Albany International Corp. (NYSE:AIN) reported today that its German
affiliate, Württembergische Filztuchfabrik K. Geschmay GmbH, has
announced plans to discontinue manufacturing operations at its press
fabric manufacturing facility in Göppingen, Germany. This planned action
is driven by the continuing consolidation of paper industry customers in
Europe, and the continuous need to match the Company’s paper machine
clothing manufacturing capacity in Europe with the demands of our
customers, so that customer sourcing is optimized. The Göppingen plan
would be subject to applicable local law and would be implemented in
accordance with such law and in consultation with the Works Council.
The proposed action in Germany in no way reflects on the performance of
the 52 affected employees; it is a business necessity, driven by both
the existing and anticipated market conditions.
Following completion of this planned action, the Company’s European
press fabrics manufacturing activities will now be centered in Halmstad,
Sweden. There will be no impact on the Company’s other European machine
clothing manufacturing operations. The Company’s customers in Germany,
and throughout Europe, will continue to receive world-class expertise
and support in Product Application, Sales and Marketing, Service, and
Research and Development from the same experienced Albany team.
About Albany International Corp.
Albany International is a global advanced textiles and materials
processing company, with two core businesses. Machine Clothing is the
world’s leading producer of custom-designed fabrics and belts essential
to production in the paper, nonwovens, and other process industries.
Albany Engineered Composites is a rapidly growing supplier of highly
engineered composite parts for the aerospace industry. Albany
International is headquartered in Rochester, New Hampshire, operates 20
plants in 11 countries, employs 4,000 people worldwide, and is listed on
the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol AIN). Additional information about
the Company and its products and services can be found at www.albint.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2015