Albany International announced on Friday that its aerospace composites subsidiary, Albany Engineered Composites, Inc. (AEC), will be further expanding its operations in Rochester, New Hampshire. AEC expects to construct a new plant adjacent to its current Rochester operations in 2012 and to begin initial production in 2014. The plant will support the company's activities associated with Safran's aerospace programs and will employ up to 300 people.

AEC has been working with Safran on an exclusive basis since 2006 to develop and commercialize advanced composite components for landing gear and future jet engine applications, utilizing AEC's unique 3-D weaving technology.

The company also announced that it is moving its corporate headquarters to Rochester, New Hampshire and as a result, members of the senior management team will relocate to the Rochester area to join President and CEO Joseph G. Morone, who had relocated earlier this year. The company will maintain a presence in Menands, New York, with approximately 150 employees.

Albany has previously described its goal to develop AEC into a second core business by the end of the current decade. Employment at the AEC Rochester location, which has grown by 23 percent over the past year two years and is now at 225, is expected to increase by the second half of the decade to approximately 700, making it the company's largest global manufacturing operation.

Albany's President and CEO Joseph Morone commented, "These two announcements reflect the growing importance of AEC, and its relationship with Safran group, to Albany International's future. It also reflects the strength of the partnership that we have forged with the City of Rochester and the State of New Hampshire. We are especially appreciative of the efforts of Governor John Lynch and his administration. The new jobs that our new plant will create are the direct result of his efforts on behalf of State of New Hampshire."