Jun 23, 2006. /Lesprom Network/. Ahlstrom Corporation, a leader in high-performance fiber-based materials, today announced that its manufacturing plant in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, USA, has received the triennial recertification to the ISO 14001 environmental standard. The audit took 4.5 days to complete. The results of the recertification mean that the site was not only recertified to ISO 14001, but also to the new standard ISO 14001:2004. The new standard places a larger emphasis on the continuous improvement component. The site's original accreditation to the global environmental standard was made in June 2002. The site is still required to make annual internal and external audits and will again go through the recertification process in three years. Ahlstrom's auditor, SGS North America, is a member of the SGS Group, the world's largest control and inspection company, which is represented in more than 130 countries by 210 affiliated companies. SGS was impressed with the diversity and accuracy with which Ahlstrom managed these complicated systems in an ever tightening regulatory environment. J. Michael Joyce, director, health, safety and environment said, "Ahlstrom's global goal is to have 90% of its production capacity ISO 14001 certified by 2006." Ronald Balaska, environmental systems superintendent, Ahlstrom Windsor Locks LLC, said, "Ahlstrom being recognized as an ISO 14001 supplier will provide us additional credibility with all of the regulatory commissions." Ahlstrom is a global leader in the development, manufacture and marketing of high performance fiber-based materials. Nonwovens and specialty papers, made by Ahlstrom, are used in a large variety of everyday products, e.g. in filters, wipes, flooring, labels, and tapes. The company has a strong market position in several business areas in which it operates, built upon the company's unique fiber expertise and innovative approach. Ahlstrom's 5 600 employees serve customers via sales offices and production facilities in more than 20 countries on six continents. In 2005, Ahlstrom's net sales amounted to Euro 1.6 billion. Ahlstrom's share is listed on the main list of the Helsinki stock exchange.