Felix Schoeller
Corporate brand
UnclaimedGerman family-owned manufacturer of specialty papers, from photographic base paper to decor, release liner, sublimation and packaging papers.
Last updated September 26, 2026
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Overview
Felix Schoeller is a German manufacturer of specialty papers headquartered in Osnabrück, Lower Saxony. Founded in 1895 by Felix Hermann Maria Schoeller as a paper mill in Gretesch (today part of Osnabrück), the company has remained family-owned for five generations and is today owned by more than 150 family members. It develops, produces and markets specialty paper solutions worldwide, ranging from photographic and digital printing papers to decor papers for the furniture and wood-based panel industries, release liners, sublimation papers and flexible paper composites for packaging. The company describes itself as a global player with production facilities in Germany, North America, China, Russia and India, and states that it has been developing, producing and marketing specialty paper solutions worldwide for over 130 years. Historically, Felix Schoeller was a pioneer in photographic base paper. It set up its photo paper business in 1900, established a US sales office in 1912, opened the Pulaski mill in New York State in 1962, and installed its first extruder to coat photographic base paper in 1964. In 1980 the product range was concentrated on photographic base paper, and in 1986 the company built what it described as the world's most powerful paper machine for photographic base paper, PM 1, in Osnabrück. With the shift from analogue to digital photography in the 1990s, the company diversified into inkjet papers and decor papers, acquiring the decor business of Technocell AG in 1993 and establishing Technocell Dekor. In the decor paper segment, Felix Schoeller is one of the three market leaders in Europe. Today the group operates internationally with production sites in Germany, North America, China, Russia and India. Its product portfolio includes decor papers, photographic and digital printing papers, release liners, sublimation papers, packaging papers and other specialty papers. The company positions itself under the claim "PAPER MADE FOR LIFE", emphasizing sustainable solutions and the power of paper. Since June 2018, Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp has led the company as the fifth generation of the family to do so. The company has stated a vision for 2030 to remain financially healthy and independent, to be represented in all growth markets and economic areas, and to act agilely on opportunities. It reports a global presence in 9 countries with headquarters in Osnabrück and around 2,500 employees worldwide, while German Wikipedia cites around 3,700 employees at eleven worldwide locations.
History
Felix Schoeller was founded in 1895 by Felix Hermann Maria Schoeller (1855–1907), son of papermaker Felix Heinrich Schoeller, who took over the Grunersche Papierfabrik in Gretesch (since 1972 a district of Osnabrück) and established the Papierfabrik Felix Schoeller jr to produce photographic base papers. Already a year later, the first paper machine started up in Burg Gretesch, and the first rolls went to the company Gevaert in Belgium. In addition to photographic base papers, Felix Schoeller continued to produce papers from the previous owner's range, including document papers, drawing papers and packaging papers. After his death in 1907, his sons Felix Heribert, Lothar and Gerhard Schoeller took over the management. In 1912 the company founded the Felix Schoeller Paper Company in the United States, based in New York. In 1932 the first attempts were made to produce coated paper. After the end of the Second World War, the company continued to grow. In 1949 the third Schoeller generation, Klaus, Felix Richard and Gert Schoeller, joined the management. In 1962 Schoeller had an export share of over 60 percent for the first time. From 1964, Hans-Georg Gallenkamp, son-in-law of Gerhard Schoeller, was a member of the management board. In 1978 the company generated sales of about 170 million marks. When Hans-Michael Gallenkamp (born 1945), a grandson of Gerhard Schoeller, took over the management in 1980, he streamlined the product range. From then on, with few exceptions, only photographic base paper was produced. In 1986 he had the world's most powerful paper machine for photographic base paper, PM 1, built in Osnabrück. In 1989 sales at the main plant exceeded 500 million marks. After German reunification, Schoeller took over the "Freiberger Papierfabrik zu Weißenborn GmbH", then the leading provider of photographic base papers in Eastern Europe. At the same time, the focus on photographic base paper production was abandoned, because the technology shift from analogue to digital photography began and was seen as a major threat in the photo industry. Felix Schoeller began developing and producing papers for high-quality, photo-like digital prints, essentially inkjet prints at the time. The company also diversified into another area of specialty paper production: decor papers for the wood-based materials industry. In 1991 the company bought the "Papierfabrik zu Penig GmbH". In 1993 it acquired two plants of Technocell AG, Pasing and Günzach – the second-largest investment since the company was founded. Technocell AG became Technocell Dekor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Felix Schoeller and a manufacturer of high-quality decor papers. These specialty papers are used for the decorative coating of wood-based materials and are impregnated with synthetic resins in printed or unprinted form and then laminated or bonded to the carrier material. In 1998 the paper mill in Titisee-Neustadt was acquired, and expansion of the Weißenborn plant began, where all production steps – from base paper production to finishing with a polyethylene (PE) coating and the application of color-receiving layers to converting and storage – are under one roof. In 2000 the Felix Schoeller Limited in the United Kingdom was closed; in 2004 the company refused to settle pension claims of 392 former employees. In 2001 Felix Schoeller and Kunz Holding founded Technocell Inc, a joint venture to produce decor papers for the North American market; the joint venture ended in 2003 when Felix Schoeller took over all Kunz shares. Since 2006 Technocell Dekor has also been present on the Russian market with the Mayak-Technocell plant in Penza, where a new paper machine, PM 5, was built in 2009 to serve the growing Russian and Eastern European market. In 2007 Bernhard Klofat took over the management of the company, and Hans-Michael Gallenkamp moved to the chairmanship of the company advisory board; with Bernhard Klofat, a non-family managing director led the company for the first time. In 2007 Felix Schoeller lost its major customer Fuji Corporation, which had been a buyer of Schoeller products for 25 years; as a result, the company announced in October 2007 the cutting of about 270 jobs at the Osnabrück site and 25 at other sites in Germany and overseas. In 2007 Felix Schoeller Supply Chain Technologies was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary to develop and implement RFID-based solutions for supply chain monitoring; Felix Schoeller had been implementing supply chain monitoring systems since the mid-1990s. Also in 2007, the German Federal Cartel Office investigated Felix Schoeller Holding and Technocell Dekor in Osnabrück and other companies in the industry on suspicion of competition restrictions. Since June 2018, Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp has led the company as the fifth generation of the family. The company states that it has been family-owned since its foundation and that five generations have made the transition from a former photo base paper producer to a global manufacturer of specialty papers. Today Felix Schoeller has production facilities in Germany, North America, China, Russia and India. On the occasion of its 130th anniversary, the company stated a vision for 2030: to remain financially healthy and independent, to be agile in seizing opportunities, and to be represented in all growth markets and economic areas.
- 2018
Hans-Christoph Gallenkamp becomes CEO, fifth-generation family leader.
- 2009
New paper machine PM 5 built at the Mayak-Technocell plant in Penza, Russia.
- 2007
Bernhard Klofat becomes CEO, the first non-family managing director; loss of major customer Fuji Corporation leads to job cuts; Felix Schoeller Supply Chain Technologies founded.
- 2006
Technocell Dekor enters the Russian market with the Mayak-Technocell plant in Penza.
- 2003
Joint venture ends as Felix Schoeller takes over all Kunz shares.
- 2001
Felix Schoeller and Kunz Holding found Technocell Inc, a joint venture for decor papers for North America.
- 1998
Acquisition of the paper mill in Titisee-Neustadt; expansion of the Weißenborn plant begins.
- 1993
Acquisition of the decor business of Technocell AG and establishment of Technocell Dekor.
- 1991
Acquisition of Papierfabrik zu Penig GmbH.
- 1990
Diversification of business operations with high-quality specialty paper for inkjet printers and decor papers.
Products and positioning
Global specialty paper manufacturer and one of Europe's three market leaders in decor paper, combining innovation and tradition under the claim "PAPER MADE FOR LIFE".
Decor papers
Specialty papers for the decorative coating of wood-based materials, used in the furniture and wood-based panel industries.
Photographic & digital printing papers
Photographic base papers and papers for high-quality digital printing, including inkjet.
Release liner
Specialty papers for self-adhesive applications.
Sublimation papers
Papers for sublimation printing applications.
Packaging papers
Flexible paper composites for packaging solutions.
Other specialty papers
Additional specialty paper solutions for various industrial applications.
Sources6 sources
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