According to Jan Lång, CEO and President of Ahlstrom, the investment plays a significant role in the company's growth strategy in Asia. "Ahlstrom has a strong presence in Europe and Americas, and we continue to grow our presence in Asia as well. China is expected to be the world's largest market for wallcovers in a few years time, offering a significant growth potential in the coming years". "We will use Ahlstrom's extensive know-how and experience in wallcover manufacturing in responding to the market needs in China. We are extremely pleased that we will have the opportunity to grow together with and serve our customers from a local production plant in China", said Laura Raitio, Executive Vice President, Building and Energy, Ahlstrom.Ahlstrom's Binzhou plant is located in the Shandong province on China's eastern coast. The plant currently manufactures transportation filtration materials and employs 170 people. The new wallcover materials production line will employ a total of 50 people locally. In addition to Binzhou, Ahlstrom has two other manufacturing sites in Asia; Hyun Poong in South Korea and Mundra in India. In addition to the manufacturing plants, Ahlstrom has sales offices in nine major cities in Asia. In total, Asia accounts for approximately 10 percent of the Group's net sales.The new investment will be part of the company's Building and Energy Business Area, which focuses on providing materials for building and flooring, marine and wind as well as wallcover and specialities applications. The Business Area accounts for approximately 13 percent of Group net sales./KB