WEIG
Family-owned German paper and board group producing recycled cartonboard, gypsum board and packaging across a closed recycling loop.
Last updated September 29, 2026
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Overview
WEIG is a family-owned German industrial group active in the international paper and cartonboard industry. Its origins trace to 1931, when the entrepreneur Moritz J. Weig took over the Cederwaldmühle in Bergisch Gladbach and renamed it Moritz J. Weig Papier- und Pappenfabrik. From that single mill the company grew into a group that today employs roughly 1,900 people at sites in Europe and South America and generates revenue of about 730 million euros. The group describes itself as an industrial service provider offering packaging, cartonboard products and recycling services with its own value chain, and it uses the claim "driven by care" to express its commitment to reliability and responsibility toward business partners, employees, the environment and society. WEIG's business is built around a closed loop that integrates three areas: RECYCLING, KARTON (cartonboard) and PACKAGING. The group collects recovered paper from retail and households, produces recycled cartonboard from that recovered paper, and converts it into packaging. Its cartonboard mills in Mayen and Annweiler have a combined annual capacity of roughly 730,000 tonnes, producing folding boxboard for the food and non-food sectors as well as gypsum board (Gipskarton) for the plasterboard industry. WEIG presents itself as a significant supplier of folding boxboard in Europe and an international manufacturer of gypsum board, serving a customer portfolio that ranges from multinational corporations to regional customers, and it engages in joint product development with customers. Product safety and process safety are central to WEIG-Karton's positioning. On four machines the company produces recycled cartonboard for food and non-food applications and gypsum board for the plasterboard industry, and it states that its products define standards and serve as preferred semi-finished goods for further processing. Beyond manufacturing, WEIG emphasizes service: its service staff support customers in their own plants worldwide, and the group offers individual consulting, tailored product design, technical advice and on-site support. A dedicated innovation function addresses topics such as barrier solutions for recycled cartonboard and the requirements of the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The group's history includes international expansion, notably into South America. In 1978 the founder's son established Cartones Yaguareté S.A. (CYSA) in Paraguay, described as the first company there to produce cartonboard from recovered paper. A sales company, WEIG Inc., was founded in the United States in 1993. In 2023 WEIG nearly doubled its total folding boxboard production capacity by acquiring Buchmann Karton GmbH; together with its sister plant in South America, WEIG's production capacity for recycled cartonboard is now approximately 1 million tonnes. The company remains owner-managed and privately held.
History
WEIG-Karton has its origins in 1931, when the entrepreneur Moritz J. Weig took over the Cederwaldmühle in Bergisch Gladbach and renamed it Moritz J. Weig Papier- und Pappenfabrik. In 1951 he had the cartonboard machine there rebuilt, including the installation of a smoothing cylinder; after the rebuild the machine had a working width of 160 cm and a daily output of up to 35 tonnes. This first cartonboard machine, later designated KM1, was subsequently dismantled and the Bergisch Gladbach site was closed. A second cartonboard machine, KM2, was built in Mayen with a working width of 250 cm and a daily capacity of 50 tonnes; it was demolished after being replaced by more modern machines. In 1964 the cartonboard machine KM3 followed, which still exists today. At the time its production capacity was 130 tonnes per day; after numerous rebuilds and modernizations, KM3 today produces around 700 tonnes per day with a working width of 430 cm. By 1969 two further cartonboard machines, KM4 and KM5, were built and commissioned at a new site, but production there was discontinued after some years. In 1969 Tecno-Karton was founded to build the first machine in Europe designed specifically for gypsum board. Two years later, directly next to KM3 at the Mayen works, KM6 was commissioned for gypsum board production; with a working width of 540 cm it then produced 250 tonnes per day. In 1977 KM3 was rebuilt and a new smoothing cylinder with a diameter of 6.1 m for folding boxboard was installed. In 1978 the founder's son established Cartones Yaguareté S.A. (CYSA) in Paraguay, the first company there to produce cartonboard from recovered paper. In 1988 a new stock preparation system for KM3 went into operation, described as the first installation in Europe able to work with 100 percent recovered paper. In 1991 a solid-fuel incineration plant for fibre rejects and ash was built. Two years later, in 1993, a production line for cores was built and the sales company WEIG Inc. was founded in the United States. In 1997 the WEIG logistics centre was commissioned, and it was already expanded in 2002 due to increased production. Following technical advances in the paper industry, KM3 was modernized in 2000 with the installation of a shoe press. KM6 was also modernized, being converted to a fourdrinier wire, and in 2006 its capacity was expanded. As energy consumption grew alongside production, a power plant expansion at the Mayen works was undertaken in 2007. In 2008 the KM7 was built in Paraguay for the South American market, and the WEIG logistics centre at Mayen was expanded again. In 2021 annual production amounted to 660,000 tonnes of cartonboard, of which 370,000 tonnes went into gypsum board production and 290,000 tonnes into folding boxes. In 2023 WEIG nearly doubled its total folding boxboard production capacity through the acquisition of Buchmann Karton GmbH; together with the sister plant in South America, WEIG's production capacity for recycled cartonboard is now approximately 1 million tonnes. The group today describes itself as a family business that has developed continuously over generations, combining entrepreneurial experience with a view to new markets, technologies and opportunities, and operating across the integrated areas of RECYCLING, KARTON and PACKAGING.
- 2023
WEIG acquires Buchmann Karton GmbH, nearly doubling folding boxboard capacity; combined with the South American sister plant, capacity reaches about 1 million tonnes.
- 2021
Annual production reaches 660,000 t of cartonboard: 370,000 t for gypsum board and 290,000 t for folding boxes.
- 2008
KM7 is built in Paraguay and the WEIG logistics centre at Mayen is expanded again.
- 2007
A power plant expansion at the Mayen works is undertaken.
- 2006
KM6 capacity is expanded.
- 2002
The WEIG logistics centre is expanded due to increased production.
- 2000
KM3 is modernized with the installation of a shoe press.
- 1997
The WEIG logistics centre is commissioned.
- 1993
A production line for cores is built and the sales company WEIG Inc. is founded in the United States.
- 1991
A solid-fuel incineration plant for fibre rejects and ash is built.
Products and positioning
Industrial service provider in the international paper and cartonboard industry, offering packaging, cartonboard products and recycling services with its own closed value chain; positioned around product safety, process safety and the claim "driven by care".
Folding boxboard (Faltschachtelkarton)
Recycled cartonboard for food and non-food packaging, produced on four machines.
Gypsum board (Gipskarton)
Cartonboard for the plasterboard industry, for efficient processes and stable plasterboards.
Testliner
A cartonboard product listed among WEIG's products.
Packaging solutions
Custom packaging design, technical consulting and on-site support.
Recycling services
Take-back of packaging recovered paper from retail and households.
Sources5 sources
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