Ziegler Group’s provisional insolvency administrator, Volker Böhm from Schultze & Braun, has agreed to an investor solution for Ziegler’s insulation subsidiary Naturheld. The buyer is Josef Rettenmaier Naturenergie Holding GmbH & Co KG, a holding company of the JRS Group. According to the insolvency administrator, the investor has announced that it will fully continue operations at the site and implement its ambitious growth plans. In addition, all of the approximately 130 employees are to keep their jobs under the new owner.
The JRS Group is an internationally positioned German family company with headquarters in Rosenberg near Ellwangen. JRS’s plant fiber technology relies on modern production know-how and comprehensive technological expertise in the use of plant-based raw materials in almost all areas of modern, international industry. The product groups include wood fiber products, hydrocolloids, cellulose products, dietary fiber and corn products.
JRS Holzenergie HEW also operates pellet mills in Ettenheim/DE and Herbrechtingen/DE. EC Bioenergie, Heidelberg/DE, with its five locations in Germany and a total target production capacity of 200,000 t in 2024, is also part of the JRS Group. In the summer of 2024, the pellet mill in Fågelfors, Sweden, was acquired by Bergs Timber.
In the future, Naturheld will operate under the company name “naturheld GmbH & Co. KG”. It was agreed not to disclose the purchase price. The transfer of operations is scheduled to take place by mid-March. Before, a number of formal requirements must be met and, in particular, approval must be obtained from the Federal Competition Authority. In the meantime, production at Naturheld will continue at full capacity. According to the Holzkurier, around €150 million were invested.
The annual production capacity of the site, which went into operation in 2022, is 500,000 m³ of pressure-resistant insulation boards, 1.5 million m³ of flexible insulation boards and 20,000 tonnes of blow-in insulation.
At the same time, the investor process for other parts of the Ziegler Group is making progress, according to the insolvency administrator. In the sales process for the wood and logistics divisions, another potent buyer from the industry has expressed serious interest. The decision as to which of the interested parties will be chosen should be made by the end of January. Volker Böhm: “This way, the wages and salaries of the employees will be secured even after the insolvency benefit period expires at the end of January.”
