The paper companies of Korber PaperLink, E.C.H.Will, Kugler-Womako, Pemco and Winkler+Dünnebier are pleased with the results of their presence at drupa 2008 and of the Open House events held during the drupa period at the companies’ facilities in Hamburg and Neuwied.

Altogether, the four companies registered more than 1,600 leads during the international trade show. This figure shows that the interest of customers in their products clearly exceeded the drupa 2004 feedback. E.C.H. Will, Kugler-Womako and Pemco had an increased demand for machines and services, especially from Indian and Asian customers. Winkler+Dünnebier registered significantly increased requests and orders from South America, mainly from Brazil. Demand from Asia also grew.

In expressing his satisfaction, Martin Weickenmeier, Chairman of the Korber PaperLink GmbH Management Board said, “drupa 2008 has entirely fulfilled our expectations, regarding both the number of visitors and the quality of the leads. Our companies satisfied their customers’ wishes not only with regard to machines, but also in terms of enhanced service offerings. The orders we received exceed our expectations.”

Analysis of the business conducted at drupa is not yet finished, but Korber PaperLink expects direct drupa deals to total over EUR 20 million. Many requests also concern next year’s business, indicating an even better outlook for fiscal year 2009.

“We are especially pleased that many new customers have decided to build up their own envelope production. This shows that despite the growth of electronic media, the envelope has a future, and it will remain an important business activity for Winkler+Dünnebier,” said Dietmar Kurz, Chairman of the Winkler+Dünnebier AG Management Board.

Klaus Aarestrup, CEO of E.C.H. Will, added, “Once again we could see that drupa lives up to our expectations regarding the internationality of customers and exhibitors, and the earnestness of discussions.”

In addition to the convincing drupa presence in Düsseldorf, the Open House events were a complete success. They were held simultaneously by E.C.H. Will in Hamburg and Winkler+Dünnebier in Neuwied.

“We welcomed more than 500 customers at our headquarters in Neuwied,” Mr. Kurz said. “Besides our envelope solutions, we were also able to successfully present our banknote and tissue machines, which are also part of the W+D portfolio.”

Klaus Aarestrup, CEO of E.C.H. Will, was equally satisfied with the response to the Open House invitation: “Our customers deliberately travelled from Düsseldorf to Hamburg and back to see our machines under actual production conditions. The visitors were fascinated by the reliability and quality of our machines as well as our filled manufacturing floor.”

The past weeks’ positive results indicate that the products and services of Korber PaperLink companies meet their customers’ ever-evolving requirements.

“The very good feedback to our drupa presence is a clear sign that we have taken the right path, consisting of cost reductions, improved processes and development of new products, and that these measures help strengthen our productivity in a sustainable way,” Mr. Weickenmeier concluded. “This is especially important for us when looking at global economic development, including the effects of the exchange rates. We will therefore continue on this path.”

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