Paper Industry Innovation – More Than You Might Think
Today, it seems we are conditioned to think about innovation in terms of disruption or the emergence of products that are bigger, brighter, sharper, contain more memory or longer battery life. Paper has been so embedded in our lives over multiple generations that it is not only taken for granted, but sometimes thought of as an analog industry in a digital world. Yet our industry has survived recessions, war, global competition, soaring energy costs, increasing environmental regulation, e-books, tablet computers. We have proven time and again, through the resilience and ingenuity of our people, we can evolve our products and meet new customer needs. The paper industry has found innovative ways to reduce costs, increase productivity and developed new, value-added products that continue to make life better. Innovation comes in many forms; sometimes accompanied by press releases and media coverage and sometimes through continuous improvement and optimization of operations that are implemented without major fanfare or hoopla. All deserve to be recognized during National Forest Products Week, celebrated this year from October 15- 21.
By leveraging emerging technologies, the U.S. paper industry has made dramatic improvements in energy use, resource efficiency and operational flexibility, which has enabled it to compete in the global marketplace. Through innovation, older, inefficient facilities have been transformed into world-class operations that reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions, reduce water intake, extract more value from renewable biomass and are positioned to capture value in emerging markets. Click Read More below for additional information.