APETIT KALA PLANS TRANSFER OF PRODUCTION AND PACKAGING FROM KERAVA TO KUOPIO
LÄNNEN TEHTAAT PLC STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE April 12, 2007
APETIT KALA PLANS TRANSFER OF PRODUCTION AND PACKAGING FROM KERAVA TO KUOPIO
Lännen Tehtaat subsidiary Apetit Kala Oy is Finland's leading producer of fresh
fish products with production facilities in Kuopio, Kerava and Kustavi.
The company has been cutting costs by making processes more efficient and
improving the division of labour among the factories. If, however, constant
competitiveness is to be guaranteed and profitability improved, further steps
will need to be taken. In order to improve productivity and increase
cost-effectiveness Apetit Kala Oy is planning to transfer the fish production
and packaging operations at Kerava to Kuopio.
Terminating production at Kerava is a continuation of the company's plan to
focus production operations on Kuopio. The company has already decided to halt
production at Kustavi and transfer the operations there to Kuopio by the summer.
The company has today initiated codetermination negotiations concerning the
issue with the personnel at Kerava, where there are at this moment 26 people
working in production and packaging, including hired personnel. The negotiations
will affect 14 permanent employees at Apetit Kala. It is thought that 14 new
jobs will be created at Kuopio.
By focusing production operations on Kuopio the company is aiming for annual
savings of some EUR 0.5 million, which that would be fully realized from the
beginning of 2008. Transferring the production will require investment of about
EUR 0.5 million at Kuopio. The plan is to carry this out by the autumn.
Apetit Kala's net sales in 2006 amounted to EUR 58.9 million and the profit
after financial items was EUR 0.6 million. At the end of the year the company
employed about 380 people, some 110 of whom were working in the fish factories,
while the rest, approximately 270, were working in the Kalatori business.
LÄNNEN TEHTAAT PLC
Martti Karppinen
CEO
Further information is available from:
Martti Karppinen, CEO, Lännen Tehtaat plc, tel + 358 10 402 4001
Samuli Eskola, Managing Director, Apetit Kala Oy, tel. + 358 10 402 4501
Distribution:
Helsinki Stock Exchange
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