The Louisenthal Paper Mill, or Papierfabrik Louisenthal (PL) in regional language, is a German manufacturer of security paper. Founded in 1878, the company has been a subsidiary of the Giesecke+Devrient company since 1964 which is best known as a German manufacturer of banknotes.

The Louisenthal Paper Mill in Königstein

History

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Earlier central building of Papierfabrik Louisenthal in Gmund, now Siegfried-Otto-Haus

In 1878, a paper mill was established in Gmund am Tegernsee. Since 1964, the company has been a subsidiary of Giesecke+Devrient.[1] The company owns a second factory at Königstein, Saxony, acquired in 1991 after the German reunification.

Manufacturing

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The substrate bears essential security features of banknotes to protect against counterfeiting. In the early days of banknote production, security paper was equipped with real watermarks and security threads.[2]

In 1994 the world's first banknote paper with hologram stripes was produced in Louisenthal (the 2000 leva banknote for Bulgaria).[3] After plastic banknotes could not establish themselves on the market, the mill brought a banknote onto the market in 2008 which combined the advantages of paper and polymer banknotes.[4]

In 2019, the company was the creator of two new technologies in a new set of banknotes by the Bulgarian National Bank, which won the Best New Banknote award given by the High Security Printing EMEA Conference in Malta.[5]

As of 2020, the Louisenthal paper mill claims to be a leading supplier of advanced film elements as security features that produce color shifts and three-dimensional effects depending on the viewing angle.[6] 

Production

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Employing a workforce of around 1,100, 320 of which are located at the Königstein site near Dresden,[7] the paper mill produces about 13,000 tons of paper per year.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Papierfabrik Louisenthal investiert zweistelligen Millionenbetrag in Gmund". Merkur.de. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-24.
  2. ^ Louisenthal, Papierfabrik. "History of Louisenthal". Louisenthal.
  3. ^ Louisenthal, Papierfabrik. "History of Louisenthal". Louisenthal.
  4. ^ Hybrid, Advance (20 July 2020). "Hybrid". louisenthal.
  5. ^ "Banknote awards". Professional Security Magazine Online. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  6. ^ Big Effects, Small Mirror (20 July 2020). "small mirror big effects". louisenthal.
  7. ^ "Louisenthal showcases security technology in a hologram exhibition in Prien". CoinWeekly. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  8. ^ "450 Jahre Papiertradition in Königstein". Dresdener Neueste Nachrichten. 28 June 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-24.