| SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 |
| FORM 6-K |
| Report of Foreign Issuer Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
| [February 17, 2004] |
| Metso Corporation |
| (Translation of registrant’s
name into English) Fabianinkatu 9 A, PO Box 1220 FIN-00101 Helsinki, Finland |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F |
| Form 20-F X | Form 40-F _____ |
| Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. |
| Yes ___ | No X |
| If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g-32(b):82-_________ |
| SIGNATURES |
| Date February 17, 2004 |
| Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf of the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized. |
| Name: |
| Olli Vaartimo President and CEO Metso Corporation |
Harri Luoto Senior Vice President, General Counsel Metso Corporation |
| RATING ON METSO CORPORATION DOWNGRADED TO Ba1 BY MOODY’S |
| (Helsinki, Finland, February 17, 2004) - Moody’s Investors Service has lowered the long-term ratings of Metso Corporation (NYSE: MX; HEX: MEO) to Ba1 from Baa3. Ratings were also removed from credit review and the outlook on ratings is considered negative. |
| 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. |
| For additional information, please contact: Pekka Holtta, Senior Vice President, Corporate Treasurer, Metso Corporation, tel. +358 20 484 3195 |
| or |
| USA: Mike Phillips, Senior Vice President,
Finance and Administration, Metso USA, Inc., tel. +1 617 369 7850 Helena Aatinen, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Metso Corporation, tel. +358 20 484 3004. |