In the Wood Products segment, sales were at € 434.2 million (-1.7%) last year. The comparable operating result, on the other hand, fell to € 7.2 million (-56.6%) compared to 2018. Delivery volumes of Kerto LVL products increased, whereas sales of plywood products decreased compared to the previous year. As to engineered timber, production was adapted in all production sites due to the uncertain market situation. Furthermore, production was brought to a stop in December because of a strike in all sites in Finland. As a result, the company was not able to fully use the capacities which were created through investments.
Metsä’s pulp and sawn timber segment saw sales decrease by 9.5% to € 2.2 billion, while the comparable operating result plummeted by 63% to € 668 million. For Metsä Wood, low pulp and sawn timber prices as well as a rise in raw material prices are the main reasons for this negative development.
In December, the group announced that it is carrying out a study for the “most modern and efficient sawmill in the world” at its site in Rauma/FI, for which an investment of € 200 million is planned.
