Ahead of the Curve Archive

Side-stream, byproduct – or revenue source?

15 Mar 2017 “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure,” the saying goes. Yet this need not only apply to resale store bargains and attic discoveries. For pulp and paper companies, the concept of finding value in process by-products can mean large-scale gains. These additional revenue sources are a boon in a highly competitive global market, and are sparking the development of innovations that boost sustainability as well as the bottom line.

Mill Management and Teamwork

08 Mar 2017 TAPPI recently caught up with Scott LeBeau, resident mill manager with Graphic Packaging International in Kalamazoo, MI, to ask him what he felt was important to managing a successful mill. Here’s what he had to say.

Sack and kraft packaging demand is shifting to consumer application

01 Mar 2017 JOHN NELSON World demand for sack and kraft paper used in packaging is set for healthy annual growth of three percent across the next five years, according to the latest exclusive research from Smithers Pira.

Celluforce’s Sebastien Corbeil on commercializing nanotech

22 Feb 2017 As president and CEO of CelluForce—the world leader in the development and production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)—Sebastien Corbeil has an expert perspective on commercializing nanotechnology in the pulp and paper industry. Corbeil has more than 20 years of international business experience; he holds an MBA from DePaul University and a M. Eng in Chemical Engineering from McGill University. CelluForce was founded in 2012 with the mission to commercialize cellulose nanocrystals; Corbeil joined in April, 2015. Current company shareholders are Domtar, FPInnovations, Schlumberger and Fibria.

Prisma finds application for biomass waste lignin

15 Feb 2017 CORTNEY ROARK Using feedstock that includes locally-sourced switchgrass, a Knoxville, TN company has developed technology that produces high-value applications from lignin. The company’s CEO, Adam McCall, Prisma Renewable Composites, was interviewed recently for a story in the Knoxville News Sentinel.

China’s paper industry: Adjusting to change

08 Feb 2017 MARK RUSHTON This article first appeared in the March/April issue of Paper360°, TAPPI’s member magazine

Getting the most from safety inspections

01 Feb 2017 JAY SHELLOGG I enjoyed reading Graeme Rodden’s article “Know the State of Your Emergency Showers” in the Jan/Feb issue of Paper360°. I read it with a since of urgency, and reached out to a colleague of mine, Carlo Odoardi, to help me write this response

New report looks at Second-Generation Biofuels

25 Jan 2017 What challenges will the future bring for producers of second-generation biofuels? Could Brexit effect biofuel production in the UK or elsewhere in the EU? Which statutes currently regulate biofuel production in the US, and what are the EPA target goals?

Knowledge and involvement: One young professional’s story

18 Jan 2017 Working as a corrugated professional was not top-of-mind for Josh Reich when he first attended Ohio University as a candidate for a B.B.A. in Marketing and Sales. But it definitely was by the time he completed his M.B.A. in 2015. That’s because between his sophomore and junior years he took a summer job at Greif in Massillon, OH. He’s never looked back.

Transparent CNF has wide range of applications

11 Jan 2017 For one Japanese pulp and paper company, the future of cellulose nanofiber material is clear… as in, literally transparent. As reported recently by Nikkei Asian Review, in 2017 Oji Holdings will begin mass production of a lightweight, plant-derived cellulose nanofiber (CNF) material that can replace carbon fiber in a range of applications, including auto manufacturing, aircraft, and organic light-emitting diode displays. The material will be produced as a thin sheet that Oji claims “has high transparency equivalent to glass, regardless of wood pulp materials.”