There are currently approximately 330 employees at Alizay mill.Despite extensive restructuring measures and investments implemented at Alizay mill, it loses currently approximately three million Euros per month. It is not possible to turn the heavily loss-making mill profitable, according to M-real.M-real has received several offers for the Alizay mill, based on which the negotiations have been carried out to divest the mill. None of the buyer candidates, however, fulfilled M-real’s conditions for entering into transaction. One key point in the negotiations has been the fact that M-real will not sell Alizay mill to a buyer who would fail to turn the mill profitable.Despite heavy improvement measures the Gohrsmühle and Reflex operations have remained unprofitable. Currently the monthly operating loss is approximately five million Euros per month.M-real has not been able to find a buyer for Gohrsmühle mill, whether in parts or as a whole. M-real is now planning to discontinue the unprofitable speciality paper businesses as well as the production of uncoated fine paper in Gohrsmühle. M-real will continue the profitable Chromolux business and investigate possibilities to start up a new customer service and logistics center for folding boxboard in Gohrsmühle, including a sheeting facility.M-real is also currently negotiating to divest its Premium Papers business of the Reflex mill. The carbonless paper converting operations of the Reflex are under negotiations to be discontinued.There are currently approximately 940 employees at Gohrsmühle and Reflex mills in total. The Chromolux business and the planned cartonboard customer service center would employ approximately 400 persons. There are approximately 100 employees working for the Reflex Premium Papers business, to be potentially divested.“We have done lot of work to find buyers for both Alizay and Gohrsmühle mills. We have been ready to accept a heavily negative sales price. Regardless, demands of buyer candidates have on the one hand been unacceptable from the company’s’ perspective, while on the other hand they have not been able to demonstrate capability to turn the unprofitable operations profitable, thereby guaranteeing the continuation of operations as a responsible owner and employer”, says M-real’s CEO, Mikko Helander. /AA