Displaying items by tag: vipap videm krsko

RIDG Holding Group, the new Czech owner of Slovenian paper mill Vipap Videm Krško, continues to restructure and modernize. The top management is newly expanded by Mojca Mia Berger, the new CFO, and Aleš Lavrič, Director of Logistics. Last November, the company appointed the new CEO Petr Domin, and in March it introduced the new HR Director Vesna Kemper. The new management aims to streamline the operation of the company and to increase its flexibility, the level of education of its employees, and the profitability of the company.

• Slovenian paper mill Vipap Videm Krško has appointed Mojca Mia Berger as the new CFO.

• Aleš Lavrič became the new Director of Logistics. He will be responsible not only for increasing efficiency in the field of logistics but also for purchasing and planning.

• The new Czech owner RIDG Holding Group continues to carry out an intensive restructuring, even during the coronavirus pandemic, to increase the flexibility and level of education of its employees in the future.

Mojca Mia Berger has previously worked as the Head of Finance & Controlling for American & Efird (A&E Europe). She has extensive experience not only at the local but also at the regional level. During her 20-year career, she has held senior positions in the finance departments of Hewlett-Packard, Knauf Insulation, and the Imperial Tobacco Group. Mojca Mia Berger graduated from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Ljubljana. "I am glad to expand Vipap's management and participate in the development of its strategy, including restructuring and subsequent optimization. Further strengthening the financial team is important for long-term economic growth. The most common fields for improvement are the cash flow predictions, inventory management, cost allocation, and financial reporting processes. Therefore, I will primarily focus on improving work with data and the management information system,” Mojca Mia Berger explains her role at Vipap Videm Krško.

The new Director of Logistics Aleš Lavrič comes from Yaskawa Europe Robotics, where he was responsible for purchasing activities and the functioning of the supply chain. Aleš Lavrič worked for 12 years in the field of purchasing and logistics, 5 years devoted to the development and for 6 years focused on the implementation of IT solutions. He graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana. He describes his new vision for the development of paper mill Vipap Videm Krško: “I believe in the principles of lean production and constant progress. But it is a process that never ends. In other words, if we reach the comfort zone, changes need to be made. These depend on increased economic efficiency, but not at the expense of safety, health, or the protection of the environment."

"An appointment of Mojca and Aleš is a crucial step for the further development of our paper mill. They are experienced managers who have demonstrated their skills several times during their careers. I am glad to welcome them to our team and I believe that they will play a key role in the enterprise modernization and the strategic development of the company and our employees. The top management of the company is complete now and together we are ready for new challenges. Now we have managers in the team who already have extensive experience in our company, such as Technical Director Milena Resnik or Sales Director Ladislav Kristančič, as well as our new colleagues who will certainly bring a fresh breeze," explains Chairman of the Board and CEO of Vipap Videm Krško Petr Domin.

The further development of the paper mill is also proven by the new acquisitions in production. The company's latest steps include the installation of a new WIN CC operating system in machines or the modernization of a cutting unit worth € 350,000 (more than CZK 9 million). Last year a new bearing roller worth € 89,500 (almost CZK 2.5 million) was installed, and this April also a second support roller with a new elastic lining worth € 47,500 (over CZK 1.2 million). These investments are among the key steps that are turning Vipap Videm Krško into one of the most modern paper mills in Central Europe.

More than a quarter of a billion CZK will be invested in expanding the production of food packaging

• Restructuring of Slovenian paper mill Vipap Videm Krško under the leadership of the new Czech owner RIDG Holding continues, despite the coronavirus circumstances. 

• A greater production flexibility and a wider range of products should help to make the company more competitive. It will be achieved by a quarter-billion investment in modern technologies for the production of food packaging. On the contrary, the share of newsprint is to fall.

• The improving prospects of the company are supported by the expected end of sharp fluctuations in the recycled paper market, which is Vipap Videm Krško paper mill's main input raw material.

While until now newsprint and magazine paper accounted for 90% of the production of Slovenian paper mill Vipap Videm Krško, its share will fall by half within three years. As a part of the already started restructuring, the new Czech owner RIDG Holding wants to reorient the company more towards the production of food packaging paper. It invests more than a quarter of a billion Czech crowns in the modern technologies that will enable it.

Vipap also goes the way of greater specialization and flexibility. Unlike the competition will be able to meet clients´ specific demands better. "The correctness of the new strategy with a greater emphasis on food packaging paper was confirmed during the coronavirus crisis, when this segment maintained stable market demand," describes Petr Domin, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Vipap Videm Krško.

RIDG Holding took over Slovenian paper mill last year and the company under its leadership ended the calendar year with a significantly positive operating profit EBITDA of € 7 million and a positive cash flow. The new owner, in addition to redesigning the company's processes, also immediately started investing in technology modernization and employees development, in order to make the company more flexible. “We see the acquisition of Vipap Videm Krško paper mill as a strategic and long-term matter. That´s why we´ve decided to make structural changes and invest in modern technologies, that will help the company respond better to market development and provide it enough opportunities for sustainable growth,” says Pavel Svoreň, Executive Director of the Portiva Investment Group, which together with the IPIDC Group, the Investment Club and the KRPA Holding Group forms a consortium of RIDG Holding.

One of the key innovations in Vipap paper mill is the expansion of the product range. In addition to newsprint, magazines and advertising leaflets, currently also paper bags, carrier bags and laminated paper is being added. This segment of production is on the rise due to the fact that a number of European countries have decided to replace the plastic packaging with paper. In addition, new technologies will make it possible to bring to the market the food packaging, that is durable and at the same time fully recyclable.

In addition to the expanding product portfolio, the Slovenian government's support programs also helped Vipap Videm Krško to maintain employment during the coronavirus crisis. Like many other countries, including the Czech Republic, it has introduced the so-called kurzarbeit. The extraordinary commitment of employees also played an important role. "Probably as the only newsprint mill in Europe, we have kept production uninterrupted and helped our customers maintain production in difficult times," says Domin.

According to him, the company also takes advantage of the opportunity to accelerate structural changes, to speed up the setting up of new processes and even more intensively focuses on a team building and the development of key employees. All this despite the fact, that the shortage of recycled paper, which is one of the main raw materials for production, has gradually started in Europe. "What´s not produced and not sold cannot be later collected and recycled. From one extreme, when during January and February it was not even worthy for collectors to carry paper to buyers due to its low price, the market shifted to the opposite situation due to fears of coronavirus infection, where the price rose sharply and recycled paper was temporarily unavailable," describes Domin, according to which the market situation has already improved and the prices and availability of recycled paper are gradually stabilizing. The director of the paper mill expresses a slight optimism about the future development and reckons, that the next four weeks should show the real condition of the market.

Management of Vipap Videm Krško now estimates that in the event of a favorable development, the company could return to pre-crisis level at the end of this year. Completion of the restructuring, which is to direct the paper mill towards long-term competitiveness and growth, is planned for the turn of 2021 and 2022.

The shareholders of an important European paper producer, Slovenian company Vipap Videm Krško, appointed Petr Domin the Chairman of the Management Board and CEO in November 2019. “My task is to ensure further development of the company, prepare a strategy leading to strengthening the market position in Central and Southeastern Europe and increase company´s profitability,“ stresses Petr Domin, new CEO of Vipap Videm Krško. “Vipap celebrated its 80th anniversary last year. When our followers celebrate a centenary, I want them to confirm, that we have done a good job here,“ adds Domin.

New owner of company is an investor association RIDG Holding, which purchased the paper mill last November from Czech Ministry of Finance, holder of 96.5% of shares. “Lately Vipap stagnated and literally lived from day to day. Petr Domin, during his time in office of Huhtamaki Group, doubled the profit,“ says Pavel Svoreň for stakeholders of RIDG Holding, part of PORTIVA investment group and adds: “Petr Domin´s task is to prepare the strategy to provide significantly profitable functioning of the company.“

Petr Domin joined Jipap, which later became a part of the Huhtamaki Group, in 1990 as an operator. At the end of 2018 left Huhtamaki as an Executive Vice President of Fibre Packaging division. During his time in office held the positions of Country CEO of Czech Republic (2005 to 2006), Norway (2006 to 2008) and Northern Ireland (2008 to 2009). Domin has created a system of the production KPI´s, which later spread within whole Huhtamaki Group division. As an Executive Director of European division of Fibre Packaging, Domin created the employees´ career development and education systems. Holding a position of Executive Vice President, personally managed the introduction of company´s CSR and was responsible for Huhtamaki Oy business strategy.

Petr Domin (53 yrs.) is married and has four children. He graduated in the field of paper and cellulose technology at the University of Pardubice and in 2005 got his MBA at Nottingham Trent University. In his free time he enjoys sports. In addition to athletics, he also likes golf and watching rally races, in which he used to participate as a co-driver during the Czech Championship competitions. “In sports I do, I always look for something that this activity can inspire me in people and company management,“ says Petr Domin and adds: “In the rally, the co-driver and the driver form a team. One without the other cannot win the race and at the same time they must absolutely trust, that each of them will do their part of the job with precision. This is exactly how I work with my team in the company.“