Albany International Corp has announced that its board of directors has appointed Merle Stein as president of its Machine Clothing business segment and elected him an officer of the company effective September 1, 2024, to succeed Daniel Halftermeyer, who has stepped down from the position to focus his time and energies on the continued integration of the Heimbach acquisition and the successful transition to Stein.

Stein has considerable experience in the paper and pulp industries and significant knowledge of the Machine Clothing business and a strategic understanding of the markets it serves. He comes to the role with considerably broad leadership experiences, particularly in operational and customer-facing operations. Since April 2024 he has served as division chief operating officer for the business segment where he oversaw all operational aspects of the business and led the sales & marketing, operations, procurement and human resources functions. Prior to that, since 2022 he was the vice president sales & marketing/applications for Americas, after having served in various other sales and marketing leadership roles since joining the company in 2011, including vice president sales MC - North America, regional business director and sales & service engineer, the company said in a press release.

“I am happy to have Stein join our senior leadership team and take over the reins of the Machine Clothing business. He has broad industry experience and an intimate knowledge of our Machine Clothing business and its customers. This experience and knowledge will be a competitive advantage, ensuring that the business will remain the industry leader while pursuing its strategic goals. At the same time, I want to recognise Halftermeyer for his 37 years of wide-reaching and impactful service to Albany International and thank him for his continued dedication to the success of the company by implementing this succession plan. I am confident that he will continue to drive the Heimbach integration plan while assisting Merle in the transition,” Gunnar Kleveland, company president and CEO, said.

“I am proud to be a part of the Albany team and honoured to be given this opportunity. I thank Halftermeyer for his mentorship over the years and look forward to working with the Machine Clothing team as we continue to develop new technologies, empower our team and deliver value to our customers and other stakeholders,” Stein said

“I am grateful to have had the opportunities given to me at Albany International for so many years, and proud of what my team and I have accomplished. Stein will be taking the helm of a great business run by a strong and experienced team, which will continue to have my support,” Halftermeyer said.

“I also wish to thank Halftermeyer for all his service and dedication to the company. His record of leadership and success at the Machine Clothing business is remarkable. As part of Halftermeyer’s team, Stein has great familiarity with the business and will continue its exceptional performance. I wish them both continued success in their new roles,” John Scannell, the board chair, said.