History
For more than 155 years, we have remained committed to enriching lives through continuous innovation.
From the purchase of our first mill in 1864 to multiple site expansions, strategic acquisitions and industry innovations, Glatfelter has emerged as a global leader in the manufacturing of engineered materials.
Throughout these decades of growth and evolution, our Core Values have remained unchanged: integrity, mutual respect, financial discipline, customer focus, and environmental stewardship and social responsibility. They are the center of our culture, and the key to our sustainability.
As our world continues to evolve, so will Glatfelter. As an organization, we are committed to advancing our efforts and our thinking in the pursuit of building a best-in-class, sustainable business.
See how we’ve grown and changed over the years.
Jacob Holm Acquisition
The acquisition expands Glatfelter’s scale and diversification into attractive and complementary product categories with high-performing and innovative spunlace nonwoven technologies and advanced plant-based sustainable solutions serving the growing wipes, critical cleaning, healthcare and hygiene categories. Glatfelter has acquired four additional manufacturing sites and six sales offices located in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and approximately 760 employees world-wide.
Mount Holly & Memphis acquisition
The transaction includes Georgia-Pacific’s Mount Holly, North Carolina airlaid manufacturing operation and an R&D development in Memphis, Tennessee. The Mount Holly site produces high-quality airlaid products focused on table top materials. The R&D center and additional technical resources will enhance the company’s ongoing innovation efforts.
Global Headquarters
Glatfelter announces it will relocate its Global Headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina.
Airlaid Expansion
Glatfelter opens a new $90 million state-of-the-art airlaid site in Fort Smith, Arkansas, expanding its airlaid capacity by 20 percent. Glatfelter also acquires Georgia-Pacific’s Steinfurt, Germany nonwovens business.
Divestiture of Specialty Papers
In October 2018, Glatfelter completes the sale of the Specialty Papers business unit. The divestiture is a significant milestone in the Company’s strategic transformation to become a leading global engineered materials company.
Abaca Fiber Expansion
Glatfelter opens an abaca harvesting and processing operation in Costa Rica.
Wallcover
Glatfelter acquires Dresden Papier GmbH from Fortress Paper Ltd., becoming a leading global supplier of nonwoven wallcover base materials.
Airlaid
Acquisitions in Gatineau, Canada and Falkenhagen, Germany established Glatfelter as a leading global manufacturer of airlaid products for the personal care and hygiene segments.
Metallized
Glatfelter acquires the Caerphilly, UK mill from Metallised Products Limited, making Glatfelter a leading supplier of metallized papers for labeling and packaging.
Wetlaid Expansion
Glatfelter acquires the production site at Lydney, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom from J.R. Crompton Ltd.
Wetlaid
Glatfelter acquires Schoeller & Hoesch GmbH in Gernsbach, Germany, which begins Glatfelter’s transformation into a global leader in wetlaid nonwoven filtration materials.
NYSE
Glatfelter moves from AMEX to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol GLT.
Stock Listed
Glatfelter is listed on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX).
Water Conservation
The Audubon Society honors Glatfelter with an environmental achievement citation for the company’s pioneering efforts in process water conversion.
Dam Construction
After a bad drought, Glatfelter provides the community and its sites with a more reliable supply of clean water. Glatfelter and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania construct the P.H. Glatfelter dam, which leads to the creation of Codorus State Park.
Glatfelter Goes Public
Glatfelter issues its first Initial Pubic Offering (IPO) to fund a $12.5-million sustainability project that includes the expansion of the Spring Grove, Pennsylvania mill, and a project to supply the community with over a billion gallons of water.
Reforestation
Glatfelter establishes the first sustainably managed tree farms in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and implements a statewide reforestation program.
World Leader in Technology
Glatfelter installs a new fourdrinier paper machine which is capable of making rolls of fine paper up to 170 inches wide. This giant paper machine, designed by Glatfelter engineers and housed in a new building, was the world’s largest fourdrinier, and first to have an easily replaceable wire belt.
Incorporation
P.H. Glatfelter Company, Inc. appoints one of the country’s first industrial foresters to help Glatfelter educate farmers in the practice of sustainable forestry.
Fine Paper
Glatfelter is an early adopter of a new chemical method called the soda process, which enabled high-quality paper to be made from wood fibers. In 1881 Glatfelter builds a giant soda-process mill. With its new pulp-processing method, the company in 1892 was able to make one of its most important changes – the suspension of newsprint production and the subsequent focus on high-quality paper for books, lithographs, and business forms.
Where it All Started
On December 23, 1863, Philip H. Glatfelter I purchases the Hauer Paper Mill in what is now Spring Grove, Pennsylvania for $14,000. The Spring Forge Mill begins operations in July 1864.
Our Leadership
Get to know Glatfelter’s Senior Leadership Team.
