Lenzing AG

Lenzing AG

Type	Aktiengesellschaft
Traded as	WBAG: LNZ
Industry	Chemicals
Founded	1938 (Zellwolle Lenzing AG)
Headquarters	Lenzing, Austria
Key people	Stefan Doboczky (CEO), Hanno Bästlein (Chairman of the supervisory board)
Products	Textile fibers, nonwoven fabrics, pulp, thermoplastics, PTFE, acrylic fibers
Revenue	€1.766 billion (2010)
Operating income	€231.9 million (2010)
Profit	€159.1 million (2010)
Total assets	€1.963 billion (end 2010)
Total equity	€732.0 million (end 2010)
Number of employees	6,530 (end 2010)
Website	www.lenzing.com

Lenzing AG is a company based in Lenzing, Austria, whose main business is textile and nonwovens cellulose fibers (such as modal and lyocell) and also makes some polymer plastics.Lenzing Group is an international group of companies with its headquarters in Austria, and production sites in all major markets.

The company initially focused solely on fiber production, but it needed plastic wrappings for its fiber bales, so Lenzing Plastics was founded to produce them. The plastics division is still active, making 11.7% of total sales in 2009.

The company's history goes back to 1892 when Emil Hamburger, an industrialist, operated a paper mill in Lenzing, Austria. In 1938 Zellwolle Lenzing AG was founded, starting pulp and viscose fiber production and in 1962 the company's name was changed to Chemiefaser Lenzing AG. The old calcium bisulphite method was used for fiber production until 1963, when the new more eco-friendly magnesium bisulphite method was introduced. In 1975 the company established a department responsible for the environment and introduced a more "green" bleaching process for pulp in 1977. In 1984 the company name changed to Lenzing AG and its shares were listed on the in 1986.

Lenzing Group has international branch offices in the United States and Asia (China, India, Indonesia). Its production facilities are located mainly within the European Union, with the fibers being produced in Austria, United Kingdom, the US, China, and Indonesia, while its plastics factories are located in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the US. The pulp is produced in the Czech Republic and the engineering research is done in Lenzing, Austria which is also the largest integrated pulp and viscose fiber production site worldwide.