The Papyrus head office is located in Mölndal, Göteborg on the Swedish west coast. Mölndal, that literary means “Mill Valley”, was originally built on the banks of a small river that drops 48 metres over this particular 800-metre stretch. The first grain mills were built here in the 9th century, taking advantage of the energy of the rapids. In the 16th century some 40 mills of various kinds had their waterwheels powered by the rapids at Mölndal.
The first paper mill was established in 1653. Production was gradually industrialised and towards the end of the 19th century Mölndal could boast the most technically advanced paper mill in Sweden. Swedish dynasty Wallenberg bought the mill in 1895 and made it famous under the name Papyrus. In connection with the merger of Stora and Enso in 1998, the well-known Papyrus brand was chosen as the name for the European merchant operation.
A company of many success stories
The history of Papyrus clearly illustrates the development of the industry during the 20th century, a transition from small-scale business in a fragmented market to consolidation and pan-European operations. This development set a new and higher pace in the 1980s – partly because new EU rules paved the way for it, partly because the former Eastern European countries opened up. We had simply reached a point in history where the concept of a home market made no sense anymore.
So, Papyrus wasn’t always big. We came from an array of merchant operations that were significant in their home markets, but were too small to make any difference on a European scale. Today, we are a proud, united company with many success stories, competencies and a clear commitment to providing our customers with first-class service. We respect and understand their business needs and offer support whenever and wherever we can. This is a commitment we share throughout the organisation, across Europe.
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What's in the name? |