Albany International to Shut Ala. Plant

The company said the move is a "business necessity" in response to the consolidation of the U.S. and Canadian paper industries, and the need to balance production capacity with demand.

Albany International said it will offer severance and outplacement assistance to the 90 salaried and hourly employees whose jobs will be lost. Work that had been carried out at the factory is expected to be shifted to other North American plants by Aug. 31.

The company has closed other plants in Europe and North America in recent years as paper production increasingly shifted to nations where production costs are lower. In August 2006, the company announced it would take $4.5 million and $5 million in charges related to the reduction of 95 jobs and some operations at plants in Canada and Wisconsin.