[6] Ahlstrom's customers represent several industries, including automotive, furniture, construction, healthcare and life science, food and beverage and energy sectors.

[9][10] The creation of the Munksjö paper mill in 1862 was due to a chance meeting of two men: Janne Lundström, an inventor and industrialist from Jönköping, and Lars Johan Hierta, a prominent financier, publisher and politician.

The company focused on pulp, paper and timber production and machinery, later expanding to glassworks (Iittala and Karhula).

One of the most profound decisions in Finnish industrial history was made in 1987, when Ahlstrom unexpectedly sold its paper-producing units.

Leaving newsprint production increased the relative value of Ahlstrom's specialty paper and engineering units.

At the end of 1996, Ahlstrom Corporation continued its expansion by acquiring the French specialty paper and nonwovens producer Sibille-Dalle.

In October 2005, Professor Johan Erik Gullichsen, chairman of Ahlstrom Corporation, was inducted into the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame for his innovations in the processing of pulp fiber suspensions at medium consistency.

[13] In 2012, Ahlstrom Corporation announced that its Label and Processing business area will be combined with Munksjö Group.

[20][21][22] In 2022, Ahlstrom-Munksjö divested its Decor business to a newly formed Swedish company named Munksjö AB.

[23][24] Ahlstrom manages a broad platform of businesses, focusing on three divisions: Filtration & Life Sciences, Food & Consumer Packaging, Protective Materials.