Isola to close Italian Laminate Operation

Isola will maintain its presence in the European laminate industry by expanding operations at Isola GmbH, located in Duren, Germany. Karl Stollenwerk, Managing Director of Isola GmbH, stated, “Isola’s manufacturing operations in Duren have, at one time or another, produced all of the products that are currently being supplied by MAS Italia; therefore we do not expect any product or supply disruptions and look forward to working directly with the entire European customer base.” Ray Sharpe, CEO of Isola Group, commented, “This has been a very difficult decision for our Company, one which affects the lives of many loyal and hard-working people. I would like to thank all the employees affected by this unfortunate closure for their service and contributions to the company. We will retain a limited number of customer service, accounting, and sales staff as we work through this process.” He added, “The current weak economic conditions, which are not expected to improve in the near-term, have created a situation where it is not viable for Isola Group to maintain two large laminate manufacturing facilities in Europe. Current market demand can be more than adequately met by one facility operating in Germany, the largest laminate market in Europe.”