Cellular rubber Cellular polyethylene Foamed rubber Fluid sealants Soft rubber Special products Filter technology

insight.KÖPP

No.4 6/2012

“Develop the futuretoday!”

insight.special

Dr. Andreas Peine

KOEPP ROMANIA

Back in our range: natural rubber grades

Certification

TÜV Rheinlandconfirms quality

Managing Directors Achim Raab and Oliver Köpp focus on the expansion of production capacity at KOEPP ROMANIA S.R.L.

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At the start of the year the Romanian affiliatecompany was transformed into a 100% KÖPPsubsidiary. “This measure eliminates frictionallosses and makes our on-site production signifi-cantly more effective. Beyond this, it symbolisesthe revitalisation of our long-standing traditionas expert cellular rubber manufacturers”, saysAchim Raab with complete certainty. KOEPPROMANIA S.R.L. will be concentrating on themanufacture of special grades in the cellularrubber sector. In this regard, the focus is onnatural and chloroprene rubber grades forwhich there is a solid customer base in themarket. “We know from the many discussionswith our customers that the unique materialproperties of our ZK/NR-L medium, ZK/NR-Bhard as well as ZK/CR-L medium and ZK/CRhard have been sorely missed and so far therehas hardly been a single competitive productthat could replace them”, adds Oliver Köpp.As announced in our last edition of insight.the production capacities at KOEPP ROMANIAS.R.L. are to be further expanded.

In the area of devel-opment further invest-ment is continuouslybeing targeted –such as in the KÖPPdevelopment labora-tory at the Bovendensite for which Dr. rer.

nat. Andreas Peine, a confirmed expert indeveloping cellular and foamed rubbers, hasbeen responsible the last half year. We’ll beintroducing you to Dr. Peine in an interview onpages 4 and 5. “In terms of our customers weutilise our potentials to the full in manufacturingand processing along the entire value addedchain”, states Managing Director Oliver Köpp.

Expertise expanded

Quality

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Reliable, financially sound, safe:KÖPP is now an “Authorised EconomicOperator” (AEO)

KÖPP has been awarded the status of “Authorized Economic Operator” (AEO) by theCustoms Authority. Customers will now profitfrom this as by virtue of the accompanyinglegal simplification of the customs regulations,goods can now be processed through cus-toms more speedily thus reaching the recipientmore quickly.

The granting of this status is tied to comprehensive prerequisites of financial liquidity, hitherto adherence to the relevant statutory provisions in addition to thefulfilment of specific safetystandards. “The issuance of the certificateshows that we have very highquality standards. The AEOstatus offers our customersbig advantages", says OliverKöpp knowingly. Since 2008service providers involved indealing with customs in theEuropean Union can apply forAEO status. This is gaining insignificance with the EUsafety concept.

The “Authorised EconomicOperator” is considered to beparticularly reliable and trustworthy. This certificationaccelerates customs processes and saves money.

The advantages for ourcustomers:

• Preferential treatment at customs clearance by customs officials

• Simplified customs procedures

• Fewer customs controls• Open choice of location for

goods control

The Rheinland TÜV inspectedour sites in Aachen andBovenden exhaustively fromthe 9th till the 11th of January2012 and attested to theexcellent implementation of thespecifications and standardsof all essential company processes: development, procurement, work preparation,production, delivery, marketing,

administration and companymanagement. With this successful re-certification theTÜV confirms that the mana-gement and control systemsat KÖPP are functioning. Safe processes in all areasalso guarantee our customers continuation of the high levelof quality and service that theyare entitled to expect from us.

The AEO status offers ourcustomers big advantages.”Oliver Köpp, Managing Director

As the person responsible for quality management I am delighted that our down to

details work on the constant improvement of ourworking processes is being officially registeredand honoured with this re-certification.”Michael Decker, Quality Manager

Successful TÜV re-certificationReliability and quality were also crucial factorsin passing the ISO 9001:2008 re-certificationaudit.

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‘Cellular rubber has always been a part of our company name. There’s no question that we always faceup to the highest demands in this area.”Oliver Köpp, Managing Director ‘

Core business

cellular rubber

A copy of the new certificatecan be obtained as of nowfrom the download section ofour website.

For our laboratory in Bovenden we will be getting a new labmixer and diverse new measuring equipment which will make the site, with the enhancements already established by Dr. Tahhan, a centre of competence. That for sure can’t happenwithout investing in further training of staff. I’m assuming thatwe’ll be seeing this step through intensively over the nextthree years.

What challenges do you expect to meet in building up the processing and marketing structure in India?

Dr. Peine: In India we basically have to consider two things.For one thing, the subject foam is not only new to our jointventure partner but also to the local customers. And for another we must learn to understand what the market reallyneeds and what it can afford rather than to let ourselves becarried away by what we would like to sell.

You’ve worked for many years in Asia. What experiences from this period are you bringing to your work here today?

Dr. Peine: I often think of myself as a communication andtranslation element between the culturally very different regions. I think it’s important that we here understand whypeople in India or China think the way they do. This makes it considerably easier for us to respond positively to the demands made of us.

Foamed rubber is already offered by KÖPP in an extremely wide range of varieties. What development are you working on at the moment?

Dr. Peine: Currently we are being invited to offer sulphur-freefoamed rubber seals for use in automotive lighting. Thatmeans that the entire formula for sulphur cross-linked sealshas to be converted to peroxide cross-linking.

Are you yourself still collaborating on the mixes? Dr. Peine: Yes, it’s only by getting involved oneself that onegets a feeling for how the results come about and how they’reto be understood. Obviously my practical skills are not asdeveloped as those of the employees who do this work day in,day out. So one has to know when to let others take the lead.

What persuaded you to take on the new assignment at KÖPP? What was it that inspired you about the job and the company?

Dr. Peine: I already got to know the Managing Director OliverKöpp back in 1999 while designing a joint booth for the 2001plastics trade fair in Dusseldorf. We often talked about thenew challenges that medium-sized German companies arefacing. Apart from consistent customer alignment, a clearmove towards an internationalisation of the markets couldalready be visualised. At that time hardly anyone believed that a down-to-earthmedium sized German business – such as KÖPP is – couldmake the departure into this new era. As KÖPP then developedactivities towards India, the first discussions came about inthe wake of which the assignment now initiated was identified.In every respect this can be described as a happy circum-stance. Here, I can ideally combine my previous professionalactivities with my product knowledge about foams. Apart from that, I like the location Aachen very much. I likethe Aachener in general and my new colleagues in particular.Here we live a down-to-earth mentality combined with expertise and visionary fortitude with a sense of proportionfor the best. Additionally Aachen will also be a good homefor my wife and our two children.

As a product development andprocess optimisation expert thedoctor of chemistry has, sinceOctober 2011, been strengtheningthe marketing and converting abilities of the joint venture company ROOP KOEPP Foam Technologies Pvt. Ltd. and is onhand as advisor to the laboratoryin Bovenden – also developingfoamed rubber products in thearea of which Köpp has identifiedsubstantial development potential.

On top of this, he oversees the cellular rubber production inthe subsidiary company KOEPP ROMANIA S.R.L.“With Dr. Andreas Peine we have enhanced our expertisemassively in manufacturing cellular elastomers. It is our visionto win the best heads for our different business areas. We began with Dr. Ralf Tahhan – an agreed expert for theFIP(F)G sector. Now with Dr. Andreas Peine we’re assigning a further dimension of his profession in a thinly sown field ofspecialists”, points out Managing Director Achim Raab.

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insight.special

Aachen, Bovenden, Romania, India : KÖPP thinks out of the box…

with Dr. Andreas Peine,business development representative

Whisky: a hobbyfor lovers of detailHis various journeys abroad have been very accommodatingfor the passionate whisky collector. In the duty free shops ofthis world Dr. Andreas Peine is constantly on the lookout foranother special bottle for his now around 100 variety-strongcollection. Incidentally – only a few valuable collector’s itemswill remain unopened. Most of them will certainly be tastedand enjoyed. The fascination of whisky? For him it’s abouttracing the individual complex flavours. Working out the com-ponents that have precisely contributed to these. How is itstored, how is it manufactured? Both in professional and inprivate life, the newcomer to Aachen always seems to want tograsp the big picture. Solid half knowledge is not his tag ...

insight. spoke with Dr. Andreas Peine about his remits and visions.

You’ve been working at KÖPP for about half a year now as “business development representative”. What exactly can one envision from that?

Dr. Peine: To put it casual, I can get involved with anythingthat’s new. For example this can mean developing new cust-omer areas, tapping into new marketing regions, re-configuringexisting processes to be more efficiently, pointing out technicalfeasibility, product advancements or new development ofproducts – as you can see, it’s a very wide field.

What objectives are you pursuing in the medium and long terms?

Dr. Peine: On the one hand, to bring the foam conversion inIndia successfully out of the starting phase and on the otherto see the Romanian production through whilst adapting thepreviously utilised KÖPP formulae. Until 2007 the foamedelastomers in demand which we are now producing in Romania were in fact produced at our Berlin site. It’s exactlyhere where it’s important to find an answer quickly to updatedcustomer requirements. To achieve this objective, we needabove all and apart from the right equipment, a strong teamgetting involved in the development of products.

Know-how is the key to outstanding products.This conviction undoubtedly has made KÖPP thequality provider of rubber and plastic products that itis today. With Dr. rer. nat. Andreas Peine KÖPP winsfurther expertise in his field of profession.

I think it’s important that we here understand why people in India or China think the way they do.”Dr. Andreas Peine, business development representative‘

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reception desk – if not inperson then at least on thetelephone. And, of course,when she’s not on holiday inBavaria. She and her husbandare drawn for two weeks inwinter and two weeks in theautumn to Krün in UpperBavaria. There they walk andenjoy the landscape, the food,the cosiness, the people andthe fashion. Because hereAnita Eupen has ampleopportunity to buy and wearher beloved dirndl dresses.“The mentality of the people,the contentedness and self-composure of the mountainfolk are things I’d like to takeback to the Rheinland withme”, enthuses Anita Eupen.

KÖPP and its KÖPPheads or“Every reveller

is different”

„Die neue Dynamik des Unternehmens für unsereKunden zu visualisieren, warunser Ziel. Jan Michael Hosangenießt unser vollstes Vertrauen. Seine Bildsprache trifft genau unseren Nerv“, freutsich Marketingleiter Christof Carduck. „Unsere Arbeit mit Zellkautschuk und Co. begeistert uns. Sie birgt füruns viel Reizvolles. Dies ist

“Many faces, one profile” – that’s the title of the big groupphoto of our workforce at the Aachen HQ. In this issue we startfeaturing just what fascinating people are behind these nicefaces. That’s because we’ve established that many of them cul-tivate interesting and even unusual hobbies and passions whichwill certainly provide for conversation during the next after workparty or internal sports meeting.

Personal

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jubilee

The KÖPP team cracks a demanding altitude profileIn the 41st Hermannslauf three runners from theKÖPP team showed themselves in their best form.The 31.1 km led the participants from DetmolderHermannsdenkmal over sand, cobblestones, forestfloor, concrete and asphalt to Bielefelder Sparren-burg castle. The unusual altitude profile is some-what demanding for the runners. But all three didindeed reach the finishing line – more or lessexhausted but highly satisfied for sure. No prizesfor winning, apart from respect and recognitionfrom the college.

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In a word: freedom “Freedom” – that has to be byfar the most quoted reason forthe biking bug. And this isalso the reason Ralph Schmittgives – fired off without hesitation and with such aresolute facial expression andsparkle in his eyes that youhave to believe him. RalphSchmitt has been a passionatebiker for over 20 years. His hot“mistress” – because for himit’s the “coolest” machine – a Harley Softail Springer orso-called Bobber, 350 kg,1,500 cc's and 67 horse power.His mount takes him 10,000 kma year – in comfort, yes but ina style that the footrests getground down each year.

A challenge to the power of 31.9 km swimming, 90 km cycling and 21 km running –and all that back to back. Onealmost gets cramp just fromreading about it. Who wouldwillingly do that to themselves?André-Johannes Stiebig, ITtechnician at KÖPP, has beenan enthusiastic triathlete forsome years now. He conqueredthose distances just mentionedlast year on the KraichgauChallenge in the so-called“Land of 1,000 Hills”. His reward: fun, mood, greatatmosphere, the goosebumpsfeeling as one approaches thefinishing line and euphoria “to go”. In 2005 the all-roundsportsman competed in hisfirst triathlon, 2008 saw hisfirst marathon and he’s beentraining at the SC Bayer 05athletic club in Uerdingen forthree years now. It’s the combination of the three sportsthat makes it so interesting forhim. The challenge of preparingoneself for a tournament meticulously and with a lot ofdiscipline, organisation andstructure is what wills him on.For this year, he has resolvedto do the Greenhell triathlon at the Nürburgring. In the Freilinger lake and on theGrand Prix circuit including theNordschleife, André Stiebigwill be swimming, cycling andrunning Olympic distances.We wish him impressive fitness and a huge endorphinrush at the end of it all.

André-Johannes StiebigHis next triathlon takes him to the Nordschleife.

KÖPPsports

“For me, biking is a perfectbalance to the job. Better thanlying around on the couch”,“Schmitti” maintains.His trips have so far taken him

Eupen is in Bavaria No, Eupen isn’t just a smalltown in Belgium near Aachen,it’s also the surname of AnitaEupen. For years, colleaguesand customers have beengreeted by her warmth andgood humour for years at the

25 years at KÖPP and more than happyGerd Assmann, 64, machinist, celebrating his 25years of company service: it’s not often you meetsomeone who makes such a contented, happyand well-adjusted impression. What’s the reason?Perhaps it’s because he’ll be retiring in a yearduring which time he just wants to be “on holi-day” and spend time with his two grandchildren?Or is it down to his work colleagues who are alsohis friends? Or his job which, as training supervi-sor and works council member brings him and hiscolleagues together? The “humane atmosphere”which he senses at KÖPP? Or it is quite simplyhis positive thinking? Probably a little of all ofthese. But his wife certainly has the lion’s share –a woman whom, in his own words, he “would marryagain, every day”. We congratulate him with allour hearts on his great fortune and his jubilee.

Anita Eupenrefuels with positive energy in Bavaria.

from Aachen to St. Tropez andHungary. This year he’d like to ride withhis girlfriend along the “mostbeautiful coast road in Europe”– in Croatia – and set off forthe annual Rüdesheim bikermeeting. There you meet themost different types. But thenice thing is that biking makesus all the same.”

Ralph SchmittMachinist and passionate biker

KÖPP

insight.Publishing information

Editor: Christof CarduckText: Susanne NeumannTranslation: Dr. Anja Rütten, Gareth McMillanSprachmanagement.netPictures: HOSAN Photography, Jürgen Wilke,Roop Polymers Ltd., Marathon-Photos.com, Prisma Color, Oecher Penn, Armenuhi Klein, Manfred Eupen, JakobDesign: WILKEDESIGN, AachenPrinter: Druckerei Scholz

KÖPP and the carnival association Öcher Penn quite definitely havesomething in common: they both have a long tradition. That bindsthem. Which is why for years now KÖPP has been sponsoring what,at 155 years, is Aachen’s oldest carnival association.

Tradition binds: KÖPP as revelling partner to the Oecher Penn

Michael Brand as privatefirst class of the OecherPenn in dress uniform (farleft) and masked (below);YMCA: Oliver Köpp, RalfKalberg, Michael Deckerand Dietmar Beuel (above,from right to left) celebrateat the Penn Ball with Christian and ArmenuhiKlein (left)

We don’t only pay, we also partyvigorously when the Oecher Penn invitesus to this fabulous event.” Apart from thebig Penn Conference and the legendaryPenn Ball the outdoor events also attractcountless visitors. Michael Brand contributes an important component ofthe success of this event – a private firstclass of the Oecher Penn and logisticsmanager in his life as a KÖPPhead. Michael Brand has been a so-called“active” member assigned to the “wagonand stage building” section for three yearsnow. “Carnival has always been a greatpassion of mine. This definitely has itsroots in my childhood as the big

Numerous employees at KÖPP are veryhappy about this as 550 members belongto this traditional association – first andforemost Managing Director Oliver Köpp.“Rheinland Carnival isn’t just about funbut also maintaining customs and traditions. We like supporting that”, saysthe managing director explaining KÖPP’sinvolvement with the Oecher Penn. “Naturally we live with the activities, too.

Rosenmontag paradeused to pass ourfront door. With theOecher Penn I cancharge my zeal withlife. Wagon and stage building lets

me input my experience in practical things.Even my very incisive orderliness – whichI am luckily able to live out in my job –contributes to the Penn. We’re not somewild bunch of headless chickens but athoroughly well organised, preciselyacting unit in which the revelling plays abig part but it’s not the only thing we cando. I like that”, adds Michael Brand.

Oche Alaaf

WILHELM KÖPP ZELLKAUTSCHUK GmbH & Co.KGPhone +49 (0)241 16605-0 • Fax +49 (0)241 16605 - 55 • info@koepp.de

SUBSIDIARYGöttinger Straße 44 • 37120 Bovenden, Germany • Phone +49 (0)551 82049-0 • Fax -101

KÖPP

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