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#Yarn & Fiber

Ahlstrom launches new glass fiber tissue line for high-performance building materials in Madisonville, U.S.

As market demand for high-performance, sustainable building materials is increasing, Ahlstrom continues to grow its glass fiber tissue business and strengthen its manufacturing platform globally by completing a major investment at its plant in Madisonville, KY, U.S.

Ahlstrom’s product portfolio for the construction industry, FibRoc®, offers carriers, facings, and backing solutions protecting against fire, flame spread, moisture, and water. All of Ahlstrom’s glass fiber tissue solutions are fluorocarbon-free and have formaldehyde-free options.

With this investment announced in May 2021, Ahlstrom expands its building materials manufacturing capabilities to support customers globally. During the past five years, Ahlstrom has invested over USD 100 million on the Madisonville site.

”We can be proud of what we have accomplished in Madisonville, successfully delivering this major investment,”?says Emmanuelle Picard, EVP, Building Materials. “This investment significantly strengthens our technical capabilities in the?region, supporting the industry with sustainable solutions for building materials and?increasing our production capacity in North America. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in this project,”?Emmanuelle Picard concludes.




“This new platform will further strengthen our leadership in this field by consolidating our global position in flooring applications but also by giving us a unique platform to expand into other glass fiber tissue applications, in particular for the Industrial Filtration portfolio," says Pekka Helynranta, Vice President, Glass Fiber Tissue business.

Ahlstrom’s Building Materials portfolio includes highly engineered building material applications for every face of the building. It produces glass fiber media for flooring, ceiling, and plasterboard applications and makes nonwoven materials for automotive, abrasive, construction, textile, and hygiene applications, as well as wallcover materials.



More News from Ahlstrom

#Technical Textiles

Ahlstrom launches advanced glass microfiber media offering energy efficiency and longer lifetime for HVAC systems

Ahlstrom, a global leader in fiber‑based specialty materials, announces the launch of a new generation of glass microfiber media for HVAC filtration, designed to meet the growing demand for responsible, high‑performance air filtration solutions. Produced in Turin (Italy), this new platform is made without any intentionally added PFAS while maintaining the durable water‑repellent properties essential for HVAC systems, enabling manufacturers to rely on safer materials without compromising functionality.

#Nonwovens

Ahlstrom launches Flow2Save™ filtration media: improved air quality and energy savings for HVAC applications

Ahlstrom, a global leader in sustainable fiber-based materials, introduces an enhanced version of Flow2Save™ filtration media. The advanced solution is specifically designed to improve indoor air quality while significantly reducing energy consumption.

#Nonwovens / Technical Textiles

Ahlstrom expands its FibRoc® portfolio delivering the ultimate solution for wall liner

Ahlstrom, a global leader in fiber-based specialty materials, expands its FibRoc® portfolio, a platform of high-performance materials for durable applications. In addition to Flooring, Ceiling and Plasterboard the range now includes the segment of Wall Liner, offering extensive, flexible and high-performance solutions.

#Nonwovens / Technical Textiles

Ahlstrom introduces Optipad™

Ahlstrom, a global leader in fiber-based specialty materials, launches Ahlstrom Optipad™, a new high-performance filter pad, designed for hot cooking oil filtration. It’s a cutting-edge solution that brings together innovation, sustainability, and simplicity, extending oil lifetime up to 50% and enhancing ease of use.

More News on Yarn & Fiber

#Yarns

Yarns and technologies in symbiosis: Biella Yarn presents Fall/Winter 2027/2028 collection “New Romance_”

Biella Yarn, the flat knitting brand of Suedwolle Group, launches new Fall/Winter 2027/2028 collection, inspired by the symbiosis of yarns and technologies – elements that blend, adapt and evolve together, forming something new without losing their origin. The name “Neu Romance_” reflects the emotional and neurological dimension of the yarns: a connection that engages the senses, experienced through material, touch and interaction. The collection is further brought to life through design collaborations, featuring selected yarns used in different design approaches.

#Recycling / Circular Economy

The textile industry in transition

Recycling, traceability, eco-design and digitalisation are among the key future challenges facing the European textile industry. The Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity, involving 21 partners from twelve countries, is investigating the skills required to address these challenges. As the German industry partner, the Industry Association for Finishing – Yarns – Fabrics – Technical Textiles (IVGT) is bringing the industry’s perspective to the project.

#Research & Development

GenuTrace client advisory: Is your cotton supply chain UFLPA ready?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released updated operational guidance (CBP Publication No. 5560-0526) expanding its forced labor enforcement framework. The guidance supersedes the original 2022 UFLPA Operational Guidance and now covers all forced labor enforcement authorities — UFLPA, CAATSA, and WROs/Findings — in a single unified document. For cotton importers, the enforcement posture has not softened. It has become more structured, more documented, and more demanding. Learn more about UFLPA.

#Spinning

"We will become a recycling powerhouse"

The textile industry is now in its fourth consecutive year of crisis, while automation, artificial intelligence and recycling are reshaping the rules of the game. In this interview, Rieter CEO Thomas Oetterli discusses the first signs of a market recovery, reflects on his first three years at the helm of the company, explains the integration of Barmag, outlines Rieter’s vision of the fully automated spinning mill and highlights the strategic importance of recycling. In doing so, he explains why the new Rieter Group aims to play a leading role in transforming the textile value chain into a circular economy.

Latest News

#Research & Development

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

#Natural Fibers

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

#Knitting & Hosiery

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

#Natural Fibers

Cashmere specialist joins AbTF Board of Trustees

The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is pleased to welcome Brian Yu, the chief executive officer of the Artwell Group, to its board of trustees. As CEO, Brian Yu developed Artwell into the world’s largest supplier of responsibly produced cashmere knitwear.

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