From his office in Bordeaux, France, Kai Schöpwinkel will lead Geminor's efforts in Spain. "The materials and energy recovery markets are growing in both the Iberian Peninsula and France, which makes these countries more important in the European context," explains Schöpwinkel.
- Both Spain and France are markets that can make a difference and create a better balance of waste resources in the EU. Connecting these market opportunities to our portfolio in Germany, the Baltics and the Nordics will be our primary focus going forward.
- Spain is mainly an import market, where we will focus on waste wood for material recycling, as well as Solid Recovered Fuel (SRF) for cement production. At the same time, Spain has potential for more exports of materials for recycling, and we will search for new streams together with our partners in Italy and France," says Schöpwinkel.
France offers quality fractions
Geminor entered the French market in 2019, and started exporting recycled paper and cardboard, but also CSR - "Combustible solide de recuperation" - which is a residual fraction based on sorted wood and textile foam from recycled furniture.
Geminor wants to further develop these exports," says Schöpwinkel.
- France is a surplus market where landfill is still an option for many industry players. Our intention is to export more of the biogenic waste for energy recovery, which is currently in short supply in most parts of Europe. France has a well-developed system for sorting residual waste, which in the EU context provides us with quality material for export.
- The current shortage of wood and biomass, mainly due to the absence of wood from Russia and Belarus, is becoming a challenge across Europe. This is a situation France can remedy by exporting flows of biomass, explains Kai Schöpwinkel.
Cultural differences
Entering a new market normally means adapting to a new business and industry culture. This is also the case when Geminor enters Spain," says Schöpwinkel.
- Many companies spend years acclimatizing to a new business culture, and struggle to find business partners due to language challenges and lack of regional industry knowledge. We pay attention to these details, building trust from day one and securing personal business relationships with presence. This is crucial for success in Mediterranean countries like Spain," concludes Senior Business Development Manager for Geminor in France and Spain, Kai Schöpwinkel.
