The Louveira plant, which is located in São Paulo state, manufactures filter media for transportation and industrial segments, particularly for the South American markets. The plant is certified to IATF, ISO9001-2015, ISO45001 and ISO14001 and employs 120 people.
With planned installation in 2023, the equipment is expected to be fully operational by the first quarter of 2024.
“Along with optimizing the logistic workflow, the new unit will enable us to be closer to our customers and provide them with the flexibility needed to deliver best in class filtration solutions in South America,” said Andre Pereira, Ahlstrom’s head of sales, Latin America.
“This investment addresses some of the current and future challenges of our customers in South America which include manufacturing flexibility and robust supply chain at regional level,” said Willy Bordignon, Ahlstrom’s VP Filtration Americas. “It also demonstrates our commitment to expand product portfolio and to address the demands for lower emission engines in the region for EURO 5 and EURO 6 standards.”
The strategic growth initiative completes a series of investments in the past few years to strengthen Ahlstrom’s global footprint and widen its high-performance offering in filtration segments. These include a new saturator as well as investment in a glass fiber tissue line in Madisonville, Kentucky, USA, a machine rebuild in Binzhou, China, a capacity expansion in Fabriano, Italy and Malmedy, Belgium, and a new production line in Turin, Italy.
