Feb 15, 2012. /Lesprom Network/. Metsä Group plans to establish a new finance service centre in the Gdansk area in Poland, and to transfer transactional finance work from several European locations to the new service centre, as the company said in a press release received by Lesprom Network. "Further development of the Financial Shared Services concept would improve standardisation, compliance, cost-effectiveness and productivity of Metsä Group's finance operations. More streamlined finance operations support the competitiveness of Group's business areas in the future," says Vesa-Pekka Takala, CFO of Metsä Group. The planned operating model change would mean a reduction of about 130 jobs in the present service centres and other finance organisations around Europe. About 100 new jobs would be created in Poland. The most significant personnel impacts would relate to the Finnish shared service operations, which currently employ approximately 50 persons, mainly in Espoo and Tampere. The statutory labour negotiations with employee representatives will commence according to each country's practice. The first decisions are expected to be made in April 2012. Metsä Group is a responsible forest industry group whose products are part of people’s everyday life and promote sustainable well-being. Metsä Group produces high-quality products mainly from renewable Nordic wood. The Group’s business areas are tissue and cooking papers, board and paper, pulp, wood products as well as wood supply.