Industrially manufactured sausage casings, sponge cloths and functional ingredients for the food and protein processing industry
Kalle GmbH
Wiesbaden · Bersenbrück · Georgsmarienhütte · Landau · Schwaan · Sohren · Versmold · Guntramsdorf (AT) · Łódź (PL) · Budapest (HU) · Harderwijk (NL) · Feering/Essex (UK) · Gurnee, IL (US) · VistaNew on Amplifa
About Kalle
Founded in 1863 and headquartered in Wiesbaden, Kalle GmbH is one of the world's leading manufacturers of industrially produced sausage casings and sponge cloths. The product range comprises seamless cellulose casings based on viscose (Nalo brand), polymer casings made of polyamide, plastic casings made of polyester (Nalophan), fibre and textile casings, value-added casings with smoke, aroma, colour and spice coatings as well as nettings. In addition, Kalle produces sponge cloths for household, professional cleaning as well as technical and medical applications, and offers functional ingredients, flavours and taste substances. 850 million metres of sausage casings are produced annually; customer-specific final processing with printing (UV, 8+8 colours), shirring and converting takes place preferably close to customers at 14 sites in 8 countries. With around 1,500 employees, the Group supplies customers in almost 100 countries, primarily in meat processing as well as in vegetarian and vegan products such as cheese, tofu and seitan.
- Site
- Wiesbaden
- Processes
- Manufacture of seamless cellulose casings (viscose casings, Nalo brand), Manufacture of polymer casings based on polyamide, Manufacture of plastic casings made of polyester (Nalophan), Manufacture of fibre and textile casings, Manufacture of sponge cloths, Value-added casings (transfer casings with smoke, aroma, colour and spice coatings), Nettings (net production), Printing of casings (UV printing, 8+8 colours)
- Materials
- Cellulose (viscose), Polyester, Polyamide, Natural fibres
- Certificates
- FSSC 22000 (ISO 22000:2018, ISO/TS 22002-4:2013), FSSC 22000, BRC
- Founded
- 1863
- Employees
- 1500
- Industries
- Meat processing/meat products industry, Food industry (cheese, tofu, seitan, vegetarian/vegan), Household cleaning/professional cleaning, Medical technology, Automotive industry, Agriculture
- 01
Development (R&D, Application Center)
- 02
Casing manufacturing (viscose, polyamide, polyester, fibre/textile)
- 03
Printing (UV, 8+8 colours)
- 04
Shirring
- 05
Cutting and converting
- 06
Value-added casings and functional ingredients
- 07
Distribution via 14 sites and a network in approx. 100 countries
Materials and Processes
Cellulose (viscose)
Basis for seamless cellulose casings (Nalo brand) as an alternative to natural casings.
Polyamide
Base material of modern polymer casings since 1990.
Polyester
Material of the first plastic casing Nalophan (1963).
Natural fibres
Used in fibre and textile casings as well as sponge cloths.
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of seamless cellulose casings (viscose casings, Nalo brand)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Cellulose (viscose) |
| Manufacture of polymer casings based on polyamidePlastics | – | – | – | – | Polyamide |
| Manufacture of plastic casings made of polyester (Nalophan)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polyester |
| Manufacture of fibre and textile casingsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Natural fibres, Textile fibres |
| Manufacture of sponge clothsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Natural fibres, Viscose |
| Value-added casings (transfer casings with smoke, aroma, colour and spice coatings)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polymer, Cellulose |
| Nettings (net production)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Polymer |
| Printing of casings (UV printing, 8+8 colours)Surface | – | – | – | – | Polyamide, Polyester, Viscose |
| Shirring of casingsForming | – | – | – | – | Polyamide, Polyester, Viscose |
| Cutting of casings into sectionsMachining | – | – | – | – | Polyamide, Polyester, Viscose |
| Converting services (converting of casings)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Viscose, Plastic |
| Manufacture of functional ingredients, flavours and taste substancesEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Kalle works with certified food safety management systems; among others, FSSC 22000 certificates are available for the sites (e.g. Kalle Austria, LRQA). Certificates are listed per site on the company website.
| Evidence | Company |
|---|---|
| FSSC 22000 | |
| BRC |
History
- 1863
Foundation of Kalle & Co. by Dr. Wilhelm Kalle as a chemical factory (dye production)
- 1907
Hoechster Farbwerke acquire a majority stake
- 1929
First seamless cellulose tube, launch of the Nalo brand
- 1955
Start of sponge cloth production
- 1963
First plastic casing Nalophan made of polyester
- 1990
Start of polymer production based on polyamide
- 1995
Spin-off of Kalle GmbH from Hoechst AG
- 1997
Start of growth phase: revenue quadruples, headcount doubles
- 1998
Foundation of Kalle Nalo Polska and Kalle Hungaria
- 2000
Acquisition of Oskuda
- 2002
Acquisition of Texda, entry into the textile casing segment
- 2005
Start of production and marketing of value-added casings
- 2010/2011
Acquisition of Jif-Pak, entry into the nettings segment
- 2013
First spice-coated artificial casing in shirred form
- 2014/2015
Cooperation with an international fast-food company, development of a clean-label casing
- 2025
Long-term refinancing of €290 million equivalent