Ahlstrom celebrated the inauguration of its new wallcovering substrates production line in Binzhou, China. The new production line is an approximately €40 million investment and it produces high-end wallcovering 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. We have now established Binzhou as a manufacturing platform in the region, further strengthening our presence and commitment to customers," says Jan Lang, president and CEO of Ahlstrom.
Ahlstrom's Binzhou plant is located in the Shandong province on China's eastern coast. In addition to wallcovering products, the plant currently manufactures transportation filtration materials and employs 200 people. The wallcovering line is part of Ahlstrom's building and energy business area.
"The Chinese wallcoverings 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," says 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 recently begun.