Suominen has completed plans for a performance improvement program in its Nakkila, Finland facility. Operations at the site will be sharpened by the shuttering of production lines and the streamlining of administrative and support staff. It is expected that 76 employees will be impacted under the plan, which will be implemented this summer.

Executives said the closure of one thermal bond line and one spunlace machine will lead to a write down of about €3 million and will result in improvement of the site’s overall profitability.

These measures follow Suominen’s acquisition of Ahlstrom’s wipes business last year, which tripled the company’s sales and provided it with manufacturing assets in North America, Europe and Brazil. Prior to the acquisition, Nakkila was Suominen’s only nonwovens manufacturing site.