Stora Enso is planning to centralise pine timber sawing from
its Veitsiluoto sawmill in Kemi, Finland, to the company’s other
sawmills in Northern Finland, particularly Oulu and Kalajoki.
The planned change is part of Stora Enso’s ongoing efforts to
improve efficiency, profitability, and competitiveness in line
with its strategy. If implemented, the plan would result in the
permanent closure of the Veitsiluoto sawmill.
Stora Enso Veitsiluoto Oy and Stora Enso Oyj have initiated
change negotiations concerning the planned permanent
discontinuation of production at the Veitsiluoto sawmill. The
negotiations cover all approximately 60 employees at the sawmill
and are expected to last three weeks.
According to the current plan, the sawmill would not restart
production in October 2026 after the ongoing temporary
curtailment. No decisions on the closure or possible personnel
reductions will be made before the negotiations have been
concluded.
According to Stora Enso, the planned change is part of the
company’s efforts to improve efficiency, profitability and
competitiveness. Continuing production at the Veitsiluoto
sawmill, which has operated for more than 100 years, would
require significant investments.
“In recent years, Stora Enso has expanded its sawmilling
operations in northern Finland to deliver high-quality sawn
goods for demanding applications, complementing our expanding
high-quality board production. However, Veitsiluoto has operated
for over 100 years, and continuing production there would
require significant investments. At the same time, our modern
Oulu sawmill is ramping up,” says Matti Lielahti, Head of Stora
Enso Business Unit Oulu.
Stora Enso is a global leader in renewable materials with a
strong focus on packaging. Our purpose is to replace
non-renewable materials with renewable solutions. Together with
our customers, we design and deliver competitive, high-quality
packaging materials and solutions, made from fresh and recycled
fibers, accelerating the transition to a circular bioeconomy.
Stora Enso has approximately 19,000 employees and our sales in
2025 were EUR 9.3
Source:
storaenso.com
