The 180 000 kilometres of wall covering which The Marburg Wallpaper Factory annually produces could be wrapped around the Earth four times. 12 mio rolls leave the fully automated high-bay warehouse each year and go on their journey to over 90 countries in the world. The company's only location, which was founded in 1845 and is thus among the oldest wallpaper factories in Europe, is Kirchhain.
The small town - situated at the heart of the German state of Hessen - was chosen by Walter Eitel and Bertram Schaefer, father and grandfather of Ullrich Eitel, to rebuild the plant after its almost complete destruction in the last days of the Second World War. It had previously been established in the town of Marburg, roughly 15 kilometres away. The name of the company reflects this history.
The Marburg Wallpaper Factory is a family-run company which has been led since 1979 in the fifth generation by Ullrich Eitel as managing partner. In this time he has tripled its sales to a current EUR 65 mio a year.
The basis of company decisions by Ullrich Eitel and the two chief executive officers Wolf Kappen and Alexander Kubsch is keeping the quality of the wallpapers at the same highest level. No-one in Kirchhain wants to simply be a producer of large quantities. Marburg increasingly offers high-quality wallpapers in 70 and 75 centimetre widths and thus places its main emphasis in the high-end segment.
The company is recognised within the industry as leader of innovation. The processes developed in Kirchhain have completely revolutionised the wallpaper landscape in many cases: textile, foam vinyl and non-woven wallpapers, granulate or glass finishings, a wallpaper in crushed-look or - the latest coup - the first wall covering that can shine. The team at The Marburg Wallpaper Factory devises special products that only their company, often permanently, is able to produce.