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Conferences

Rethink and Discovery I:
Beyond Today's Paper Machine

ATLANTA, GA.--March 20, 2002- March 6 was a groundbreaking day for CPBIS as we broadcasted Beyond Today's Paper Machine live over the Internet from the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) during Paper Summit 2002. This was the first of several thought leadership programs, all of which are based upon the premise that -- industry must modernize/retrofit innovatively, creatively, effectively and economically to survive. Eleven highly regarded and knowledgeable speakers engaged a large audience in discussions of key economic and business issues confronting the industry. These ranged from prescriptions for value creation to identifying needs for creative and innovative ways of employing capital and technology.

To download the webcast, please click here: Rethink and Discovery I webcast (you may need to download a Windows Media plug-in to view the webcast).

The session was keynoted by Kathy Buckman-Davis, Chairman of Bulab Holdings, Inc., and took the form of an open-forum discussion led by Bob Kinstrey (Jacobs Consultancy) and Jim McNutt (CPBIS). Panelists included Mark Wilde (Deutsche Bank), Gary Helik (Tradition Financial Services), Mike Kocurek (NCSU), Jim Ferris (IPST), Bob Harrison (GL&V), Dan Cappell (AstenJohnson), Bob Eamer (Domtar, ret.) and David Ashcraft (formerly of Inland Paperboard Packaging, now of NCSU).

As those who were in attendance at the GWCC will attest, the session was highly successful and well attended. The Webcast was equally successful, attracting participation from thirty-six other locations around the world and eliciting real-time questions for the panelists from Finland, Brazil, England, Spain, Mexico and the U.S.

Thanks to IPST's IT and Knowledge Initiative Departments as well as the other sponsors of the Webcast: Buckman Labs, AstenJohnson, UPM-Kymmene, Halliburton KBR, Jacobs Engineering, Stora Enso, Deutsche Bank, North Carolina State University, Tradition Financial Services, Forestweb, and Paperloop.

About the Webcast
Note that fifteen years ago the forest products industry comprised 3% of the S&P 500. At that level, Wall Street would spend some time focusing on the paper industry as a key element of an investment portfolio. Today, the entire paper industry is 0.6% of the S&P 500 and declining. At this level, analysts have far fewer incentives to worry about this industry, to reward the good performers versus the poorer performers, or to value marginal improvements in performance. As a result, companies are seemingly painted with the same brush - a brush that says "under-performing industry, go elsewhere." We need, as an industry, to find a pathway to an image and a reality of "better performing."

Bob Kinstrey, Director of Paper, Forest Products and Packaging for Jacobs Consultancy Inc., says, "In this light, we hope that this session will begin a dialog that will continue over the next few years to define how our industry should redefine our core technologies and their associated successful economic path forward - to in effect, begin to change that image. If you add a new headbox to a 1947 paper machine, you still have a 1947 paper machine. The 1803 paper machine needs more than just a rebuild to create economic success - and accordingly, we need to determine what to replace it with economically if we are ever to achieve such an image makeover."

Jim McNutt, Executive Director of the Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS), further notes that - "Improvement of our industry and its image is not an event. It is, however, a process that requires deep thinking, time, and collaboration. Yet, too often we spin our wheels just talking about what is not working with our industry and why our image is tarnished. This special program has been designed to stimulate a dialog across time that will hopefully become substantive and value creating in terms of thought leadership to help us move beyond today's paper machine - to move to a better performance and a better image."

The first panel session was moderated by Jim McNutt of the CPBIS. The focus centered on economic and business issues facing the industry and what must be done to 'change' our industry's mindset and improve its creation of value. Panelists included, Mark Wilde, Gary Helik, Mike Kocurek, and Jim Ferris.

The second panel session was moderated by Bob Kinstrey of Jacobs Consultancy. This session explored our industry's lack of creativity and innovations it employs new capital to improve the technological age of our mills and machines and the competitive positioning associated with these upgrades. Panelists for this key part of the program were Bob Harrison, Dan Cappell, Bob Eamer, and David Ashcraft.

After the economic and technological matters had been broached, Kathy Buckman-Davis, with the help of Jim McNutt and Bob Kinstrey, facilitated a no-holds-barred open forum discussion on major needs and gaps facing our industry for sustained success. All of the panelists rejoined the dialog for this concluding part of the program as well as the Webcast audience.

About CPBIS
The Sloan Industry Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (http://www.cpbis.gatech.edu) is the preeminent graduate business studies and research enterprise dedicated to the enhancement of knowledge, decision-making, and business performance for the global paper industry.