The new production line is around EUR 40 million worth and it produces high-end wall covering products for the growing Chinese market.

“This is a major step in the execution of our strategy and provides us with many growth opportunities in Asia,” commented Jan Lång, President and CEO, Ahlstrom. “We have now established Binzhou as a manufacturing platform in the region, further strengthening our presence and commitment to customers.”

 Steady market growth

Ahlstrom's Binzhou plant is located in the Shandong province on China's eastern coast. In addition to wall covering products, the plant currently manufactures transportation filtration materials and employs 200 people. The wall covering line is part of Ahlstrom's Building and Energy business area.

“The Chinese wall coverings market has been growing steadily over the recent years and is set to become the world's largest in the next two to three years,” said Arnaud Marquis, Executive Vice President, Building and Energy business area.

The investment was initially announced in June 2011. Commercial test runs and qualification processes for the products have just recently begun.

Ahlstrom

Ahlstrom is a high performance fibre based materials company, partnering with leading businesses internationally.

The company aims to grow with a product offering for clean and healthy environment. Its materials are used in everyday applications such as filters, medical fabrics, life science and diagnostics, wall coverings and food packaging.

In 2013, Ahlstrom's net sales from the continuing operations amounted to EUR 1 billion. The company’s 3,500 employees serve customers in 24 countries.

www.ahlstrom.com