Ahlstrom To Close Bellingham Facility

In an effort to become more cost-competitive, Ahlstrom Corp., Finland, will close its manufacturing plant in Bellingham, Mass., and move some of the plant’s assets to the company’s operation in Darlington, S.C. Eighty employees in Bellingham will be affected.

The closure and subsequent consolidation, which will be begin early next year and finish by July 2008, also will enable Ahlstrom to move its dust filtration operations closer to many of its customers. The company does not anticipate that customer service will be disrupted.

“The consolidation allows us to improve our competitiveness by moving our most efficient lines to our Darlington facility,” said Scott Murdock, vice president and general manager of Ahlstrom’s Filtration North America unit. “Furthermore, the move will create some 50 to 60 positions at our Darlington, S.C., facility.”