Articles related to mill

The Verso Corp.'s Escanaba Mill celebrated a milestone Friday, Jan. 17 -- a full century of making paper.

Due to unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Florence, Sonoco's paper mill operations in Hartsville, South Carolina, have been shut down temporarily. Certain operations remain flooded and have experienced damage which could require those operations to be down for several weeks.

A fire on Saturday at Procter and Gamble Paper Mill was quickly put out.

Some people (and I suspect they are often the same people I described above) think doing a quality job is relevant only to their outside customers and clients. Wrong! In fact, one could not be more wrong than this. Practicing internal quality principles really saves money (practicing quality externally saves and wins customers). Internally, two things go wrong when we fail to hold to the highest quality standards...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If your reputation for quality is horrible, there is only one choice--fix it. But to reach that one choice, you must first be willing to accept the feedback that your reputation for quality is poor. This is a hurdle for many organizations; they are dismissive of customer feedback, and say to themselves, "It is only a single case" or "customers are not willing to pay for quality." I know of three organizations that have met this challenge head-on and done something about it...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) officers are investigating an explosion at the Daishowa-Marubeni International (DMI) Ltd. pulp mill in Peace River that caused extensive damage and has forced the facility to take an unscheduled break in operations.

Wait a minute--you did not know your quality was broken? Your product or service quality is always broken. It is always broken because quality is a moving target. What may have been the best quality among your peers last month may send you to the bottom of the heap this month.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Over a quarter of a century ago, quality was all the rage in industry. Business books on quality abounded and everyone had laser cut letter Q's sitting on their desks (at least in my world). About this time, I had a boss who attended some great quality seminar and came back reporting, "Quality is just as good as the customer requires, no more, no less." He was wrong. Welcome to quality month at Paperitalo Publications...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Many employees spend an inordinate amount of time trying to read the "tea leaves" of the boss's behavior. Most of this effort is a waste of time...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Last week we talked about exactly who is defined as part of your team. This was done from the stance of making sure you don't, due to naïve generosity, take on work outside your scope and in the end, do everything poorly. At the same time, you must ward off the outside work without building silos or fortresses that seed discontent. This week, we will deal with two issues that may come up as you protect your team and strive for excellence in your team's area of responsibility, as well as good relations with all of your coworkers.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Hamburger Turkey Ltd., part of the Austrian Prinzhorn Group, has signed a land purchasing agreement to set up a third paper mill in Kütahya, Turkey.

A team is your specific, small group of personnel assigned to do a specific job or set of jobs. Although I am not much of a sports fan, I can give an example from there. Suppose the quarterback notices that the waterboy forgot to fill the drink containers? Does he ask for a time out so the players on the field can do this job? No. While in the bigger picture, they are all on the same team, when it comes to specific tasks they are not.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The chief executive officer of Verso Corp. told investors he expects the shuttered Wickliffe, Ky. paper mill to be sold by the end of September.

I recently had a discussion with a long-time industry professional concerning this question: which is more important to a given mill--the technology or the management?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Every August, we focus on corruption we have seen or heard about in the industry in the past year. As usual, these stories are told by Fos, a pulp rat. It is my privilege to put Fos's stories in print for you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Every August, we focus on corruption we have seen or heard about in the industry in the past year. As usual, these stories are told by Fos, a pulp rat. It is my privilege to put Fos's stories in print for you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Every August, we focus on corruption we have seen or heard about in the industry in the past year. As usual, these stories are told by Fos, a pulp rat. It is my privilege to put Fos's stories in print for you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Every August, we focus on corruption we have seen or heard about in the industry in the past year. As usual, these stories will be told by Fos, a pulp rat. It is my privilege to put Fos's stories in print for you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

FITNIR Analyzers Inc. announced that a pulp mill in the southern United States has selected FITNIR's state-of-the-art online FT-NIR analyzer to replace its Modo-Chemetics auto-titrator for digester control.

Friends and family of a Wilton woman seriously injured in an industrial accident June 28 at the Sappi North America Somerset mill in Skowhegan say they are grateful for the support she has been receiving on social media and on a fundraising website.

Glatfelter announced several cost reduction measures in its Specialty Papers Business Unit. The changes include the shutdown of Paper Machine 24 at the Company's Chillicothe, OH facility...

I was talking to an old friend who spent one of his college days' summers doing fetch-and-carry work in a paper mill. Although it had been many years ago, he was still in awe of that "big ol' paper machine" and the fact that it took "twelve or thirteen men" to run it. No more, Tom, I said...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Catalyst Paper Corp. wants Maine taxpayers to sweeten a $56-million investment in a tissue-making machine at its Rumford mill, as part of a company overhaul plan of untold cost that it calls Project Falcon.

"You've got to know the territory." As I remember it, this was a song sung by a chorus of some erstwhile salesmen in the Broadway show "The Music Man." If you are a mill manager or a department manager, it is your responsibility to be a walking encyclopedia about your territory and all that is in it. You've got to know your territory...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Kamloops Fire Rescue crews are taking a defensive stance on a fire burning in the Domtar landfill on Saturday, July 15.

The real objective of the environmental advocacy groups today is their own survival. They cannot afford to declare a great victory, for then their incomes dry up. They are in quite a predicament!

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Georgia-Pacific is contesting claims of workplace safety violations that arose from an investigation into an accident that claimed an employee's life in November.

Canadian papermaker Catalyst Paper wants Maine taxpayers to back a loan of up to $25 million to help it purchase a machine to make tissue paper at its mill in Rumford, Maine.

A worker who died on the job at Kamloops' Domtar pulp mill has been identified.

It was not so long ago that engineers and scientists often came from a rural background. This is still true in developing nations, but for those of us living in developed nations, it is usually no longer the case. My own experience is a good example...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

WorkSafeBC is investigating a heavy-equipment accident on Thursday at Domtar's Kamloops pulp mill that left one employee dead and another in hospital.

Members from the United Steel Workers Union have voted to accept a new contract from Foley Cellulose. The contract agreement comes after a year-long dispute between the union and Georgia Pacific.

This column is for the younger generation. Ready? Away we go! You get your degree and head off to the mill to work. Or perhaps your first job is with a supplier. In any case, you are proud of your accomplishments to date--but reality is about to set in. After you sign the pile of papers from the human resources department, you will be taken to your new office...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Tolko Industries Ltd. says it is restarting its oriented strand board mill, located near High Prairie, Alberta.

Georgia-Pacific announced that its Palatka, Florida, mill has been selected as the location for the company's previously announced investment of more than $400 million in its GP Consumer (retail) tissue and towel business.

Do you have trouble getting subordinates to do what you want them to do? There can be many reasons for this, but one of the most common is that YOU are not doing what you want THEM to do...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Metsä Group made the decision concerning the largest investment in the history of Finnish forest industry in April 2015, and the large-scale project at Äänekoski has progressed as planned - on schedule and according to the budget - towards the mill's start-up

At least 12 firefighters spent four hours tackling a blaze at Kimberly-Clark in Barrow Monday night.

Kruger Products L.P. has provided an update on the new No. 8 Paper Machine (PM8) Project at its Crabtree Plant and invited a few media and partner representatives in Lanaudière to visit the soon-to-be-completed project.

I have spent a lot of time talking to investment bankers. Their interest is in buying into deals, looking at bankrupt companies for possible purchase and so forth. In short, they are looking for nuggets in the pulp and paper industry. Such are the fortunes of a mature industry. If you have been located in a mill or a headquarters for some period of time, you may have already seen company names and logos come and go, while you personally occupied the same space. Observing colleagues in the industry, I have noticed a number of behaviors that could use some improvement, to the benefit of the persons whose careers may be affected...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says International Paper won't be cited of fined for the January explosion at their mill in Cantonment.

Domtar Inc., pleaded guilty and was fined $50,000 in court after a worker suffered a permanent injury caused by a machine.

A labor dispute at the Foley Cellulose Mill is putting hundreds of jobs in question, leaving many locals worrying about the future.

If you are buying inspection services, make sure you are getting them. I was in a facility once where I saw what happens when these things go wrong. This facility had some high priced instrumentation for which they had an annual inspection contract. It just so happened that I was very familiar with one piece of instrumentation that was on this inspection cycle and I was standing beside it when the inspector came by. I knew every flaw this instrument currently suffered. The inspector's entire activity, as I observed it, was to take off last year's inspection sticker and put on this year's...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The iconic red-and-white paper mill smokestack that many people associate with Chillicothe is expected to get a fresh look later this year.

Kruger completed the PM10 rebuild as scheduled and on budget.

Wandering around the industry as I do, I am often amazed at the perceived roles people think they have, as indicated by their actions and words each day. Many appear to have no clue to the overall picture. It is really quite simple...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Ontario's Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) hopes to get to the bottom of ongoing mercury contamination of the Wabigoon River by ordering a pulp and paper company to run tests to determine if its Dryden mill is the source of the leak.

UPM Biofuels has received a new acknowledgement of the sustainability of its value chain by receiving an RSB (The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) certificate for both UPM BioVerno renewable diesel and naphtha, as well as production sidestreams turpentine and pitch. RSB verifies the sustainability and reliability of feedstock sourcing and production.

The Domtar Paper Co. confirmed on Thursday that it plans to invest $59 million in buildings and equipment at its Hawesville pulp mill...

A person starting a career is a bit of an open book. Such people may have had some work experiences, maybe even some military experience, but, in general their expectations about the work environment are recognized, even by them, as just that: expectations that may or may not become reality. It amuses me, for instance, to hear some of the ideas soon-to-be college graduates have about work. One told me something to the effect that once she started to work, she saw excitement in life as being over--you go to work each day, do the same things each day and forty years later you retire. Sadly, I have actually met people who have done exactly this. What I am getting at here, though, is something more subtle...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Owners of the shuttered UPM-Kymmene mill in Madison will sell off 3,000 separate pieces of industrial equipment through a three-day online auction starting June 13.

WestRock proposes to invest $50 million in wood chip storage and transfer equipment at its West Point mill.

No matter how much formal education you have acquired, there is one forum that stands above others in importance. It is one in which you participate first as a receiver, and then, later, if you have children, as a provider. It is the forum of the family dinner table...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

After some delay, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Tuesday that will allow KapStone's Longview mill to profit from selling biomass renewable energy credits. KapStone Paper and Packaging Corp. stands to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars annually under the legislation.

The Bear Island newsprint manufacturing mill in northern Hanover County is being closed, affecting 165 employees, its parent company announced today.

Production at Nippon Dynawave's Longview paper packaging mill is picking up again as the company slowly gets its wastewater treatment plant working properly.

There is a lesson here for us all--an opportunity for a critical self-examination of how large decisions are made...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

At the last minute Monday, the administration of Gov. Jay Inslee delayed a decision on a bill that would help KapStone's Longview pulp mill profit from production of renewable biomass energy.

KapStone wants its wood waste boilers to earn cash. And the Longview mill's "biomass" facility could be a moneymaker if Gov. Jay Inslee approves a bill that has cleared the Legislature.

One person is dead after an accident at Georgia Pacific Leaf River Cellulose mill.

The former Old Town Fuel and Fiber mill here could become the site of a $60 million production facility making a raw material that can help turn wood fiber into jet fuel, the president of a Massachusetts biotech company said Wednesday.

UPM said on Wednesday it is moving ahead with a project to construct what would be its second pulp mill in Uruguay.

Over the years, I have heard many conversations start with, "If I were in charge of this place..." If you were in charge, what would you change? Why would you change it? How would you accomplish the changes? When would you change it? Let us take things one at a time...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Tranlin Inc., the U.S. division of a China-based company that announced plans in 2014 to open a massive $2 billion paper products mill in Chesterfield County, is pushing back its construction plans for the project.

Georgia Pacific is seeking to reduce the assessed values of its two paper facilities in Green Bay by more than 40%.

The Cumberland Times News reports United Steel Workers Local 676, Verso Corporation, reports the death of one of its members at the Beryl woodyard on April 8 was the result of a fall into a wood chip reclaimer.

International Paper's Ticonderoga mill is offline from April 24 to May 10, but mill officials say it's a normal maintenance shutdown.

Stora Enso scrapped plans to expand its paperboard mill in Poland because of an over-supplied market as it delivered a weak profit forecast on Thursday.

Recently I have seen a number of cases in which human energy was not being expended to any appreciable extent. Actually, I was witnessing laziness. I have not discussed this topic in a long time, so perhaps it is time once again to bring it up. It is a topic that tends to offend some folks, for people do not like to be singled out as lazy or unenergetic. To assuage the embarrassment of the truly guilty, let me say that we all are struck by this at one time or another. And we must admit that we know some people who are in a permanent rut of inactivity. So, who to blame? What to do?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The phrase, "perception is reality" is often a cautionary warning as to how others might perceive what one is doing, or how they look and so forth. I want to talk today about times when perception is not reality and how this might affect our actions...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

You are reading this, most likely, at an operating facility. I am going to give you two important challenges that are vital to the success of your company, no matter what your position is.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Metsä Group's Wood Products Industry Metsä Wood has bought a 10 hectare industrial site in the city of Pärnu, Estonia and commences the construction work of the new birch plywood mill immediately.

McKinley Paper Co. officials are settling in as new owners of the nearly dormant Nippon Paper Industries USA facility in preparation for shutting it down within the next two weeks for up to 18 months.

A Verso employee lost his life early Saturday morning as the result of an incident that occurred at Verso's Luke Mill.

I will bet you have tasks, if viewed by a critical eye, that would appear somewhat ludicrous. They may include a meeting you attend regularly that does nothing toward moving your enterprise forward. They may be insane reports that no one reads, or some other habitual exercise that does nothing...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

International Paper's Pensacola Mill in Cantonment, Fla., has successfully resumed full operations following a digester incident that occurred on January 22, 2017.

Brazil's Fibria Celulose SA , the world's largest eucalyptus pulpmaker, brought forward the startup date for pulp production at its Horizonte 2 project to early September, according to a Monday securities filing.

City records show that a former Auburn, Maine, pulp mill sold for $7 million below its assessed value to a Texas company that is considering using the site for growing medical marijuana.

Years ago, when I started this column, I decided one important thing to be done here was to beat the drum for safety. Well, we have, and we plan to continue doing so. I am writing today, however, about general liability--caused by people or caused to people through exposures of various kinds. Some of these are safety matters, some are security matters. Others can arise out of employment law...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

City council in Prince Albert has authorized a $5.1 million settlement with Domtar in a tax dispute over the valuation of a pulp mill Domtar purchased from Weyerhaeuser in 2006.

Sappi Limited announced that its Biotech division has entered into an agreement with CellMark appointing CellMark as the non-exclusive sales agent for Sappi Biotech's Hansa lignin products, produced in liquid and powder formats in South Africa at Sappi Tugela Mill.

PaperWorks Industries Inc. will layoff 147 when it shutters operations in one of the nation's oldest papermaking mills, the PaperWorks Philadelphia Mill in Manayunk.

There are some ways in which original capital purchases can serve to reduce maintenance costs and downtime...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Today we spend lots of time talking about predictive, preventive maintenance and have all sorts of seminars and software to manage this. There is no excuse for not having a strong predictive, preventive maintenance program. But can it all come down to something as simple as proper care of bearings?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

A fire that burned through a conveyor belt was extinguished last week at the nearly dormant Nippon Paper Industries USA mill.

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced the indefinite idling of its paper mill located in Thorold, Ontario.

If you have read my thoughts on maintenance storerooms over the years, you will accuse me of having been all over the place, and you will be correct. At one time, I adopted the attitude that everyone should do what they were best at doing, and in the case of paper mills, this was making paper, so they should outsource storerooms. I still think this is good for small consumables and specialized repairs (such as roll repairs and recovering). However, for other items, such as pump assemblies, screens, motors and so forth, keep your own--but take care of them. This philosophy certainly applies for existing papermills (but read to the end)...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Valmet will supply two containerboard production lines and related automation systems for Nine Dragons Industries Co., Ltd. in China.

A Valmet-supplied fine paper production line for Asia Symbol (Guangdong) Paper Co., Ltd. has successfully started up one month ahead of schedule.

We have been conditioned to think maintenance is a cost and unscheduled maintenance is acceptable. There is no basis for this logic; it is just a rumor passed around from board room to board room. It is time for your senior management to take a long hard look at the numbers, not the traditions...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The Williams Lake fire department crews responded to a fire in the welding shop at the Tolko Lakeview (B.C.) mill Sunday, 25 Feb. 2017.

Burgo Group S.p.A. announced the start of the reconversion plan of line 2 of the Avezzano (AQ) paper mill, from graphical paper to container board, with a view to making the mill a true national centre of excellence for cardboard production.

We have spent the entire month talking about driverless trucks, drones, robots and so forth. So what is in the future for humans in this scenario?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

International Paper is reporting that it could take up to three months to repair the digester damaged by the 22 January explosion at its Cantonment, Florida mill.

Port Townsend Paper Corp. and United Steelworkers Local 175 have come to an agreement on a five-year contract after minor revisions to a deal that failed in January.

We have heard a lot about drones delivering packages, but not so much about the return flights--there will be a lot of deadheading going on. Can this wasted transportation resource be put to good use?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Talks between Uruguay's government and Finnish pulp and paper maker UPM on a new pulp plant project in the Latin American country are proceeding, Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez said on Monday.

A forklift overheated and caught fire at the Georgia-Pacific paper mill early Friday morning.

While last week I was talking about long distance transportation of pulp by pipelines, let's look at what should be done locally, given the current state of technology...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The Tolko mill in Kelowna has partially resumed operations following the sinking of one of its tugboats that killed an employee last week.

A chip bin at the Resolute Forest Products Saw Mill sustained significant damage as a result of a fire early Sunday morning, 5 Feb 2017.

This is transportation month at Paperitalo Publications. This week, we discuss trucks and pipelines...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

International Paper officials refuse to disclose the reason the Cantonment plant was closed for 24 hours prior to an explosion that spewed black liquor throughout the north end of the county.

The operator of a Tolko mill tugboat was found dead after the boat sank Monday night.

J.D. Irving, Limited has been charged with two counts of violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act in connection with the death of a worker last year at the company's Sussex sawmill.

An investigation is under way into a fatal industrial accident Monday night at the Tolko mill in Kelowna.

Firefighters battled flames at UPM Kymene UK Ltd for more than four hours Monday night.

A lawyer for J.D. Irving, Limited has entered not guilty pleas to each of 15 pollution charges under the federal Fisheries Act related to alleged pollution from the pulp mill in Saint John.

There are a number of actions by mill owners that drive up the costs of capital projects. We'll wrap up this month by touching on these...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

UPM states that it is not engaged in negotiations on a pulp mill investment with the Uruguayan government.

Two fully loaded semitractor-trailers collided at the main gate of the Georgia-Pacific paper mill on Wednesday, Jan. 18, closing Butler Bridge Road for four hours while police, fire and public works personnel responded.

Kamloops Fire Rescue crews were called to Domtar pulp mill for the second time in 25 hours for report of a small industrial fire.

Construction projects are complicated, even the little ones. I can guarantee you that you can watch a five-million-dollar project all day long for its entire duration and you won't know half of what happened, not half the interactions that occurred over its duration. There is one contemporary and one post completion test you can do...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

For many years Australia has had substantially a duopoly of corrugated box suppliers, with Visy Industries (Pratt Group) and Amcor (now Orora) between them supplying more than 85% of the market. A bruising "box war" many years ago saw the demise of the Smorgon Group as Australia's third integrated corrugated box supplier. Visy consolidated its market leading position and now holds well over 50% market share and Orora more than 30%. This orderly state of affairs may be about to change.

Stora Enso plans to scrap a plan to build a chemical pulp mill at its Beihai Mill site in China, as pulp supply is expected to increase due to new investments by rivals, it said on Thursday.

For the second time this month, crews were called to the Domtar Pulp mill for a small blaze on Tuesday night.

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued a statement after today's passage of SB 362 in the New York state Senate, which would prohibit localities with over 1 million residents from imposing any fee, tax or charge on carry-out bags.

China Engineering Corporation (CEC) has signed an agreement with Yekatit Pulp and Paper on Tuesday to construct the biggest Pulp and Paper Mill in Ethiopia.

Black smoke billowed from Domtar Paper in Rothschild Monday morning, but the damage was minimal.

In addition to the fantasyland I referenced last week, there are other issues in capital projects that are landmines...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Having been in the industry for over forty years and having written my fair share of expert witness reports, I can tell you that major capital projects (over, say, USD 5 million) are more likely to end up in court than not. This does not have to be. OK, Jim, you say this does not have to be, then why does it happen? There are two or three conditions that cause construction court cases. They come up repeatedly...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

A fire that appears to have begun in duct work at the Ahlstrom mill kept firefighters from Windsor Locks and several other towns busy Monday afternoon.

Conifex Timber Inc. of Vancouver said this week that it received a $130 million secured revolving credit facility to fund the modernization and restart of its sawmill in El Dorado.

At least two individuals were reported as injured with a caustic chemical at approximately 1:30 p.m. Thursday at International Paper in Orange.

If you have been doing capital projects for only a few years, I think some surprises are just around the corner. Here is my assessment of where we are headed, assuming some natural or human-caused cataclysmic event does not occur...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Three workers died of asphyxia in a paper mill in the Site area of Hyderabad on Saturday, 24 Dec 2016.

Whether you are the CEO, Mill Manger, Energy Czar or a Project Engineer, your job today is more demanding than ever as we deal with energy, the environment and public perception...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

When crews arrived, the sprinkler fire system had knocked down most of the fire. Firefighters found fire and heavy smoke in the ventilation system and was able to extinguish the fire quickly.

With its Merritt mill now closed, Tolko remains open to selling the site, but is not actively trying to sell the property.

Valmet will deliver key technology for a new green field dissolving pulp mill to Sun Paper's new investment in Laos.

Firefighters were called to two paper mills in the Glens Falls, New York region late Thursday morning after reports of fire.

For many years, I have been telling the faithful readers of this column that energy is a political issue. Now the proof is in...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Burgo Group announced, in the integrated mill of Burgo Ardennes, the conclusion of a large project aimed at replacing fuel oil used to power the boilers of Virton paper mill in Belgium with natural gas.

A loss of power at Georgia-Pacific in Camas led to an "odor incident," at the paper mill on Monday.

These two ideas have been around for a very long time, but I am amazed at how many people don't use them, not just in replacement scenarios, but in new installations. The first one I want to mention is regenerative drives. The other application is VFD (variable frequency drives) on pumps...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Fines could total millions if company is found guilty of dumping harmful substance at Saint John mill

We are headed for a crisis. We have a combination of operators who have little physical understanding of the systems they operate, some of them have an attitude, and, on top of that, the hardware and software that serve as their crutches is obsolete. We want to do something about this...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

An employee killed Wednesday in an industrial accident at the Georgia-Pacific mill in Big Island was identified as Robert C. Dameron, 44, of Natural Bridge.

This week, we talk about some tricks you can use to unplug an innovation log jam...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Boreal Bioref Oy, a new Finnish company, said on Thursday it had signed a letter of intent with China's CAMC Engineering over an investment in a new 780-million euro ($836 million) pulp mill project.

Indiana state environmental officials announced Thursday they found no air quality violations while recently investigating odor complaints at the local Pratt Industries facility.

I thought I would spend some time this week talking about some of the innovations I have witnessed over the years...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

So the Polls got it wrong again - the American people have spoken decisively, if unexpectedly, just as the people in the United Kingdom did at the Brexit vote. Mr. Trump has pledged to make the USA great again. Will he also make the US paper industry great again?

Indonesia's second-largest pulp and paper firm PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) has completed its third paper mill and set its operational debut for next year to increase production and expand its exports to the international market.

Burrows Paper Corp. of Little Falls, New York, announced Friday that it was selling its packaging division to Novolex of Charlotte, North Carolina, and its paper division to Twin Rivers, in a deal that is expected to close later this year.

A paper mill that serves as a key economic driver in northern Manitoba has received an 11th hour rescue, less than a month before it was slated to be shut down.

I concluded several years ago, that while people like me may be naturally wired to be innovative, creativity can be taught. It boils down to several steps or realizations. I don't think I have shared these in such a wide audience before. So, here goes...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Maine is poised to finally begin shipping wood chips to Europe for power generation next year if plans under way at Eastport and Searsport stay on schedule.

Ahlstrom has signed an agreement to sell its German subsidiary with operations in Osnabrück to Kämmerer Paper Holding GmbH.

The Board of Directors of Ahlstrom Corporation has appointed Sakari Ahdekivi as the interim President & CEO with immediate effect. He replaces Marco Levi due to the announced merger plan between Ahlstrom and Munksjö Oyj.

Mill employees in The Pas have voted in favor of allowing potential buyers of the town's kraft paper mill a break from pension solvency payments.

The secret to innovation is to carve out the risk of innovation and allocate it to investors who have the attitude to handle it...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Domtar's Ashdown Mill will mark a new day in the mill and company's history on Nov. 3, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the startup of a newly converted fluff pulp machine.

A fire in the upper level of the Weyerhaeuser wood mill in Heaters, near Flatwoods in Braxton County, caused substantial damage to the building Tuesday and sent one contractor to an area hospital for minor injuries, according to a Braxton County dispatcher.

The company said Tuesday that the Androscoggin Mill will temporarily idle the No. 3 paper machine, "reducing annual coated paper production capacity by approximately 200,000 tons."

The transaction includes the printing papers mill located in Longview, Wash.

A small fire at Finch Paper Co. damaged a conveyor belt on Saturday night.

Firefighters responded to a fire Sunday night at the Pratt Industries paper mill in New York.

The Domtar Hawesville Mill was recognized by the Kentucky Association of Manufacturers (KAM) as the Kentucky Manufacturer of the Year in the large business category.

Norbord Inc. and Louisiana-Pacific Corp. have agreed to exchange ownership of two wood panel mills in Quebec. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

An ongoing foul odor in the area of the new Pratt Industries recycled paper mill has reportedly been attracting the objections of nearby residents.

Time and again, I have seen people conduct themselves in an exemplary manner throughout their careers, only to find themselves departing their places of employment in an untimely fashion. Once I went to work in a paper mill where this had happened en masse just before I arrived. The place was a mess. Whole departments had been eliminated and it looked as if the people had just left for a fire drill...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

A pair of fire departments responded to a report of a gas leak near Domtar in Rothschild, Wisconsin on Tuesday.

Suzano Papel & Celulose SA, Brazil's second biggest pulp producer, has agreed to pay $259 million for land and a small hydropower dam as part of an effort to secure supply of cellulose at lower costs for a key mill in the country.

Charcoal from paper mill sludge that once polluted the ocean here southwest of Tokyo could be used to restore contaminated land near the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

Andritz has received an upgrade order from Sappi North America for a high-capacity debarking line and woodyard equipment to be installed at Sappi's Somerset Mill in Skowhegan, Maine.

In the vein of what we discussed last week, let's continue. An area where I think many fall down, especially if they are not used to being in this particular venue, is customer relations. When in doubt, defer to your customer...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Domtar Corp. announced Wednesday its Kingsport, Tenn. paper mill is being idled to reduce inventory.

Beginning in June, Twin Rivers plant released chlorine dioxide gas five times. This weekend, the company apologized.

Quality comes in many shapes and forms. I want to talk about some of them this week...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Rayonier Advanced Materials Inc. has provided an update about operations following Hurricane Matthew, which affected the entire US Southeastern coast, passing near the Company's Fernandina Beach, Fla. facility.

An employee was fatally injured while working at a WestRock Co. facility in Covington early Thursday.

Quality must not be an attribute that employees think can be turned on or off, dependent on time, place and resources. Apply the same quality everywhere all the time. Your business will thank you for it.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Last week, Tranlin Inc. announced that it was moving forward with its $2 billion paper mill in eastern Chesterfield. But one of the permits that Tranlin, a subsidiary of China-based Shandong Tranlin Paper Co., will need to secure involves a complicated and somewhat untested system of trading pollution credits for nutrient contamination allowed into the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding waters.

Appvion's Roaring Spring pulp and paper mill will conduct a celebration event at the mill on Friday, October 7 beginning at 10 a.m. to observe the 150th anniversary of the founding of the mill.

Södra's new pulp mill in Värö was officially inaugurated on Friday 30 September.

Once in my career, a boss told me we were building too much quality into our products. He said we should provide only the quality the customer expects. That might be true if "extra" quality costs extra expense which you cannot recover. There is another way to look at this...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Chinese-owned Tranlin Inc. is taking a major step to proceed with its planned, $2 billion pulp mill.

Tolko Industries confirms that a letter of intent to buy the mill has been signed. Though it's far from a done deal, a potential sale could still save the operation before more than 300 layoffs are set to take effect on Dec. 2.

An economic blow to the the City of Merritt as Tolko Industries will close its Nicola Valley operation this December.

The restructuring, which is expected to be completed by mid-2017, includes the permanent closure of the small pulp dryer and idling of related assets, in addition to a workforce reduction of approximately 100 positions.

*All else being equal and if you always behave in a legal, moral and ethical manner and you understand that the invoice printer is the most important machine in any enterprise. These are a given and you should already know them by now, if you have been following me for any length of time. After forty-six and one half years of observing modern business life, I think it does indeed boil down to two things, at least in large corporations...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Resolute Forest Products Inc. announced the signing of an agreement to acquire the assets of Tembec's sawmill located in Senneterre, Quebec.

There are only two options for direct investment in paper manufacture in Australasia. If an investor flipped a coin and chose one option the reward for the one would be very different from the other.

With the closure of Djursdala, Södra will no longer have any hardwood sawing operations. Södra will seek other alternatives to find markets for its members' hardwood products.

A recent study, done by Australian Bond University and the University of San Diego, of US CEOs in the supply chain industry found that 21 percent had "clinically significant levels of psychopathic traits" (psychopath: a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behavior). Based on my 46 years in industry, I think they have nailed it, perhaps even gotten the number a bit low. So, this column is for the other 79% of you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The Port Townsend Paper Corp. has become the first large manufacturer in the state to switch from oil to compressed natural gas.

Unsecured creditors are suing executives at the former Lincoln Paper and Tissue Co. LLC, alleging that the company officials fraudulently pocketed millions of dollars rather than repair a damaged boiler that was key to the mill's profitability.

On Tuesday, the ground was officially broken for the new evaporator and brown stock washing system at Södra's pulp mill at Mörrum, Sweden.

After 45 years in suburban Federal Way, Weyerhaeuser has begun its long-planned headquarters move to Seattle's Pioneer Square. The first wave of employees moved in on Monday.

A last-ditch offer to save hundreds of jobs in The Pas has failed, at least for now.

Some, not all, young people in the industry often want to know what it takes to get into management. The answer is simple to state, a bit more difficult to execute. It is this: perform beyond expectations and become known for it. However, before we go further into this (likely next week), let's discuss some matters that you can use to test yourself to determine if you have the disposition to be a manager...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Every facility in our industry has two types of assets--hard and soft. By hard I mean buildings, machinery, process control systems and so forth. By soft I mean people. When a facility produces products for a vibrant market (defined as steady or growing, not declining), which are more important to its success--the hard assets or the soft assets?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Stora Enso has completed the divestment of its Kabel coated mechanical paper mill in Germany, to Kabel Premium Pulp & Paper GmbH, owned by a German based investor group.

As Corruption Month 2016 comes to a close, Pulp Rats Vel and Hae relate their experiences to Great Grandmother and the rest of the council...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Louisiana is home to a significant portion of the North American pulp and paper industry, both mills and suppliers. When I think back to the business I have done over the decades in Louisiana, the volume is staggering (I received my first project in Louisiana in 1979 in Bogalusa). Right now several of our clients call Louisiana home as well as do many of our friends.

"I did not relate this story to the council, but I wanted to share it with you readers of Mr. Jim's column. It happened in a place where I lived and it is a bit complicated, for I do not understand all the things the Big Things do. Apparently, from the best I can gather, the Big Things make paper products for something called money. They hand other Big Things products they make and these Big Things give them this money in return. Why, I don't understand, but that is the way things seem to work..." Fos the Pulp Rat continues his tale.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

How many times have you seen a less than honest performer running out the back door as the investigators are coming in the front door? It happens quite often. Fos the Pulp Rat continues his tale...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

When the rats know we have to follow the rules, there is no excuse for us humans, is there?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If you are a new reader, a bit of explanation is in order. In the trade journal business, at least in the northern hemisphere, August is the lightest readership month of the year. So, last year we tried something different to perk up August. We labeled it "Corruption Month" and let Fos, a pulp rat, write the stories. This was a huge hit. So, Fos is back again with more tales from the dark side of the pulp and paper industry and beyond...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Much has been written about the probable impacts of Brexit, but for the paper industry the impacts are ostensibly minimal. However, the resulting uncertainty has affected global business confidence with implications for a slowdown in global paper demand.

What is the impact of your mill on the world as a whole? The truth is we don't know--no one knows because there are simply bits of science yet to be discovered. It is likely, however, that the impact is not as great as environmental NGOs say it is and not as little as your CEO may concede...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Today the number of regulations with which a business or even a homeowner must comply has reached an incalculable quantity. It is as if one were reading the Book of Leviticus and attempting to understand how one properly prepares for the Jewish Sabbath--times ten million. The regulators, bureaucrats and their contractors see it to be their sacred duty to write just one more regulation. This leaves us with an impossible task--how to comply with all the regulations and the new ones constantly being foisted upon us...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Last week I gave you my definition of regulations: "Regulations are imposed by those who have artificially gained power on those who own assets." I would like to spend this column discussing those who have artificially gained power. There are three groups that come to mind when I think of those who have artificially gained power. They are environmental NGOs, lawyers and governments. Let's take these one at a time...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

This is environment/regulations month here at Paperitalo Publications. Issues surrounding the environment and regulations necessarily, unless you subscribe to conspiracy theories, involve the mitigation of risks. I'll tell a story on myself to set the stage....

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

As we wrap up procurement month, I want to talk to you about performance-based contracts. These are very different from most other contracts. They can be complicated to write, but if awarded to a competent bidder, can bring guaranteed results...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

We talked last week about what is not in a contract and the premise that in the eyes of the law in most places, if money has exchanged hands you have a contract. This week I wanted to take a higher level look at what one might want to include in a contract. And, we'll further simplify it by focusing on a contract that is of the "time and material" variety...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

It is true that if you want something in a contract, you must put it in the contract. It is also true that there are things not in a contract that are implied. A basic principle in the laws in the United States at least is this: if you accept money to do a task, there is a contract. It may be a verbal contract, but it is indeed a contract. Unfortunately, such contracts, if they involve a substantial claim by one party against another, will be sorted out the expensive way--in court. Here's an example...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

It is procurement month at Paperitalo Publications. The mill-related troublesome issues that can be attributed to the purchasing department are myriad and legion. This is not to say that there are not great purchasing agents, but this is a focal point of interaction with outsiders. It can lead to grand levels of loss through misunderstanding, incompetence and fraud. I want to discuss two issues today, two issues that are critical even before one arrives at the content of purchasing documents...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

As we wrap up energy month, let's look at some completely kooky ideas for saving energy. The naysayers will have their negative comments, but keep in mind what looks kooky now may be the greatest thing in just a few years. After all, if a mere two hundred years ago had you tried to speculate on humankind's harnessing and use of electricity coming in just a couple of centuries, you would have been labeled a complete nut-job. So, here we go...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The easiest energy savings follow the same philosophy as the easiest safety improvements. If it does not exist, it cannot hurt you or consume energy. Your first reaction will be this: we don't operate anything we don't need in order to run our facility. Really? I'll bet I could find all sorts of things to turn off or modify in your facility...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The specifics may differ but the trend is consistent and inevitable. It seems that for print media it is no longer a matter of if, but rather when...

Energy projects have to be looked at from many angles, particularly if they are a significant investment as compared to the depreciated value of the assets they serve. Don't develop a cost overhang situation that will sink the mill if you guessed wrong (and you can count on guessing wrong). This is why you have to develop several scenarios...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If a mill is thinking about adding to their energy generation sources, that is by adding another boiler to their fleet--it is time to pause and take a deep breath. It is one thing if you are changing fuels, quite another if you are just adding to your total steam generation capacity...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

As we start Energy Trends month here at Paperitalo Publications, I want to make sure those of you with a few less years of experience than I have understand that energy is probably the most concomitant political and scientific subject you will ever face...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If adding things makes a site more hazardous, taking them away should reduce the hazards. The problem is, that over time, we get used to the hazards around us and pay no attention to them until we encounter them in an accident-causing situation...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Last week's column was titled, "Does Senior Management cause Safety Issues?" This week, I want to report on two incidents of which I have direct knowledge where safety missteps by plant managers got them fired...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

There are times when the demands of management, which I'll admit include demands to conduct all work in a safe manner, sometimes force us to forget safety and push on to achieve the business operational objectives. Further, there is often a fine line when one is ascertaining how to proceed. Nearly everything we do has a dangerous component to it...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

It is Safety Month at Paperitalo Publications. Let's start off by understanding two things: (1) serious, sometimes fatal accidents occur in our mills today, this is not something that happens in the past or somewhere else and (2) what we tell our fellow employees, through words, deeds and actions is extremely important to conducting operations in a safe manner.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

No matter the department, people who love their jobs and care for the assets are the best inside-the-fence chance your mill has at succeeding.
This goes double for maintenance.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

For the forest, pulp and paper industry, net benefits from the TPP are difficult to identify.

We humans have a propensity for collecting things; it is in our nature. There is an entire industry that has developed in the last three or four decades to cater to this mental disorder--the self-storage industry. You drive by self-storage units all the time--how many of them do you think hold contents whose value equals just one year's rental on the unit? Just because we are in the corporate world does not mean we do not make poor decisions about keeping junk.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

In decades past, in the United States, engineering students came off the farm. It was often a first step up for farm family children to go to engineering school. I was a classic example. I left the farm and became a mechanical engineer. Today, entry level personnel, even if they are trained engineers, often do not have the practical background we used to have...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

You will never know if a mill is well maintained if you follow the mill's "tour route"--you know, the route they keep clean and in great shape for executives, board members and customers. Didn't know that mills have "tour routes"? Have I got some hot property in Florida for you! In a mill that is in really bad shape, you won't have to go to the places I am going to tell you about, for they, that is those in charge, will never let you get there. Thus, the first clue you are in a poorly maintained mill is if you run into resistance to a full blown tour...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Over my career, the best operating mills and companies I have seen have had very open communications. In these systems, there is a culture encouraging communications between departments and between mills. Conversely, the worst I have seen have been those with a fortress mentality, both internally to a site, between departments and externally to the site, between mills. The worst I have ever seen was in a company making grades in declining markets. The mills saw each other as every bit as big a competitor as the mills actually belonging to competitors...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

In some cases, I have seen mills go to great lengths to negotiate strong contracts for their long-haul freight, only to ignore what was happening on their own property, perhaps because of the location of their mills. You can't do much about the location of your mill, if you happen to have arrived after the grand opening. But you might be able to do something about the shuffling of trucks, containers and rail cars about your site...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Railroads could advance a lot further in serving their customers--in our case, pulp and paper mills and their customers...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

When the Allies invaded France in June of 1944, they knew they would have to conquer transportation problems if they were to be successful in reaching their objective. Starting on 24 August 1944 and running until 16 November 1944, the Red Ball Express operated 5,958 vehicles and moved 12,500 tons of freight each and every day from the coast of France to the front lines.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Where will we see automation next? Driverless trucks. They are less than five years away, folks. You can take it to the bank. The question is, will you be ready for them in your mill?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Failure takes many forms--the budget was too low, the schedule was wrong, training was poor, markets were not as predicted and on and on and on. However, I have never seen a project fail badly if it had a good design basis...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

As we do annually, this column reviews how the pulp and paper industry in Australia and New Zealand has fared for the Australasian business fiscal year to 30 June.

I once worked for a company that was proud of its capital projects and how the completion of such projects added to the assets of the company. The next company I worked for was proud of its return on investment (ROI) and had a philosophy of investing as little as possible in capital projects, for such investments drove down the ROI. This seems like a conundrum, but there are always other details that need to be explained to understand such matters...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Capital projects consist of three elements--money, time, and space. Getting two out of three right is not too hard. Getting all three correct is like bowling a perfect game.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

A new year, and it is capital projects month on the Paperitalo Editorial Calendar. In my nearly forty-six years in this industry, I have seen capital projects from all sides. I have seen so many projects, from the truly frightful to shining examples, that I could write a book. In fact, I did. ... I want to start this month's columns with a slightly different slant. I want to begin by talking about the relationship between suppliers and owners.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

As we wrap up power and energy month here at Paperitalo Publications, remember this: unless energy prices change rapidly and drastically (either up or down), the actual practices of energy consumption in your mill are likely driven by your mill's culture more than any other parameter. Of course, this is true of nearly everything that happens in your mill, but it bears noting in particular as we look at energy consumption.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Here in the pulp and paper industry, we have a difficult problem explaining our energy needs to the public. The scale of our facilities, the energy needs, just do not compute for the individual who is not regularly exposed to the scale of the business. This works to our detriment when the population puts pressure on the politicians. What to do about this?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If you want to wring unpredictability out of your energy budget, you will push conservation no matter the price of your energy sources. Energy that you don't have to purchase (at any price) reflects energy costs that cannot destabilize your energy budget. It is as simple as that.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Where can we use the force of gravity to eliminate energy costs?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

In fact, most of the time, that is exactly what large companies do. Earlier in this series I talked about the inertia of large companies and the inability for them to innovate. So, they do the next best thing--they buy it...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Company names are zealously protected and for many companies the name has substantial value because the company name defines the brand or the product through which the company has become successful. It also defines the value of a company beyond its tangible assets; more than the loyalty of customers to the brand (the goodwill) and includes all that contributes to the success of the brand (such as creative personnel, patents, unique processes and products)...

The problem is, good innovation often looks like fiction on the surface. So, challenge innovation--challenge what will make it work. If it is in contracts, challenge the legality. If it is in products, challenge the science. And if it is in services, challenge the psychology that will cause people to behave in the manner that will result in the outcome predicted...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

In our own industry, we are known for inertia. We are not known for innovation, in fact, innovation is almost discouraged. We are known for politics. If I took off my socks right now, I don't have enough digits on my hands and feet to count all the bad managers I know in positions of power in our industry. Politics wins...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Innovation has its problems, both from the practitioner and the manager perspectives...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

You probably have heard it said many times, "Quality is an attitude." This is correct. Quality, safety and housekeeping all go together...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Don't let your photo screen you out of a great opportunity...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If you look around, you'll find dimensions are everything. Don't casually dismiss them when you think about quality...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Over the years, I have seen many attempts to obtain an advantage in markets by selling product based on quality. I have also seen many shenanigans as people try to short cut quality...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

I am often told by managers, "I can't get (fill in the blank) to do what I want done." Sometimes this statement highlights a training deficit. Sometimes it highlights a personality deficit. Sometimes it is a motivational issue. However, most often it is something else--these managers have not bothered to put themselves in the subordinates' shoes and look at the world from their point of view...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Recently, I attended the 2015 Australasian Paper Markets Outlook Forum where one of the keynote speakers was Martin Glass from EMGE & Co. His is one the foremost global consulting companies in the field of graphic and communication papers. His message was powerful. If we think the rate of change over the last decade has been rapid, hold onto your hats for the next decade...

Your subordinates came to you by one of three routes. You were promoted to be their boss, they transferred into your area of responsibility or they were hired in from the outside. How you treat them depends somewhat on how you acquired them...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

It is always management's fault, for by the very definition management is in charge. So whether your facility succeeds or fails, makes the best profit in its history, or is handing out notices that it is closing, it is management's fault...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Unfortunately, management failures happen at all levels. Further, we often think we can solve them by buying something. Sometimes, as an alternative to spending money, we think we need to fire someone, or perhaps promote someone. Often the first thing we should do is simplify what we are doing and see if that is a solution...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

We would like your feedback on our first attempt at Corruption Month. We already have plenty of stories for next year. However, if you have any stories or any feedback, just email me at jthompson@taii.com. I'll be sure to keep them confidential.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Any resemblances here to real people, places, institutions or events are purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction. Warning: this episode is quite graphic, especially toward the end. I tried to figure out how to tone it down, but in keeping with the flow of the story, I could not determine a way to do it. My apologies in advance if you are offended. We pick up where we left off last week, still in Chapter 5...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Disclaimer: Any resemblances here to real people, places, institutions or events are purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction. We pick up where we left off last week, still in Chapter 4...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Disclaimer: Any resemblances here to real people, places, institutions or events are purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction. Let's pick up where we left off last week, continuing in Chapter 4...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Disclaimer: Any resemblances here to real people, places, institutions or events are purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction. Let's pick up where we left off last week...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

We often talk about corruption in mills as a thing of the past. I can assure you it is a matter in the present. We have recent correspondence with readers who have told us very interesting stories of things they say are going on right now as you read this. All of this leaves us in a dilemma, for if we tell the stories we know as straight up reporting, we could be sued, called into court and so forth. How to get around this is a problem. Fortunately, I started a book on this subject a while back...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The Roman Statesman Cicero is credited with the expression "as you have sown so shall you reap," and there are biblical variants in the Old and New Testaments. The expression has a powerful literal and figurative relevance to the Australian forestry industry...

Probably once a month or so, I encounter a client who is having problems. Be it the width of paper rolls, the fit of a pipe, you name it, dimensions are a big problem. Many people seem to think that mere dimensions are beneath them, that having conquered calculus, such arithmetic is child's play. Let me tell you, it is not and dimensional mistakes, particularly on a construction site, are probably the largest cause of backcharges and overages. Face it: we live in a three dimensional world and everything has to fit...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

So, you have been informed that the board of directors, or other high ranking officials from headquarters, are coming to see your facility. The range of emotions at your site will range from snickers and sighs to people who are actually looking forward to this. May I suggest a neutral viewpoint be adopted? This is an occasion as important as any event in the life of any facility. It is somewhat akin to making paper--it is simply part of your duties, an important part.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Whether it is a mill, a supplier or some other entity where a group of people gather to achieve objectives, culture matters. Getting it right is critical and difficult while getting it wrong is easy and disastrous. Fixing a broken culture is extremely difficult and sometimes nearly impossible. How do you know if you have a broken culture?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

I was taught long ago that one should build quality into a product, not inspect it in after it has been made. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? This is why I have always been troubled by the location of gauging systems on paper machines. Look at where they are: at the end of the machine, after the product is made. In the future, we may still have the old stationary gauges in their traditional locations, but I see something totally different right around the corner, perhaps as soon as in five years. What will it be?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

Everything goes on in your mill, from the honest and upright to the scandalous and felonious. It all happens, and if you don't think it does, I have a shiny bridge over the East River in New York I would like to sell you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

No, not the Tropic of Cancer--the topic of Cancer. This column is off topic---but it is on topic. It's entirely possible that some readers of this column will get the news, within the next couple of weeks, that they or someone they know has cancer. If it jolts them out of denial, it was well worthwhile for all of us to spend a week of column time on it.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

I received such a great comment in response to my past two columns that we'll devote this week's column to answering it.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

If you are looking for a foundation upon which to build your employment principles, integrity is the place to start. How many actions have you seen in your place of work, mill, supplier or elsewhere, where if people had acted with integrity all would be well? How many disciplinary issues have you seen, which, again, if people had acted with integrity, would not have even been necessary?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

There are people who feel constrained to follow the rules and there are those who see an opportunity for the company and exploit that opportunity for the benefit of the company ... Also, you might want to take our quiz this week, if you are interested in improving your career in your mill.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

In many ways PaperlinX is a metaphor for the industry as a whole but it also provides a salutary lesson for companies that embark on a transformation strategy that requires very deep pockets and a compelling business model.

When it comes to robotic and cutting-edge technology, where do we stand in the pulp and paper industry?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

I am often telling anyone who will listen that there is a fine line between being "Unique" and being "Weird." Unique is attractive, weird is repulsive. Rush right over to the unique side, stay away from the weird. Don't be weird unless you are a rock star. It certainly won't work in the pulp and paper industry...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

The advantage children have over us older folks is they don't know what can't be done. Take a group of 40- to 50-year-old papermakers and put them in a room. Ask them to come up with new ways to make paper. If someone dares raise their hand and proffer a suggestion, it will be batted down by the rest of the crowd before they can complete three sentences. Experience and legacy investments prevent innovation. This industry is certainly loaded with both, but there are ways around these barriers...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

A person new to the industry was recently talking to me about a personal training plan for learning the ins and outs of manufacturing paper. Of course, the plan included a few short courses, reading some training materials and watching some videos. Then the discussion turned to self-designed on-the-job training. I asked where in the process was the starting point. The answer was at the wet end, more precisely at stock prep, and moving through the process. I challenged this...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

First, be absolutely sure you are correct in the path you are taking. Test this several ways. Checking with people you trust who are not directly involved in the outcome of what you are attempting to do is one of the best ways. Hint--these people are usually called mentors. Once you are confident of the path, move to a plan of action...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

In our mills, how much work, especially in maintenance, is caused by a lack of thoroughness? My wild guess is probably something in neighborhood of 25%. How many accidents are caused in our mills by lack of thoroughness? In the "Safety Show '15" on Pulp & Paper Radio International, I can think of several accidents we described that were the result of not being thorough. So how do we teach thoroughness?

Listen to this column

The best benchmarking I have ever seen is this: benchmark yourself against running flat out, 24/7. This should always be the goal, nothing else should count. Why benchmark yourself against your competitors? Are you telling me your goal is to become just as good as (not better) than your competitors? Some goal! What if your competitors aren't very good?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Sometimes we get so caught up in doing maintenance on an existing asset that we cannot see that there is a better way. Sometimes we are trapped by the accountants and finance department--the old assets are still on the books at a ridiculously elevated value and cash is too tight to do things right. Nevertheless, you should raise a stink...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

It is time to stop playing chutes and ladders in our mills. This is not a game--lives have been lost and there is a potential for more lives to be lost on these dangerous structures. Start seriously evaluating every ladder and platform on your site today.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Australia manufactures about 0.6% of the world's uncoated freesheet (UFS) paper, an amount almost insignificant in the more than 53 million metric tons globally consumed each year. It was therefore surprising to see Australian Paper (owned by Nippon Paper) named and shamed as one of the companies accused of dumping into the US market.

If you are a CEO, I suspect you obey religiously all maintenance and recall notifications you receive for your Mercedes, Jaguar, or Tesla. Why don't you treat your operating assets with such care? Why do you let your mill operators get by with lousy maintenance practices? It couldn't be because you are afraid it will affect your bonus, could it?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Two weeks ago we talked about the attributes of the person who fills the top job in a large pulp and paper company. This week, we are going to tumble a few rungs down the ladder to the role of the production manager...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

I have seldom ever seen managers, at the top or at the production level, who give enough credit to maintenance. A well-maintained facility is a dream to operate; a poorly maintained facility loses money, has poor morale, and is a safety nightmare...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

I hear lots of discussions these days along the lines of "what is wrong with this industry is it is run by a bunch of MBAs that don't know anything about pulp and paper." I will agree that the industry is run by a bunch of MBAs that don't know anything about pulp and paper but I will not agree that that is what is wrong with this industry...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Yes, pulp and paper is alive and well and everywhere...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Four decades ago, I went through some training that affected my view of everyone. I will not presume to be able to distill that intensive training and forty years' application experience into one Nip Impressions column, but I will give you some key introductory points.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

As we reported on Pulp and Paper Radio International this past Monday morning, last week, Governor Paul LePage of the State of Maine, said "[Verso] get out of the State of Maine." ... I have heard politicians make stupid statements before, but this ranks right up at the top.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

We will be going slightly off topic this week, unless your affiliation with the pulp and paper industry requires you to spend a lot of time on airplanes as I do...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

The year 2015 is shaping up as a very interesting year for the Australasian tissue sector.

When I observe employees in mills today casually discussing problems, I see them behaving in much the same way as we did forty years ago. They seem just as lost on where to turn for help, just as confused on the path out of the current dilemma, just as mixed up when seeking a verifiable answer to a question. This astounds me...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

RPAs are not in the future any longer. I plan on owning a serious one before the end of the month myself. By serious, I mean one that can carry a payload of one or two cameras. Don't worry, I will not be bringing it to your mill--yet...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

There is a book called "Confederacy of the Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole. The book was published in 1980, eleven years after Toole committed suicide. It is set in New Orleans, and centers on a coterie of quirky individuals who essentially see the world as they want to see it. Of course, this is cockeyed by a normal metric, hence, the "confederacy of the dunces." I find the overarching theme of this book applicable nearly everywhere...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

I think there are more opportunities for accidents in pulp and paper mills this time of year as compared to any other. Why? Despite fewer participating than in the past, this is still the prime season for shutdowns around the world...

In this season of the year, we are often reminded of children, sitting on Santa Claus' (or Father Christmas') lap asking for things. We are amused by this, for it shows a child's greed and a lack of finesse on their part. We enjoy seeing these attributes laid naked for what they are. There are a couple of other places where one can see these same attributes, however, that are quite surprising and show us such tactics are not limited to the infant mind...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Here are my recommendations for this year...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

This is a short but powerful column...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

We hear and read many pieces of advice on how to be a leader, how to develop your leadership skills and so forth. Seldom, if ever, have I seen anything on being an excellent follower. Why is this?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

An ill-tempered disposition is mostly self-defeating unless one aspires to a career as a pirate. Although, they have not been completely eradicated, pirates' numbers are small and their lifespans short. So, we'll assume you have other aspirations, perhaps even as a pulp or paper mill manager. I can almost guarantee that if you exhibit a "short fuse" and an angry temper, you'll not make your goal...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Annually at about this time of the year we look back at how the pulp and paper industry in Australia and New Zealand has fared for the business fiscal year, which in Australasia is the year to 30 June.

Instead, make everyone a thought leader, at least part time. So, how do we make everyone a "thought leader?" It is really quite simple...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

At 432 Park Avenue, Manhattan, New York, a new building is under construction. It will be 1,396 feet tall. The top penthouse apartment has already been sold for $95 million. Couple this with idea we promulgated last spring at the Light Green Machine® Institute of the vertical paper machine. The idea is simple, yet revolutionary--build a paper machine standing on its head, forming at the top, winding at the bottom...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

If you work in production, as a majority of the readers of this column do, there are parts of your day dictated by the rhythm of production. Yet even in a production setting, there are still portions of your day in which you have some freedom as to pace. You might want to work on these...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Last week we talked about inheriting messes. This week we will talk about fixing one you created. This is tougher...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

This is a subject we covered over a decade ago in this column. But we have many newer readers and the rest of us likely have forgotten what I said on the subject. It is worth going over again, and there are some fresh ideas to discuss, as well...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

If you don't think Ebola is going to spread widely and rapidly, I have a bridge to sell you in New York. As long as Ebola remains a contact-transmitted (not airborne) virus, the pulp and paper industry has an opportunity to help contain this disease.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

When I was a child, my dad taught me about guns and fire, and how they could be used for good or they could be misused. He never allowed me to have a BB gun--he thought they were ambiguous--is it a toy or a weapon? Like BB guns, we have some ambiguous tools today, too. And these tools can be used for good or they can be misused. I am speaking of Facebook and LinkedIn. Are they toys, weapons, or something else?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

When you run into vile behavior at work (or anywhere else), don't be intimidated. The person hurling invectives at you is most likely more afraid of something than you should be of them...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Now, I will admit that everyone is not cut out to "be all that you can be." In the next breath, I'll express my belief that more are cut out to do this than actually do it, however. And I think we should promote this goal more than we do...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Be it by luck or planning, the rivers of wood are again flowing as hardwood plantations in particular mature at a rapid rate and need to find a market.

If you will take a simple step with all of your work, your quality will go up, guaranteed. This will work even if you have been doing the same thing for a very long time...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

I know because I have been there--you probably have, too. It's that place where When One Thing Goes Wrong, Everything Goes Wrong (WOTGWEGW).

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes or MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

First impressions matter, so let's examine this important topic from both the newbie's and manager's perspectives.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

I predict some companies will soon be using this tool on their company-issued phones despite its being designed for use by parents and teenagers. It may be effective for companies, but it will mask underlying management problems. Let's look at it from both sides...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

After 64 years of stumbling and bumbling about, I think I am becoming a mature adult in my thinking (and yes, there will be many that disagree). And I don't think this was a gradual thing, it is something that has only hit me in the last few years. The good news is that I am having fun with it. My admonishment to you is don't wait so long...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Harry's means business for the packaging industry. If you are not familiar with Harry's just go to harrys.com. Yes, I'll give them a free plug. We also discuss safety this week...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes MP3

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

You may be very involved in your mill’s business. You may think you understand all the business aspects from raw materials to markets.  Yet, unbeknownst to you, there are always outside forces trying to find a way to influence your business, sometimes for the better, sometimes not...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3   

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

Government subsidies (as well as tax rates, regulations and so forth) are uncertain because they are not set by markets, but are set by shifting political winds.  Competitive markets as a price setting function are as reliable as gravity.  Government mandates, ones that extract money, ones that provide money are not...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3   

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

I have been dealing with suppliers for decades, and suppliers keep behaving in the same manner. That manner is this: they simply have a “tin ear” when it comes to being cognizant of paper machine downtime. I saw it happen again last week, but I can tell you stories that are decades old. In fact, I think I will...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3   

(Editor's Note: Our platform provider is currently having a problem accommodating iTunes files on Firefox browsers for those using PCs. We apologize for any inconvenience.)

There was more than a touch of nostalgia, but also a sense of inevitability, when Georgia Tech announced, without fanfare, that the Institute of Paper Science and Technology (IPST) would become The Renewable Byproducts Institute (RBI).

Scientific results and engineering results must be studied carefully and analyzed many ways in order to ascertain their veracity.  I fear in the world of today, we capriciously slap the words “science” or “computer analysis” on endeavors which need much further study.  Sometimes this is done through ignorance, sometimes maliciously. 

Listen to this column 

We all do it, and I think more people are harmed by lying to themselves than are harmed by lies told by others...

Listen to this column 

I have never seen an attitude that has led to so much failure in so many fields as that reflected by the title of our column this week.  Life, love, career, home, you name it — an attitude of refusing to believe a sequence of events that might happen is responsible for a great deal of personal and corporate misery. A few examples may illustrate the issue.

Listen to this column 

I have decided the most important attribute to consider when evaluating employees is to divide them into “givers” and “takers.”

Listen to this column 

Let's take a brief look at the history of transportation, and examine its future, including driverless trucks...

Listen to this column 

The folks in the state of Maine are once again learning the lesson learned so many times by other communities.  That lesson is this: pulp and paper mills have a useful life, and eventually, that life is over...

Listen to this column 

I will go out on a limb and say that the first pulp and paper mill attack by a Remotely Piloted Aircraft will be within the next 18 months to two years. You must start to formulate a plan—now...

Listen to this column 

While our communications paper companies continue to look hard at finding ways to produce their products more economically, perhaps the biggest savings of all has been missed—how to make cheaper inks...

Listen to this column 

Australasia is now inextricably part of the global scene...

While we at Paperitalo Publications strongly support the printed word, we recognize that electronic publications have certain positive qualities.  It is not lost on you, smart reader, that Paperitalo Publications publishes nothing on paper, except books.  Yes, we like the challenge—exclusively publishing electronically to the pulp and paper industry. However, there is one area that is developing into an area for serious discussion concerning the printed word.  That is in the area of young children, children under 3 or 4 years old. Evidence is building that allowing these young children excessive access to smart phone and tablets may be quite detrimental...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

In my four plus decades in this business, there has been one constant amongst all the variables.  That constant is: What should be our energy source?  In virgin pulp mills, the recovery boiler has been a steady contributor.  However, for supplemental thermal energy, or for thermal energy in mills without a pulp mill, history shows the answer is the flavor of the month. Let’s step back even further for a moment...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

The reality is none of us think alike. In fact, if you are a senior manager, you’ll want people of all kinds of flavors. Just don’t make the mistake of putting them in the wrong position in your organization...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

The recent news from France is that work emails are banned after 6 p.m.  Left unspecified, apparently this does not apply to some jobs.  Let’s hope the exemptions include the pulp and paper industry, unless you are so competitive you wish to knock off your French competitors by any means possible. This situation is indicative of a problem confronting employers since the beginning of the industrial revolution.  That problem is this—how do we get workers to exhibit and perform as entrepreneurially as they did when they were peasants down on the farm?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Given that you lead a legal, moral, ethical life (I’ll fire you on the spot if you do not), the most valuable attribute I see in employees in any setting is the ability to get things done.  And, yes, we can add all sorts of qualifiers to this—on time, on budget and so forth.  However, stripped to its bare essentials, the most coveted quality in the workplace is the ability to get things done...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

A couple of weeks ago, a comment I made on the Light Green Machine Institute Weekly newsletter excited paper makers around the world. I proposed that we flip the paper machine on end, head box at the top, winder on the ground floor. Let's explore this topic in greater detail...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Why do we make life so difficult?  If you think about it, mostly our own inventions complicate our lives. Life is simple.  Why isn’t yours?  

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Being competitive starts with the people who work for your firm.  A close second is the culture of your company.  Let’s talk about both of these.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

What if we can say the luxury goods market is completely bookended by paper products?  What if tissue and newsprint are the Alpha and Omega of luxury goods?  This is a story we should be running with—the luxury goods for everyone, regardless of income, are those made by our wonderful pulp and paper industry.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Recently, the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, threw a grenade into the national political debate by declaring that too many of Australia's forests are “locked up” and vowed to set up a new advisory council to support the timber industry.

Every time I see a new app, I have to try it out.  Yet, even worse than wasting my own time, I have a tendency to forward them to my employees.  If I don’t get this habit under control soon, I’ll have to hire an employee just to make up for the time I and my current employees waste trying to save time with new apps.  All of this is caused by my urge to be efficient. You may have a similar problem.  I’ll share with you the ways I propose to deal with it.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

If you are not where you want to be, I suggest you find a way to get yourself there.  Why be miserable?  I can attest to you, at the age of 63, that a 40-year career goes by in the wink of an eye.  Get yourself to a place you want to be.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Folks, the innovations are coming fast and furious this year.  I’ll predict they will keep coming fast and furious, too...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Amazon Flow is a game changer in many ways. What does this do for all packaging? My challenge is for us as an industry to become proactive, not reactive to change.  For instance, now that the Amazon Flow technology is out of the bag, how can we help them exploit it throughout the entire product chain?  

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

I am a safe place to try out your resume.  I have looked at and worked on enough resumes that it just might be possible that I know what works...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

With developments in technology, I believe that retail and office space will to start to disappear in very rapid numbers. What does this mean for the pulp and paper industry?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Should we open our mills to more scrutiny? I think so...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

The next time a rabid environmentalist gets in your face and talks about you, as a paper industry professional, destroying the earth, tell them you’ll be happy to follow their example as soon as they strip to their birthday suit, move to the Amazon, and adopt a diet of raw fish...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

A look at Orora, Amcor, Pact Group ... and a bit of history.

Having spent the last forty years in pulp and paper, I’ll be the first to tell you the pulp and paper industry has been a surprise a minute. The most recent surprise has been the announcement that Verso is planning to acquire NewPage and what that has done to the PM40...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

All the technology exists right now to make this happen. Here is a chance for a paper industry centric company to become a real high tech leader recognized by the general population. How about it?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Great people make great companies.  And like it or not, headhunters often stand between you and great people.  Set high expectations and build a long term relationship with a headhunter that is looking out for you.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

There is an old phrase of indeterminate origin, in which I will substitute one word for our lesson here: “The road to failure is paved with good intentions.” If you are going to do something, for goodness sake, follow through and do it.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Nip Impressions is a teenager this Christmas. Let’s go back and look at some of the highlights, shall we?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Often, I help people with their resumes and job interview skills individually.  In this case, we are going to have to do it in a mass training forum right here, right now.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

I used to use the term “creeping regulations” but no more—they are galloping now.  As I reported in PaperMoney® on Tuesday, the EPA announced last week it is looking at over 130 new regulations.  Other government departments in the US and elsewhere seem to be ramping up their regulation writing machines as well.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Despite the overall employment rate in developed economies remaining stubbornly high, when it comes to trained technical professionals, especially in the pulp and paper industry, a shortage seems to exist worldwide. How did we get in this situation, which seems especially difficult in the United States?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

It is the responsibility of everyone in a leadership position, all the way through the board of directors, to make sure investments are well thought out.  Many day-to-day decisions can be corrected.  Facility location, design, and specifications are permanent.  They can cripple a site from day one and lead to an early demise.  These mistakes are fiduciary crimes...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

I am not talking about teams with assigned rolls, such as baseball, football, or, papermachine production teams.  I am talking about ad hoc teams put together to accomplish a specific task...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

We must communicate clearly and effectively, good news or bad, to our subordinates and superiors.  We must listen clearly and with focus to matters told to us.  And we must practice this all the time...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

If you have not been following closely, it is apparent upon examination that the current US administration is solidly focused on shutting down coal-powered boilers used for any purpose.  Your mill likely does not have a coal-fired boiler, but if it does, it is in the cross-hairs of the EPA.  Yet, even if your mill does not have a coal-fired boiler, it is likely your mill’s electrical supply has at least some portion supplied by coal-fired generating capabilities...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

The area which I have often thought would make the most sense to contract, yet is done only rarely, is maintenance stores.  There are several companies which do at least a partial job of providing these services, but I am not aware of any company that provides a full-service maintenance stores solution...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

There are many things that are a surprise, the seasonal change is not one of them.  It happens every three months and the September and March ones bring the most changes...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Add a little insurance to your family’s livelihood.  Invest some time in becoming fluent in LinkedIn...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

It amazes me today to see what little adoption of certain principles regarding race and gender has occurred in the nearly forty years since I was introduced to them. I am especially surprised how far behind major companies who have obviously hired many people of color and many women are as compared to my own experience...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Bottom line, suppliers and their representatives likely need more attention than you are giving them if you want to take advantage of what they have to offer you.  And it is a two way street—they will move mountains for you if you are in trouble, if you have treated them with respect. If you haven’t, you will not have that phone number you need at two in the morning...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Will a pulp and paper science student in the United States today interested in pulping processes (not papermaking) be able to complete a normal, 40-year career in the pulping sector in the United States? I think the answer is a resounding, “No.”

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

While we have developed and acquired all sorts of gadgets and techniques to improve maintenance, primarily by reducing downtime, especially emergency downtime, we still haven’t done all that well...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

With the annual termination season, December, less than 90 days away, it is time to talk about this...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

No one striving for life balance will ever reach the top of their profession.  No one striving for life balance will ever rise to a high level in any company...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

During your career, you will (and I have) run into many professional phonies.  Sales people are near the top, but you’ll find internal candidates in your business, too.  These are people who feint interest in your personal life to gain some sort of favored intention with you...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

For all of us, how we perceive ourselves and how the viewing public, i.e., anyone looking at us, perceives us is often quite different.  I suspect I am not even telling you something you don’t know, but it is something you forget daily...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Words inspire and are a call to action.  However, at some point action must be taken...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

For some reason, no one thinks their employer can shut down, no one thinks they can lose their job.  I have speculated before that it is apparently some sort of human mental defense mechanism that creates this denial.  It truly is impossible until it is inevitable...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Over the years, Paperitalo Publications has had many firsts, both in ideas and in delivery, and like football teams, we have been gearing up for the season of our lives this year. If you like what you see, if you like to hear about innovations up to three years before the legacy organizations have a clue as to what is going on, we ask for your help...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

I have to admit, I miss the good old days when people screamed, yelled and threw things when activities or production were not proceeding according to plan...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

It is said that a week is a long time in politics, and the weeks since my last column have comprehensively demonstrated just that. The interval also demonstrated that economists are not much better at identifying the future than the rest of us...

The shape of the Australian industry by year end will indeed look very different than it started the year, but the new son of Amcor will look much more like Amcor of 20 years ago and just might be the catalyst for a revived industry, especially if the economy shows renewed confidence as a result of the election outcome...

It is again that time of the year when we look back at how the pulp and paper industry in Australia and New Zealand has fared for the business fiscal year, which in this part of the world is the year to June 30, 2013...

The whole idea of employees lacking the curiosity to explore ways others are doing things or seeking new ways of doing things is just so foreign to me that it leaves me flabbergasted...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

A good friend recently related problems their spouse is having at work.  Two slackers who work in the same department have apparently decided to attack this spouse for actually being productive and doing a proper job.  The slackers have been there over ten years and this newbie of two years’ experience in the company is making them look bad.  So, in today’s climate, where it is hard to find another job, what do you do?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Resting on the same old curricula, slightly updated, is not going to suffice to prepare leaders for our industry in the mid 21st century.  And face it—the graduates of today will likely be running the industry in 2045-2060.   We need more specialized paths to create a crop of graduates that will be out in front of the roar of technology marching on... 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Sometimes it is called, “drinking your own bathwater.”  In general, it is about thinking you are great, important and all knowing.  It always blows up. 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

If you are not familiar with Two Sides and its President and COO, Phil Riebel, you should be.  Phil and this group are doing yeoman’s work to educate the public on their choices between electronic and paper information delivery.  Thanks to someone we never heard of before this month, we think it just got a lot easier for Phil to make his arguments when it comes to bank statements, credit card statements and bills... 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

Recent events seem to suggest we can, in real time, watch a retail brand being destroyed right now... 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

The curse of all businesses is killing problems and killing them dead.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Over the years, it has been interesting to watch the fear level of employees... 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             

I have seen many a good mill killed by poor maintenance...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

We have covered some other acronyms in this column before.  LOC stands for Lean, Orderly and Clean. LME stands for Legal, Moral and Ethical. This week, we want to introduce a third and state (hopefully) that if you follow all three acronyms, life will be good indeed. MAT stands for Maintained, Accountable and Trained...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

…and why complying with them can serve you well.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

I believe strongly that it is our dealing with the little things, like earplugs, that sets the tone for dealing with the big ones...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Effective managers understand being effective.  Big surprise, eh?  More importantly, being effective does not necessarily mean wiping your to do list clean as fast as possible, especially when it comes to managing other people, superiors or subordinates. 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Taking a condition, the foul in basketball, and using it as an offensive weapon sends a very wrong message to society. That message is this: If you can’t make it a legitimate way, in this case by making baskets, it is OK to cheat, up to a point, to gain an advantage. In my lifetime, I have seen this played out over and over again in business. Can’t make it legitimately? Cheat. 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Are we incurring costs but gaining little in our quest to be confidential?

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Look around, are you working in a facility that meets the standards you would expect in a doctor’s office? 

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

The world of tomorrow is not the world of today or yesterday.  If you are going to stay on top of your game, you will embrace it and be a leader, no matter your paper grade...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Probably not, but an interesting thesis I have for you this week.  As we reported on Pulp & Paper Radio International this past Monday morning, there were two announcements of tissue and towel converting plants shutting down this past week.  One was a Clearwater facility in Thomaston, Georgia.  The other is Kimberly-Clark’s Delyn Plant in Wales which converts paper towels. It is somewhat rare, anywhere in the world, and especially in the western world, for tissue and towel facilities to completely shut.  However, here we have two examples...

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV

Our theme for the month of March at Paperitalo Publications is water usage. So, I thought I would start off with the wild and theoretical and then here, and in our other publications during the month (do you know we now have nine other publication issues during the month besides Nip Impressions and PaperMoney?) we would move towards the practical as the month goes along.

Listen to this column in your favorite format

iTunes            MP3             WAV