PAPCEL A.S.

David Dostal
About: David Dostal - CEO

In 2014, Mr. David Dostal, PAPCEL Co. Managing Director, was awarded "The Olomouc Region Entrepreneur of the Year" and in 2015 was announced "The Town of Litovel Personality" for his credit in the town development. In 2016, Mr. David Dostal won a prestigious award in the category “Manager of the Sector 2015 - machinery, equipment, and technology manufacturing” and the award in the category “Finalist of the Competition Manager of the Year 2015”. He is the CEO and Managing Director of PAPCEL A.S, ABK GROUPE.

1. Please explain the success story of PAPCEL AS and share your views on how the company has ranked among the TOP 100 Czech companies?

PAPCEL has been active in papermaking industry since 1950.  During the last ten years, we have carried out a vast array of projects the value of which exceeded EUR 40 million. We belong to suppliers of complete paper mills and we are able to offer our customers a wide range of highly appreciated services. PAPCEL collaborated on many investment projects with significant Czech financial institutions like the Czech Export Bank or the EGAP insurance company substantially contributing to the completion of the customers’ investments. The company’s growth and success were appreciated; and yes, nowadays we are a highly evaluated significant Czech company counted among a hundred of the best Czech companies.

2. What excites you most about Papermaking industry and what were the most important achievements, recognitions for PAPCEL AS?

Papermaking industry is a very specific sector requiring as well as the other ones considerable machinery suppliers’ attention in terms of the machinery development and finding new ways how to help the customers operating papermaking lines "simplify" their day-to-day life. It is the interesting branch experiencing a permanent process of improvement. The today’s technologies arising on the market belong among the "high-tech" ones and in the future, we can expect a very significant advancement as to the offer of real state-of-the-art concepts.

As mentioned above PAPCEL carried out several very interesting projects. The most essential one for us was building a turn-key paper mill for a customer in Belarus actually supplied with a complete mill including structures and a boiler house. However, I must not leave out other projects of complete paper machines manufacturing both packaging papers and tissue.

3. How is PAPCEL AS making an impact in the papermaking machinery?

We are one of the major suppliers in the industry. Nowadays, PAPCEL is comprised of several companies joined to create a strong group offering partners state-of-the-art solutions. Our group incorporates the Italian companies PMT S.r.l. and ICONé S.r.l. (former GapCon tissue S.r.l). PMT is an experienced and highly valued supplier of technologies for packaging papers and special paper grades, ICONé are tissue professionals. Altogether we offer a complete package of deliveries from stock preparation lines to paper machines to papermaking auxiliary chemical plants and naturally to professional engineering services. We endeavor to offer the customers concepts solving the best ways their operational problems. Personally, I suppose that our customers appreciate expertness we approach elaborating our offers with.

4. Please share your future expansion plans and vision for PAPCEL AS?

The largest number of inquiries is now coming from the market segments of packaging grades, printing & writing papers and tissue.  Currently, we are trying to maximally utilise the product potential we have obtained having acquired the PMT S.r.l. and ICONé companies. We are doing our utmost to develop our business activities in Asia, in Americas, naturally in the regions of Eastern and Western Europe. Our strategy and vision include the development of regional sales agencies supporting our direct sales. Nowadays, our companies offer really state-of-the-art concepts of headboxes, top formers, shoe presses, we have outstanding drying and coating technologies. Our future aims are focused above all on our ability to offer our customers solutions exactly corresponding to their needs and to help them improve the economics of their operations.

5. How would you describe today’s role of PAPCEL AS in the international market?

The PAPCEL Group’s customers are worldwide. We are active on the international basis and we are able to offer our services in complete turnkey "packages". We employ specialists experienced in the management of major international projects with rich hands-on knowledge and skills of paper mill operations. We are a strong player in tendering and bidding procedures. We communicate and collaborate with major papermaking groups evaluating our experience. We invest in innovation and observe market trends utilised in our offers. Due to our comprehensive production programme and the ability to communicate on the international basis we belong to the important and strong suppliers.

6. What is the scope for PAPCEL’s Paper & Board products in papermaking machinery? What are your future strategic plans to overcast your competitors?

Nowadays, the Group offers actually a complete machinery portfolio for manufacturing packaging paper grades, special grades like decor paper, P&W grades, safety papers and naturally for tissue making. We offer technologies for coated/uncoated boards. We are turnkey suppliers of complete papermaking machinery. Our paper machines are equipped with systems for preparation, storage, and dosing of starch and chemicals. All the machines are delivered together with complete stock preparation lines and approach flow systems.

In the Group timeline, we carried out more than 1000 rebuilds, we built a completely new paper mill including structures and a boiler house and we accomplished more than 25 green-field projects. We offer head boxes of modern concepts, top formers; we have several references of press part rebuilds using shoe presses. Our production programme includes complete drying, coating and sizing systems, starch surface or stock dosing equipment (film presses) and calendars. Besides reelers and winders, we are able to offer and deliver wrapping machines and systems for transport of finished rolls to loading bays.

Besides the deliveries of the new machinery, we carry out projects of moving sold used machinery and refurbishment of the same. We are not limited in terms of used machinery locations and if the customers require we manage to dismantle, moving and complete refurbishment of the used machinery.

7. Please share your experience in showcasing PAPCEL products at ‘CIDPEX 2018 – China International Disposable Paper Expo - Nanjing Tissue’ held in Nanjing, China.

At CIDPEX, we introduced ourselves as a company group together with PMT and ICONé and presented our tissue machinery production programme.

Actually, the tissue segment is going to be the key one for us in the future. We have a unique concept of the EconPRESS NExT shoe press working now very successfully for example in the Argentinian mill Papelera Samseng. Compared to the original machine conventional configuration operated in the mill for the first three months, the significant vacuum and refining energy decrease were achieved. The new concept is fully and highly functioning and it is suitable for all the customers considering rebuilds of their tissue machines.