According to Finnish daily Helsinki Times, Thales DIS Finland - a longstanding technology partner to Finnish civil and defence institutions - has announced it will end passport production at its Vantaa facility and move manufacturing to Poland, resulting in the loss of 160 jobs.
The company, which resumed domestic passport production in 2017 due to security and supply chain concerns, says the shift is part of a broader strategy to centralise secure document manufacturing in Poland to improve efficiency.
While Finnish passports will now be printed abroad, the personalisation process - adding individual holder details - will continue to take place in Finland.
Finnish passports were previously produced abroad, in the Netherlands, until domestic manufacturing resumed in 2017.
(mp)
Source: IAR/Helsinki Times/Taloussanomat