Ahlstrom-Munksjö has reinforced its position by modernizing its production platform in the beverage and casing busienss through the purchase of a second-hand Voith paper making line. The state-of-the-art line will be dismantled and transferred to Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s Chirnside, U.K. site wher the company already has extensive knowledge in the manufacturing of tea and coffee filter paper and fibrous meat casing materials. The benefit of this €28 million investment will increase the site’s manufacturing capacity and production efficiency. The machine should be fully operational in the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2019.

The new production line will strengthen product capabilities and, combined with Ahlstrom-Munksjö’s extensive offering of biodegradable and compostable solutions, enables growth in the attractive tea and coffee markets. The investment addresses also the constrained capacity situation in all three segments; coffee, tea and casing, and enables the company to respond to growing end-use demand.

In the tea bag materials market, where sustainable and plastic free alternatives are driving demand, Ahlstrom-Munksjö has a leading position with its Fiber+ offering, which is a plastic-free and compostable solution made without oil based heat seal fibers. In the single-serve coffee market, the company is a niche supplier with a leading position in the sustainable and compostable segment in Europe and is making good progress on the U.S. market.

“The investment shows our long term commitment and our ambition to maintain a leading position in coffee, tea and casing papers. I’m also encouraged that sustainability and plastic-free solutions are in strong demand because it gives us a strategic opportunity to leverage our competence and innovation capability, differentiate our offering of advanced custom-made fiber based materials, and strengthen our relationship with our customers” states Omar Hoek, Executive vice president of Business Area Specialties.

“This investment will allow us to better serve our existing customers whilst facilitating our growth ambitions. Our U.K. operations, in particular the Chirnside site, has extensive capabilities in tea, coffee and casing. By maximizing our use of the deep product knowledge and skills we can continue to provide innovative and sustainable products to our customers world-wide” says Stuart Nixon, vice president of Beverage & Casing business.