252 Lenningen
Phone: +49 7026 / 66 - 0
Telefax: +49 7026 / 66 - 32 701
E-mail: [email protected]
www.scheufelen.com
