mayrmelnhof said late tuesday that it expects firsthalf earnings to be lower than in the same period of 2022 due to weak sales volumes in the board and paper division and shutdowns in some of the companys mills the austrian paper and carton producer forecasts between 90 million and 110 million euros 983 million and 1201 million down from eur285 million in the same period of 2022 mayrmelnhof had flagged a decline earlier this year when it cited weak volumes in the board and paper division the historically unusual volume decline in the european market during the first half was higher than anticipated due to high customer inventory levels and the restraining effect of inflation on private consumption it said tuesday the company expects marketrelated declines to continue in july and august with weaker order intake from the packaging division mayrmelnhof said two of its mills had capexrelated downtime during the first half and annual maintenance at a third mill brought further downtime all of which contributed to lower volumes in the board and paper division firsthalf results are due aug 10 the company said