Over the Wire

When the 40th Earth Day dawns on April 22, SCA Tissue North America (Philadelphia, Pa., USA) will have added wind power to the solar power that is generating green electricity at its Service Excellence Center (SEC) in the town of Menasha, Wis. SCA Tissue is erecting four wind turbine towers on the grounds of its offices on McMahon Drive. Footings for the 30-meter towers were placed in early December and the four 20-KW turbines are expected to be generating electricity by this spring.

Each turbine has three 15-ft blades and together the four turbines will produce 100 to 125 MW-hours per year, enough electricity to power 10 homes, said Mike Dillon, SCA Tissue Manager, Environmental and Risk Management. The towers are being erected between the building and the recreational trail that runs parallel to Highway 10.

Once the turbines are operating, SCA Tissue will become eligible to receive a U.S. Department of Energy performance grant that could pay for up to a third of the project's $280,000 cost. Based on the projected electricity from the turbines and on SCA continuing to meet its energy conservation goals, the wind turbine project will have a payback period of seven years or less, Dillon said.

Wind turbine site assessments already have been conducted at SCA Tissue's converting plant in Neenah and its paper mill in Menasha. Those assessments show both sites are good candidates for wind turbines of their own.

In recent years, the SEC building and grounds on McMahon Drive have served as a learning laboratory for SCA Tissue in exploring environmental initiatives:

• In February 2008, SCA Tissue installed 115 solar panels on the SEC. The photovoltaic system is generating electricity at the rate of 26 to 27 MW-hours per year. The system was originally expected to have a payback of nine years but now is on track for a seven-year payback period.
• In the fall of 2008, the company partnered with its neighbor, McMahon Engineer Architects, to begin a three-year prairie restoration project along the recreational trail that runs through their adjoining properties. The grasses, with their roots of up to eight feet, act as a biofiltration and conduit system that helps replenish the groundwater naturally.
• Last month, SCA Tissue kicked off a storm water filtration project in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Geological Survey along with its neighbors on McMahon Drive, McMahon and Miron Construction. The project, which could have national ramifications on storm water treatment, is quantifying the use of bioretention systems to filter runoff naturally, especially in areas with thin soil and high groundwater.

Dillon noted that plans are also being developed for solar and/or wind power at other SCA Tissue sites not only in the Fox Valley but also in Arizona, upstate New York, and Alabama.

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China Pulp Imports are slowing down, according to China's General Administration of Customs. The Administration reports that its import of pulp slowed significantly in November. Some 960,000 metric tons of pulp we exported by the Chinese paper industry, representing a decrease of 47,000 metric tons from October's import total. During the first 11 months of 2009, China's pulp imports rose 44% year-on-year, totaling 12.67 million metric tons. The country also imported 270,000 metric tons of paper and paperboard in November, about the same amount as October. However, this represents a decline of 9.2% during the first 11 months compared with 2008. Approximately 2.99 million metric tons of paper was imported by China through November.

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OCC (old corrugated container) prices continue to accelerate, according to Mark Wilde, senior analyst with Deutsche Bank, adding that the rally is "apt to pressure Q1 margins." According to several reporting sources, OCC was up ˜$30 per ton since December. Among the factors: Chinese demand and increased OCC use with expiration of black liquor credits. A sustained rally in OCC would lend support to a second containerboard hike, Wilde says.

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U.S. Containerboard price hike prospects for January are encouraging, Wilde points out. "We think at least $20 - $30 per ton of the hike is likely to be "recognized" in January, with the balance in February and March. With expiration of the black liquor credits, mills must shift back to traditional economics in making decisions about production and sales." On the volume side, Wilde says that "we're receiving a number of reports suggesting a solid y/y jump in box volumes in December. Some of the strong comps are driven by very weak numbers in late 2008, but some of the strength also reflects improvement in the manufacturing sector. Reports suggest that most containerboard mills have strong order backlogs driven by strong export demand and some pre-buying before the price increase."

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In the bleached board arena, after doing an impressive job of holding prices in the wake of weak demand during much of 2009, major producers in North America have announced a $40 per ton price hike effective mid-January, according to Wilde. This is the first increase since October 2008. SBS folding carton list prices have remained flat at $1,000 - $1,050 per ton since June. The price hike is driven by a combination of improvement in seasonal demand (unmade orders as of mid-December = +300,000 tons per week against +240,000 tons per week in late February/early March) and a reduction in supply (closure of MWV's 200,000 tpy No. 2 paper machine at Evadale, Texas and IP's 140,000 tpy coated boxboard mill in Franklin, Va., by mid-year).

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Coated recycled board (CRB) and unbleached recycled board (URB) producers in North America announced another round of price hikes, Wilde notes. The major CRB producers announced a $40 - $45 per ton price hike for shipments, effective in early January. The CRB operating rate in November was 99% (May was 89%). The list price of CRB in December was $750 - $770 per ton.

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The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), a new U.S. federal program intended to increase the use of renewable energy by covering some of the costs related to the collection of woody biomass and agricultural residues, has been in effect for a few months and has created much interest, as well as confusion, within the forest industry, according to a report by Wood Resources International (WRI), Seattle, Wash., USA.

The exact amount of funding the program will have this year has not yet been determined. So far, $517 million has been allocated for the period January 1 through March 3, according to WRI. Other questions include whether or not the program will be extended after two years, which biomass categories (e.g. black liquor) will be eligible, and how wood fiber costs for pulp mills and composite board mills may be impacted.

There have been loud protests from both North American and European forest industry organizations who are concerned that the BCAP program will unfairly favor U.S. energy companies and that sawdust and wood chip costs will go up as the result of the program, the report explains. The first payments from the government were distributed in mid-December, and it is still too early to conclude how much the biomass energy subsidy will impact prices for wood chips, shavings, sawdust,and hog fuel in the coming months.

WRI says that in the end, it may very well be that the BCAP program will not add as much biomass to the market as was intended. In fact, most of the biomass supply that will enter the market in the coming years would likely have been available even without the subsidy. The only difference is that biomass consumer may benefit from lower fiber costs and suppliers will increase their profits from the sales of forest and agricultural residues.

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Blue Heron Paper Co., Oregon City, Ore., USA, a producer of toweling and newsprint grades, and which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection December 31, has reached an agreement with its primary lender that will allow the company to stay in business while it reorganizes, according to a recent report in The Oregonian. The agreement with Wells Fargo includes a proposed operating budget for costs such as wages, employee benefits, utilities, and raw materials through April 9. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Portland stipulated that Blue Heron shall not exceed the budget by 10% in any week or in the overall period without pre-approval from the bank or a further order from the court, the Oregonian noted. Blue Heron reportedly owes Wells Fargo some $14.54 million. A meeting of the company's creditors has been scheduled for February 10. Blue Heron has the capacity to recycle more than 600 tons per day of newsprint, magazines, and other paper.

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Earth University, Costa Rica, and ÅF, Stockholm, Sweden, have agreed to jointly optimize the University's paper machine for banana paper production. The Banana Paper Project underwent a number of significant changes and adjustments in the production plant in 2008 and ÅF's current task is to map the path forward, ensuring both manageable and timely correct processes to successfully manufacture paper with discarded stalks of the banana plant and recycled office paper for commercial purposes.

The final banana paper product is aimed at such niche markets as printing presses, high-end notebooks and journals, and corporate stationary. Earth University has coordinated the first post-consumer paper collection in 11 educational institutions in the area. The collected material will be combined with banana stalk fiber to produce finished paper.

ÅF's dedicated Paper and Board expert team is one of the pulp and paper industry's most respected and preferred supplier of strategy consulting and engineering for all kinds of pulp & paper mill projects globally. As part of the ÅF group of consulting companies, they draw from over 100 years of experience and more than 4400 consultants worldwide supplying expertise to the whole pulp and paper making related projects.

Earth University, inaugurated in 1990, is a private, non-profit international institution. The academic program emphasizes the agricultural sciences and the rational management of natural resources.

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Zhenyong Liu, chairman and CEO of Orient Paper Inc., Boading, Hebei, China, rang the closing bell at the NYSE AMEX today at 4 p.m. Eastern Time in New York City, N.Y., USA, to celebrate the company's listing on the NYSE AMEX. Orient Paper, through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Shengde Holdings and Baoding Shengde Paper Co., controls and operates Hebei Baoding Orient Paper Milling Co. (HBOP). Founded in 1996, HBOP produces and distributes products such as corrugating medium, offset printing paper, writing paper, and other paper and packaging-related products in China. The company uses recycled paper as its primary raw material.

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Saraswati Udyog India has awarded the rebuild of coating operations at its Tamilnadu, India, mill by UMV Coating Systems AB, Sweden. The rebuild will include a new ABCTM Coater with a new metering element INVO Tip. Delivery and installation is planned for the middle of this year. The Tamilnadu mill produces coated white duplex board from 100% recycled fiber, which is being imported. Basis weight of the board varies from 230 to 450 gsm. The rebuild is a part of a major upgrade of the full board line.

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SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative), Washington, D.C., USA, has released a new standard that reinforces its role in supporting and promoting sustainable forest management as one of the world's leading third-party forest certification programs.

The SFI 2010-2014 Standard is based on 14 core principles that promote sustainable forest management, including measures to protect water quality, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, species at risk, and Forests with Exceptional Conservation Value. It has five more principles than the SFI 2005-2009 Standard, including separate principles for protection of special sites, biodiversity, aesthetics and recreation, and new principles for responsible procurement practices in North America, avoidance of controversial sources offshore, research, training and education, and public involvement.

The standard also has 20 objectives, 39 performance measures, and 114 indicators -- up from 13 objectives, 34 performance measures, and 102 indicators. To be certified, forest operations must be third-party audited to these requirements by independent, objective and accredited certification bodies. The SFI program is committed to continuously improving responsible forest management.

The new standard took effect on January 1, and program participants have up to one year to implement the changes.

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Sino-Forest Corp., China, this week reported that it has acquired Homix Ltd., a Chinese wood products company for some $7.1 million. The deal reportedly includes Homix's patents, its research and development laboratory, and two engineered-wood production operations. Homix's engineered wood products include recompressed wood products (made from plantation fiber and recycled wood and wood residues) and laminated veneer lumber.

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The carton board and folded box industries are expecting growth this year, with sustainability and promotional efforts being the key innovation drivers, according to a report by Pro Carton, the European association of carton and carton board manufacturers, Zurich, Switzerland.

In the report, Pro Carton notes that the markets for carton board and folded boxes were difficult during 2008 and 2009. This applied to the packaging industry in general as well as for most converters. But positive signs are "on the increase," it adds, pointing out that Cadbury will use folded boxes for the first time for one of their major brands.

Sustainability is also making inroads with retailers, Pro Carton continues, with promising long-term opportunities for carton board. The Austrian Aldi subsidiary Hofer, for example, provides carbon footprints for selected bio products on their website The German Metro Group has created a Sustainability Board to develop and implement binding company standards for the sustainable practice, to increase its competitive advantage.

"We expect carton board packaging to play a greater role in the future for branded products and in the retail trade," said Stéphane Thiollier, president of Pro Carton., adding that "not only because the packaging industry expects greater promotional advantages at the POS (point of sale), but also because the raw material is convincing in terms of sustainability."

During 2007 and 2008, the use of carton board dropped by 3.8% in Europe. This trend varied by country, with Germany increasing by 0.5%. The year 2009 got off to a poor start, but improved during the year. While turnover decreased during the first nine months of 2009, orders picked up. There were major differences by market segment. The food and pharmaceutical sectors performed relatively well, but luxury goods were hard hit by the recession. However, the industry is "confident" for the next 15 months and beyond, the report emphasizes.

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MeadWestvaco Corp., Richmond, Va., USA, this week reported that it received top honors in the carton category by Pro Carton/ECMA, the Association of European Carton and Cardboard Manufacturers, at its recent annual awards ceremony in Düsseldorf, Germany. MWV's Crescendo C1S was the material of choice used in the best carton package for Le Chef Chocolatier. This was Pro Carton's thirteenth year of recognizing primary packaging.

Crescendo C1S features a unique fiber mix, giving it a quality feel and high stiffness that meets the packaging needs of a variety of industries from personal care to food. Double coating on the front side is complemented by a smooth, shade matched, uncoated side.

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SCA Packaging, Stockholm, Sweden, has appointed Michael Cronin the new president of its European packaging operations, and a member of SCA's Corporate Senior Management Team. Cronin, of Irish origin, has more than 30 years of experience within Alcan Packaging/Rio Tinto where he has held various senior positions of increasing responsibility dealing with complex and multicultural business as well as customers. In his position as president of SCA's European Packaging business, which he assumes on March 7, he will have a strong focus on improving profitability of the company's packaging operations, Jan Johansson, president and CEO of SCA, noted.

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Victorinox Swiss Army Inc., Monroe, Conn., USA, creator of the Original Swiss Army Knife, has selected MeadWestvaco's (Richmond, Va., USA) Natralock packaging as its package of choice, replacing plastic clamshells within its pocket knife and multi-tool categories in North America and Europe.

The high-strength, tear-resistant Natralock package that can easily be opened with scissors, leaving a smooth, safe edge and preventing the "wrap rage" commonly associated with opening traditional plastic clamshell packaging. It uses 60% less plastic on average than petroleum-based PVC clamshells and uses about 65% less energy in production. It's made from sustainably sourced paperboard with a clear plastic APET or RPET bubble.

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Nordic Paper's paper mill in Säffle, Sweden, reportedly is investigating the production of fish food as a product refined from its spent sulfite cooking liquor. The mill has partnered with Cewatech, a Sweden-based biotech company to help it debvelop the new product. The mill's Eva Pettersson explains that the sulfite liquor contains high volumes of sugars that can be refined into a fungus biomass, which in turn can be converted to environmentally friendly fish food using Cewatech technology. A pilot plant will be built in Säffle to help take the project into commercial operation. Vinnova, a Swedish Government development authority, will contribute some 2.5 million Kronor to the project. The Säffle mill produces 50,000 metric tpy of sulfite pulp used in the production of 30,000 metric tpy of greaseproof paper with two paper machines.

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The Newark Group, Cranford, N.J., USA, this week reported that it will increase prices for all of its coated recycled paperboard grades by $40 per ton, effective with shipments beginning February 1. Raymond Vargo Jr., VP of sales, noted that the increase is basically due to "continuing cost pressures, compounded by increasing recovered fiber pricing" that have outstripped the company's "ability to lower costs through savings initiatives, productivity increases, and high-cost facility closures."

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RockTenn, Norcross, Ga., USA, this week announced a $50 per ton price increase on all grades of its uncoated recycled paperboard. Price increases are effective with shipments beginning February 8. RockTenn, with annual net sales of approximately $2.8 billion and some 10,000 employees, operates facilities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Chilé, and Argentina.

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Södra, Sweden, reports that it is increasing the price it pays for hard pulpwood by SEK 25 per m3fub (solid volume excluding bark). The price increase, valid until further notice, means Södra will now pay SEK 300 m3fub for cleanly-sorted birch pulpwood, SEK 265 m3fub.

"To meet current demand for birch pulpwood we need to top up our inventory. We hope to contract an additional 200,000 m3fub as a result of the price increase. Through the price rise we also want to stimulate activity in hardwood forest management. Therefore we'd like to encourage forest owners to take advantage of this opportunity and make the most of the favorable weather conditions we now have for harvesting," says Södra director of forestry, Urban Eriksson.

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Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, also reported this week that it will increase prices for all uncoated recycled paperboard grades in the U.S. and Canada by $50 per ton, effective with shipments on February 1. In addition, the company announced that it will increase prices on all paperboard industrial converted products in the U.S. and Canada by 4.5% effective with shipments on February 15. Harris DeLoach, chairman, president, and CEO, noted that "the recent nearly 40% increase in the cost of recovered paper, our primary raw material, is unprecedented and a clear reflection of increased demand by recycled mills in the U.S. and Canada and by Asian export markets." Prices announced recently for OCC in the Southeast U.S. increased in January from $80 per ton to $110 per ton.

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Plum Creek Timber Co., Seattle, Wash., USA, this past week named Bob Jirsa as VP, government relations. Jirsa will continue to oversee the company's government relations program. The company also named John Hobbs as VP, investor relations; and Dan Tucker as VP, tax. Hobbs will continue to lead the company's investor relations function and Tucker will continue to lead its tax department.

Jirsa joined Plum Creek in 1994 as director, corporate affairs. Prior to that, he was with Alaska Airlines, serving as VP of public affairs, and with ARCO as director of government affairs. Hobbs joined Plum Creek in 2001 as director of investor relations, previously having served as director of investor relations with Georgia Pacific in Atlanta, Ga. Tucker joined Plum Creek in 1998 as director of tax. Prior to that, he was a senior tax manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young. Plum Creek is the largest and most geographically diverse private landowner in the nation with approximately 7 million acres of timberlands in major timber producing regions of the U.S. and wood products manufacturing facilities in the Northwest.

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Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging Co., Longview, Wash., USA, reported this week that Doug Bobay has joined the company as senior director of Human Resources. Bobay, who has 20-plus years of recruiting, training, and performance management experience, will head the company's planning and implementation of corporate strategy for human resources. Most recently he was VP of human resources at Connecticut-based FuelCell Energy.

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Walki Group, Espoo, Finland, has made changes in its Group Executive Team (GET), effective this week. Timo Finnström, currently VP of Finance and CFO was appointed VP of Sourcing and Business Development. In this role he will be responsible both for the Group's sourcing and procurement function, as well as for the Group level business development activities. Since August, Mikael Nováky has been in charge of both Group Sourcing and the Business Area Paper Packaging on an interim basis. In the future, he will continue to lead the Paper Packaging business as VP and GM, Paper Packaging.

Anu Suikkanen, was appointed VP of Finance and CFO and a member of the Group Executive Team. She joins Walki Group from Finndomo Oy, where she has worked as CFO. Suikkanen will also be in charge of the Group's Human Resources and Information Technology activities.

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ARC International, a Charlotte, N.C., USA-based provider of flexographic printing supplies and consultation, has announced the addition of Michael Calvano as Territory Business Manager. Calvano has more than 22 years of Flexographic experience with particular focus on wide web and corrugated manufacturing. He has an engineering background and strong technical and diagnostic abilities that will be used in the company's Midwest Region of the U.S.

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"Optimizing Chemical Recovery Technology for Today's Marketplace" is the theme of the 2010 International Chemical Recovery Conference, which will be held March 28-April 1, 2010 in Williamsburg, Virginia USA.  Held every three years, the conference is a major event that addresses the needs of industry and academic professionals with interests in chemical recovery technology in the pulp and paper industry. The updated program schedule features more than 65 presentations. The event is designed to provide delegates an update on new technologies from around the globe while also showcasing ways to improve existing technology.

The 2010 International Chemical Recovery Conference will include several key components:
- A comprehensive Plenary Session
- Special colonial Groaning Board Banquet in historic Williamsburg, VA
- Peer-to-peer networking that connects diverse groups of chemical recovery experts
- Sponsorship opportunities designed to fit a range of marketing needs or budgets

Online registration is available for prospective delegates. Those who register before March 1, 2010 receive the best registration rate and save hundreds of dollars (U.S.) versus the full fee that applies after that date. Members of TAPPI (international), PAPTAC (Canada), Japan TAPPI, ABTCP (Brazil), and PI (Finland) receive preferential pricing for all registration options. Group discounts are also available, offering substantial savings for multiple registrants from a single location.

More program content is available at www.icrcmeeting.org. Those interested in sponsorship information can contact Craig McKinney at +1 770 209-7294 or cmckinney@tappi.org. Information is also available through TAPPI's Member Connection Center, 1 800-332-8686 (US), 1-800-446-9431 (Canada), +1-770-446-1400 (worldwide), or via email at memberconnection@tappi.org.

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A Call for Presentations/Posters has been issued for the 2010 TAPPI International Conference on Nanotechnology for the Forest Products Industry, 27-29 September, 2010, in Espoo, Finland. This annual, internationally recognized event brings together leading researchers, industry experts, government representatives, and other stakeholders to share  advances and perspectives on nanotechnology-based products for the forest products and related industries.

To leverage research advances and offer participants new opportunities for knowledge sharing, the 2010 Technical Program Committee invites contributions from participants working with nano-enabled bio-materials, products, and their processing. Analysis of challenges and trends in emerging markets for forest products that are based on nanotechnology are sought to provide a foundation for new research and industrial activities. The organizers also  encourage submissions on other aspects of nanotech products including law, policy, economics and environmental health and safety. View the Call for Papers.

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The Nominating Committee has recommended a slate of three candidates. Members are encouraged to visit the TAPPI website to review members of the current Board and learn more about the slate of three nominees.

Online voting is fast and easy. Voting began December 1, 2009, and will end on January 15, 2010. Be sure to cast your ballot, which is available online for your convenience -- have your ballot number and TAPPI Member number ready.

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TAPPI has announced initial members of a multi-industry Advisory Board tasked with guiding conference content for its new BioPro Expo™ event, scheduled for August 24-26, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The BioPro Expo Advisory Board will combine TAPPI's knowledge of processing wood and wood waste feedstocks with expertise from government and academic entities, technology suppliers, renewable energy consumers and associations in industries with access to a variety of biomass feedstocks, including agricultural, energy crop, forest, pulp and paper, municipal, and food processing.

The Advisory Board will identify case studies, expert panels and technology sessions that focus on realistic options for rapid deployment of bioenergy technologies, as well as those that complement BioPro Expo's extensive tradeshow.

BioPro Expo's conference program is made up of 24 supply, technology and policy-related sessions spread over three days, including sessions from TAPPI's International Bioenergy & Bioproducts Conference (IBBC), which is co-located with BioPro Expo. The initial Advisory Board includes the following organizations and industry experts:

• Alberta Ingenuity Fund -- Chris Dambrowitz, Director, Ingenuity Accelerators Program
• Bioenergy Technologies Quarterly -- Ken Patrick, Editor
• Forest Landowners Association -- Scott Jones, CEO
• Georgia Power -- Charles Scurry, Forest Products Segment Manager
• Jacobs Engineering -- Steve Dowe, Director of Process Technology
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory -- Mark Davis, Principal Scientist
• South Carolina Biomass Council -- Erika Myers, Coordinator, and Thomas French, Bioenergy Manager, Savannah River National Laboratory
• Southeast Agriculture & Forestry Resources Alliance (SAFER) -- Charity Pennock, Project Coordinator
• Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) -- Anne Blair, Diesel and Bioenergy Program Manager
• TAPPI -- Colleen Walker, Ph.D., Project Manager for BioPro Expo

For more information on becoming a BioPro Expo partner, exhibitor or attendee, visit www.bioproexpo.org.

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Attendees at PaperCon 2010 will hear first-hand about Starbucks Coffee Company's long-term commitment to environmental stewardship and its goal to develop a comprehensive recyclable cup solution. Jim Hanna, Starbucks Director of Environmental Impact, will kick off the conference on Sunday, May 2 in Atlanta with his keynote address: "It Takes a Village -- Starbucks Quest for the Recyclable Cup." Hanna will provide an overview of Starbucks efforts to significantly reduce its environmental footprint through energy and water conservation, recycling and green construction. He will also discuss Starbucks aim to achieve recyclability or compostability.

TAPPI/PIMA's PaperCon is North America's largest pulp and paper conference, bringing together industry leaders and technical experts to explore market trends and the latest technologies for paper, board and tissue making, coating and printing. For the 2010 event, PaperCon will focus on the talent, technology and transformation needed to ensure long-term competitiveness. The May 2-5 gathering in Atlanta, Georgia, offers a unique opportunity to network with colleagues from all aspects of the industry.

PaperCon will feature a comprehensive program of peer selected and peer-reviewed presentations organized by TAPPI and PIMA. New in 2010, PaperCon also includes a Sustainability Forum and Showcase exploring "the science behind sustainability." This one-day forum on Tuesday May 4th is designed for paper and board product managers, technical marketers, merchants and others interested in learning the basics.

The latest information is available at www.papercon.org. PaperCon Sponsorship and Exhibit Opportunities are available by visiting the website or contacting Shane Holt, Exhibit Sales Manager at +1.352.333.3345 or PaperCon@naylor.com.

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TAPPI has received accreditation as a developer of American national standards through the Executive Standards Council of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Accreditation by ANSI means that the procedures used by a standards body (TAPPI) in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute's essential requirements.

TAPPI President and CEO Larry N. Montague provided context for the significance of the certification. "As part of TAPPI's turnaround efforts, TAPPI sought outside validation of its long standing Standards Program. This prestigious honor indicates that TAPPI's standards program meets all of the criteria established by ANSI as a developer of industry standards. The certification will allow TAPPI to submit selected standards to ANSI to become American national standards. As the administrator of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to Technical Committee 6 of the International Standards Organization (ISO), TAPPI can now take better advantage of its certified standards program in its participation in developing international standards. This new certification will also help TAPPI as it continues to expand its standards development program to new markets and in areas beyond TAPPI's core of testing methods based on the needs of TAPPI's membership."

TAPPI has long been involved with the development and creation of standards relative to the pulp and paper industry. TAPPI also has TAPPI Technical Information Papers (TIPs), which are documents containing specialized information like data, software, calculations. They are used in the manufacture, evaluation and description of pulp, paper, and related products, written in a standardized format which is readily useable by the industry. Visit this link for more information on TAPPI Standards & TIPs.

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Nominations are now open for management level awards through PIMA's prestigious and well-established industry awards program. All the awards recognize accomplishment and expertise in the field of management. The first three highlight leaders who have made significant contributions to the paper industry over time. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2010.

Nominations are open for the following awards:

• PIMA'S Executive of the Year: PIMA's highest honor, traditionally presented to senior-level executives in the pulp, paper or converting industries for excellence in management and outstanding contributions to the industry as a whole.
• Mill Manager of the Year: Recognizes the mill manager who has best demonstrated outstanding leadership, management, and organizational skills leading to improved results at the facility for which he or she is responsible.
• The Brookshire Moore Superintendent of the Year: Recognizes the mill superintendent who has shown high personal standards and professional management qualities that contribute to the betterment of those under their management and in their company.
• Technologist of the Year
• Ray H. Cross Community Service Award
• Delano L. "Del" Boutin Local Section Service Award
• Thomas F. Sheerin, Sr. Service Award
• IT Service Award
• Kenneth H. Phillips Specialist Group Award
• Student of the Year Award

The one-page Nomination Forms are available online, in both a printable PDF format or as an interactive online form. Complete award descriptions are also available online. Honor your peers, coworkers, and managers, and help promote management excellence in our industry, by making your nominations for PIMA Awards.

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Attend the 2010 TAPPI/PIMA Student Summit and find out what's really happening in the pulp and paper and packaging industries directly from professionals challenged with the day-to-day operations. The Student Summit will give you direct interaction with industry leaders for valuable info on employment and career development within the industry.  Program highlights include:

• State-of-the-Industry Address on "Sustainability and Eco-Confusion"
• Effective networking
• The Annual Engineering Challenge
• Job recruitment interviews with hiring companies
• Sessions on job transition and getting the right job
• Area mill tour

Mark your calendar and act now while there's still time!

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Share YOUR favorite advice -- about life, business, work or leadership -- by sending in a quote to share with other Over the Wire readers. Email your quote suggestions, along with your name and company information, to mshaw@tappi.org. We value the input of our OTW readers.

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TAPPI's NET (Nonwovens Engineers & Technologists) Division is pleased to announce that it is planning a 2010 Nonwovens Technical Conference for this fall. The conference will provide updates on current challenges and cutting-edge solutions for the nonwovens industry. Last year, leading experts from the nonwovens field addressed hot topics such as sustainability and "green" concerns, advanced binders and additives, and new technologies affecting the industry. Additional details on this year's program will be announced later this spring. 

"TAPPI and the members of NET are excited to expand our commitment to the nonwovens industry by organizing this conference," said TAPPI's President and CEO Larry N. Montague said. "By providing attendees with access to important technical knowledge and a network of people who can leverage that knowledge, TAPPI's 2010 Nonwovens Technical Conference will advance the science and its application within this dynamic field. This event is a critical gathering for those dedicated to broadening their knowledge of nonwovens technology."

Operating as a division of TAPPI, NET is the only professional society in the nonwovens industry and is the international association home for nonwovens experts from diverse markets and disciplines. Members work collaboratively in volunteer groups to share knowledge with peers throughout the world in all segments of the nonwovens industry -- from hygiene and fabrics to filtration, insulation and more.

NET is led by Division Chair Behnam Pourdeyhimi, who is Associate Dean for Industry Research & Extension, William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of The Nonwovens Institute for North Carolina State University. "Technical societies such as TAPPI's NET Division provide a great service to the industry and return in spades actionable ideas to the individuals who volunteer, " said Pourdeyhimi. "TAPPI's 2010 Nonwovens Technical  Conference provides an exciting opportunity for NET to further nonwovens science and manufacturing applications through peer-reviewed papers and collaborative activities among organizers and attendees."

To learn more about participating in the development of the 2010 Nonwovens Technical Conference, please contact  Craig McKinney, Program Manager, at +1-770-209-7294 or cmckinney@tappi.org.

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