Energy is one of the largest cost items for any manufacturing company, while electricity prices are affected by both global crises and local challenges that cannot always be predicted. To avoid financial losses, companies need to think smart and act proactively – improving energy efficiency and thereby reducing costs. AS “Liepājas papīrs” has succeeded in doing just that: by replacing two pieces of production equipment and installing a solar power plant for self-consumption, the company has reduced its electricity bill fourfold during the summer months.
Company: AS “Liepājas papīrs”
Business activity: Printing of stickers and packaging labels
Number of employees: 110
Location: Liepāja
Production volume: Approximately 600,000–700,000 m² of stickers per month; production operates in two shifts
Exports: Approximately 40% of production is exported, mainly to Germany, Estonia and Lithuania
Challenge: Outdated and energy-intensive production equipment, high electricity costs and the need to increase productivity in order to remain competitive
Solution: Replacement of two production machines with newer, more energy-efficient equipment + installation of a rooftop solar power plant for 100% self-consumption
Investment: EUR 866,000 across three projects
ALTUM support: EUR 210,000 capital rebate
Benefit: More than 40% primary energy savings; the monthly electricity bill has fallen from approximately EUR 12,500 to EUR 3,000
Additional benefit: Up to 20% higher printing productivity, lower electricity and material consumption, less waste and shorter equipment set-up times
AS “Liepājas papīrs” is a company with a history spanning more than a century – its origins date back to 1898, when it was known as a manufacturer of paper products. For more than 30 years, the company has specialised in printing stickers and packaging labels. Employees work in two shifts, with the equipment printing approximately 600,000–700,000 square metres of stickers each month. Around 60% of the company’s customers are based in Latvia, while the remaining production is exported – mainly to Germany, Estonia and Lithuania.
Photo: Kārlis Volkovskis
Competition in the industry is fierce, both locally and internationally – companies need to offer not only the best price but also fast production and delivery, explains the company’s Finance Director, Normunds Jansons. If a production facility operates equipment that consumes large amounts of energy and has lost efficiency, its competitiveness gradually declines as the cost per unit increases and its ability to fulfil orders quickly diminishes. This prompted the company to carry out an energy audit of its entire production facility several years ago to identify where significant improvements could be made.
“We follow industry trends quite closely. We frequently attend exhibitions and see what is new and what manufacturers are offering in terms of printing equipment. That was the starting point – we saw that there were much more productive and efficient machines with lower electricity consumption.”
Normunds Jansons, Finance Director of AS “Liepājas papīrs”
Several years ago, the company had already invested in a new hybrid printing machine combining flexographic and digital printing, which at the time was the first of its kind in the Baltics. The company saw clear benefits from the investment – customer orders could be produced much faster, to a higher standard and at a lower cost than before. Development strengthens the company’s reputation, which is why “Liepājas papīrs” continues to look for ways to improve its operations with the future in mind.
Photo: Kārlis Volkovskis
Boosting Competitiveness – Project Implementation as a Team Effort
As would be expected of a growth-oriented company, the employees of “Liepājas papīrs” keep up with developments in the industry, attend international exhibitions and seek information about various financing opportunities. Every project implemented by the company is a team effort, emphasises Normunds Jansons.
By attending seminars, he learned more about the support opportunities offered by the development finance institution ALTUM and also consulted ALTUM specialists about which programmes “Liepājas papīrs” could potentially apply for.
The energy audit carried out previously had already highlighted that the company would benefit from replacing its old equipment with newer machinery and installing its own solar power plant on the roof of the production facility.
“After analysing all the pros and cons, we realised that we would need the equipment even without ALTUM support and that it would improve our energy efficiency. However, the support funding is important for competitiveness, while the 30% capital rebate allows the company to retain more working capital for its day-to-day operations,” says Normunds Jansons.
Photo: Kārlis Volkovskis
ALTUM’s Business Greening Support with a Capital Rebate enabled “Liepājas papīrs” to implement its planned energy efficiency measures more effectively. Across three parallel projects, the company purchased and installed a newer and more energy-efficient “KAMPF ConSlitter 14/06CFRU SilverLine” slitting and rewinding machine, an “iFlex 370” label printing press, and a solar photovoltaic power plant on the roof of the company’s building for 100% self-consumption.
The company’s total investment across all three projects amounted to EUR 866,000, while the ALTUM capital rebate amounted to EUR 210,000.
Photo: Kārlis Volkovskis
The company representative also greatly appreciates the involvement and support of ALTUM specialists in developing the projects. ALTUM maintained close communication with the company and answered all questions that arose. This excellent cooperation enabled the company to prepare high-quality project applications, secure financial support and proceed more quickly with the planned investments, allowing the outdated equipment to be replaced without unnecessary delay.
Electricity Bill Reduced Fourfold, While Printing Productivity Has Also Improved
The benefits of the greening measures – generating electricity from the company’s own solar panels – became apparent within the first few months after their installation in April 2025.
The “Liepājas papīrs” production facility consumes 70,000–80,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, resulting in electricity costs of around EUR 12,500 per month. Until now, contracts with electricity suppliers setting specific prices have been concluded for one year at a time.
Now that a large proportion of the company’s electricity needs are covered by its own generation, its monthly electricity bill has fallen to just EUR 3,000. Overall, the energy auditor’s projected primary energy savings of more than 40% have also been fully achieved.
“It was a pleasant realisation – yes, everything has turned out more or less as we had planned,” says Normunds Jansons.
Photo: Kārlis Volkovskis
During implementation of the solar panel project, there were some initial concerns regarding the panels originally selected and the roof area allocated for them. Specialists had to be brought in again to recalculate the required number of panels, their weight and capacity. Ultimately, however, everything was successfully resolved and the most suitable solution was found.
The new printing equipment not only consumes less energy but also enables the company to operate more efficiently. The new machines are more ergonomic and provide greater control, requiring fewer staff resources to adjust printing widths for each individual order.
This also means less waste before achieving the required result – an important consideration for print runs of 10,000 labels.
“Adjustment is often the stage where the most unnecessary material, adhesive and time are consumed. Those are unnecessary costs. With the new equipment, adjustments can be made faster, resulting in a lower production cost and greater competitiveness. The whole chain improves with every investment of this kind,” adds Normunds Jansons.
Photo: Kārlis Volkovskis
Another positive surprise has been the improvement in printing productivity – the company can now print up to 20% more labels per minute than before.
“Of course, it depends on the number of colours and the complexity of the order, but our equipment can currently produce stickers or labels at speeds ranging from 50 to as much as 120 metres per minute,” Jansons explains.
“It was a leap forward that made us realise these are the machines that give us technological progress. The equipment is broadly similar to what we had before, but its productivity is significantly, significantly better.”
Normunds Jansons, Finance Director of AS “Liepājas papīrs”
Understanding What a Company Actually Needs to Improve Its Energy Efficiency
Asked about the company’s future plans for further improving energy efficiency, Normunds Jansons says that “Liepājas papīrs” does not intend to stop here. The company still has several machines that are 20 years old or more and have become inefficient.
“The path has already been established, so we will probably continue along the same route and hope that it will be just as successful as our previous projects,” he says.
For companies that are still considering implementing greening measures with ALTUM financing, Normunds Jansons recommends first engaging an energy auditor. This will help determine exactly what is needed and feasible for the particular company – whether a solar power plant, new equipment or other measures.
“Secondly, I would definitely recommend speaking to several consultants – both ALTUM specialists and others – because everyone has their own area of expertise and knowledge. This service is very important because it prevents companies from unnecessarily spending working hours trying to figure everything out themselves,” encourages the representative of AS “Liepājas papīrs”.
A consultation will also help clarify which project a company can apply for and how it should be implemented, enabling the company to achieve the best possible result.
Businesses can receive ALTUM financing for energy efficiency projects with a capital rebate of up to 30% of project financing. Support is available for investments that help reduce energy consumption, modernise production or introduce renewable energy solutions. The capital rebate means that, following successful implementation of the project, part of the loan is written off, reducing the investment cost for the company. More information is available at altum.lv.
