Ahlstrom’s profit improvement program aims to improve annual operating profit by approximately 15 million Euros starting from 2012. The program may affect about 400 employees. The overall impact of the non-recurring items of the program is cash neutral.As a result of the co-operation negotiations started in September at the Karhula and Mikkeli plants in Finland, Ahlstrom has decided to gradually discontinue the production of glass fiber and glass fiber mats in Karhula by the end of this year, as the operation is unprofitable. The production of glass fiber tissue at the site will continue as before.The decision to end glass fiber production will lead to a personnel reduction of 170 employees in Finland starting from October. Ahlstrom has started several initiatives aimed at finding new employment opportunities for the affected employees.Co-operation negotiations are still on-going at the Mikkeli plant, which manufactures glass fiber reinforcements, and are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.Ahlstrom has decided to close its hybrid wall cover production line in Turin, Italy, in October. The line, started in 2009, has been permanently affected by weak profitability. Negotiations with employee representatives concerning the 22 employees at the line have been initiated.Ahlstrom is initiating negotiations on streamlining measures at its Osnabrück plant in Germany that may affect a maximum of 39 employees in the next 18 months.For these measures, Ahlstrom will book a non-recurring cost of about 25 million Euros in its third-quarter financial results. Further improvement measures are being considered and will be announced in due course, according to the company. /AA