Espoo, Finland 03 March 2015 -- Metsä Wood, the wood products business area of Metsä Group, will initiate statutory labour negotiations at its Kerto® LVL mills in Punkaharju and Lohja in order to adjust production in response to decreased demand in main markets. The planned temporary layoffs concern the whole personnel at both mills. The statutory labour negotiations are expected to be concluded during March and the possible curtailments are scheduled to take place mainly by the end of June 2015.

Metsä Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products' main raw material is renewable and sustainably grown northern wood. Metsä Group focuses on tissue and cooking papers, fresh forest fibre paperboards, pulp, wood products, and wood supply and forest services. Its high-quality products combine renewable raw materials, customer-orientation, sustainable development and innovation. Metsä Group's sales totalled EUR 5 billion in 2014, and it employs approximately 10,500 people. The Group operates in some 30 countries. Metsäliitto Cooperative is the parent company of Metsä Group and is owned by approximately 122,000 Finnish forest owners.

Metsä Wood provides competitive and environmentally friendly wood products for construction, industrial customers and distributor partners. We manufacture products from northern wood, a sustainable raw material of premium quality. Our sales in 2014 were EUR 0.9 billion, and we employ about 2,300 people. Metsä Wood is part of Metsä Group.