Opportunities and challenges: ALPLA 1973–1984
Part three of the series celebrating 70 years of ALPLA: The years between 1973 and 1984 were more challenging for ALPLA than almost any other decade. The global economy was reeling from the effects of the oil crisis, a fire destroyed a plant in Venezuela, and the Lehner family suffered a tragic loss that struck at the heart of the company. But amid crises and change, ALPLA laid the foundation for the philosophy that still shapes the company today: proximity to customers, courage to take risks and an unshakeable pioneering spirit.
Production of canisters at the Algerian plant.
Slowed down by the oil crisis – but still moving forward
The autumn of 1973 marked a turning point for the plastics industry. The price of oil quadrupled within a very short time, and the most important raw material became scarce and expensive. For ALPLA, it was one of the most difficult years in the company's history. In order to secure its own mechanical engineering, the company decided to take an extraordinary step: for the first and only time, ALPLA made its technical expertise available to an external partner – the Austrian state consulting organisation AUSTROPLAN.
Under its general contracting, three plants were built in Algeria, equipped with ALPLA technology and producing bottles and canisters. Specialists from Hard travelled to North Africa over several years to install the equipment and train local employees. Thus, an economic emergency turned into an international project and an early example of pioneering spirit in action across borders.
Alwin Lehner (left) supervises Hans Künz and Werner Gorbach ( top) loading ALPLA machines onto a freight train at Hard station.
Growth in difficult times
Despite economic uncertainties, ALPLA continued its expansion in Germany in the 1970s. In 1974, a new production hall was built in Vlotho-Exter, which was deliberately built larger than necessary as an expression of confidence in the company's own future. Two years later, the company seized the opportunity to take over the plastics division of the traditional Seidensticker brand in Gemünden, thereby also securing packaging production for UHU. This was followed in 1978 by the Kaiserslautern site and finally, in 1982, the move to Berlin, where dishwashing liquid and cosmetics packaging was manufactured for major customer Henkel.
These locations marked the transition from a regional player to a national player. Always guided by the philosophy of being as close to the customer as possible. ‘At none of our locations did we want to be more than 200 kilometres away from our customers,’ Helmut Scheffknecht later recalled. ‘It was clear to us that flexibility and speed would become increasingly important for our customers.’
Fire in Venezuela
In August 1976, Alwin Lehner was confronted with a nightmare as he approached Caracas: smoke was rising above the factory in San Joaquín, Venezuela – a fire had destroyed large parts of the plant. Charred fittings, melted cables, a collapsed hall ceiling – and yet there was a small ray of hope: all employees remained unharmed. Thanks to an undamaged generator, production was soon able to resume – a symbol of the unyielding determination to use setbacks as motivation.
A collapsed hall ceiling in the fire-damaged factory in San Joaquín, Venezuela.
Tragic loss and a new beginning
On 12 May 1978, the darkest chapter of those years unfolded: Helmuth Lehner, co-founder of ALPLA, was killed in a plane crash in Italy together with his wife Marianne and two long-standing employees. With him, the company lost not only a visionary, but also a passionate inventor who had designed a total of 29 aircraft in Hard. His death brought an abrupt end to this division.
From then on, Alwin Lehner led the company as a technical innovator and the public face of the family. He was supported by Helmut Scheffknecht, who took over strategic and operational management, and Heinz Baumgartl, who secured the company's rapid growth as financial director.
Marianne and Helmuth Lehner.
From PVC to PET – the material that changed everything
At the end of the 1970s, the market began to shift: a new plastic called PET (polyethylene terephthalate) was set to revolutionise the world of packaging. While PVC bottles were increasingly falling out of favour due to health concerns surrounding plasticisers, PET impressed with its stability and safety, especially for carbonated drinks.
At the beginning of the 1980s, ALPLA also faced this technological turning point. Its Swiss customer Migros, one of the most important buyers from the plant in Hard, demanded a rapid switch from PVC to PET bottles for vinegar and cooking oil packaging. The impetus came from outside, but ALPLA responded with innovation and precision: despite the difficult transition, the company lost hardly any market share and impressively secured its position. In 1982, a technical breakthrough was also achieved in Hard: the production of the first oval PET bottle, the so-called ‘Solo bottle’ for Migros. Until then, only round shapes had been possible.
The so-called “solo bottle” for the customer Migros.
The new generation joins the company
Despite another oil price shock, ALPLA had already reached a significant milestone in 1979: with nine locations, the company broke through the billion Austrian schilling turnover mark for the first time. This growth reflected the courage to actively shape change.
In the same year, Günther Lehner, son of Alwin Lehner, joined the family business. The recent HTL graduate started in the blow moulding department and learned the business from the ground up. He later recalled: ‘Like some of the employees who later worked for us abroad, I learned the plastics business from the ground up.’ This marked the beginning of a new generation continuing the history of ALPLA – characterised by the same pioneering spirit that had driven the company since its inception.
To the next chapter: ALPLA 1985-1991
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