Helsinki, Finland 06 February 2015 -- Ahlstrom, a high performance fiber-based materials company, will start on February 16, 2015, co-operation negotiations with the employee representative at its Karhula plant in Finland. The negotiations will affect the blue-collar employees at the site and may lead to temporary lay-offs of 20 people at the maximum. The aim of the negotiations is to adjust Ahlstrom's production capacity and costs to the weakened market demand for building materials.

Karhula plant is part of Ahlstrom's Building and Energy Business Area and it produces glassfiber tissue used in building materials such as flooring applications. The plant employs approximately 80 people, of which 43 are blue collar employees. The negotiations are expected to be completed by the end of March 2015.

Ahlstrom in brief

Ahlstrom is a high performance fiber-based materials company, partnering with leading businesses around the world to help them stay ahead. We aim to grow with a product offering for clean and healthy environment. Our materials are used in everyday applications such as filters, medical fabrics, life science and diagnostics, wallcoverings and food packaging. In 2014, Ahlstrom's net sales from the continuing operations amounted to EUR 1 billion. Our 3,400 employees serve customers in 23 countries. Ahlstrom's share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. More information available at www.ahlstrom.com.