On the road again.

One of the first trips I made after becoming editor of PIMA Magazine in 1988 was to Finland. I was a member of the second "Press Survivors" tour sponsored by Valmet, which introduced a small group of editors from the trade press to the latest papermaking technology used in Finnish paper mills and other new technology being developed in Valmet R&D centers and workshops. It was a memorable trip. My group "survived" the long days of mill and plant visits followed by long nights of Finnish hospitality. I recently made a return trip as a "veteran" member of the 14th Press Survivors tour. I discovered that many things have not changed. Finland is a prosperous, beautiful and friendly country--and one where I still struggled mightily to find decaffeinated coffee after the evening meal.

Other things have changed markedly. Since my first visit, PIMA Magazine became PIMA's Papermaker, and was then merged into Solutions! My hair has gotten a lot grayer and the paper industry has grayed as well. In 1988, the global paper industry was expanding rapidly. There was plenty of new business to be had and paper companies and suppliers were making bold plans for the future.

Today, the paper industry's outlook is less certain and more bounded by slowing growth--at least in North America and Europe. Despite these diminished prospects, Finland has consolidated an already strong position in the global forest products industry. Two of the top five global paper companies--Stora Enso and UPM-Kymmene--are based there. Valmet has become Metso Paper and is one of the two top global pulp and machinery suppliers, having acquired part or all of many other suppliers large and small. Names such as Tampella and Sunds Defibrator are now under the Metso banner, and archrival Beloit is no more. Metso now owns its former rival's aftermarket and repair business, and Beloit's pilot tissue machine now sits in Metso's R&D center in Karlstad, Sweden.

The U.S. and European paper industries have gone in different directions since 1988. The mills our group visited this year were good examples of how European producers have continued to make targeted investments in advanced technology. Stora Enso's Oulu, Finland, mill uses online coating operations on its PM 6 and PM 7 lines--which have been continuously rebuilt in improve production and paper quality. Despite some early skepticism about its high volume production methods, the Oulu mill mass produces nearly a million annual metric tons of top quality coated paper for world markets. Likewise, UPM-Kymmene's Kuusankoski mill realized that its markets were changing and that it needed to restructure to become more efficient and competitive. During the project, the company went so far as to provide training for the families of its workers so they could cope better with the stress of having a family member working long hours.

Unlike North America, where even the hint of new papermaking investments was largely punished by Wall Street in the 1990s, Finland's mills have been steadily upgraded. This reflects Finland's singular focus on forest products--one of its few natural resources. While the forest products industry tends to get lost in the vast U.S. economy, Finland's economic future is bound in large part to the success of this industry. It also has the advantage of a spirit of cooperation between its primary machine supplier, Metso, and high volume pulp and paper mills.

Of course challenges remain. Despite the demise of Beloit, there is probably still too much machinery manufacturing capacity around the globe. Paper markets are still in a sustained slump. Nevertheless, Finland--due to its singular focus and willingness to invest--is in a better position than most countries to capitalize on future growth in this industry.

Note: In another innovation, Stora Enso Oulu has outsourced its maintenance to Fortek, which is 75% owned by Stora-Enso and 25% owned by ABB. Find out about new maintenance concepts in the TAPPI/IDCON Virtual Seminar Series. See page 14 for details. Also IDCON's 17th Annual Pulp and Paper Reliability and Maintenance conference will be held in Atlanta, Oct. 6-9. Visit www.idcon.com.

ALAN ROOKS Editorial Director

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