Metsä Group has announced a series of changes to its Metsä Tissue company to “improve internal efficiency, reduce complexity and focus on the tissue business”.
Steps have been taken to “unify its mill and technology operations” and also renew its management team.
As of 1 February, Jari Tiura will take on the role of senior vice president, operations, and also become a member of the management team.
He joins from Stora Enso, where he was working since 2015.
As of 13 December, Riikka Joukio was appointed senior vice president, sales and marketing, consumer products, while Jani Sillanpää was appointed senior vice president, sales and marketing, AfH.
Mariusz Jedrzejewski has been appointed senior vice president, supply chain.
Christoph Zeiler has been appointed senior vice president, business development.
Esa Kaikkonen, chief executive of Metsä Tissue Corporation, said: “Metsä Tissue will commence an operational review in order to improve internal efficiency, reduce complexity and focus on the tissue business.
“At the same time, Metsä Tissue’s management team will be renewed and a process based management model will be introduced.
“The appointments and changes will be made to support the efficient implementation of Metsä Tissue strategy and to accelerate the change.”
In December last year, Metsä Tissue announced that Juha Tilli, its former senior vice president, AfH, decided to leave the company.
In September 2018, the company also announced a series of executive management team changes; Esa Kaikkonen was appointed chief executive of Metsä Tissue Corporation, the tissue and cooking paper business of Metsä Group, while Petri Helsky, who was the chief executive of Metsä Tissue Corporation since 2015, left the company.
Elsewhere, Metsä Tissue is also considering options for the sale of its napkin business in at its Stotzheim mill in Germany.
The company manufactures napkin tissue and finished goods at the plant.
Zeiler said: “The Napkin market suffers from an unprecedented cost inflation. The site in Euskirchen-Stotzheim is also affected by this.
“All alternatives, including the short-term increase in profitability, divestment or closure, will be investigated.”
The Stotzheim mill has a long history of serving leading German and European retailers and wholesalers.
Metsä Tissue is one of the biggest suppliers in this segment in Germany.
The company has also announced changes in responsibilities in Metsä Tissue’s mills in Stotzheim and Raubach.
Markus Claassen has been appointed vice president, napkins, to the Stotzheim mill. Claassen was previously mill manager at the Raubach mill.
Wilfried Schröder, current vice president, napkins at the Stotzheim mill, will support Claassen during the introduction period before he will leave the company.
Dirk Hamann has been appointed mill manager to the Raubach mill.
