SCA to Cut Jobs in France


Stockholm, Sweden 28 February 2013 -- SCA is considering job cuts at different sites in France. The company said that a reorganisation project had recently been presented to staff councils in France foreseeing, amongst others, to negotiate on the elimination of a maximum of 162 positions in the country. A spokesman of SCA France estimated that the impact would probably be limited to 90 to 100 job redundancies.

The cuts are to be implemented primarily at the French locations Roissy, Bois-Colombes, Hondouville, Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray, and Kunheim. The reorganisation project is said to affect only SCA's Support Functions, Marketing and Sales activities while industrial activities are clearly excluded.

The move follows SCA's acquisition of Georgia-Pacific's (GP) European tissue operations concluded in July 2012. "The time has come for SCA in France to bring to completion the process of integrating former GP activities, to adapt its organisation, and to converge towards joint processes, activities and culture," said the SCA spokesman. The consolidation measures would allow the company to better serve its customers through a clearer organisation and to preserve its competitiveness, he added.

Details on the redundancy plans could be given only for the Kunheim mill. The spokesman told EUWID that a maximum of 45 to 50 positions might be eliminated here. The mill in the French Alsace region produces paper tissue for toilet paper, kitchen roll and facial tissue applications. It can manufacture 50,000 tpy of paper while converting capacities amount to 77,000 tpy. SCA employs 520 employees in Kunheim of which 200 are said to be working in support functions.