US Consul General Toko visits pulp mill

Mercer Stendal’s Managing Director, André Listemann, and Plant Manager, Martin Zenker, welcomed U.S. Consul General Kenichiro Toko to the Arneburg pulp mill on Wednesday, May 25, for a flying visit during his tour of the Altmark region.

During the tour, the leadership duo informed the native New Yorker, who has held the position of Consul General in Leipzig with responsibility for Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia since August 2020, about the mill, its goals achieved so far, and plans for the future.

“You don’t necessarily expect something like this in this area,” said Toko, who was impressed by the size of the plant in the rural Altmark region. Due to the pandemic throughout the past two years, this was his first visit to Arneburg since taking up his duties. Before his time in Leipzig, Toko had already been on diplomatic missions for his home country in China, Taiwan, Japan, and Ukraine.

Listemann was also pleased to welcome the mill’s guest: “It’s not every day that we receive a visit from a U.S. Consul General. Numerous questions testify to the high level of interest in our company, with Mercer’s American roots. We were able to present ourselves as good hosts and give Kenichiro Toko an insight into our work in the pulp mill.”

The focus of the Consul General’s work is on promoting exchanges in the fields of politics, education, and culture. “It’s about strengthening and deepening economic ties between the United States and central Germany,” Toko said. To that end, he said, the consulate general also works closely with chambers of commerce and industry.