FINLAND (News release) -- Valmet is planning changes in the Fabrics Business Unit which is part of the Services Business Line in order to secure the unit's profitability and future competitiveness. The most important action in the preliminary plan is to move the dryer fabric and wide filter fabric production from Tampere in Finland to Valmet's unit in Portugal. The possible actions will have employee impacts. The functions under consideration are part of Valmet Technologies Oy.

As a consequence of the above, Valmet starts co-determination negotiations in Fabrics' operations in Tampere on January 21, 2020. The co-determination negotiations are estimated to last six weeks and they include Fabrics' personnel in Tampere. The co-determination negotiations can result in the reduction of 90 persons at maximum mainly during year 2021 by estimate, and in possible temporary lay-offs and part-time work during 2020. Fabrics Business Unit employs altogether approximately 500 persons in its Tampere operations.

Fabrics Business Unit develops and manufactures press felts, shoe press belts, dryer fabrics and wide filter fabrics in Tampere. Valmet's location in Portugal, to which the dryer fabric and wide filter fabric production possibly is relocated, develops and manufactures filter fabrics and other industrial textiles.

Active review of operations' locations is part of Valmet's normal business development globally. In recent years, for example, Valmet's production of evaporation plants from Sweden and the production of Quality Control Systems (QCS) from China have been relocated to Finland. Valmet employs 5,100 persons in Finland of which 2,000 in Tampere. At the moment Valmet has approximately 160 open positions in Finland.