Stora Enso permanently closes Veitsiluoto sawmill, cutting 60 jobs

Stora Enso will permanently close its Veitsiluoto sawmill in the city of Kemi, resulting in the loss of 60 jobs, Yle reports. The company’s employment adjustment negotiations over the closure have concluded.

Stora Enso said it would help those who lose their jobs find new employment by working with its other locations, the Meri-Lapland employment area and other stakeholders.

“We offer, among other things, relocation services and employment coaching. We also provide support for moving to another location,” Matti Lielahti, head of Stora Enso’s Oulu business unit, said in a statement.

The company previously announced plans to concentrate its pine sawing operations from Kemi mainly in Oulu and Kalajoki. It said the changes would improve efficiency, profitability and competitiveness.

Continuing operations at the more than 100-year-old Veitsiluoto sawmill would require significant investment, Lielahti said. At the same time, Stora Enso’s modern sawmill in Oulu is being brought up to full operation.

According to the company, the closure will have little effect on its wood procurement and wood consumption in northern Finland. Logs will still be in demand at the sawmills in Oulu, Oulainen and Kalajoki, while Stora Enso’s board mill in Oulu uses wood chips and pulpwood.