UPM Sells Site in Ettringen

UPM shut down the site, which was dedicated to the production of uncoated newsprint, at the end of last year.

As early as March 2025, UPM had announced its intention to close the paper mill in Ettringen in order to align its capacity with customer demand (see the related article “Consolidation Pressure Mounts in Shrinking Newsprint Market”). However, negotiations with employee representatives regarding a settlement of interests and a social plan continued. After the negotiations were concluded in December 2025, UPM was able to proceed with the planned closure of the site, which affected 189 employees.

The Ettringen plant most recently operated a paper machine with a capacity of 270,000 tons per year. Prior to the closure, the paper mill specialized in the production of SC paper, but also manufactured newsprint and improved newsprint.

According to CBRE, the goal now is to find a buyer through a structured sales process who can present a long-term reuse plan that serves the site and the region’s interests. The property comprises approximately 335,000 square meters of industrial space, as well as about 300,000 square meters of green and agricultural land. The existing infrastructure—including an active rail connection, an installed power capacity of 79 MW, and a direct highway connection—creates a starting point that is rare for industrial sites in southern Bavaria, the company explains. “There are hardly any contiguous development sites of this size with existing infrastructure left in the southern Bavarian region. We are already in initial discussions with interested parties,” explains Maximilian Sänger, Team Leader Industrial & Logistics Munich at CBRE.