Wepa Papierfabrik

WEPA (Westfälische Papierfabrik) was founded in 1948 by Paul Krengel as a wholesale company for lining, wrapping, and gift wrap paper. It was not until 1953 that the processing of hygiene papers began in Arnsberg. In 1958, the company's own paper production began with the construction of the first paper machine for crepe paper in Müschede.

Construction of the plant in Marsberg-Giershagen in 1963 marked the beginning of further processing for the manufactured paper. In 1980, the company started to develop its first private labels, which have become a core field of activity of the company since then. During the 1970s and 1980s, Paul Krengel's four sons – Paul Jr., Wolfgang, Joachim and Martin Krengel – gradually joined the company and subsequently took over its management.

In 2001, WEPA took over Kriepa GmbH in Kriebethal (today WEPA Saxony), where a joint venture with the paper factory Kübler & Niethammer had already existed since 1990. Because WEPA products such as toilet paper occupy a large volume relative to their comparatively low price during transport, additional sites were established across Europe in order to keep transport distances short.

From 2004 onwards, the company expanded. WEPA consequently founded the joint venture GC & WEPA S.L. in Ejea de los Caballeros, Spain, and took over the majority shares of the Polish hygiene paper manufacturer Fabryka Papieru Piechowice SA (today WEPA Piechowice) and the Mainz mill of Kimberly-Clark. Beginning in 2008, the dependences of Italian competitor Kartogroup in Italy (Lucca and Cassino), Germany (Leuna) and France (Lille) were also integrated into the WEPA Group. As Kartogroup was almost as large as WEPA and was insolvent, the acquisition was regarded as rather risky, particularly as the global financial crisis occurred during this period. Against this background, a cooperation with the investment company Pamplona Capital was entered into in 2010, but this was terminated shortly thereafter due to differing views on corporate governance. Even without investment capital, the integration of Kartogroup subsequently succeeded.

In 2015, WEPA sold its shares in the Spanish joint venture and bought a further site in Troyes, France. Two years later, with the takeover of the family business Van Houtem, a site in Swalmen, Netherlands, for the manufacture of away-from-home products was incorporated.

In 2018, WEPA took over all shares of the joint venture UK Northwood & WEPA LTD (now WEPA UK), which was founded in 2014 in Bridgend.

In 2019, WEPA expanded its locations with the acquisition of the Greenfield plant in Château-Thierry, France. WEPA Greenfield only produces recycled fibres (DIP) cleaned of printing ink. WEPA is therefore represented with thirteen locations in six European countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic from spring 2020 onwards, demand for toilet paper increased and production was temporarily standardised to a basic product, allowing the machines to run without programme changes and enabling the company to meet the high demand.

Since 2021, Andreas Krengel has been part of the management alongside his father, Martin Krengel. During the global energy crisis around 2022, production was partially suspended for the first time in the company's history due to high energy prices.

Company structure and production sites

The WEPA Group consists of a number of companies, with WEPA SE acting as the parent company for around 20 national and international subsidiaries. The headquarters, as well as a large part of the administration of the WEPA Group, is located in Müschede, Arnsberg. The company is owned by the Krengel family. Through the so-called WEPA Academy, the company offers, among other things, professional training courses and language courses for its employees.

As of 2025, WEPA operates 14 production sites in six European countries at the following locations:

Arnsberg-Müschede, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Marsberg-Giershagen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany