News from Research Institutions

From Paprican comes a book, "Energy Reduction Monograph", which clearly shows that all mills, whether old or new, can tap into reasonable cost-effective ways to reduce energy  costs. The book also  shows that reducing energy costs leads to lower greenhouse gas emissions and  vice-versa.  Copies can be obtained from PAPTAC via E-mail (pubs@paptac.ca), or by visiting its Web site (www.paptac.ca)

Are You Young and looking for a Job in the Pulp and Paper Industry? Here is some good news from PAPTAC. In a Mill Manager’s forum, which attracted many mill managers across Canada to discuss the ageing workforce, the central question posed was, "Where is your future workforce?" In a study that PAPTAC recently did on the Canadian workforce, it confirmed that the average worker was not getting older, it was already mature. The average age in some mills is inching towards 50. A high proportion of industry’s personnel will be announcing their retirements over the next 10 years. There are 150 mills in Canada, which employ more than 66 000 people, and the turnover could be as high as 40 per cent in the next 10 years. The solution, mills were told, is attracting younger people.

New Name for the CPPA: On February 1, 2001, David Emerson, president and CEO of Canfor Corp. and CPPA chairman, announced at the association’s annual luncheon that Canada’s forest-products companies had decided to strengthen and expand their national and international promotion efforts, by creating the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC). The association will represent makers of pulp, paper and wood products across Canada. It will incorporate and build upon successful efforts of the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association (CPPA). Mr. Emerson is FPAC’s first chairman and Ms. Lachappelle, CPPA’s president and CEO, is FPAC’s first CEO. The new association’s mandate is to promote Canada’s forest policy and forest management practices. It will also promote free trade and a regulatory framework to encourage the introduction of new technologies and an internationally competitive cost structure.

The CPPA has undergone a number of other changes in the past few years. In October 1998, the former Technical Section of CPPA became an association in its own right under the name of Pulp and Paper Technical Association of Canada (PAPTAC), while the former Woodlands Section became the Canadian Woodlands Forum. In 2000, a decision by the CPPA board of directors to split off the product sections and statistics resulted in the formation of a new organisation called Pulp and Paper Products Council (PPPC). The Council co-ordinates the activities of the product groups and provides them with support services. These groups include Market Pulp Producers Association, North American Newsprint Producers Association, Printing and Writing Papers Association, Packaging Mills Association of Canada and Paper Recycling Association. The Council’s principal operating unit is the Pulp and Paper Data Centre (formerly the Department of Economics and Statistics of the CPPA). Its mandate is to produce statistical and market research services to the product groups and their member companies.

PaperWeek is the largest annual pulp and paper meeting in the world. No doubt, there are too many programmes in four days, with most of the technical sessions crammed in a three-day span. But, much thanks goes to the media such as PaperWeek International Reporter, a three-day publication of Pulp & Paper Canada, which provided excellent coverage of most of the events. This annual event also provides a meeting place for delegates and visitors to become better acquainted with the latest developments, to share their views and, also, to generally socialize and meet new faces. As well, mill personnel across North America get a decent break from their monotonous work. It may be difficult to pick on any single item that attracted most of the visitors’ attention. However, one comes to mind: where is the paper industry headed in an era dominated by Web-based technology? It might seem daunting: reports and notes are being replaced by CDs and floppies, society’s increased reliance on E-mail correspondence, and the Internet becoming a recognized source of information in lieu of books. Yet, none of these will lead to a paperless world, though it might lead to somewhat less paper consumption in the years to come. The industry will still be active through constantly striving in such areas as making quality improvements, reducing energy consumption and removing environmental burdens. As a final remark, hats off to PAPTAC, EXFOR, FPAC, PPPC, the media (Pulp & Paper Canada) and many others who collectively put on an exceptional show year after year. This trend is sure to continue for years to come.