Finnish pulp and paper manufacturer Stora Enso has decided to permanently shut down one of its two paper machines at its facility in Anjalankoski, Finland.
The company announced this decision after completing negotiations regarding the consolidation of its book paper production and agreeing that the machine will close in the fourth quarter of this year.
Stora Enso said that the closure will cut the site’s capacity by 250,000 tonnes per annum and expects sales to drop approximately €100m ($107m).
The closure will impact a total 89 employees, of which 50 will be laid off.
The company aims to concentrate all book paper production on one line at the Anjalankoski site in response to the current weak paper demand and high input costs.
The integrated site consists of the Ingerois packaging board production unit and the Anjala paper production unit.
Stora Enso’s executive vice-president for its Packaging Materials division Hannu Kasurinen said: “While it is very unfortunate that redundancies have to be made, we are pleased that the number of employees affected is significantly lower than anticipated.
“Stora Enso will continue to harness the Anjalankoski site’s synergies between board and paper production and with the remaining paper machine, the group will be able to continue producing its selection of book paper grades.”
Last month, Stora Enso worked with Blue Ocean Closures and AISA to develop a new paperboard tube comprising a fibre-based closure.
