Packaging Solutions with Foresight
Interview with Peter Wattenbach, Managing Director of Paul Lindner GmbH
For over 175 years, Paul Lindner GmbH has successfully held its ground in the market – focusing on innovation, sustainability, and customer proximity. The company has become a leading manufacturer of packaging solutions: Particularly the L-BOXeco, an innovational product made from recycled old paper, sets new standards in terms of sustainability. We spoke with Managing Director Peter Wattenbach about the constant forward-looking approach.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Wattenbach, founded in 1846, your company can look back on a long history. How did it begin, and where does the company stand today?
Paul Lindner: Our company was originally founded as a bookbindery and printing house. In the early years, the focus was on printing and binding books. Over the decades, the company evolved and increasingly processed solid cardboard for book covers. In addition to book production, slipcases made of solid cardboard were also manufactured for particularly valuable books. Over time, the focus shifted more towards packaging production. My grandfather eventually opened up a new business field for the company with the processing of corrugated cardboard, establishing it primarily as a corrugating firm in the market. In the last 15 years, we have significantly expanded our portfolio and focused more on processing foams.
Wirtschaftsforum: What are your product focuses and who are your customers?
Paul Lindner: Today, we specialize in industrial packaging. We do not produce typical retail packaging. Instead, we focus on customized packaging solutions for industrial goods – particularly for machine parts, electronic components, and other specialized applications. Our customer range is diverse: A large part consists of companies from the electronics industry. In addition, we also supply companies from the furniture and industrial furniture production sectors, metalworking companies, including those in the railway technology sector, drainage technology, as well as customers from the automotive industry and many other industrial sectors. Our business strategy is based on being flexible to different requirements without specializing in a single industry. This allows us to offer a wide range of individual packaging solutions.
Wirtschaftsforum: For many companies, sustainability is increasingly becoming a fundamental requirement in terms of packaging. How do they address this?
Paul Lindner: We place great importance on developing and manufacturing sustainable packaging. However, the implementation of such solutions heavily depends on the customers: For many companies, sustainability is indeed a top priority, while for others it is less so. This is surely also because economic challenges and thus cost efficiency currently take the forefront. Nevertheless, we try to point our customers toward sustainable alternatives and often suggest switching from foam solutions to corrugated cardboard. If a company is open to alternatives, we usually first develop a packaging solution from corrugated cardboard, which is more sustainable than a foam solution. In some cases, a combination of both materials makes sense. However, when dealing with very delicate goods, foam packaging is unavoidable, as there is no sustainable alternative available yet.
Wirtschaftsforum: Can you give us an example of a sustainable packaging solution?
Paul Lindner: We have worked intensively to develop a sustainable alternative to conventional bubble foam sliders. Our L-BOXeco is actually a world first, as it completely replaces the previous PU bubble foam with a fiber cast solution. This is made from 100% recycled waste paper and is produced in a special molding process. The cushioning properties and damping effect are fully preserved and are just as high as with PU foam. The material structure optimally adapts to the packaged goods and unfolds its protective effect. With this, we have created a 100% sustainable solution that not only protects the environment but also meets the highest packaging requirements.
Wirtschaftsforum: Looking into the future: What will be the focus of your company’s further development in the coming years?
Paul Lindner: Our goal is to continue to successfully assert ourselves in the market - just as we have done in the past decades. We focus on innovation and tailored solutions to distinguish ourselves from the competition. To attract new customers, we are increasingly relying on digital media and online marketing alongside trade fair appearances. With short videos for social media, which we post on YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn, we want to increase our visibility and specifically address potential customers. We know that standing still is not an option. Therefore, we remain active, innovative, and customer-oriented – to be successful in the market in the future.