Ruukki Metals will further improve long-term efficiency and profitability and to adjust operations to weak market conditions. To this end, Ruukki Metals is to initiate employer-employee negotiations regarding workforce reductions and temporary layoffs. There are plans to merge the Puurtajankatu service centre in Järvenpää with the Asponkatu service centre in Järvenpää, Finland. In addition, there are plans to merge the operations of the service centre in Seinäjoki with those of the one in Kiiluntie in Raahe. The operational efficiency of the steel centres in Hyvinkää and Naantali, Finland is to be improved. It is estimated that actions to improve the operational efficiency of all seven steel service centres in Finland will result in a need to reduce the workforce by a total of around 175 persons. The employer-employee negotiations will explore redeployment and re-training possibilities, as well as pension arrangements. In addition, due to weak market conditions, employer-employee negotiations are to be initiated regarding possible temporary layoffs in plate and prefabricated steel product operations in Raahe and in operations at the steel service centres in Hyvinkää, Asponkatu in Järvenpää and Kiiluntie in Raahe, Finland. A total of around 670 people are affected by the negotiations. The implementation of layoffs will become clear at each site as the negotiations progress.
