Ahead of the Curve Archive

Holiday Gift Book Guide for Papermakers

20 Dec 2017 Each year through the entire month of December, we are inundated with “Holiday Gift Guides” touting perfect presents for almost everyone on your shopping list. Yet there is one special group of people I rarely see addressed specifically: papermakers, and those who support them. A one-year membership in the Jelly of the Month club might be fine for all the Clark Griswolds in your life, but what about the millwrights, service reps, superintendents, team leaders, project managers—everyone from the mill floor to the C-suite offices who dedicate their careers to producing the pulp, paper, and packaging that improve our lives?

Need Change Management Help – Who Do You Call?

13 Dec 2017 In almost every job description for Change Management consultants is a statement about having a certification in one of the major “Change Methodologies.” This makes sense, right? But in the real world, not so much.

Fish, Wildlife, and Bioenergy: The Opportunities

06 Dec 2017 Fish, wildlife, and the habitats they depend on not only enrich our lives, they support our economy as well. Every year, outdoor recreation contributes US$887 billion to the US economy and supports 7.6 million jobs—1 in 20 of all US jobs. Hunting, fishing, and other wildlife-dependent recreation alone generates US$93.4 billion per year in America.

Market and technology developments for paper and board coatings

29 Nov 2017 Functional and barrier (F&B) coatings are an exciting area of development for the paper and board markets—offering enhanced functions, performance, and driving growth in particular end use markets.

What Papermakers Are Thankful For

22 Nov 2017 Accounts of the “First Thanksgiving” vary; but we know that President Abraham Lincoln made it official in 1863 with a proclamation that read, in part: “The year that is drawing towards its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies… I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving.”

Web tool helps mills plan outages

15 Nov 2017 Editor’s Note: This article appears in the forthcoming Nov/Dec edition of Paper360°, and is offered as a “sneak peek” for AoTC readers.

Putting the ‘Pro’ in ‘Protege’

08 Nov 2017 TAPPI’s ‘Mentor Match’ program is making a difference for young professionals in our industry. Should protégé enrollment be part of YOUR company’s onboarding experience? Is your mill or company interested in strategies for retaining the best and brightest new hires? Building leadership skills, gaining process knowledge, and collecting sage advice are all benefits associated with having a mentor. Mentors can also help their protégés gain that almost intangible “feel for the industry” that can lead to higher job success and satisfaction—two keys to employee retention.

Museum Restoring Rare Model Fourdrinier

01 Nov 2017 Many AOTC readers remember their first glimpse of a running paper machine—and the awe of seeing how much technology and engineering expertise goes into a simple sheet of paper. For some, viewing that first operating machine is the moment that cements a lifelong commitment to a career in the pulp and paper industry.

Nonwoven’s next act

25 Oct 2017 BY SESHADRI RAMKUMAR What drives the nonwovens sector? Consumer goods that enhance health and improve lifestyles. Products such as diapers, wipes, and hospital goods have been the main pillars of the industry. In addition, nonwovens are used in semi-durable and durable goods, such as products for construction, infrastructure, and automobiles, to name a few.

A Week to Celebrate Forests and Print

18 Oct 2017 It’s commonly accepted science that leaves turn color in the autumn when changes in air temperature and sunlight hours trigger a chemical process during which the leaves cease their food-making, causing the green chlorophyll in the leaves to break down and reveal the carotenes and xanthophyll pigments lying beneath.