Metsä Fibre is preparing for a six-week production stoppage at its Kemi bioproduct mill in northern Finland this autumn, a move that could result in temporary layoffs across the approximately 225-strong workforce.
The company will open change negotiations next week because not all employees are expected to have work available while the mill is offline. The talks are expected to last around one week.
Under the proposal, temporary layoffs could last for a maximum of 90 days and take place before the end of 2026. The actual number of employees affected and the length of individual layoffs will depend on staffing needs during the shutdown.
Production is scheduled to stop for six weeks during October and November. Metsä Fibre will use the period for its annual maintenance programme and an investment project involving the renewal of the mill's cooking plant.
The length of the outage is the main reason for the personnel negotiations. With the production process stopped for an extended period, the company expects that it may be unable to provide normal duties for the entire workforce.
Major pulp capacity offline for six weeks
The Kemi facility is a relatively new addition to Finland's pulp industry, having started operations in 2023. It produces both softwood and birch pulp, alongside several other products generated from the production process.
The mill is also a substantial producer of renewable electricity. Its electricity output is approximately 2.5 times its own consumption, with the surplus supplied outside the facility.
The planned six-week outage will temporarily remove the mill's pulp production from the market during part of the fourth quarter. The maintenance programme and cooking plant renewal are being scheduled within the same period to avoid separate production interruptions.
Metsä Fibre has not indicated that the shutdown will result in a permanent reduction in production capacity. Operations are expected to resume following completion of the investment and maintenance work.
The change negotiations will determine how the extended stoppage translates into temporary layoffs and how many of the approximately 225 employees will ultimately be affected.