Albany International has manufacturing plants in 15 countries. Appleton Wire is a division of Albany International and manufactures woven fabrics that are used in machines which make paper. In earlier days, this fabric was made out of stands of metal wire. Today, however, no metal wire is actually used. For those of you who have never seen a paper making machine, you have to think big.
Wood pulp is mixed with water and cooked into something that resembles oatmeal.
After the cooking process, the mixture falls onto a sort of conveyor belt. This conveyor belt is what Appleton Wire manufactures. The conveyor belt is huge. The conveyor belt operates in a continuous loop. As the mixture moves along, the water falls through the belt and what is left on top of the belt is paper.