Stora Enso plans to centralise sawmill production in Northern Finland and permanently close Veitsiluoto sawmill
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.
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That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
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Kieran Anders is a forestry contractor working in the lake district. His work involves hand cutting and extracting timber using a skidder and tractor-trailer forwarder.
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It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
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Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
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Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.
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Stora Enso Veitsiluoto Oy and Stora Enso Oyj will initiate change negotiations concerning the planned permanent discontinuation of production at the Veitsiluoto sawmill. The negotiations cover all employees at the sawmill, approximately 60 people, 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 planned closure or possible personnel reductions will be made before the negotiations have been concluded.
“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. We are committed to conducting the negotiations in a responsible and constructive manner and supporting our personnel throughout the process,” says Matti Lielahti, Head of Stora Enso Business Unit Oulu.
Stora Enso Business Unit Oulu employs approximately 900 people across its board mill, port operations and sawmill in Oulu, and its sawmills in Veitsiluoto, Oulainen and Kalajoki. If implemented, the planned closure would only have a minor impact on the business unit’s wood consumption.
>Press release 18 Aug 2025: Stora Enso’s billion-euro investment in renewable packaging – Europe’s most modern consumer board production line inaugurated in Finland
>Press release 2 May 2025: Stora Enso completes the acquisition of the Finnish sawmill company Junnikkala
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 billion. www.storaenso.com.
STORA ENSO OYJ
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