Alma Media to increase the efficiency of its printing and distribution operations

Alma Media Corporation   Stock exchange release   April 14, 2011 at 11:05am (EEST) 

ALMA MEDIA TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF ITS PRINTING AND DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS

Alma Media is initiating a programme to develop and rationalise its printing and distribution operations, including a plan to discontinue printing in Pori, Finland, in January 2012. Due to this plan, Alma Media’s printing and distribution company Alma Manu Oy will start cooperation negotiations with its personnel.

The negotiations will encompass the company’s entire personnel at the printing facilities in Pori and Tampere as well as the distribution operations in the Satakunta and Pirkanmaa regions, a total of approximately 1,000 employees. The negotiations will concern the planned shutdown of the Pori printing facility and the planned rationalisation and reorganisation of the Satakunta distribution operations, the printing operations at the Tampere printing facility and the Pirkanmaa distribution operations as well as the motivation, effects and alternatives of possible measures affecting personnel.

According to preliminary estimates of Alma Manu, the number of personnel in printing operations may decrease by a maximum of 32 full-time work years. In distribution, the decrease in workload may be at most 50 full-time work years.

“As a result of the overall development in newspaper circulations, the volumes in printing and distribution have gone down. To maintain a profitable business it is unavoidable that we need to make our operations more efficient and adapt to the needs of our customers,” says Helvi Liukkaala, Managing Director, Alma Manu Oy.

The effects on personnel and specific personnel groups will be defined more closely as the negotiations progress. The employer, personnel and labour market authorities will together prepare an action plan to help the reemployment of any employees that may be made redundant. Alma Manu will offer employees other positions as an alternative to redundancy if possible.

The schedule of the possible closing down of the Pori printing facility is related to the adoption of the tabloid format by the Satakunnan Kansa newspaper announced by Alma Media earlier today. The possible redundancies at the Pori printing facility are planned to take effect no earlier than January 2012. Other measures that may be taken due to the reorganisation and operational effectivisation, including redundancies, are planned to take effect after the end of the negotiations.

In 2010, Alma Manu employed 1,135 people in the Pirkanmaa, Satakunta and southwest Lapland areas. Of these, 962 employees worked in newspaper delivery.

 

ALMA MEDIA CORPORATION
Rauno Heinonen
Vice President Communications and IR

 

More information:

Helvi Liukkaala, Managing Director, Alma Manu Oy, tel. +358 10 665 3009

 

Distribution: NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, principal media

 

Alma Media in brief

Alma Media is a dynamic media company whose best-known products are Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com. Alma Media employs approximately 2,800 professionals. The company’s net sales in 2010 totalled MEUR 311.4 with an operating margin of 13.9 per cent. Alma Media’s share (ALN1V) is listed in the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Exchange. Read more at www.almamedia.fi

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