STAFF at two major forestry manufacturers face an uncertain future after the companies confirmed they would be "making necessary workforce adjustments".
Sweden-based Rottne will be letting 24 employees go while Ponsse officials say workers at its Vieremä factory will need to take layoffs of "at most" 90 days throughout 2024.
Both firms blame the moves on a weakening market, particularly in Europe, with negotiations already underway between union leaders and the affected workforce.
Tobias Johansson, the CEO of Rottne, said: "Given the current circumstances, we have no alternative but to adapt our operations through necessary staff reductions."
Niklas Lefévre, sales and marketing manager at Rottne Industri, added: "Our company´s major markets, including the Nordic region and North America, continue to exhibit strength. It is primarily in certain European markets where we have observed a decline in demand.”
Elsewhere, in a statement sent out to staff recently, Ponsse president Juho Nummela said the manufacturer's "order books have continued to decrease during the last two quarters". He confirmed talks were ongoing over the layoffs.
He wrote: "Production adaptations need to be planned through possible layoffs. If the plans were to materialise, layoffs of at most 90 days per person would be required in production in Vieremä during 2024."
The negotiations concern around 400 factory workers at Vieremä, Finland. They will not impact employees of Epec or Ponsse's office staff.
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