Ahlstrom, a leading high performance fibre based materials company, has lowered its full-year guidance for net sales and operating profit.

The decision comes due to lower than expected sales volumes as demand has continued to be soft in Ahlstrom's key markets in Europe and North America.

Outlook

The company also reports that maintenance related downtime at Osnabrück plant in Germany and adverse currency fluctuations have impacted net sales and operating profit development negatively.

Ahlstrom now forecasts net sales from continuing operations to be in the range of EUR 960-1,040 million in 2013. The operating profit excluding non-recurring items from continuing operations will be 0-2% of net sales. The company had previously expected net sales from continuing operations to be EUR 980-1,140 million, and operating profit excluding non-recurring items from continuing operations of 2-5% of net sales in 2013.

The company’s January-September 2013 interim report is expected to be published on 24 October.

Ahlstrom

Ahlstrom is a high performance fibre based materials company, partnering with leading businesses around the world, serves customers in 28 different countries.

The company’s products are used in a large variety of everyday applications, such as filters, medical gowns and drapes, diagnostics, wall coverings, flooring and food packaging.

In 2012, Ahlstrom's net sales from the continuing operations amounted to EUR 1 billion.

www.ahlstrom.com