Konecranes started statutory negotiations in Finland regarding temporary and permanent layoffs last Thursday. The company says potential permanent personnel reductions will affect at least 90 employees.

The staff reductions, which will be made through permanent reductions, early retirements and by reducing the use of hired personnel and temporary employees, are part of the company's measures to cut its annual cost base by EUR30 million (USD40 million) by the end of 2014. This was announced last month (Forkliftaction.com News #627).

The statutory negotiations will affect all personnel at Konecranes Plc, Konecranes Finland Oy and Konecranes Service Oy in Finland. Konecranes hopes to finalise what is agreed in the negotiations by the end of the first quarter of 2014.

A restructure early this year saw 20 employees at Konecranes Finland Oy permanently laid off (Forkliftaction.com News #605).

The actions under consideration are expected to affect up to 600 people globally through redundancies, temporary layoffs and early retirement. Konecranes employs about 2,000 people in Finland, and approximately 12,000 others in 48 countries.

Group sales for the first half of 2013 totaled EUR1,015.8 million (USDS1,363.7 million), 2% lower than the same period in the previous year (EUR1,036.5 million/USD1,391.5 million). Orders were valued at EUR1,085.7 million (USD1,454.5 million), 0.2% down from the previous year's EUR1,088.3 million (USD1,461 million).