Our story, in a nutshell.
As a family business, we invest across generations and use the synergies within our group of companies for the benefit of all. Our shared history combines Swedish roots with a strong connection to Basel, in the heart of Europe, where Switzerland, Germany and France meet.
- 1947
The Group’s foundation
In the beginning, we brokered sales of wood and pulp from Sweden to Switzerland on an agency basis. This was shortly after the Second World War, when the two countries were already able to trade with foreign countries again thanks to their relatively intact infrastructure.
Shortly afterwards, these activities could be expanded to the entire German-speaking region, to Germany and Austria. The Group subsequently had subsidiaries in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, England and Greece.
In the course of time, the group focused not only on the distribution of pulp and paper, but also on the trade in recovered paper.
- 1980s
Specialty chemicals
In the 1980s, the use of chemicals developed to optimise paper production. As a result, the sale of these specialty chemicals was added as a new business segment. Distribution was taken up and purposefully expanded.
This led to the creation of a separate company focusing on chemicals for optimizing paper and improving water treatment in paper production and wastewater treatment plants (ACAT). - 2005
Nonwovens
New technical possibilities made it possible to use not only cellulose as a fiber for paper production, but also similar processes with artificial fibers and endless filaments as a base material for nonwovens.
Due to their technical proximity to paper production, many customers (paper producers) invested in these processes. We identified the sale of these technical textiles as a new business segment and took up the sale of technical textiles and nonwovens. This led to the formation of anowo AG in 2005. - 2019
Odor neutralization
Due to population growth, residents are moving closer and closer to paper mills and sewage treatment plants. This leads to conflicts because of the odor pollution of our customers’ water treatment systems.
At the beginning of this century, this was recognized as a new business segment and agents for odor neutralization on a natural basis were offered. This activity started with a focus on industrial sectors (such as paper production, wastewater treatment plants, asphalt production) and could later be expanded to commercial sectors (hospitals, hotels, restaurants, etc.) and the consumer sector (private households). This led to the formation of the Skyvell company.
Today, our group of companies employs around 120 people based on an annual turnover of around 70 million euros.