Metso Corporation has agreed to sell its 239,555 shares in Sato-Yhtymä Oyj to Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company. The share holding represents 10.9 percent of the share capital of Sato-Yhtymä Oyj. The value of the sale is over EUR 15 million. The ownership of the shares will be transferred to the buyer on March 31, 2004.
Metso Corporation is a global supplier of process industry machinery and systems, as well as know-how and aftermarket services. The Corporation's core businesses are fiber and paper technology (Metso Paper), rock and mineral processing (Metso Minerals) and automation and control technology (Metso Automation). In 2003, the net sales of Metso Corporation were EUR 4.3 billion and the personnel totaled approximately 27,400. Metso Corporation is listed on the Helsinki and New York Stock Exchanges.