As a family-owned business with 35 years of experience in the packaging industry, we know how important qualified employees and in-depth expertise are to our daily operations. Passing on this knowledge and supporting young people as they embark on their professional careers is an important part of our corporate culture at Natzan Packaging.

Through our apprenticeship programme for packaging technologists, we give young people the opportunity to explore the diverse tasks involved in packaging production, gain practical experience and develop their professional skills.

A Profession That Combines Technology and Craftsmanship

Training as a packaging technologist combines technical understanding, practical skills and modern manufacturing. From operating and monitoring machinery to ensuring product quality, apprentices gain experience in a variety of areas. They learn how materials and technical processes are transformed into finished packaging solutions and what it takes to ensure precise and reliable production.

The aim is not simply to familiarise apprentices with individual work processes. As they gain experience, they develop an understanding of how different aspects of production are connected, learn to overcome challenges and gradually take on tasks and responsibilities of their own.

Insights into Every Area of the Company

An important part of our training programme is in-house training, which follows a structured training plan. Employees from the respective departments share their knowledge and introduce apprentices to their areas of expertise and day-to-day responsibilities.

Step by step, apprentices become familiar with the different areas of our production facilities and the company as a whole. They learn how the individual departments work together and how each contributes to the overall production process. This cross-departmental insight helps them better understand operational procedures and recognise connections that extend beyond their own workplace.

At the same time, in-house training gives apprentices the opportunity to benefit directly from their colleagues’ experience and ask questions of specialists in each field. This complements the knowledge they acquire during their everyday training with practical insights and the opportunity to exchange ideas with experienced employees.

Sharing Experience and Providing Personal Support

As a family-owned business, we value a personal approach and a working environment where people can learn from one another. Our many years of experience in the industry provide a strong foundation for this. At the same time, young people bring fresh perspectives and new ideas that also benefit the company.

Our trainer, Adhanom Mhreteab Ghebrezgabher, has a particularly personal connection to the packaging technologist apprenticeship, having completed his own vocational training at Natzan Packaging.

Reflecting on his experience, he says: “I still remember from my own apprenticeship how important it is to gain practical experience and have someone by your side who answers your questions with understanding and patiently shares their knowledge. Today, I want to pass on that same support to our apprentices and help them find their own path in their chosen profession.”

Growing Together as a Family-Owned Business

For more than 35 years, we have been a leading manufacturer of plastic packaging. Over this time, technologies, requirements and working methods have continued to evolve. What remains essential, however, is having people who understand their craft, take responsibility and work together to develop effective solutions.

By training young professionals, we create opportunities to pass on knowledge and experience while helping shape the long-term future of our company. Our aim is not only to equip apprentices with professional skills but also to show them how important attention to detail, reliability and teamwork are in everyday working life.

Looking Ahead Together

An apprenticeship is an important step into a new chapter of life for young people. For us, it is also an opportunity to share experience, learn from one another and support the next generation of skilled professionals.

We are delighted to welcome our two new apprentices and look forward to supporting them throughout their training as they continue to learn, grow and take their next steps in their professional development.

There is always plenty going on at our site at Natzan Packaging. Goods are delivered and loaded, employees and customers come and go, and our forklift trucks keep things moving, ensuring that our plastic liners reach their destination in time to be filled.

However, October 16 was a little different. On this day, the focus was not on products and shipping, but on the people behind them and their safety. Our Health and Safety Day was all about one key question: How can we work together to ensure that our operations remain not only efficient, but above all, safe?

Our Managing Director, Benjamin Kepp, fully supports this initiative: “We deliberately designed our Health and Safety Day to give employees the opportunity to get involved rather than simply listen. Especially when it comes to topics such as fire safety, it is helpful to experience procedures in practice and discuss questions directly with the experts.”

To support this initiative, Gorr gave our colleagues the opportunity to learn more, gain new insights and refresh their existing knowledge. The programme included training sessions on fire safety and occupational health and safety, among other topics. Employees worked their way through the different stations in groups, allowing production to continue running at the same time.

Being Prepared for Emergencies

During the fire safety exercises, participants learned what matters most in an emergency in areas such as production, the warehouse, the workshop and the office. The focus was not only on how to respond correctly in the event of a fire, but also on how everyone can actively contribute to safety at Natzan Packaging.

Lars Huss also confirmed that the effort was worthwhile and that the day made a lasting impression on employees: “It’s a good thing that you don’t have to handle a fire extinguisher every day. Nevertheless, it was helpful to see in practice what really matters in an emergency.”

The programme also included information about training to become a fire safety assistant, as it is essential that those involved know exactly what to do when an emergency occurs.

Keeping Health in Mind

Employee health was also an important part of the day. Throughout the event, all employees had the opportunity to consult the company doctor and discuss any individual questions or concerns.

This highlighted an important point: occupational health and safety is about much more than preventing fires. It also means maintaining a safe working environment, handling potential hazards correctly and, of course, looking after everyone’s health.

Safety and a Strong Sense of Team Spirit

With so much information, training and hands-on practice, there was naturally room for some relaxation, too. Around lunchtime, the barbecue was fired up, giving everyone the chance to take a break, enjoy a sausage and have a drink.

Because one thing is clear: safety is a team effort!

Our Health and Safety Day not only helped strengthen employees’ knowledge, but also demonstrated the importance of staying alert, taking responsibility and supporting one another in our daily work.

After all, good work starts where safety is second nature.

While summer often brings thoughts of holidays, sunshine and a slightly slower pace, things get particularly busy at Natzan Packaging. It is audit season – the time of year when we undergo our regular assessments to renew our certifications. For our teams, this means additional preparation, thorough inspections and in-depth discussions about processes, procedures and quality requirements.

Quality is not something you achieve once and then take for granted. It must be embedded in our daily work, regularly reviewed and continuously improved. That is precisely what audits are designed to do: they provide an independent perspective on our day-to-day operations, highlighting both what we do well and where there is still room for improvement.

We are therefore delighted that we have once again successfully renewed the certifications for both our Lengerich and Kattenvenne sites this year. Both ISO 9001 and the BRCGS Global Standard have been reaffirmed. We are particularly proud of the outcome of the BRCGS audit: once again, we achieved the highest possible rating of AA.

Quality Is Built Every Day

Behind every certificate are not abstract requirements, but people, processes and everyday decisions. An audit makes this visible.

Processes are reviewed, documentation is checked, responsibilities are examined and the practical implementation of requirements is assessed in detail. For the colleagues involved, this makes for an intensive period – but it is also an opportunity to take a fresh, critical look at our own processes from an independent external perspective.

Our quality management system provides the framework for this work. ISO 9001 establishes a systematic approach to managing processes, defining responsibilities, meeting customer requirements and driving continuous improvement. Ultimately, however, what matters is how these requirements are put into practice in our daily operations.

The successful renewal of our certifications at both the Lengerich and Kattenvenne sites demonstrates that quality management at Natzan Packaging is not confined to a single department. It is an integral part of how we work every day.

Another Top AA Rating in Our BRCGS Audit

One of the highlights of this year’s audit season is once again our BRCGS result. We have achieved the highest possible rating of AA, reaffirming our commitment to consistently high standards.

We are particularly proud of this achievement because it represents much more than a successful week of auditing. It reflects well-established processes, consistent implementation and, above all, the commitment of colleagues who contribute to maintaining our standards every single day.

The audit itself is only the most visible part of the process. The real foundation for a result like this is built long before the auditors arrive – and, above all, through our daily collaboration: by following established requirements, keeping processes properly documented, identifying deviations and implementing improvements.

What Happens After the Audit?

Then the work continues.

Perhaps that is why summer has increasingly become synonymous with audit season at Natzan Packaging. While the holiday season gets underway elsewhere, we turn our attention particularly closely to our processes, procedures and quality requirements. Each year, these intensive audits serve the same purpose: to assess where we stand, identify what is working well and determine where we can continue to improve.

Once the auditors have completed their work and our certifications have been renewed, everyday business returns to its usual rhythm. What remains is the reassurance that the intensive preparation has paid off – along with the motivation to demonstrate the same high standards again next year.

So, while summer may be audit season at Natzan Packaging, quality is a commitment we uphold all year round.