Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, announces that the company's Due Diligence System for EU Timber Regulation is verified by a third party.
The EU Timber Regulation (995/2010) entered into force on March 3, 2013 and requires operators to have a Due Diligence System to prevent them to place illegal timber products on the EU market. Ahlstrom Due Diligence System has been verified by Sociéte General de Surveillance, SGS, in Switzerland. The verification statement issued by SGS confirms that all products Ahlstrom supplies from its European plants are made from pulp for which the risk for illegally harvested timber has been assessed in compliance with the requirements of the SGS EU Timber Regulation Due Diligence System.
SGS verifies that Ahlstrom has put in place a management system that gathers information about the products intended for supply to the European market. The management system analyses and evaluates the risk of illegally harvested products being placed on the European market. It also includes appropriate risk mitigation procedures to minimize the risk of placing illegal products on the European market.
For forest-based fibers, Ahlstrom supports FSC® and PEFC(TM) forest certification systems. As of today, a total of 15 Ahlstrom manufacturing plants have Chain of Custody Certifications. Ahlstrom purchases the pulp to these sites as PEFC® or FSC(TM) certified or FSC(TM) Controlled Wood, which contributes to a negligible risk in addition to other criteria in the EU Timber Regulation.
Ahlstrom made changes to its financial segment reporting as of January 1, 2013 as the former Filtration business area was divided into two separate segments: Advanced Filtration and Transportation Filtration.
In addition, a new reporting segment called Trading and new business, has been added. The segment includes trading sales of wipes materials to Suominen Corporation and release papers from the Osnabrück plant as well as Porous Power Technologies. These operations were previously reported as part of the Building and Energy and Label and Processing segments.
As of January 1, 2013, Ahlstrom has adopted the revised IAS 19 Employee Benefits standard. The impact of the change has also been included in the restated figures. The operating profit from continuing operations in 2012 is increased by EUR 3.1 million as the net interest costs related to employee benefits are reported in financial items. The operating profit impact is positive for all the segments.
Further information on the impact of the revised standard will be presented in the interim financial statements to be published on April 25, 2013.
Ahlstrom's financial reporting will be in line with these changes starting from the January-March 2013 interim report. Quarterly Group and segment information for 2012 has been restated accordingly. Detailed figures are presented in the tables at the end of this release.
As of January 1, 2013, Ahlstrom's five reporting segments are: Advanced Filtration, Building and Building, Food and Medical, Transportation Filtration, and Trading and new business.
Follow this link for the full release with tables
Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, has completed the earlier announced EUR 7 million investments at its Stenay plant, France. With the investment, the plant successfully expanded its product portfolio of one-side coated papers for metalized labels and flexible packaging.
The grades produced at Stenay's paper machine 3 span now from 50 to 160 g/m². These coated papers can be used for metalized beer labels and flexible packaging applications such as biscuits, sweets, coffee bags, pharmacy, pet food bag outer liners, tea envelopes, tobacco pouches, as well as bundle wraps for yoghurt pots.
"By lowering the weight of a paper used for metalized labels, flexible packaging and other graphics and industrial applications, Ahlstrom responds to the need for lighter papers to reduce the weight of packaging and labels and consequently lower their environmental footprint," says Daniele Borlatto, EVP, Label and Processing.
Stenay's main brands for flexible packaging papers include the well-known Gerbier HDS, Gerstar HDS, Gerstar 404, Gerstar 604, Gersan, Gervalux as well as Metalkote for metalized labels.
With the investment, Ahlstrom offers additional benefits to its customers, such as improved performance during the converting process.
The Stenay plant is part of Ahlstrom's Label and Processing Business Area, which operates a total of six production sites in France, Germany, Italy and Brazil.
Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, strengthens its focus on wallcoverings by continuing to invest in product development and production. Ahlstrom is a world leader in the production of materials for wallcoverings.
As part of Ahlstrom EasyLife(TM) product offering, Ahlstrom has developed a nonwoven wallcovering substrate at its Osnabrück plant in Germany. The products have been very well received by customers, and the product range will be expanded during this year with a number of new product launches.
In line with these product developments, an investment program has been carried out to ensure the high quality standards and efficiency needed. "We are fully committed to serving our customers from Osnabrück as well as developing the nonwoven product offering further and completing ongoing investments on the production line at the plant," says Laura Raitio, Executive Vice President, Building and Energy.
Ahlstrom is a global leader in wallcover substrates, offering the most comprehensive product range on the market. Its materials are manufactured in Europe and North America and are part of Ahlstrom's Building and Energy business area. In order to further support the development of the Chinese wallcovering market, Ahlstrom will start manufacturing nonwoven wallcover substrates in Binzhou, Shandong province in China. Production of the high quality and innovative wallcover substrates will start during the second half of 2013.
Additionally, Ahlstrom is investing in Malmedy, Belgium, to produce embossed substrates for digital print applications. This will offer enhanced design possibilities to customers.
Ahlstrom is in the process of demerging its Label and Processing business and merging it with Munksjö AB. The transaction is under the European Commission's review with respect to abrasive backings and pre-impregnated decor paper. The transaction has no effect on Ahlstrom's commitment to provide leading-edge product offerings in wallcoverings and other key focus areas in high performance fiber-based materials.
Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, announces that it has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW), to use Ahlstrom's Disruptor® technology in drinking water applications. Ahlstrom Disruptor® is a unique nanoalumina technology designed for a wide range of water filtration applications.
Ahlstrom's fiber-based materials match the global megatrends, such as environmental awareness, resource scarcity and urbanization. As a response to the need for clean water, Ahlstrom has developed the Disruptor® technology that can be used in removing a wide range of tiny contaminants from water. DW&PS will incorporate Ahlstrom's high performance, break-through Disruptor® filter medium into a new set of drinking water purification products that provide excellent pathogen rejection while operating at high flow and low pressure.
"One of the key goals in our product development is to create products that purify air and liquids in a sustainable way. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Dow since we see a wealth of opportunities for providing pure water solutions through combining our expertise with Dow's industry-leading product offering," says Fulvio Capussotti, Executive Vice President, Advanced Filtration, Ahlstrom.
Ahlstrom Disruptor® virtually removes microorganisms that can cause sickness. Its unique combination of large pore size and very high electrical attraction potential enable efficient removal of virus-sized particles at a high flow rate at very low pressure. Ahlstrom Disruptor® can be utilized in a number of drinking water applications, such as under-the-sink purification, tap water filters and water pitcher filters. It can be used in areas with no electricity, it requires no use of chemicals, and does not generate waste water.
"Global trends such as population growth and urbanization put pressure on already strained water sources," said Snehal Desai, global business director for DW&PS. "We see a real need for new innovations to expand access to clean safe drinking water in an easy, effective and sustainable way. Our collaboration with Ahlstrom extends our product offering to people who need effective water treatment but may not have access to pumps or electricity."
Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, presents its expanded Ahlstrom Easylife(TM) wallcover range at the China Wallpaper Exposition in Beijing on March 7-10, 2013. The company is developing new products in order to strengthen its leadership in the Chinese wallcover market.
Ahlstrom Easylife(TM) product offerings range from 3D appearances to new backing and coated facing materials. Additionally, Ahlstrom will be partnering with HP, presenting its EasyLife(TM) digital printing products with HP's latest Latex printing technology. Ahlstrom EasyLife(TM) is quickly expanding into the digital arena and is positioned as one of the leading substrates for nonwoven digital wallcover applications.
Furthermore, Ahlstrom will sponsor the Ahlstrom EasyLife(TM) Cup, Wallcovering Design Contest at the China Wallcovering Expo, March 5-7, 2013. Here talented wallcovering designers will gather together, displaying their creative and exquisite work, many of which are based Ahlstrom EasyLife(TM) nonwoven materials. This type of contest is a great way to encourage creative and unique designs, facilitating the positive growth of the Chinese wallcover market.
All Ahlstrom's new wallcover substrates have been developed to reduce environmental impact, as sustainability is a key focus for Ahlstrom. All products utilize FSC pulp and are CE and RAL approved. Recycled polyester is used in several new products, a process that has reduced our cradle-to-gate environmental impact by 10%
Ahlstrom is a global leading producer of wallcover substrates, producing the widest product range on the market. Its materials are manufactured in Europe and North America and are part of Ahlstrom's Building and Energy business area. In order to further support development of the Chinese wallcovering market, Ahlstrom will commence manufacture of nonwoven wallcover substrate in Binzhou, Shandong province. Production of high quality and innovative wallcover substrates will start during late 2013.
Ahlstrom booth at 12th China (Beijing) Wallpaper Exposition by Build Decor is E4-C08.
Ahlstrom's Annual Report 2012, including the financial statements, the report of operations and Corporate Governance Statement, has been published today on the company's website in English and Finnish. The publications can be viewed as PDF files at www.ahlstrom.com > Investors.
In addition, Ahlstrom will publish next week its Sustainability Report 2012. The publication will available in English on the company's website.
Ahlstrom's Corporate Governance Statement 2012 and Remuneration Statement 2012 have also been published today as separate documents. The statements are available as PDF files in English and Finnish on the company's website at www.ahlstrom.com > Investors > Corporate governance.
Printed reports will be available next week and can be ordered via the company's website or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
The English version of the Annual Report 2012 is attached to this document as a PDF file.
Ahlstrom will publish its financial statements bulletin 2012 on Thursday, January 31, 2013, approximately at 12.00 noon Finnish time (CET +1).
Ahlstrom's President & CEO Jan Lång and CFO Seppo Parvi will present the report in Finnish at an analyst and press conference in Helsinki on Thursday, January 31 at 2.00 p.m. Finnish time. The conference will take place at event arena Bank, Unioninkatu 20. The name of the meeting room will be displayed on the board in the lobby.
In addition, CEO Lång and CFO Parvi will hold a conference call in English on the same day at 4.00 p.m. Finnish time. To participate in the teleconference, please dial +358 (0)9 6937 9543 in Finland or +44 (0)20 7136 2050 outside Finland a few minutes before the conference begins. The confirmation code is 2482850.
The event can also be viewed as a live audio cast at www.ahlstrom.com. Registration is required. It is possible to participate in the Q & A session via online.
An on-demand audio webcast of the conference will be available on Ahlstrom's website for twelve months after the call.
The presentation material will be available at www.ahlstrom.com > Investors > Reports and presentations > 2012 after the financial statements bulletin 2012 has been published.
Ahlstrom, a global leader in high performance fiber-based materials, provides preliminary information on net sales and operating profit excluding non-recurring items from continuing operations for 2012.
In 2012, net sales from continuing operations amounted to approximately EUR 1,011 million and operating profit excluding non-recurring items from continuing operations was approximately EUR 18 million.
Ahlstrom had previously expected net sales from continuing operations to be EUR 960 - 1,040 million and operating profit excluding non-recurring items from continuing operations to be EUR 22 - 32 million in 2012.
The operating profit excluding non-recurring items for 2012 is lower than the company had earlier anticipated because of weaker sales mix and volumes across all key markets towards the end of the year, as well as longer than expected production downtime taken during the last quarter.
The figures are based on unaudited preliminary financial results. Ahlstrom will publish its financial statements bulletin 2012 on January 31, 2013.
Ahlstrom's Board of Directors has today appointed Alexander Ehrnrooth, M.Sc. (Econ.), MBA, as a non-board member of its Nomination Committee. Alexander Ehrnrooth (b. 1974) is President and CEO of Virala Oy Ab as well as member of the Board of Directors of Wärtsilä Corporation and Deputy Chairman of Fiskars Corporation.
Alexander Ehrnrooth represents Vimpu Intressenter Ab, which is the second-biggest shareholder of Ahlstrom, and Belgrano Investments Oy. In addition to three board members, the Nomination Committee consists of three non-board members representing major shareholders. The composition of the committee aims at increasing shareholder influence in nomination matters.
As of December 17, 2012, the members of the Nomination Committee are Peter Seligson, Pertti Korhonen, Anders Moberg as well as the non-board members Risto Murto, Thomas Ahlström and Alexander Ehrnrooth.