Local commitment: Mercer Board of Directors discusses safety, sustainability, and growth

Last week, the Board Directors of Mercer International visited the German mills of Mercer Timber Products (MTP) and Mercer Stendal (MS). The visit provided the board members with a valuable opportunity to see firsthand the progress made in the areas of occupational safety, innovation, and, in particular, the long-standing cooperation with selected customers.

Mercer Timber Products: Focus on safety and efficiency in Thuringia

At Mercer Timber Products (MTP) in Saalburg-Ebersdorf, one of the region’s most important employers specializing in the production of high-quality sawn timber products from sustainable forestry, the focus was on occupational safety. The Board members were impressed by the safety performance achieved, which is reflected in six accident-free months. The consistent “Road to Zero” program, which won the Thuringian Occupational Safety Award in 2024 and was nominated for the German Occupational Safety Award in 2025, demonstrates the company’s strong commitment to a preventive safety culture.

The Board of Directors during a joint tour of the factory premises in Friesau with MTP team members

During the tour of the metalworking shop and warehouse, the progress made regarding ergonomic workplace design at the sawn timber producer became clear. Afterwards, the participants discussed concepts for future modernization. An open exchange with managers and safety officers occurred during a round table discussion, which allowed for a detailed examination of current developments and challenges.

Mercer Stendal and Sofidel: Strategic partnership for sustainable innovation

The visit to Mercer Stendal in Arneburg also gave the Board members insights into future-oriented projects and the established cooperation with Sofidel Germany. Mercer Stendal is a major production site for high-quality softwood (NBSK) pulp and operates one of the largest biomass power plants in Germany. The delegation first visited the hygiene paper manufacturer Sofidel’s plant in Arneburg. Stefan Gleitz, plant manager at Sofidel, led the tour. Sofidel and Mercer have been business partners for almost 30 years. Mercer is an important supplier of pulp, the main raw material used in paper production, to Sofidel. Both companies attach great importance to sustainable production processes.

In a roundtable discussion between the Board members and the management team at Mercer Stendal, current projects and initiatives were presented to enable the company to contribute to achieving the Group’s goals. On the path to a more sustainable future, Mercer Stendal launched the OPEX program. OPEX stands for Operational Excellence. This is a Mercer-wide initiative that focuses on increasing efficiency and achieving goals through improved resource utilization and waste reduction. The goal is to establish a corporate culture that stands for personal responsibility, cooperation, and continuous improvement. Decisions are made based on data, and automation makes processes more stable and secure. Employees who take personal ownership and managers who act as coaches promote cross-departmental cooperation and thus more efficient processes.

Employees from Mercer and Sofidel met with the Mercer Board of Directors to tour the plants in Arneburg.

During the subsequent tour of the plant, Steffen Ratzlow, Production Manager at Mercer Stendal, provided valuable insights into the operational processes in the control room and the chipping plant, among other things. The tour ended at the Mercer Fiber Center. The recently expanded laboratory simulates and analyzes the industrial preparation and processing of cellulose fibers in papermaking. Imanuel Kriesten, manager of the Fiber Center, provided insight into the team’s work and highlighted the laboratory’s focus on technical sales and application-specific customer consulting. The Fiber Center enables Mercer to offer its customers real added value in pulp processing and the development of customized pulp grades. This was well received by the visitors. Future pulp applications in innovative areas such as thermoforming and the use of aspen pulp were discussed.

Conclusion:

The Supervisory Board’s visit to Mercer International’s German plants demonstrated the company’s clear commitment to high safety standards, continuous innovation, and building long-term partnerships. The progress made in the “Road to Zero” program at Mercer Timber Products and the future-oriented developments at the Mercer Fiber Center and in the area of sustainability at Mercer Stendal, in cooperation with partners such as Sofidel, demonstrate Mercer’s strategic focus on sustainable growth.