HELSINKI (News release) -- Initially announced in January 2020, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has completed its investment and started production for additional capacity in both filtration and energy storage materials at its plant in Turin, Italy. By successfully expanding manufacturing facilities, Ahlstrom-Munksjö is making a strong commitment to customers in both the High-Performance Filtration and Energy Storage markets.

The new machine at the Turin plant is a state-of-the-art line specifically designed to produce glass microfiber media. The line will serve applications where glass microfiber media is required, supporting Ahlstrom-Munksjö's growth initiatives in industrial filtration as well as in Absorbed Glass Matt (AGM), a key component in Lead Acid Batteries. In addition, the new line will also be able to deliver online saturated filter media, supporting the increasing global demand for filtration media.

"This capacity increase in Turin is an important step for Ahlstrom-Munksjö. We are pleased to be able to provide the best technology to our customers, both for high-performance filtration and energy storage. This investment supports our company's strategic ambition to maintain a leading position in growth niches of the global filtration markets such as clean rooms, HVAC and hydraulic applications," said Giuseppe Costa, Vice President, Filtration & Performance Solutions Asia and EMEA. "Additionally, the company is making a strong step into the energy storage market by bringing on stream a platform which will be fully qualified for the manufacture of AGM media."

"Ahlstrom-Munksjö has responded to growing customer demand by successively expanding its global filtration manufacturing capabilities through several new and expansionary investments in the past few years," said Daniele Borlatto, Executive Vice President, Filtration & Performance Solutions. "Due to this strategy, Ahlstrom-Munksjö is regarded in the filtration market as a unique and innovative media supplier, with the capability to provide a wide range of high-quality products across all geographies. With this new investment, our company again proves its dedication to the filtration market, and additionally, its readiness to become a key supplier in media for energy storage."

This investment follows on from the restart of one of the saturators in the Turin plant, enabling Ahlstrom-Munksjö to deliver additional capacity and effectively support customer demands for high-performance filtration media.