Papier Union

Papier Union was a major German paper wholesaler that emerged on 1 January 1988 from the merger of several independent paper merchants: Gebrüder Reinhard of Hemer, Richard Klippgen u. Co of Reinbek near Hamburg, Jedek & Ditter of Marktheidenfeld, and Gebrüder Rauch of Talheim. The company grew into one of Germany's leading paper trading groups, with a market share of around 20 percent. It operated a network of locations across Germany, divided into the regions North, Central, and South, and offered a broad range of products including paper, envelopes and mailing bags, printing accessories, screen printing and UV offset supplies, visual communication, packaging, and logistics. In 2012, the company reported selling around 470,000 tonnes of paper from approximately 9,500 articles. In 2000, the 34 shareholders of the formerly independent businesses sold their stakes to the Portuguese Inapa Group, integrating Papier Union into a pan-European paper wholesale group headquartered in Lisbon. Under Inapa, the company expanded through acquisitions in packaging and visual communication, including Hennessen + Potthoff, HTL Verpackung, ComPlott, GraphXPress, FLS Bildsysteme, and Realpack. In July 2020, Papier Union merged with Papyrus Deutschland to form Inapa Deutschland GmbH, which employed over 1,000 people at the time. Following the insolvency of both the parent Inapa group and its German subsidiary in July 2024, Japan Pulp and Paper Co., Ltd. signed a purchase agreement on 11 October 2024 for the three insolvent Inapa Deutschland operations. Since 1 December 2024, the former Inapa Deutschland group has operated under the new name Ovol Deutschland Gruppe, with the legal entity Ovol Papier Deutschland GmbH based in Düsseldorf. The Papier Union brand thus no longer exists as an independent company but remains a significant part of German paper wholesale history.

Papier Union GmbH Co. KG was formed on 1 January 1988 through the merger of the paper wholesalers Gebrüder Reinhard (Hemer), Richard Klippgen u. Co (Reinbek near Hamburg), Jedek & Ditter (Marktheidenfeld), and Gebrüder Rauch (Talheim). In 1989, the group invested 13.3 million DM across its various locations, with the majority (around 7.5 million DM) going to the central warehouse in Hemer for an expansion. A year later, the management moved from Frankfurt am Main to Hamburg. In February 1993, the North Rhine-Westphalia state cartel authority imposed final fines on the company and other major industry players for coordinating sales prices in the warehouse business. In 1998, the company changed its legal form to Papier Union GmbH, with Arndt Klippgen as managing director and spokesman. Two years later, the 34 shareholders of the formerly independent businesses sold their shares to the Inapa Group, aiming to prepare for the demands of a pan-European market. At that time, Papier Union operated 12 locations in Germany, divided into three regions: North, Central, and South. In 2004, the German Federal Cartel Office again imposed fines on the company and other major industry players for prohibited price fixing. In 2005, the matrix organization of business divisions and regional house structure was replaced by a divisional business area structure. In the same year, pmf Print Media Factoring GmbH was founded. In 2006, the packaging wholesalers Hennessen + Potthoff GmbH and HTL Verpackung GmbH were acquired by Papier Union subsidiary Inapa Packaging GmbH. In 2008, ComPlott - Art Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH was acquired by Papier Union subsidiary Inapa Viscom, and ComPlott - Papier Union GmbH was founded. This company acquired GraphXPress GmbH in 2009 and FLS Bildsysteme Vertriebs GmbH in 2012. Inapa Packaging acquired the packaging company Realpack GmbH in Wimsheim in 2013. In early July 2020, the two paper wholesalers Papier Union and Papyrus Deutschland merged and were renamed Inapa Deutschland GmbH. At that time, Inapa Deutschland employed over 1,000 people. On 22 July 2024, Bloomberg reported that both the parent company and the German subsidiary had filed for insolvency. On 11 October 2024, Japan Pulp and Paper Co., Ltd. signed the purchase agreement for the three insolvent Inapa Deutschland operations. Since 1 December 2024, the Inapa Deutschland group has operated under the new name Ovol Deutschland Gruppe. The legal entity is now Ovol Papier Deutschland GmbH (stylized OVOL), based in Düsseldorf, and is one of the industry leaders in German paper trading with around 20% market share.

• Papier Union GmbH Co. KG formed through merger of Gebrüder Reinhard, Richard Klippgen u. Co, Jedek & Ditter, and Gebrüder Rauch.

• Invested 13.3 million DM in locations, including 7.5 million DM for central warehouse expansion in Hemer.

• Management moved from Frankfurt am Main to Hamburg.

• Fined by North Rhine-Westphalia cartel authority for price coordination in warehouse business.

• Legal form changed to Papier Union GmbH; Arndt Klippgen became managing director and spokesman.

• 34 shareholders sold their shares to the Inapa Group.

• Fined by German Federal Cartel Office for prohibited price fixing.

• Matrix organization replaced by divisional structure; pmf Print Media Factoring GmbH founded.

• Inapa Packaging acquired Hennessen + Potthoff GmbH and HTL Verpackung GmbH.

• Inapa Viscom acquired ComPlott - Art Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH; ComPlott - Papier Union GmbH founded.

• ComPlott - Papier Union GmbH acquired GraphXPress GmbH.

• ComPlott - Papier Union GmbH acquired FLS Bildsysteme Vertriebs GmbH.

• Inapa Packaging acquired Realpack GmbH in Wimsheim.

• Papier Union and Papyrus Deutschland merged to form Inapa Deutschland GmbH.

• Inapa and German subsidiary filed for insolvency.

• Japan Pulp and Paper signed purchase agreement for three insolvent Inapa Deutschland operations.

• Inapa Deutschland group renamed Ovol Deutschland Gruppe.

One of Germany's leading paper wholesalers with approximately 20% market share, offering a broad range of paper, packaging, and visual communication products.

• Paper

  Wide range of paper products for printing and office use.

• Envelopes and mailing bags

  Envelopes and mailing bags for business and mailing needs.

• Printing accessories

  Accessories and supplies for printing processes.

• Screen printing and UV offset supplies

  Materials for screen printing and UV offset printing.

• Visual communication

  Products and systems for visual communication, including large-format printing.

• Packaging

  Packaging materials and solutions for various industries.

• Logistics

  Logistics services supporting paper and packaging distribution.

1. 1Wikidata: Papier Unionwikidata.org
2. 2Wikipedia (German): Ovolde.wikipedia.org