UPM to outsource occupational health care services at its locations in Finland to Pihlajalinna Group's Dextra, in line with UPM's profitability program; UPM says company's increasingly smaller units have made it difficult to maintain these services itself

Debra Garcia

HELSINKI , February 4, 2014 (press release) – UPM and Dextra which is a part of the Pihlajalinna Group have signed a contract to outsource UPM’s occupational health care services. As part of this agreement Dextra will provide occupational health care services to all UPM employees in all locations in Finland.

Outsourcing the occupational health care services is part of UPM’s profitability program. The aim of the outsourcing is to secure high quality and cost effective occupational health care services for UPM employees also in the future.

42 UPM employees are within the scope of the planned outsourcing. They will be transferred to Pihlajalinna Group along with the transfer of business as so called old employees upon closing. According to the plan this is expected to take place by the end of April 2014, after the required health care permits have been obtained and local information sharing has been done.

“Occupational health and safety are of utmost importance for UPM. When the UPM units are getting smaller it is however difficult to maintain viable and cost effective occupational health care units run by UPM’s own resources. With this outsourcing we will secure high-quality occupational health care services and continuation for our professional occupational health care employees in all locations,” says Kaisa Lehtipuro, Director, Occupational Health and Safety.

”We have developed good practices related to occupational health care to secure our employees’ health and working ability. Now we will get also Dextra’s resources and know-how into use. The focus of our operations will continue to be at preventive health care,” Kaisa Lehtipuro continues

”Together with the transferring UPM occupational health care professionals we want to secure the best health care services in Finland for UPM. This contract is a remarkable step when expanding Dextra private clinics nationwide. In the future we will provide occupational health care services for approximately 8000 UPM employees, so this is a very remarkable contract. We also get a chance to prove that the preventive occupational health care model we have developed really works when implementing it together with one of Finland’s biggest employers,” says Pihlajalinna’s CEO Mikko Wirén.

UPM employs currently 42 occupational health care professionals in six regional Occupational Health Care Centres. Additionally occupational health care services are provided to UPM employees by external service providers. The aim of UPM’s occupational health care is to secure UPM employees health and working ability as well as prevent work related diseases with high quality occupational health care services.

Through the renewing of the bio and forest industries, UPM is building a sustainable future across six business areas: UPM Biorefining, UPM Energy, UPM Raflatac, UPM Paper Asia, UPM Paper Europe and North America and UPM Plywood. Our products are made of renewable raw materials and are recyclable. We serve our customers worldwide. The group employs around 21,000 people and its annual sales are approximately € 10 billion. UPM shares are listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. UPM – The Biofore Company – www.upm.com

Pihlajalinna Group is the biggest Finnish own social and health care service provider established in 2001. Pihlajalinna provides high quality social- and health care services to municipalities and high quality private and occupational health care services in Dextra’s private clinics and hospitals. Pihlajalinna Group employs more than 1500 employees and its estimated net sales for 2014 are approximately € 150 million.

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