Wall-to-wall style Marburg Wallcoverings

WALL-TO-WALL STYLE

Marburg Wallcoverings is a global leader in the design and manufacture of designer and innovative wallcoverings. Philip Yorke talked to Ullrich Eitel, the company’s managing director, about its latest designer products and move into new markets.

Marburg Wallcoverings was first established in Marburg, Germany in 1845 and remains a privately owned company, which is managed by the fifth generation of the same family to this day. The company was founded by Johann Bertram Schaefer, who opened a speciality retail outlet for interior décor and after its initial success commenced the manufacture of wallpaper in 1879. As a true pioneer in his industry, Johann Konrad Schaefer produced one of the world’s first collection of wallpapers with matching fabrics in 1889. Since then the company has continued to build on its innovative legacy by constantly developing new, specialised wallcoverings and launching new designer collections.

The company continues to focus on its core competences which has seen it set the standards throughout the wallcoverings industry. Marburg is recognised for such ground-breaking market innovations as its invention of the original, ‘free-repeat’ print process, patented in 1956, the invention of the warp thread textile wallcovering and the first relief print of expanded vinyl. Other industry accolades include Marburg’s patented ‘Isostrip’ brand, a flame-resistant heat insulating wallcovering, and Demotex, the world’s first heat-embossed textile wallcovering.

This industry ‘firsts’ culminated in a new ‘world innovation’ in 2003 with the company’s launch of Art Tec, a unique wallcovering with lighting elements and an impact resistant wallcovering of non-woven material for painting. Today, premium collections from some of the world’s best-known designers complete the picture of innovation and style that is associated with Marburg.

Setting the trends

As a leader in its field, Marburg has always stayed several steps ahead of its competitors through a combination of good design sense and being aware of the trends in the industry. In many ways Marburg is able to set the trends through its launch of special designer wallcoverings contributed by some of the world’s best-known designers.

Eitel said, “Marburg is a university city and we have always been associated with it as a result of setting up business here in 1845 and naming our company after it. We have a major production facility at Kirchhain, near Marburg, which extends to more than 70,000 square metres of manufacturing space. We make wallcoverings which range from a middle-cost budget line to collections at the very top end of the market. Our growth today is based on our ability to provide the most exciting and eco-friendly wallcoverings that have been designed by well known designers such as Karim Rashid, who is seen as the ‘pop artist’ among the world’s most talented designers, as well as other leading lights in the industry such as Dieter Langer and Zaha Hadid or Luigi Colani.”

Eitel added, “As far as our markets are concerned, Germany remains our biggest. However, more than 60 per cent of our production goes to overseas markets such as the Far East, Russia, the Ukraine, France and China and we have a global distribution network for our other overseas markets. In fact we currently export to over 80 countries worldwide. Today our products are not based upon paper as in earlier years, but are made of non-woven backing fabrics that are able to maintain their dimensions even when pasted and wet. Furthermore, with these modern wallcoverings it is possible to strip the paper off the wall with ease. Today we are at the top end of the market and the first choice for designer wallcoverings and are acknowledged as the technology leader in our field as well as being one of the most innovative wallcovering manufacturing companies in Europe.”

Expanding production capability

All Marburg’s manufacturing processes are carried out at its modern production facilities at Kirchhain. The company is planning to significantly increase its production capability there and will enhance the manufacturing of its well known Modern, Classic, Romantic and Designer ranges. Marburg has already invested more than €15 million in a stateof-the-art, fully automated logistics and distribution warehousing facility that extends to over 30,000 m2. At this centre there are over 40,000 automated picking areas and over 18,000 pallet places. The company can therefore select, pack and deliver its products ready to be distributed to any customer in the world accurately, reliably and efficiently.

Marburg is also committed to the protection of the environment and its products are 100 per cent recyclable, as well as being produced under strict codes of practice in relation to sustainable production methods. All its products and processes are free from heavy metals and formaldehyde and consistent with the strict rules of RAL. In addition the company has accreditations for safety in manufacturing, the environment and quality management systems.

The company also remains several steps ahead of any new government legislation concerning the environment and other bestpractice criteria and is already operating in accordance with European legislation that is scheduled to come into force in 2013. n