Finnish food company Atria will reduce about 60 positions at its Jyväskylä facility. The company completed change negotiations to reorganize production at plants in Jyväskylä and Kauhajoki. Atria will also adjust capacity through temporary layoffs at both locations. The workforce reductions will occur between late 2026 and early 2027. Affected Jyväskylä employees will receive job offers at other Atria facilities.
The Jyväskylä plant currently employs about 80 people. The planned cuts would shrink the facility to a very small operation. This represents a major downsizing for the Central Finland location.
Atria announced on Thursday it will invest approximately €16 million to modernize its Kauhajoki production plant. The investment includes demolishing old buildings and constructing new facilities. The company stated this upgrade will strengthen Kauhajoki's ability to process high-quality Finnish beef for domestic and export markets.
Why is Atria cutting jobs in Jyväskylä while investing heavily in Kauhajoki? The company appears to be consolidating its beef processing operations in Western Finland rather than maintaining multiple smaller facilities. This reflects the economic reality that smaller plants often struggle with efficiency compared to larger, modernized facilities.
The timing suggests Atria wants to complete the Kauhajoki modernization before transferring work from Jyväskylä. Employees have nearly two years to transition to other positions within the company.