The new service centre will manage most of the finance, accounting and customer service operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). While Ahlstrom will retain its customer service functions in Munich, Germany, customer service and financial services will be moved from a number of other locations in Europe to Vilnius.
The planned reorganization, which is expected to affect approximately 60 jobs in Europe, is part of an expanded E50 million rightsizing program that Ahlstrom announced in January 2014. Under the rightsizing program, Ahlstrom’s employee numbers are expected to be reduced by approximately 400 globally.
“Customer service and finance operations at Ahlstrom are very fragmented today, since employees are working in small teams across multiple locations. Centralizing EMEA customer service into two main locations, Vilnius and Munich, enables us to offer better customer service. Centralizing financial services into Vilnius will enable business support in a more unified and efficient manner. This approach will also support our rightsizing program,” said Ahlstrom chief financial officer Sakari Ahdekivi.
