MarketAhlstrom-Munksjö
Company Profile

Ahlstrom-Munksjö

Ahlstrom Oyj is a manufacturer of fiber-based products. Renewable fibers represent about 95% of Ahlstrom's total fiber use.

History
1862-2016 Munksjö The creation of the Munksjö paper mill in 1862 was due to a chance meeting of two men: Janne Lundström, an inventor and industrialist from Jönköping, and Lars Johan Hierta, a prominent financier, publisher and politician. Ahlstrom Ahlstrom has its roots in Finland: the founder, Antti Ahlström, was one of Finland's most prominent 19th-century businessmen. The company was founded in 1851 and timber trading, shipping, and sawmill operations started to grow. The company focused on pulp, paper and timber production and machinery, later expanding to glassworks (Iittala and Karhula). Ahlstrom's paper production began in Varkaus in 1921 on Europe's largest paper production machine. By the beginning of the 1930s, Ahlstrom had grown into Finland's largest industrial conglomerate. The outbreak of World War II led the company to convert much of its production to support the Finnish war effort. Following the war, the company played a major role in Finland's reconstruction and in its war reparations obligation. Ahlstrom alone accounted for nearly 15 percent of the country's total reparations. The company continued to expand into the 1950s, stepping up its engineering operations while also expanding into chemical wood processing technology. In 2012, Ahlstrom Corporation announced that its Label and Processing business area will be combined with Munksjö Group. In 2016, Ahlstrom Corporation and Munksjö Oyj announced a plan to merge the two companies. 2017-10/2022 Ahlstrom-Munksjö In 2017, Ahlstrom sold its Osnabruck, Germany plant to Kammerer. The completion of the merger of Ahlstrom Corporation into Munksjö Oyj was registered with the Finnish Trade Register on 1 April 2017. Following the completion of the merger, the name of the combined company has changed to Ahlstrom-Munksjö Oyj (“Ahlstrom-Munksjö”). Trading in the new Ahlstrom-Munksjö shares issued to Ahlstrom's shareholders as merger consideration commenced 1 April 2017 on the Nasdaq Helsinki (trading code: AM1) and Nasdaq Stockholm (trading code: AM1S) stock exchanges. In 2018, Ahlstrom-Munksjö acquired U.S. based Expera Specialty Solutions and Brazilian Caieiras specialty paper mill. In September 2020, it was reported that a consortium consisting of Ahlström Capital, funds managed by Bain Capital, and Viknum and Belgrano Inversiones has submitted a cash purchase offer for all Ahlstrom-Munksjö Oyj's shares. In 2021, a consortium consisting of Ahlström Capital, funds managed by Bain Capital as well as Viknum and Belgrano Inversiones completed a tender offer for all shares in Ahlstrom-Munksjö. Ahlstrom-Munksjö became a privately held company (Ahlstrom-Munksjö Holding) and its shares were delisted from Nasdaq Helsinki and Nasdaq Stockholm. 11/2022-now Ahlstrom In 2022, Ahlstrom-Munksjö divested its Decor business to a newly formed Swedish company named Munksjö AB. Following the ownership reorganization, the company renamed itself as Ahlstrom, with a renewed logo where the symbol remains the same and the name is changed to Ahlstrom. Helen Mets was appointed as President and CEO of Ahlstrom in December 2022. == PFAS Contamination ==
PFAS Contamination
Ahlstrom is currently linked to PFAS soil- and water-contamination in different countries. In the US, after sites inspections found PFAS levels more than 3 times those typically seen in soil, groundwater and sediments, The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources sent what are known as “responsible party” letters to the Rhinelander mill’s current owner Ahlstrom Rhinelander LLC and Ahlstrom NA Specialty Solutions LLC. The DNR also named the mill’s former owner Wausau Paper Corp., Wausau Paper Mills LLC and Essity North America as responsible parties. The DNR has previously found contaminated wells in Stella, Wisconsin have some of the highest PFAS levels in the country, pointing the risk of drinking tap water in the area. Ahlstrom launches bottled water program after state regulators named it among companies tied to PFAS contamination. . In France similar contaminations with levels more than 6 times higher to what legislations allows are alike linked back to paper mills owned by Ahlstrom. This leads as well to a ground water consumption ban for large areas. PFAS from the paper mills are found in soils, water, fishes and even human blood samples according to investigations. . . == Business areas ==
Business areas
Ahlstrom manages a broad platform of businesses, focusing on three divisions: Filtration & Life Sciences, Food & Consumer Packaging, Protective Materials. == Global operations ==
Global operations
Ahlstrom products are developed and produced in 13 countries, with 36 plants and a global sales network. The headquarter office is in Espoo, Finland. == See also ==
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