Ahlstrom, a global leader in sustainable specialty materials, has completed a EUR 2 million investment for a new laminator at its Louveira plant in Brazil.
This strategic move reinforces the company's 50-year commitment to the global filtration industry and expands its product offerings in the South American market.
The new laminator increases Ahlstrom's manufacturing capabilities, enabling the company to provide local customers with best-in-class filtration solutions for industrial air, industrial liquid, and fuel filtration, including products currently produced in European and North American markets.
Combining filtration materials through lamination offers several advantages, such as enhanced efficiency, extended service intervals, and reduced energy consumption of filtration units. Laminated fuel filtration materials adapted for EURO 5 and EURO 6 standards optimize fuel consumption and reduce emissions of harmful pollutants. In industrial filtration applications, multilayer materials support the trend for higher filtration performance and the ability to purify air and liquids, protecting people and the environment.
"The new laminator increases our manufacturing capabilities and brings needed flexibility to supply our local customers with the best-in-class filtration solutions," said Andre Pereira, Head of Sales, Filtration, Latin America. "Efficient supply chain management prevents interruptions to the supply stream, and shorter transport distances reduce carbon emissions and lower environmental impact."
"The new lamination line supports our purpose to strengthen the global leadership in filtration," said Willy Bordignon, VP, Filtration Americas. Ahlstrom has recently completed several investments to expand its filtration capabilities, including a new saturator and a glass fiber tissue line in Madisonville (Kentucky, US), a machine rebuild in Binzhou (China), capacity expansions in Fabriano (Italy) and Malmedy (Belgium), and a new production line in Turin (Italy).
The Louveira plant, located in São Paulo state, manufactures filter media for transportation and industrial segments and is certified with IATF, ISO9001-2015, ISO45001, and ISO14001. The plant employs 120 people.
