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I was introduced to "Just-in-Time" manufacturing concepts sometime in the mid-1980s--over thirty years ago. At that time, this meant that suppliers of paper products were supposed to keep warehouses full of product made to customers' specifications and deliver it to them on a moment's notice. We kept it on our books, assumed the liability for its potential damage or loss and owned the warehouses. Some savings!

In the years since then, mills have clawed back some of the costs that were transferred to them by their customers during this trend. One of the best ways to do this is to build small finished goods warehouses. These naturally force your machine schedulers and logistics professionals to do their jobs better, resulting in manufacturing and shipment planning schedules that are tighter. After all, if they are forced to put their mistakes in outside warehouses (which cost real cash money) and result in double handing (more real cash money) senior management's attention will be captured and something will be done about these inefficiencies.

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Save the date! The Pulp and Paper Industry Reliability and Maintenance conference, sponsored by IDCON and Andritz, will be held March 19-22, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

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One of the largest breakthroughs in this area has been equipping trucks with GPS and other sensors, so their whereabouts can be known at any time. Thirty years ago, when you waved the truck off the dock, you had no idea where it was until it appeared at the recipient dock, hopefully on schedule. Good drivers with good equipment got there on schedule; the others required telescopes, radar and airplanes to find.

To me, this "trackability" was the most important advancement in logistics in the last fifty years (since the building of the Interstate Highway System in the United States). While the next phase, autonomous (driverless) trucks may bring, at first, a cost savings and later, the only way to do business competitively, likely it will not bring the kinds of savings these two former advancements have brought.

With the exception...that there is an opportunity autonomous trucks will improve safety and thus reduce safety related losses. So far, the jury is out on this. Interfacing autonomous vehicles with those driven by humans has thus far resulted in mixed results. This is due to the rule-following predictability of autonomous guidance coupled with the unpredictability of human driven vehicles. In the short term, accidents may actually increase, but as the autonomous vehicles become an ever-increasing percentage of the traffic, the safety record will no doubt improve.

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Jim Thompson is back again...with a new book on a taboo subject: the personalities in the pulp & paper industry. Jim has written in the past on many subjects based on his four plus decades in the worldwide pulp and paper industry. This new book is packed full of information valuable to the senior member of the industry as well as the recent entrant. A must for every pulp and paper library.

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This tiny compendium of logistics improvements would be incomplete without a nod towards intermodal shipping, invented in North Carolina in the 1950s. Not so important for domestic shipping, intermodal containers have revolutionized international shipping and reduced costs considerably from the days of stevedores loading and unloading every shipment mode at every shipment node. The intermodal container, or "connex," in some circles, has been as revolutionary and cost saving as anything else I have mentioned here. My dream, however, is that someday we will fabricate these containers of corrugated board, not steel, and simply repulp them at the location where they wear out, no matter where they are in the world. Perhaps this vision is a matter of pride in our own industry on my part!

For safety this week, we need to remember logistics involves movement and movement involves safety risks, at the dock, on the highway and in the mill.

Be safe and we will talk next week.
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It is advertising sales season, and we have produced the best media kit we have ever put together. Ask me for a copy today and put my feet to the fire--make me explain it to you. You can get one by calling me on my cell phone--404-822-3412--or emailing me at jthompson@taii.com. As we have been saying, if you like our innovative ways of presenting the news about the pulp and paper industry, I'll suggest you do the following. If you are in a mill and like what you see here, please tell your suppliers what you like to read and who you would like to see them support with their advertising budgets. If you are a supplier, please be aware (we know) we are first in news, (we think) we have the largest audience in the pulp and paper industry worldwide and (we know) we have the lowest advertising costs.

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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES:

* An expanding company is looking for a Corporate Industrial Electro-Mechanical Engineer near Allentown, PA. Relocation is available. Do you have a storied list of unique electrical and mechanical engineering skills you're ready to take to the next level? Do you envision yourself in a corporate-level leadership role that your experience finally merits? And do you relish any opportunity to troubleshoot and solve real-time problems, all while designing and installing new services and systems that will not only ensure safety, but also turn a potentially hazardous work environment into a continuously thriving one? If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412.

* An expanding company is looking for hands-on Electro Mechanical Maintenance Techs in Conyers, Georgia. Preference will be given to candidates with higher education and additional certificates or training. You must be able to work any shift. Pay is negotiable with excellent perks and benefits. Relocation assistance is available to the right candidate. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412.

* We are a large automation company that has a line of consistency transmitters, sample valves and sheet break detectors that are marketed through a rep. network. We are seeking someone with a strong background in consistency control to facilitate start-ups, provide troubleshooting and technical advice. The individual should have experience in all major types of consistency measurement technologies (blade, rotary, microwave and optical). Knowledge of sheet break detection technology is desirable as well. Willingness to travel to paper production facilities across the US is a must. Travel & Living Expenses to be reimbursed along with an agreed upon daily per diem rate. For more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412.

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