Fiberweb will cease operations at its Gray Court, SC facility by the end of 2007. It is anticipated that the spunbond polyester production line at Gray Court will continue to operate through the third quarter, and perhaps beyond, until that business is transitioned to other spunbond polyester lines at Fiberweb’s Old Hickory, TN facility. Approximately 50 employees will be affected.

“The closure of this site is a difficult but essential step to ensure that our operations are capable of competing effectively in very demanding markets,” said Dave Rousse, president, Fiberweb Americas. “Although many people have spent considerable time and effort tying to improve the performance of the Gray Court machine and have met with some success, considerably more effort and expense are required to bring the machine to acceptable performance levels. This closure will enable Fiberweb to focus capital and technical resources on more promising projects. We are actively pursuing finalization of new investments for the Simpsonville, SC site. While details of these investments must await this finalization, we are undertaking significant work to re-invest in Fiberweb’s North American manufacturing capability in the important area of Hygiene products. We regret the impact that this closure has on affected individuals and communities.”