EFI Group’s round up for the Pulp & Paper Industry includes resources related to:
- Increasing Efficiency
- Implementing Sustainable Business Practices
- Improving Safety
We’ve also included two resources for finding U.S. & International Pulp & Paper conferences and events.
While those working directly in Pulp & Paper certainly have a direct connection to the resources that follow, we made our selections based on which would provide the most valuable and inspiring information for manufacturers generally.
To facilitate that more general discussion, we’ve also included questions for all manufacturers after each section.
We all learn from each other and we encourage you to share your responses to as many of these questions as you’d like with our community via a comment to this post.
Energy Efficiency in the Pulp & Paper Industry
Almost 90% of manufacturers responding to a 2011 global survey stated that energy efficiency improvements will be a critical success factor over the next two decades. Yet, only 34% had conducted a company-wide energy audit and only 40% had investment in energy efficiency related projects in the past three years.
Following is a big picture look at how the European pulp and paper industry is addressing the challenge of increasing energy efficiency, as well as a look at measures taken by a U.S. mill:
Breakthrough Technologies for Pulp and Paper Industry: Final Report from CEPI’s Two-Team Project: Compelling report from the European paper industry identifying eight breakthrough technologies that can significantly reduce CO2emissions in European pulp and paper industry while also significantly improving value.
SCA Tissue N.A. wBoosts Efficiency, Reliability with Severe Duty Motors: Energy savings win the Menasha, WI mill state and federal awards.
Questions for Manufacturers:
- Have you conducted a company-wide energy audit?
- What investments has your organization made in increasing energy efficiency?
*Trends in global energy efficiency, by the Economist Intelligence Unit and Enerdata
Sustainable Business Practices in the Pulp & Paper Industry
Examining sustainable business practices overall, following is a report from the publishing industry on progress spurred by the Rainforest Action Network’s 2010 campaign, as well as a profile of one company putting sustainability recommendations into action. This is a highly valuable look at how far one sub sector has gone in lessening industry’s impact on the planet – and what it took to get there:
A New Chapter for the Publishing Industry: Putting Promises into Practice
Questions for Manufacturers:
- What sustainable business initiatives are being forwarded by your industry?
- What is your organization doing individually to forward sustainable business practices?
Safety in the Pulp & Paper Industry
We don’t need to tell you that safety is a critical topic for manufacturers in any sector. Not only for the health of our workforce, which is always a top priority, but also for the health of our bottom lines and our ability to keep up with and comply with regulations. This means that staying abreast of innovations related to safety (which often stem from a particular industry) can be one of the most valuable commitments manufacturers can take.
Following are two articles about safety within the Pulp and Paper Industry that may have implications and applications for manufacturers in other sectors as well.
An Easier, More Effective Approach to Safety Training: New TAPPISAFE program offers a way for pulp and paper mill contractors, suppliers and visitors to obtain certified safety training – before arriving at the site.
No Paper without Skilled, Healthy and Safe People: Report of Good Health and Safety Practices in the European Pulp and Paper Industry (this in-depth and interesting report includes the details of safety related initiatives that are highly applicable to industry in general)
Questions for Manufacturers:
- What new safety initiatives are you implementing in 2014?
- What safety practices do you employ in your industry that may have value for manufacturers in other industries?
Pulp & Paper Industry Events Calendars
This section applies only to manufacturers in the Pulp & Paper Industry. We hope you find it useful in identifying events you may want to attend, as well as for simply getting an overview of what’s happening in your sector around the world:
U.S. Focused Calendar of Pulp & Paper Industry Events
International Calendar of Pulp & Paper Industry Events
Questions for Manufacturers:
- What Pulp & Paper Industry conferences and events on our list to attend or exhibit at this year?
- Which conferences and events do you generally consider to be most valuable?
For all of us in business, there is untold value in exploring what’s being done in industries other than our own. In fact, looking at what businesses in other sectors is often credited for inspiring a faster rate of innovation and is one of the most recommended practices for companies seeking to stay ahead of the curve.
As always, we’d enjoy hear your thoughts on this article and the resources we included – as well as your answers to the questions we asked. Feel free to leave both in a comment to this post.
