90 years of Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik

Production, initially based in Berlin-Spandau, was relocated to Wustermark in 2004. Due to the most advanced production in Europe at the time, all doors were open to her for further expansive development. The corrugated cardboard experts were also the pioneers of today's Panther trio, to which the site has been expanded over the past 17 years. The competence center that has since been formed from Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik, Panther Display and Panther Print bundles their respective focal points and continuously expands the range of services.

Two extension buildings for display production at Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik mark the growth in this market segment. As early as 2015, Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik received an additional finished goods warehouse with an area of ​​15,000 m², which ensures significantly improved logistics processes.

As part of the current investment program, another high-end die-cutting line was installed at Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik last year. The fully automatic rotary die cutter with a working width of 2400 mm was completed on time despite restrictions caused by the pandemic. This state-of-the-art die-cutting line covers the production of the entire range of crates, trays, shelf-ready and other die-cut packaging for all customers. The system is designed for maximum precision and is fully automated with a prefeeder and a robot palletizer.

In addition, another inline machine with a working width of 2100 mm for the production of folding boxes has been added to the machine equipment at Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik since last year. It serves to meet the constantly increasing demand for high-quality folding boxes. The proven configuration of the Flexo Folder Gluer system forms the basis for the new investment. The combination of the three work steps of printing, folding and gluing in one machine is designed for efficient and high-quality production. The user-friendly, fully automated machine has the most modern technical equipment. These include, among other things, a creasing module separate from the die-cutting unit, a glue seam check and a ejection unit. Prefeeders, packing robots and camera controls complement the automation equipment for the entire line. All in all, it is possible to produce custom-fit, high-quality folding boxes in just one operation.

Success factor education and training

Traditionally, Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik supplies a large group of customers in Germany and in the neighboring regions of Eastern Europe. Thanks to our own development capacities for packaging and displays as well as consulting services for processes and systems, the experts are in close contact with customers from a wide variety of industries. A large part of the success of the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik is based on the promotion of young talent and the securing of know-how by taking on employees who have been trained in-house. The quality and high value of these training efforts have received multiple awards. In 2018, Brandenburg's prime minister, as patron, honored Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik as a "model for good training conditions". Awarded by the Brandenburg Training Consensus, this prize honors companies that stand out through outstanding quality and continuity in training and use innovative training elements. With the "TOP training company 2018" award from the IHK in the district of Potsdam, the plant has received just as important confirmation for its strategy of promoting young people. With the awards, Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik has demonstrated its sense of responsibility.

For the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik, as for all other Panther factories, the well-founded training designed for a successful professional life is of essential value. People are the focus of the entire group of companies. In this way, numerous young people at the Panther Group have laid the foundation for future-oriented professional development. They work i.a. as a packaging technologist, machine and plant operator, media technologist in printing, electronics or mechatronics technician, industrial mechanic, specialist in warehouse logistics or in commercial professions.

In addition, Panther offers the possibility of dual and trial studies. Many former trainees studied part-time after completing their training and subsequently took the opportunity for further work in the Panther Group. The companies Panther Display and Panther Print, also located in Wustermark, are other important training companies for the region.

Grow with challenges

The plants of the Panther Group and thus also the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik have so far mastered the extraordinary conditions that the corona pandemic has imposed on social, political and economic life since 2020. Important sales markets for the Panther Group turned out to be downright boom markets: the food and many non-food industries as well as online trading give Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik very good future prospects in the 90th year of its existence. This is also helped by the fact that corrugated board, a recyclable material, is being increasingly valued and used for its recyclability. These factors are decisive prerequisites for a sustained positive development of the Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik and the job prospects of the team.

Location advantage: Wustermark in Brandenburg

Wustermark is only a few kilometers away from the Brandenburg capital of Potsdam and the federal capital of Berlin. In the west of the two metropolises, embedded in the Havelland, various industrial companies have settled in recent years thanks to the excellent infrastructure, including the three Panther companies Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik, Panther Display and Panther Print. In September 2021, the GVZ (Freight Traffic Center) Wustermark will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. Almost the entire area of ​​around 127 hectares has been marketed, and 44 companies from a wide variety of sectors are currently based here. More than 4,000 new jobs have been created in Wustermark. Due to the advanced development of the area, there are currently considerations of expansion. The GVZ Wustermark has achieved an excellent 12th place in the European GVZ Ranking 2020 by the GVZ-Gesellschaft mbH.

The trio of the Panther Group has the perfect connection to the road, rail and waterway network, which opens up connections in all directions. The distance to the international airport of Berlin is barely 20 kilometers. In the immediate vicinity of the Döberitzer Heide, one of the largest nature reserves in the area, and on the Havelland Canal, Wustermark has an ideal location that combines proximity to the city with attractive nature and modern infrastructure. The Panther Group would like to help ensure that Wustermark continues to grow with a high quality of life and closeness to nature.