SMURFIT-STONE CONTAINER CORP. Chicago, Illinois, USA has announced its decision to discontinue operations at its Smurfit-MBI corrugated container facility located in Pembroke , Ontario . A total of 139 employees will be affected by this decision. The plant is tentatively scheduled to close before the end of July 2006. During the coming weeks, production will gradually be transferred to nearby Smurfit-MBI facilities. As part of Smurfit-Stone’s strategic initiatives, announced in November 2005, the company will improve its cost profile by closing up to 20 percent of its corrugated container facilities and transferring the business to larger plants. The Pembroke facility is the sixth Smurfit-Stone corrugated container plant to discontinue operations since the company launched its strategic initiatives.