Anica Lippert is laughing as she says, “Yes, paper making is something of a male preserve. At least, up to now.” She has every reason to be self confident. Since starting eight years ago as a shift laboratory technician on PM2 in Eisenhüttenstadt she has had an impressive career: on 1 July 2018 she was promoted by the laboratory management to the position of Deputy Production Manager of PM3.
„When I touch any piece of paper, I automatically start thinking what might be in it, whether it’s corrugated board or a paper handkerchief. It really takes hold of you.“
She always wanted to get to the bottom of things. So, she applied to join Progroup’s laboratory, and admits now, “Before my interview here I never even thought about what happens to the paper from the blue re-cycling container.”
Now she is able to explain clearly every single detail of the complex laboratory processes starting with the analysis of the recovered paper right up to that of the finished container board. She knows everything there is to know about paper. “When I touch any piece of paper, I automatically start thinking what might be in it, whether it’s corrugated board or a paper handkerchief. It really takes hold of you.”
Anica Lippert loves getting to the bottom of things. She is analytical, conscientious and organised. She was involved in the creation of a new DIN standard for corrugated board, valid from 2019 on. For all these reasons she did not find the switch from analysis in the laboratory to production on the paper machine at all hard, in fact, quite on the contrary. “It’s really important to know both sides.”