Fall Meetings bring real results.

PIMA's North Central, Dixie, and Northeast Divisions held their fall conferences in September. Ray Heuchling, President of PIMA and Bob Morrison, Affiliate Chair, both attended the Northeast and Dixie meetings, where they addressed the groups on the new direction of PIMA.

Heuchling announced plans for change within PIMA to respond to the changing industry. He asked attendees to help PIMA by recruiting new members, and attending meetings at the national and divisional levels as they affect change. Heuchling also noted, "it will take leaders, like all of you, and organizations like PIMA to pull this industry out of its current state." He mentioned other efforts, which included establishing industry partnerships and making it easier to attend conferences and divisional meetings.

New features, great speakers

Attendees showed a positive and interested attitude as all meetings addressed current issues as well as plans for the future of management within the paper and pulp industry.

* The North Central Division reported that their Sporting Clay event, held September 24, attracted 64 people, mad 70% of those attending were Mill Manager's. The attendance was 50% more than last year and they plan on holding this event again next year.

* The Dixie Division: The 2002 Dixie PIMA conference was held at the Kingston Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with a program theme of "A leadership challenge: balancing fundamentals with new technology." The conference began with an exciting keynote address given by Erskin "Erk" Russell, the Award-winning football coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles. The meeting continued with quality sessions focused on fundamentals in energy management, water conservation, safety, and process reliability as well a challenging report from Weyerhaeuser on a winder fatality, which has changed their corporate view of safety at all their winders.

A newly added feature was a technology showcase in which companies presented new technology solutions for industry problems. The showcase was well received and will likely be repeated in the future. The following companies each presented a session: Vooner FlogGard Vacuum Pumps, The Pump Company, Inc., Albany International, Weavexx, Metso Automation, GE Toshiba Automation Systems, Kelmar Industries, Eka Chemicals, Inc. J & L Fiber Services, Inc., and New Logic Research, Inc.

The Couch Pit University contributed by sponsoring a Couch Pit Roundtable with proven solutions to papermaking problems. Each night of programming was capped off with social functions, which included the Sales Society Dinner and Dance and the Awards Dinner and Dance. The weekend ended with an opportunity to participate in a golf tournament on the greens in beautiful Myrtle Beach. The Dixie Division invites you to take advantage of their next meeting, the 2003 PIMA Dixie Conference, which is scheduled for September, at Point Clear, Alabama.

* Northeast Division: The 2002 Northeast Division Conference was held at the Samoset Resort in Rockport Maine. The programming included presentations by respected industry professional on various aspects of the paper and pulp industry.

* Bob DiStefano, Chairman of MRG, focused on making a business case for reliability centered maintenance programs.

* Jim McNutt, Paper Industry Consultant, offered a global perspective on the state of the industry.

* Michael J. Baer, President of Vescom Corporation discussed the pros and cons of out sourcing plant security.

* Jeff Matranga, Ph.D., Health Psych Maine, provided an excellent overview of issues surrounding workplace violence.

* Paul Wagner, of Advance Technology, Inc. presented Plant Access Control strategies.

The Executive Panel Session was one of the highlights of the weekend, with insights given regarding each speakers' unique situation: Richard Arnold, Fraser Papers; John Donahue, SAPPI; Dana Pelletier, The Network Group; and John Williams, Maine Pulp and Paper Association. A summary of keys to long-term success included:

* Achieving a low cost position in key markets

* Providing superior customer service by developing strong customer relationships

* Remaining flexible to customers needs and adaptable to change

* Continue to promote innovation and product development

* Capitalize in niche specific products which command higher profit margins

* Reduce inventories while still servicing customers

* Cut costs

The annual banquet and awards ceremony was highlighted by the presentation of PIMA scholarships to eleven regional recipients, two of which were a Northeast PIMA son and daughter. A special award was given to Ginny Baker, the wife of Phil Baker, for her many years of service.

Another highlight was the establishment and presentation of the new Gilman J. Berube Award to Charlie Swan, owner of Industrial packing, Inc. And finally, the ceremonial passing of the gavel, or in this case the fish, went from Northeast chairman Joe Clark, Madison Paper, and Doug Moore, Cianbro Corp., to 2003 Chair man David Embley, Irving Pulp and Paper, and the first female Affiliate Chairperson, Caren Brown, Tesa Tape. Be sure to look for the details of these presentations and meeting events in the next PIMA Post.