Articles related to pulp

Virtual sport simulators are tremendously popular nowadays. Take golf for example: walk indoors, swing your clubs, and improve your swing. (Personally, I'd rather be outdoors any day with the sun shining and a fresh breeze in my face.) You can sit in movies with 3-D glasses, play sports (indoors) with a variety of simulators, or even wear 3-D goggles for virtual reality baseball training (you don't even need a ball, just swing the bat).

When I was little my dad would bring home comic books when I was sick. It broke up the monotony of being ill and introduced a bit of fun flipping through the pages. Now take that same idea - a bit of fun with comics - and instead apply it to livening up and strengthening a preventive maintenance (PM) culture. (When was the last time you sat in a riveting PM meeting?) Yes, entertaining author and experienced consultant Joel Levitt, President of Springfield Resources, is creating content about PM through his comic book, Stories of PM, covering PM principles.

Sometimes simple solutions are the best solutions. And a similarly simple solution to a very complex problem has recently come to light with transportation, using robotics

As the ball drops in Times Square on New Years Day, the trees in South America grow ever taller, and are much better and more productive than that dropping ball (which mainly yields a great deal of traffic). Interesting things are happening in South America, and I do suspect capital projects for 2024 will be affected, and hopefully started for the upcoming year. Why is that?

Have you ever seen those large, round, glass jars filled with marbles (or candies, or Matchbox cars, etc.) where you had to guess how many objects were in the jar - the answer being some incredibly huge number? (And did you ever win the prize?) Along that same line of thought, I was wondering this week if it were possible to count up the vast number of semiconductors on the property of the average mill (I really do think of this stuff) - not including the semiconductors in every mobile phone that the employees carry.

Switching to green energy seems all well and good until you get into the details.

Quality is the commitment to excellence that drives the relentless pursuit of perfection. But interfering with that relentless pursuit is a strong EU governmental push to go completely digital, particularly with industrial products, medical products and other consumer information. No paper. Digital only. As a result the European print and paper industry is uniting, reminding legislators that going" digital only" is not neutral but would be harmful in some cases. The proposed restriction of paper would result in wide-ranging social, educational, and economic risks, beneficial to no one.

In wood chemistry classes in college, one thing I learned was that trees are fascinating. We spent a bit of time on the root system of trees, but far more on what was above ground. After all, that's what paper makers are most interested in. Since college days, I've learned a lot more about trees. And much of what's fascinating about trees begins, actually, with what's underground.

Today we're looking at the flip side of smart procurement (June's topic): increasing safety and productivity with digital downtime. As a background, if you google the topic you'll get an amusing list of headlines, ranging from how to fight tech addiction, to articles telling you not to bother disengaging from a screen addiction since it's apparently useless. But how does this even remotely relate to the pulp and paper industry???

Right now there's a strong trend of wanting to "take down" paper companies and the government officials who allow them. - There are stories all over the news to this effect. But there is a way to have paper mills welcome in their communities. It is doable. How? It requires a multifaceted approach.

It's not a question of if smart procurement is coming to mills. It's a question of when.

Changes are coming.

Despite all the safety training, sometimes things happen that you really didn't see coming. This month for safety, we'll cover a couple extra things that aren't usually discussed in those monthly safety trainings, starting with what's in the news...

Pay now, or pay more later, or... pay dramatically more much later. Simple as that. That's the essence of mill maintenance.

You can't make sandcastles without sand, you can't make skyscrapers without steel, and you can't make paper without wood or fiber. And it's trains that are central to the transportation of products into and out of a pulp and paper mill. Back last December, we had quite the problem with the railroads, but what exactly was going on?

Surely you've completed one of those "simple" home projects that ended up requiring multiple trips to Home Depot. Once finished you likely breathed a deep sigh of relief as you quietly kicked yourself for your lack of planning. Similarly, the paper industry is a very capital intensive industry - referring to last month's article, many capital projects focus on reducing fossil fuel usage. But when your capital project ends up requiring multiple trips and delays due to forgotten items, results can be disastrous. So what are proven steps management can take to reduce these needless trips and delays?

Our mill got a call one day from Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCO), asking if we were doing anything unusual? As it so happened, we were restarting the mill after the spring shut down and maintenance. Why did they ask?

We've come a long way - from disintegrating paper straws to being on the verge of having plastic-free packaging, and a fully recyclable beer bottle with a wood fiber outer lining. Cellulose and pulp are in the forefront of the away-from-plastic movement (as it should be).

Giving allowances is easy, but those expenses add up alarmingly quickly. Not a great solution. So to use returns and allowances to boost sales in your mill, let's take a page out of an experienced consultant's book and learn about the changes made at one mill, which led to significant mill-wide improvements in just three months. The strategy was quite simple.

One of the best managers I ever had the privilege of working with was in charge of our pulp mill. We'll call him V.C. He was an unassuming fellow, but when V.C. stepped into the control room to address an issue - anything at all - things got done. Best management practices can fill volumes of books and occupy weeks of classes, but V.C. had three characteristics in particular, finely honed, which kept employees in the pulp mill working extremely well together.

Myles Cohen has served as a division president at both Pratt Industries and Sonoco Products Company over the past two decades.

The latest approval expands the footprint of the Miami-based green paper products developer now poised for global expansion.

Jamaica is well on its way to operating the first and only dedicated bamboo market pulp mill in the Western Hemisphere.

Kemira has signed a long-term agreement with UPM-Kymmene Corporation extending and expanding its current bleaching chemicals supply contract in Uruguay, pending required environmental permitting.

In a 2-1 decision, the court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to set limits on air pollutants that pulp mill combustion sources are known to emit.

Metsä Fibre is renewing its pulp product brand. The Botnia brand will be replaced by the Metsä brand in all pulp products, services and biochemical.

Sappi Limited announced that it had signed an agreement to acquire the 270,000 tpa Matane high yield hardwood pulp mill from Rayonier Advanced Materials for US$175 million.

Essity said on Thursday it will build a test plant in Germany to produce pulp from wheat straw and other plant-based agricultural by-products to reduce its dependence on wood based pulp.

Paperitalo Publications announced today that SAP of Walldorf, Germany has selected Paperitalo to be their media partner in the pulp and paper industry.

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

Columbia Pulp's mill at Lyons Ferry is expected to be running as early as May, after a five-month delay.

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

The project involves the deployment of a 30-tonne per day (tpd) CO2 capture unit and ancillary equipment at Resolute's pulp mill in Saint-Félicien, Quebec and the commercial reuse of the captured CO2 by the adjacent Toundra Greenhouse complex.

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

The Maryland Port Administration has signed a six-month contract with Brazil-based forestry giant Suzano Pulp and Paper to ship the company's pulp through the port's state-owned terminals -- a deal that could yield as much as 120,000 tons of wood pulp, officials announced Thursday.

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

Their goal was to educate officials on the impacts of legislative and regulatory decisions on the environment as well as the families and communities that depend on forest products manufacturing for their livelihood.

Indonesia on Monday said that the accusations of pulp and paper dumping on the country have been wrongly made, while forcasting a higher industry growth for this year.

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

If you are looking for goods and services in the pulp and paper industry, you need to check out the Paperitalo Directory!

UPM is taking part in the international public tendering process in the port of Montevideo organized by the National Ports Administration (ANP) of Uruguay.

Fortress Global Enterprises Inc. has entered, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Fortress Advanced Bioproducts Inc. ("Fortress AB"), into a Technology License and Collaboration Agreement with Mondelēz International, Inc., one of the world's largest snacking companies.

Mercer International Inc. has signed a deal to acquire Daishowa-Marubeni International Ltd., which owns a bleached kraft pulp mill in Peace River, Alta., and a 50 percent stake in a joint venture which operates a bleached kraft pulp mill in Quesnel, B.C.

Kespry announced the availability of the pulp and paper industry's first drone-based aerial intelligence solution.

Nine Dragons plans to fund the acquisition through existing cash on its balance sheet.

Andritz has successfully completed the start-up of new production technologies and equipment for the extension of SCA's Östrand pulp mill in Timrå, Sweden.

Konecranes will deliver two industrial cranes with specially designed spreader clamps to CMPC Cellulose Riograndense in Brazil.

United by a widespread fear that the Northumberland Strait is imperilled by a pulp mill's developing plans to discharge liquid waste into its waters, residents of three provinces numbering in the thousands rallied Friday in Pictou, N.S.

SCA began production at the expanded Östrand pulp mill in Sweden according to plan during the midsummer holiday (i.e. this weekend). SCA is investing SEK 7.8 billion ($881 million) in the operation and the project is on budget and schedule.

Chung Hwa Pulp has selected Veolia Water Technologies' HPD® evaporator technology to upgrade its Hualien Mill in Taiwan.

Borregaard and Borg Havn have agreed to build a modern, sustainable lignin warehouse in Øra, near Fredrikstad, Norway.

Ilim Group held a business conference in Zhengzhou, Henan, China, to discuss an increase in supply to this region. Ilim plans to increase its market presence and the share of products supplied to Henan.

Allnorth and FPInnovations have announced a strategic partnership of two of the industry's leading players that will bring a new level of innovation and added value to pulp and paper clients throughout North America.

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...

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We in the pulp and paper industry needs to have our voices heard, too.

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President & CEO Donna Harman issued a statement regarding President Trump's official proclamation recognizing the 57th anniversary of National Forest Products Week...

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...

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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.

Fortress Paper Ltd. announced that the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill (the "FSC Mill") restarted.

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.

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Fortress Paper Ltd. reports that it has completed an assessment of the failure of a pressurized auxiliary gas collection system at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill (the "FSC Mill") in Thurso, Québec that was reported on September 21, 2017. The Company has identified the source of the failure and is in the process of repairing and replacing the damaged components.

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...

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Fortress Paper Ltd. reports that it has experienced a burst in a pressurized auxiliary gas collection system relating to one of the recovery boilers at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill (the "FSC Mill") in Thurso, Québec.

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...

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Columbia Pulp will have a groundbreaking and community tour next week for its $184 million mill in southeast Washington, which will use straw to make pulp for paper production.

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.

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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.

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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?

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China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday it will review its anti-dumping duties on pulp imported from Canada, following a ruling against the Asian nation from the World Trade Organization (WTO) in a dispute over the restrictions.

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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.

A proposed $184 million pulp mill in southeast Washington plans to take straw, a waste product from wheat and alfalfa farms, and convert it into pulp for paper and packaging products.

Ahlstrom-Munksjö says it will release additional capacity at its Turin plant in Italy to meet the growing demand for engine and industrial filtration media.

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...

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It is probably one of the worst places for a fire to break out, but a quick response minimized the potential for a more serious incident in the Corner Brook Pulp and Paper wood yard Sunday.

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. announced that it plans to undertake capital projects at its Northwood Northern Bleached Softwood Kraft ("NBSK") Pulp mill located in Prince George, British Columbia ("BC"), and its Bleached Chemi-Thermo Mechanical Pulp ("BCTMP") mill located in Taylor, BC.

"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...

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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!

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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...

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Brazil's Fibria denied media reports that it is analyzing an association with Chile's Empresas Copec SA unit Arauco to bid for rival Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA, it said in a securities filing on Thursday.

In spite of being both capital and energy intensive, the use of advanced waste water treatment systems is projected to grow about 9% per year. This is related to the requirement to more fully protect water resources. Let's briefly review a few of the methods in use today.

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...

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Brazil's Fibria SA, the world's No. 1 eucalyptus pulpmaker, is considering a bid for rival Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA, it said in a securities filing.

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...

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A unit of Chile's Empresas Copec SA has placed a bid for pulpmaker Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA, whose controlling family put it on the block after signing a plea deal with prosecutors in Brazil, a person directly involved in the bid said on Friday.

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...

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Fibria SA and two other pulp producers have hired banks to bid for rival Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA, which may go on the block after the family that controls it entered a plea deal in Brazil, Valor Econômico newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Oji Holdings Corporation announced that it has succeeded in development of Cellulose Nano Fiber (CNF) powder dispersible in various types of organic solvent, and has commenced sample distribution as of June, 2017.

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

The Brazilian Tree Industry is reporting that Brazilian pulp production grew 5.1% in the first quarter 2017 compared to the same period last year, totaling 6.32 million tons against 6.02 million in 2016.

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...

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Brazilian wood pulp producer Fibria Celulose SA is not currently discussing acquiring rival Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA, focusing instead on organic growth, Chairman José Penido said on Thursday.

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...

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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.

Brazilian wood pulp processor Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA may resume the search for a strategic partner once parent company J&F Investimentos SA completes the negotiation of a leniency deal in a massive corruption investigation, Valor Econômico said on Monday.

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...

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This article is intended primarily to focus company management on some of the essential considerations involved when entering into negotiations. Since the end result will not only involve an allocation of resources and have a significant effect on other areas of the company, the achievement of contract goals becomes of highest importance. Here are a few guidelines that may be helpful.

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...

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Brazilian wood pulp producer Eldorado Brasil Celulose SA said on Monday it would miss a deadline to submit audited first-quarter financial results, according to a regulatory filing.

BillerudKorsnäs experienced a major breakdown in the digester in the semi-chemical pulp production line in Gruvön.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) released the 57th Annual Survey of Paper, Paperboard and Pulp Capacity, reporting that U.S. paper and paperboard capacity declined 1.3 percent in 2016, in line with the long-term decline rate of 1.3 percent per year since 2001.

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

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Xerium Technologies, Inc., a provider of industrial consumable products and services, announced that the company was recently awarded orders for machine clothing and rolls technology for Fibria's new pulp machine at the Tres Lagoas mill in Brazil.

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...

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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?

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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...

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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.

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Japan Pulp and Paper, the country's largest paper trading house, will acquire Oceanian peers.

Japan Pulp and Paper Company Limited (JP) announced the establishment of a new representative office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

FITNIR Analyzers Inc. has been awarded with supplying its state-of-the-art FT-NIR online analyzer system to Harmac Pacific.

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...

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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.

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...

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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.

The Lenzing Group announced that it is expanding production capacities for its specialty fiber TENCEL® at its site in Heiligenkreuz, Austria.

Tembec announced a four-year $136 million capital investment program in its Québec facilities to improve competitiveness, centered on its specialty cellulose pulp operation at the Temiscaming manufacturing site.

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

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Jerry Zhiyuan Peng has departed as chief executive officer for Chinese-based Tranlin Inc., according to a company press statement.

A ruling issued by Georgia Superior Court Judge Stephen Kelley has reversed a previous decision in state administrative court that required the Georgia Environmental Protection Division to issue a more stringent pollution permit for the Rayonier Advanced Materials mill near Jesup.

Fibria announced that it started construction on an intermodal terminal located in Aparecida do Taboado, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, which will ship the pulp produced at its new facility in Três Lagoas, Mato Grosso do Sul to the Macuco Terminal at the Port of Santos in São Paulo, from where it will be exported to clients in Asia, Europe and the United States.

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?

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Our readers weigh in on the subject...

Canfor Pulp Products Inc. has been awarded $13 million to continue its funding one of its environmentally-friendly green initiatives.

Many older managers and some who are now in retirement operated within a traditional business management structure. This included organization charts, which outlined the company functions and lines of reporting...

Nordic forestry firms racing to replace paper business lost to the internet are trying to transform their pulp mill by-products into glue, biofuel and carbon fibre for aircraft and wind turbines.

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)...

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Our readers weigh in on the subject...

Ilim Group says that it anticipates a steady rise for its products in China due to increasing hygienic and sanitary paper and pulp production and the expanding packing paper segment in five key regions...

Fibria has signed a $636 million shipping deal with South Korea'sPan Ocean Co Ltd, according to a securities filing.

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...

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Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper, or RAPP, Indonesian subsidiary of global pulp and paper industry leader Asia Pacific Resources International, APRIL, was named an authorized economic operator by the World Customs Organization.

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?

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Suzano Pulp and Paper announced that it will invest around R$720 million by year-end in a set of projects intended to diversify its operations in Brazil through higher-value products, boost structural competitiveness, cut costs and enhance environmental initiatives.

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?

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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.

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...

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

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Sappi plans to increase dissolving wood pulp capacity by more than 30 percent over the next four years as the world's largest maker of the product pursues growth.

The capacity of pulp mills will increase from 7.93 million tons to 10.43 million tons per year in February when PT OKI Pulp & Paper Mills (OKI) starts the production of its new pulp factory with a 2.5 million-ton production capacity, the Industry Ministry has said.

SAPPI, the South African pulp and paper company with global operations, is celebrating 80 years of listing in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

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...

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

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...

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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.

Asia Pulp and Paper, the pulp and paper company of conglomerate Sinar Mas Group, aims to boost its sales this year, banking on its expansion in Central Asia and rapid growth in new growing markets, the company said in a statement.

The First Nation Forestry Council and four B.C. pulp and paper companies are pleased to announce they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote and support the growing role and influence of First Nations in the B.C. forest sector. The four companies include: Catalyst Paper, Nanaimo Forest Products (Harmac), Paper Excellence Canada and Zellstoff Celgar Limited Partnership.

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.

In what appears to be a sign of the times, the Maine Pulp and Paper Association has announced that it is disbanding effective immediately.

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

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Early in my career I was told by an Engineer that the only real problems we would face in our careers were people problems. He went on to explain that solutions could be found for all other problems, but not always for those originating from personnel. As time progressed, I began to appreciate his wisdom more and more...

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...

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Fire crews braved the extreme cold and icy conditions Thursday night to put out a fire at the Domtar mill at Mission Flats in British Columbia.

Nippon Paper Industries to build a demonstration plant at Fuji Mill in Japan to promote practical applications of CNF-reinforced resin.

"By signing the proposed rule, the EPA has indicated that the 2001 maximum achievable control technology (MACT) rule protects public health: That's a positive testament to our industry's investments and commitment to air quality and sustainability..."

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...

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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...

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Greenpeace and WWF have suspended their relationship with one of Indonesia's leading pulp and paper companies, saying it didn't live up to promises to stop clearing virgin forests and peatlands.

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

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

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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...

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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...

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The Hemicellulose Project will allow the Company to advance its research and development in hemicellulose derivative products.

A start-up can be extremely challenging, but upon completion, the accomplishment can become a milestone in the careers of those involved. And, the experience obtained from participation in a start-up is invaluable to those involved.

FPInnovations, in partnership with FITNIR Analyzers Inc., announced the successful commercialization of an innovative new product using near infrared technology (NIR) to quickly and efficiently analyze the kappa number of kraft pulp.

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...

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Becky Keogh, director of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, said she and her staff had recent meetings with officials at Sun Paper Industry of China on pre-engineering and environmental permitting for the $1.3 billion mega-project in Clark County.

Valmet Ltd, who supplied the machine and carried out maintenance work, has now been fined £120,000

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.

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

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With our quiz this past week...

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?

Finch Paper in December will conduct tests and market analysis of two new potential reuses of waste from the pulp-making process at the company's Glens Falls mill.

Fortress Paper Ltd. has announced a major investment to advance its strategic project of utilizing birch to manufacture dissolving pulp at the Fortress Specialty Cellulose Mill located in Thurso, Québec.

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...

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Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP), the global pulp, paper, packaging and tissue manufacturing company has committed to importing certain coated papers manufactured in Indonesia and no more than $50 million dollars worth annually - only 2.5% of the current $2 billion dollar coated paper U.S. manufacturing market.

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

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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.

Evoqua Water Technologies today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Environmental Treatment Systems, Inc., a leading provider of engineered solutions to the industrial wastewater market based in Acworth, GA. Terms were not disclosed.

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...

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We must recognize that there are costs associated with achieving good quality, as well as operating with poor quality...

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...

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Eight awarded prestigious Williams Leadership Scholarships.

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...

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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.

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Praxair, Inc., through its Brazilian subsidiary White Martins, has signed a long-term agreement expanding its supply of oxygen to Fibria Celulose S/A in Três Lagoas, Brazil.

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.

Canadian softwood lumber executives will meet this week with America's trade ambassador as they brace for the prospect of U.S. tariffs that they say could result in mill closures and layoffs.

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

More than 300 attend annual meeting and LGMI conference is coming to Raleigh in mid-October

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...

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Instead of dreading the task of report writing, consider the longer term career benefits potentially available. Sharpening this skill can boost your visibility to peers and assist in career advancement.

*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...

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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.

The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) has selected Barbara Riley as communications director.

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...

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David Withers, President, announced that Coldwater has acquired the EZ eco smart cleaner technology for wires and press felts.

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Dubbed Operation Greenfield, the probe is aimed at uncovering alleged malfeasance at four state pension funds that allegedly overpaid for stakes in Brazilian-owned companies, including pulp maker Eldorado Brasil Celulose.

A major Indonesian pulp and paper firm, Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (Rapp), has temporarily ceased operations in part of a concession in Riau province, as forestry authorities begin to review whether it built canals on peatland in the area illegally.

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...

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As part of the same operation, according to a spokeswoman for the prosecutors office, the police raided offices of Eldorado Brasil, a pulp-making unit of J&F Investimentos--the holding company that controls JBS SA, the world's largest meatpacker.

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?

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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...

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If one accepts a traditional definition of corruption as "abusing power or taking actions illegally for personal gain," it could be argued that the paper industry is no different from any other business in this regard. However, in spite of many shared organizational features, each business environment has its own unique circumstances, which may make it more appealing for personnel to consider a corrupt practice.

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.

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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...

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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....

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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...

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Procurement has evolved through a system of integrating people systems, structures and practices into one process based on the insights of all the linked departments. The goal has been to optimize project results, reduce waste, increase value, and maximize efficiency...

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

Since both the demand and cost of energy are projected to increase, the importance of energy conservation measures will become even more important in the future.

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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.

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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.

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Every type of organization should encourage employees to be innovative. To accomplish this, the business must be willing to take risks. Innovation is an on-going process; thus the risks associated with it are also continuous in nature.

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.

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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

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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.

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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?

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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...

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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...

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The desire to operate with well-defined and controlled paper machine wet-end chemistry is not new, but the topic seemed to attract increased attention beginning with the large scale conversion to alkaline papers. The conversion brought changes in fiber furnishes, fillers, retention aids, drainage aids, dyes and manufacturing methods, which resulted in the need for a better understanding of the entire wet-end operation.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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

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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...

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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...

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If you are in a market situation requiring more production of the current paper grades, it may be tempting to believe that simply speeding up the paper machine will be sufficient to accomplish the goal. After all, aren't all paper machines "over designed," meaning that they have a given amount of excess capacity built in them? This may be the case in some instances, but it does not mean that the machine will operate with the same efficiency in all speed ranges. Failure to understand this will lead to adverse surprises in the form of production upsets later.

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...

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

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

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

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

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Does your company have a high quality reputation? Virtually all companies have the goal of achieving that status. But why do some succeed while others are prone to making manufacturing mistakes, resulting in costly recalls and product rejects? Let's explore several of the facets of quality, and attempt to understand some of the methods which have been used to assure consistent product and operating control.

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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During my work career I can think of few activities that were dreaded more than the morning meetings...

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...

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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.

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

Some of the areas affecting safety are traditionally not discussed at length in most paper mill safety training programs. These include behavioral safety, work attitude, and awareness. In spite of the many excellent mill safety programs existing today, accidents still happen. Often, so much time is spent on complex safety matters that the more basic contributors are either completely ignored or fall through the cracks during training sessions.

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...

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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.

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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?

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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?

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During our careers many of us had the desire to advance into the management ranks, leading us to search for tools which could strengthen our ability to accomplish things through or by others. But having completed, not only graduate study courses in industrial management and participating in other individual programs intended to develop successful managers, I question the effectiveness of many of the techniques.

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...

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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.

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

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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?

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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.

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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?

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Troubleshooting can be an exciting and rewarding part of the papermaking experience, but it is a time consuming and costly function. Consequently, the primary objective must be to eliminate as much process variation as possible, in order to minimize defects in the finished product.

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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Any company introducing a totally new product must be prepared to react quickly to unexpected problems. Although many traditional methods are available to assist in product marketing, these have to be adapted to the specific situation...

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?

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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?

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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...

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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.

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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?

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When I began my career in the paper industry, maintenance time was viewed essentially as a mill cost which should be minimized. After all, the time spent in making repairs reduced the output from the paper machines, and the same jobs often were repeated over and over, due to incorrect procedures or the use of makeshift materials. In fact, some mill superintendents refused to shut down the machines unless absolutely forced to do so by equipment failures.

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...

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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...

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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...

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

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How can smaller companies and others with limited resources develop and supply competitive products? Let's examine a few possibilities to consider in this regard...

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.

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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.

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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...

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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...

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Numerous problems become apparent when relying on various life cycle methods...

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...

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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...

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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...

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Here are my recommendations for this year...

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It is my opinion that mills should embrace the advantages of technology training, but should not completely abandon all the traditional techniques.

This is a short but powerful column...

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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?

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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...

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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...

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To illustrate how the North American paper industry's environmental progress can be used to counter many environmental objections, consider the following information...

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...

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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...

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

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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...

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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.

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Actually, the issue should be stated, "Will these paper machine designs as we know them today, survive in the future?" While some may later conclude this discussion borders on fiction or is based on conjecture, hopefully a few thought-provoking "truisms" will be recognized.

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?

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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).

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In the not too distant past, roll covers were considered a commodity by many papermakers...

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Let's examine a few wet press related considerations with the goal of identifying water removal opportunities...

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...

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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...

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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. 

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

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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.

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

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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?

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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...

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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...

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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?  

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

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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?  

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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...

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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?

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

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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...

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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...

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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?

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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.

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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

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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...

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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...

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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.”

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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...

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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?

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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... 

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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. 

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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... 

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

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

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

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

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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...

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…and why complying with them can serve you well.

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

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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. 

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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. 

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

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