Stockholm, Sweden 10 December 2015 -- The shutdown of PM 2 at SCA's Ortivken mill is imminent. The 135,000 tpy newsprint machine will be closed on 16 December. Coated and uncoated liner paper production at the site is already down.

SCA has announced the date of the closure of PM 2 at its Ortviken mill in Sweden. The machine, which has a capacity of 135,000 tpy of improved newsprint, would be closed down on 16 December, a company spokesperson told EUWID. SCA said earlier that 95 jobs would have to be cut as a result of the closure.

SCA had recently announced it would cut its newsprint capacities at the site since global demand for publication paper, particularly for newsprint, had declined in recent years and profitability at Ortviken was weak.

The spokesperson also reported that SCA had recently discontinued production of coated and uncoated liner paper, which was started two years ago, as planned. The last deliveries were currently being made, she added. This grade was produced on PM 1 and PM 2. The company had decided to stop manufacturing it since production had turned out to be more costly than expected.

At the Ortviken mill, SCA operates four paper machines with a combined capacity of 890,000 tpy. The closure will make the uncoated printing paper capacity decline from 380,000 tpy to 245,000 tpy. In addition, the mill manufactures 510,000 tpy of LWC. SCA also runs a TMP line with a capacity of 900,000 tpy at this plant.