Model Holding AG

Model Holding AG, headquartered in Weinfelden, Switzerland, is the holding and management company of the Model Group, a family-owned manufacturer of packaging solutions made from corrugated and solid board. Founded in 1882 by Louis Model as a hand-board factory in Ermatingen, the company has grown into an international group with around 4,300 employees at 15 European locations. It develops, produces and supplies intelligent, innovative and high-quality display and packaging solutions, serving customers with product packaging, transport packaging, promotional packaging and a broad range of packaging materials through its online Model Shop. The group is wholly owned by the Model family and is now led by the fourth and fifth generations. Dr. Daniel Model serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors, with Elisabeth Model as Vice-Chair, while Sarah Model and David Model act as Co-CEOs. This generational continuity is paired with a lean, process-oriented organization in which individual locations have their own sales and development teams and a high degree of individual responsibility. Model Group reported consolidated sales of CHF 936 million in 2025, with investments of CHF 36 million. Its operations include corrugated board production, solid board packaging and corrugated board paper production. The company is committed to sustainability, maintaining strong CDP performance and pursuing initiatives such as the use of electric trucks (eActros 600) to power the paper cycle. It also runs the Model Young Package competition, an international design competition for packaging that attracts hundreds of entries from dozens of countries. With a history spanning more than 140 years, Model Holding combines entrepreneurial continuity with continuous development. Its portfolio spans packaging for consumer goods, logistics and retail, and it remains focused on its core business of corrugated board and paper. The group's headquarters in Weinfelden also houses its paper mill, which has evolved from a hand-board operation into a modern recycling and production facility.

Model Holding AG traces its origins to 1882, when Louis Model founded a hand-board factory in Ermatingen, Switzerland. In 1915, the operation was expanded with a cardboard department to process hand-board into finished packaging. After the founder's death, Otto Model took over the sole proprietorship in 1929 and moved the business two years later to Weinfelden, into the former Bühler weaving mill. Under his leadership, the first cylinder mould cardboard machine for producing cardboard products was commissioned in 1939, marking the transition from a craft operation to an industrial enterprise. When Otto Model died in 1940 during the clearing of a frozen industrial canal, his widow Elsa Model continued the company under the name Otto Model & Co. When she married Henri Müller in 1945, he also joined the firm. In 1953, the production of corrugated board and its processing into packaging began. With Otto Model Jr., the third generation took over operational management in 1961. He became President of the Board of Directors in 1974 and handed over management to his younger brother Peter L. Model. In 1975, Model entered waste recycling and founded the subsidiaries Recufibra AG and Poly Recycling AG. These were sold in 1999 as part of the concentration on the core packaging business. Model Holding AG was founded in 1982 as the parent company of the Model Group. The company subsequently grew through several acquisitions both domestically and abroad. In 1995, Martin U. Model and Daniel Model, the fourth generation of the Model family, acquired the majority of Model Holding. Eleven years later, Elisabeth Model, Daniel Model's wife, joined them. Daniel Model took over overall operational management. During this period, the concentration on the core business of corrugated board and paper was decided, with the consequence of divesting the plastics recycling division. Expansion in core activities was driven by various acquisitions and the opening of subsidiaries, particularly in Eastern Europe. In July 2024, Daniel and Elisabeth Model handed over the leadership of the Swiss business to two of their three children. David Model, a lawyer and business economist, became Chairman of the Board of Model AG in Weinfelden, while Sarah Model, an art historian with a minor in business administration, became Delegate of the Board of Directors and head of the cardboard factory. She had previously, at age 24, managed the integration of an acquired corrugated packaging plant in Thuringia with 400 employees. The Weinfelden paper mill has also seen significant development. In 2017, efforts were made to use a patented and secret vacuum system to separate the outer layer of beverage cartons and reuse the valuable long paper fibers for corrugated board production. The facility, named "Fibre Evolution", was designed to have a capacity of 75,000 tons per year, more than enough to recycle all beverage cartons in Switzerland. In 2020, the plant's operation was stopped and in 2021 it was converted to recycling conventional waste paper. Today, Model Group employs around 4,300 people at 15 European locations and reported consolidated sales of CHF 936 million in 2025. The group remains wholly owned by the Model family and is led by the fourth generation on the Board of Directors and the fifth generation as Co-CEOs.

• 2025

  Model Group reports consolidated sales of CHF 936 million and investments of CHF 36 million.

• 2024

  Daniel and Elisabeth Model hand over leadership of the Swiss business to David and Sarah Model.

• 2021

  The plant is converted to recycling conventional waste paper.

• 2020

  The Fibre Evolution plant stops operation.

• 2017

  Efforts begin to use a patented vacuum system (Fibre Evolution) to separate beverage cartons for fiber recovery.

• 2006

  Elisabeth Model joins the ownership group.

• 1999

  Recufibra AG and Poly Recycling AG are sold as part of focusing on the core packaging business.

• 1995

  Martin U. Model and Daniel Model acquire the majority of Model Holding.

• 1982

  Model Holding AG is founded as the parent company of the Model Group.

• 1975

  Model enters waste recycling, founding Recufibra AG and Poly Recycling AG.

• 1974

  Otto Model Jr. becomes President of the Board of Directors; Peter L. Model takes over management.

• 1961

  Otto Model Jr. takes over operational management, representing the third generation.

• 1953

  Production of corrugated board and its processing into packaging begins.

• 1940

  Otto Model dies; his widow Elsa Model continues the company as Otto Model & Co.

• 1939

  The first cylinder mould cardboard machine is commissioned, marking the transition to industrial production.

• 1931

  The business moves to Weinfelden into the former Bühler weaving mill.

• 1929

  Otto Model takes over the sole proprietorship after the founder's death.

• 1915

  The operation is expanded with a cardboard department to process hand-board into finished packaging.

• 1882

  Louis Model founds a hand-board factory in Ermatingen, Switzerland.

Family-owned, generation-spanning Swiss packaging group focused on innovative, sustainable corrugated and solid board solutions for the point of sale and logistics.

• Product packaging

  High-quality packaging to present products at the point of sale and reliably protect their content.

• Transport packaging

  Packaging adapted to logistics and extremely durable.

• Promotional packaging

  Printed with state-of-the-art processes, cost-efficient and eye-catching at the point of sale.

• Model Shop range

  An extensive range of packaging, cardboard boxes, cartons and packaging material available in the online shop.

1. 1Model Group – Extra in the Ordinary | Model Groupmodelgroup.com
2. 2The Company | Model Group Switzerlandmodelgroup.com
3. 3Ethics Hotline | Model Group Switzerlandmodelgroup.com
4. 4Code of Conduct | Model Group Switzerlandmodelgroup.com
5. 5Model Holdingwikidata.org
6. 6Model Holdingde.wikipedia.org