Final inspection: employees checking stacked molded fiber trays at the press

technology · production & quality

Quality management Series production, documented for your supplier approval

Three European plants, ten production lines, four molding technologies — documented down to the individual batch.

BRCGS Global Standard Packaging Materials, Grade A — scope: Gigafactory 1 + 2 Arnstadt, certification body TÜV Rheinland.

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At a glance

Certified, documented, externally tested

BRCGS, ISO 9001, FSC® Mix Credit, batch traceability and the substance declarations for your item — what your supplier approval needs, whether food, cosmetics, pharma or technical products.

At PAPACKS, quality management starts before the first molded part: raw materials arrive at the plant with documentation, and every line has defined checkpoints. The certificates apply to the plants within the stated scope — we document the conformity of individual products on a product-specific basis. Point by point through your approval checklist: Supplier Approval & PPWR.

BRCGS Grade A

Both Gigafactories in Arnstadt are certified to BRCGS Global Standard Packaging Materials (Issue 7) with Grade A — certification body TÜV Rheinland, including HACCP.

TÜV Rheinland Cert GmbH · Scope: Gigafactory 1 + 2 Arnstadt — Download certificate

ISO 9001:2015

Quality management across the entire process — from raw material intake through molding to shipping, certified by TÜV Rheinland.

TÜV Rheinland · scope: Cologne and Gigafactory 1 + 2 Arnstadt — Download certificate

FSC® Mix Credit

Virgin paper fiber from responsible sources — FSC® Mix Credit (credit system).

FSC® Chain of Custody · License FSC-C125098 · CoC no. SCS-COC-005171 — Download certificate

Food contact

For products in direct food contact, we issue the declaration of conformity according to Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 on a product-specific basis — for your records.

Declaration of conformity per item

Quality assurance

pH, temperature and humidity, contact plate samples, retained samples — with externally calibrated test equipment. Batch documentation from raw material intake to the delivered molded part, traceable in both directions.

Inspection plan and batch logic in the ERP system

Plant laboratory

Measurements for coatings and barriers: water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), weight loss, sealability, climate chamber simulations — we agree further tests with you, in the plant laboratory or through an accredited institute.

Testing as part of our development work and for customer inquiries

Substance declarations

REACH declaration and PFAS declarations from the raw material and coating suppliers — product-specific for your approval checklist.

Test reports per item on request

Externally tested

Food contact according to Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 and microbiology tested by a DAkkS-accredited testing institute — reports on a product-specific basis. We have recyclability assessed by cyclos-HTP on a product-specific basis.

Test reports per item on request

The plants

Three plants, managed from Cologne

Each plant has its own focus. Development and management are based in Cologne — the certificates apply within the stated scope in each case.

Arnstadt · Thuringia

PAPACKS Gigafactory 1

Site certified to BRCGS Global Standard Packaging Materials (Issue 7), Grade A — molded fiber parts for transport and logistics, food, pharma and cosmetics.

Arnstadt · Thuringia

PAPACKS Gigafactory 2

In operation since 2023, site certified to BRCGS Global Standard Packaging Materials (Issue 7), Grade A — focus on food and pharma.

Appingedam · Netherlands

PAPACKS Netherlands

Three Thermoforming lines for formed fiber packaging: smooth surface on both sides, thin-walled shapes, primarily small formats in high volumes.

Cologne · NRW

R&D Innovation Hub

Samples, tools and small series: this is where prototypes, the patented tooling concept and the raw material research for the production formulations are created.

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Testing chain

Tested at six points — from incoming goods to the test report

Every batch passes the same checkpoints at the raw material stage, on the line and before shipping. The plant laboratory and accredited institutes test according to a fixed plan.

Incoming goods

Raw material against specification

Virgin fiber is checked against the specification on delivery: labeling, sensory properties, integrity, temperature below 25 °C, moisture below 15 %, freedom from pests. Each delivery receives an internal batch number in the ERP system via barcode.

Production start

Release by QA

Every order starts with a process release by quality assurance. Tolerances are stored in the ERP as control limits — if the process is readjusted, wall thicknesses are rechecked and the change is documented.

On the line

Weighed every 30 minutes, measured daily

Wet and dry weight every 30 minutes, product-specific dimensions daily — digitally in the ERP. 100 % visual inspection on removal from the belt; a retained sample with certificate of analysis every week.

Final inspection

Measured, tested, released

The final inspection is stored digitally in the ERP and can be issued as a certificate of analysis for your order. During packing, every carton is visually checked and marked with a QA pass — only then do the goods go into storage or shipping.

Plant laboratory

Process and hygiene under control

pH and conductivity of the pulp three times a week, temperature and humidity in production and storage daily, contact plate samples monthly — with calibrated test equipment, externally calibrated by accredited service providers.

External institutes

Accredited testing

Microbiology and food contact by a DAkkS-accredited testing institute (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025), process water and wastewater by an external laboratory; recyclability is assessed by cyclos-HTP — reports on a product-specific basis for your records.

Quality assurance

Documented from fiber to pallet

Controlled raw materials, checkpoints on every line, batch documentation down to the pallet — so your quality assurance can work with ours.

Batch terminal with ERP screen and scale at the drying line — **Batch terminal on the line** — every batch is recorded here.

Employee in a lab coat testing a sample at the climate test chamber — **Testing in the plant laboratory** — material tests with a report for the batch.

Your contact

Claudia Veit · QMB / Quality Manager

For your supplier approval, Claudia Veit compiles the documents: certificates with scope, product-specific declarations of conformity and test reports — and she accompanies our customers' supplier audits in Arnstadt.

Get in touch →

Approval questions

What else your approval checklist asks

From the delivered carton back to the raw material batch — and vice versa. Every raw material delivery receives an internal batch number via barcode at goods receipt, production books the batches used per pallet in the ERP system, and the product label on the carton carries the batch number.

Your report is logged as a complaint immediately, the affected stock is blocked and immediate measures are initiated. We ask for a description of the defect and defective samples with delivery date, item number and batch number, check returned goods with a sample of at least 10 % and document the result. The root cause analysis follows the 5 Whys method, and for conformity-relevant cases it takes the form of an A3 root cause analysis; we check the effectiveness of the corrective action no later than two months after the fix. We evaluate complaints monthly.

Initial samples are produced entirely with the production tools and under series production conditions. From a representative quantity, we take five numbered sample parts, check them in the initial sample inspection report and send them to you with an approval record; a retained sample with its own measurement stays with us. Series delivery starts after your written approval. After a tool modification or a production break of several months, we resample.

Yes. Every piece of test equipment is inventoried and labeled with its calibration date; calibration is carried out externally by accredited service providers with a traceable calibration chain — scales and temperature/humidity loggers annually, calipers, height gauges and the analytical balance every two years. If a piece of test equipment exceeds its limit, we reassess the products most recently tested with it.

The hazard analysis (HARA) assesses microbiological, physical and chemical hazards for each process step and is revised at least once a year. It also covers a glass and hard plastics register with mandatory reporting, hygiene rules for employees, visitors and technicians, food defense rules and external pest monitoring according to DIN 16636. Monthly contact plate samples with microbial count limits check work surfaces, hands and consumables — for food packaging, additionally for every production order.

A DAkkS-accredited testing institute (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025) tests the microbiology of the finished products annually and prepares the food contact reports according to Regulation (EC) 1935/2004 and BfR Recommendation XXXVI — heavy metals, primary aromatic amines, optical brighteners, sensory testing, MOSH/MOAH. An external laboratory tests process water quarterly and wastewater annually; recyclability is assessed by cyclos-HTP.

Next step

Let's talk about the details

Direct

Approval consultation

Send us your approval checklist — we compile the relevant certificates and documents for you on a product-specific basis.

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Documents

Certificates & conformity

BRCGS, ISO 9001 and FSC® certificates are available for direct download; we issue the declaration of conformity for your item on a product-specific basis.

Request declaration of conformity →

Approval process

Arrange a supplier audit

For customers and prospects in the approval process: we coordinate plant tours and supplier audits in Arnstadt with your quality team — scope, date and documents in advance.

Arrange an audit →

The molded parts we manufacture:

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