German pellets
| German Pellets GmbH
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | 2005 |
| Seat | Wismar , Germany |
| management | Bettina Schmudde (insolvency administrator) |
| Number of employees | 628 |
| sales | 593 million euros |
| Website | www.german-pellets.de |
| As of December 31, 2014 | |
According to its own statements, German Pellets GmbH was the world's largest producer and dealer of wood pellets . The German company was founded in Wismar in 2005 . A bankruptcy petition was filed on February 10, 2016. Insolvency proceedings were opened on May 1, 2016. The company is smashed.
insolvency
The main plant in Wismar was sold to the financial investor Metropolitan Equity Partners . In the future it will be operated under the name “Wismar Pellets”. The company J. Rettenmaier & Söhne from Rosenberg (Baden-Wuerttemberg) took over the works in the Baden Ettenheim and in the Württemberg Herbrechtingen . Among other things, the Ettenheim location produces products for the “wohl und warm ”brand. The subsidiary Glechner Ges.mbH (brand name "Hot'ts") was sold in April 2016 to the Glechner family, who founded the company and operated it until 2011.
Many subsidiaries of German Pellets GmbH and other companies that were owned by the company's founder Peter Leibold are now insolvent. These include the subsidiaries (name and date of opening of insolvency proceedings)
- German Pellets Supply GmbH & Co. KG, April 29, 2016
- German Pellets Beteiligungs GmbH, May 1st, 2016
- German Pellets Sachsen GmbH, April 1st, 2016
- German Horse Pellets GmbH, May 18, 2016
- German Pellets Trading GmbH, May 25, 2016
- German Pellets Logistics GmbH, May 25, 2016
- German Pellets Genussrechte GmbH, May 31, 2016
- Südpell GmbH, June 1st, 2016
- WOODOX Management GmbH, June 17, 2016
- FireStixx GmbH, Essenbach (sales)
- Louisiana Pellets Inc., Urania , USA (production)
- Texas Pellets Inc., Woodville , USA (production)
The stove manufacturer Kago , Neumarkt (Upper Palatinate) was privately owned by ex-managing director Peter Leibold, but was not a subsidiary of German Pellets GmbH.
The group of companies financed its growth by selling bonds and profit participation rights , with a total nominal value of more than 270 million euros, to at least 17,000 investors. In addition to the money from Germany, US $ 540 million was also raised from investors in the USA. Due to the insolvency, investors in Germany must expect a total loss of the money invested.
The public prosecutor's office is now investigating Peter Leibold for "violation of property rights".
history
German Pellets GmbH was founded in 2005 by Peter Leibold. He was the owner together with his wife Anna Kathrin Leibold. In 2005 the first plant and the headquarters of German Pellets GmbH were built in the “Holzcluster Wismar” with a direct connection to the seaport . The company produced wood pellets and animal bedding products at 19 locations in Germany, Austria and the USA . It had sales structures in several European countries. From 2005 to July 2008, a rising oil price benefited business (all-time high on July 3, 2008: 143.95 US dollars); then the price of oil fell, falling below $ 34 on December 26, 2008.
The group includes, among others, the following companies
- German Horse Pellets GmbH
- German Pellets Wärme GmbH
- German Pellets Genussrechte GmbH
- the Hot'ts- / Glechner group from Mattighofen in Austria (from 2012 to April 2016)
- FireStixx Holzenergie GmbH, Essenbach and its subsidiary HEIZWERT GmbH, Waldneukirchen, Austria.
The group of companies stated (in August 2013) that it had a production capacity of around 2.2 million tons of pellets per year.
Business area
German Pellets produced wood pellets of different qualities for small heating systems such as pellet heating systems and pellet stoves, for industrial boiler systems for heat supply in residential construction, in industry, trade and municipalities and for (heating) power plants. In addition, German Pellets was a manufacturer of wood-based animal litter products. As a contractor , the subsidiary German Pellets Wärme GmbH planned, built and operated pellet heating systems for large-scale consumers such as schools, hospitals, residential construction, trade and industry. German Pellets produced green electricity in combined heat and power plants at some locations . With participation rights German pellets also offered investments in the field of renewable energies to.
Production of pellets
The starting raw materials - sawdust, wood chips, cut wood and round wood - are ground to a uniform grain size (chip) and dried. The mass is pressed through steel dies under high pressure. The wood's own lignin acts as a binding agent and ensures the pellets are firm. Wood pellets are a standardized product with defined properties in terms of size, shape and ingredients.
Pellet quality
With "PowerPlus", German Pellets offers an additional process for wood pellets that is controversial from a technical point of view and which is supposed to have a positive effect on the quality of the pellets.
Locations
Locations in Germany
| Location | state |
|---|---|
| Wismar | Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania |
| Herbrechtingen | Baden-Württemberg |
| Ettenheim | Baden-Württemberg |
| Erndtebrück | North Rhine-Westphalia |
| Torgau | Saxony |
| Löbau | Saxony |
| Oranienbaum | Saxony-Anhalt |
| Osterfeld | Saxony-Anhalt |
| Wilburgstetten | Bavaria |
| Parish churches | Bavaria |
| Wunsiedel | Bavaria |
Locations in Austria
| Location | state |
|---|---|
| Mattighofen | Upper Austria |
| Oberweis / Gmunden | Upper Austria |
| Abtenau | Salzburg |
Locations in the USA
| Location | State |
|---|---|
| Woodville | Texas |
| Urania | Louisiana |
| Port Arthur | Texas |
FireStixx partner plants in Germany
| Location | state |
|---|---|
| Hengersberg | Bavaria |
| Ingolstadt | Bavaria |
| Vilshofen | Bavaria |
Pellet sales
German Pellets sells its wood pellets in Germany and Austria itself or through its own subsidiaries. In addition, fuel dealers were supplied, some of whom were German Pellets or FireStixx dealers.
Subsidiaries
The German Pellets Group included German Horse Pellets GmbH, German Pellets Wärme GmbH and German Pellets Genussrechte GmbH, as well as the Austrian Hot'ts- / Glechner Group. In 2011 the FireStixx Holz-Energie GmbH, in 2014 the Austrian Heizwert GmbH (retroactive to January 1, 2013) and the company München-Pellets were taken over. FireStixx Holz-Energie GmbH filed for bankruptcy on February 4, 2016.
German Horse Pellets GmbH
German Horse Pellets GmbH was founded in 2008 and specializes in the development and sale of natural animal bedding products.
The litter products (shavings, granulates and pellets) for horses, large animals and small animals are manufactured in the production sites in Wismar (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and Wilburgstetten (Bavaria). The products are based on natural raw materials and are processed without adding any additives.
German Horse Pellets GmbH is also involved in equestrian sports. In October 2009 the riding club RV German Horse Pellets eV was founded. The German Horse Pellets Tour has existed since 2010 - a jumping competition at S level for performance classes 2 and 3 in the 17 state equestrian associations in Germany. German Horse Pellets GmbH cooperates with numerous athletes and clubs in the equestrian scene, is the main sponsor of André Thieme , Daniel Heuer and Hans-Dieter Dreher and the official chip supplier to the German Equestrian Olympics Committee, DOKR for short .
German Pellets Wärme GmbH
German Pellets Wärme offers complete heating packages. As a contractor, German Pellets Wärme plans, builds and finances all measures that are required for the conversion, installation or creation of a wood pellet energy system. Commissioning and operation of the system are also included, as is maintenance and services. The customer pays for the accepted heating price. German Pellets Wärme is a joint venture between German Pellets GmbH and GETEC AG.
German Pellets Genussrechte GmbH
The German Pellets Group has been active on the capital market since 2010. Via German Pellets Genussrechte GmbH, the pellet producer offers private investors the opportunity to invest in wood pellets as an investment. The interest rate for participation rights from German Pellets is 8% p. a. (depending on the result). The minimum subscription amount is 2,500 euros. In 2013, the company paid the prospectus interest rate for the third time in a row. The money acquired on the capital market is used as co-financing for projects of the German Pellets Group and thus complements the classic financing instruments. Wood pellets as a financial investment are among the green financial investments or so-called ethical investments . This form of financing on the “gray capital market” is associated with considerable risks for investors. On February 5, 2016, the offer of profit participation rights was terminated prematurely due to the unsecured refinancing.
FireStixx Holz-Energie GmbH
FireStixx Holz-Energie GmbH emerged from the Blieninger Group, Vilsbiburg , which was founded over 50 years ago and has been dealing with the trade and refinement of sawmill waste since it was founded. Since 2001 the company has focused on the trade and production of wood pellets. FireStixx has a network of pellet dealers and pellet producers. In 2011 FireStixx was integrated into the German Pellets Group. On February 4, 2016, FireStixx Holz-Energie GmbH applied to the Landshut district court to open insolvency proceedings under self-administration .
Glechner GesmbH
The Hot'ts- / Glechner group is one of the pioneers in the Central European wood pellet industry. Since 1996, the company, once a mill, has been producing and marketing wood pellets. Since January 1st, 2012 Hot'ts has been part of the German Pellets Group.
Web links
- German Pellets website
- German Horse Pellets website
- German Pellets Wärme website
- FireStixx Holz-Energie website
- Hot'ts wood pellets website
- Website HEIZWERT GmbH
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Annual Report 2014
- ↑ www.handelsblatt.com: Insolvency court rejects self-administration
- ↑ Claus Hecking: German Pellets: In all of the world burned . In: The time . No. 09/2016 ( online ).
- ↑ http://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/industrie/german-pellets-insolventer-brennstoff-steller-wird-einzeln-verkauf/13533182.html
- ↑ Buy pellets Ettenheim factory outlet in Ortenaukreis. Retrieved June 27, 2020 (American English).
- ↑ http://www.euwid-holz.de/news/holzprodukte/einzelansicht/Artikel/german-pellets-fortfuehrungsloesung-fuer-glechner.html
- ↑ German Pellets: Another US factory in trouble. In: Handelsblatt . May 12, 2016, accessed September 1, 2016 .
- ^ Die Zeit 9/2016: All over the world burned
- ^ German pellets before sale: almost all investor money burned. In: Handelsblatt . April 25, 2016, accessed September 1, 2016 .
- ↑ Andreas Dörnfelder, Gertrud Hussla: German Pellets: office is investigating the boss. In: Handelsblatt. February 12, 2016, accessed September 1, 2016 .
- ↑ http://www.wirtschaft-wismar.de/de/wirtschaftsbereich/holzcluster
- ↑ German Pellets takes pellet dealers in Austria , accessed on April 18, 2014
- ↑ Geld-Magazin: Product in the Test - German Pellets Genussrecht , August 18, 2010.
- ↑ Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin): German Pellets GmbH: Unsecured refinancing. February 5, 2016, accessed December 23, 2018 .
- ↑ http://www.euwid-holz.de/news/sonstiges/einzelansicht/archive/2016/february/Artikel/firestixx-hat-frage-auf-eigenverwaltung-stellungs.html
Coordinates: 53 ° 54 ′ 14.4 " N , 11 ° 28 ′ 11.5" E