High performance materials company Ahlstrom is to close its Barcelona plant which manufactures products for advanced and transportation filtration businesses. The Spanish facility is said to have  suffered from continued weakening demand in Southern Europe. The company estimates that about 30 employees will be affected starting from the second half of 2012.

 The Barcelona plant, part of the company’s Filtration business area, is one of the Ahlstrom's smallest production units. The plant has a saturator and a converter unit for materials used in transportation and advanced filtration applications. In the future, customers will be served from Ahlstrom's other plants. 

Recent measures taken by Ahlstrom to improve the efficiency at the plant are said to have unfortunately proved insufficient. The company says it will make every effort in supporting employees affected by the changes.

Ahlstrom’s products are used in a large variety of everyday applications, such as filters, medical gowns and drapes, wall coverings, flooring, labels and food packaging. The company has a leading market position in the businesses in which it operates. Its 5200 employees serve customers in 28 countries on six continents and in 2011, its net sales amounted to EUR 1.6 billion. The company's share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.