Paper summit offers something for everyone.

Process engineer, chemist, department manager, shift boss, production personnel, technician, VP of manufacturing, maintenance engineer--no matter what your position in the pulp, paper, or allied industries, the place to be May 2-5, 2004, is Atlanta, Georgia, USA, for TAPPI's 2004 Paper Summit. The event features both a world-class industry show and a conference program presenting the broadest, most informed perspective of unprecedented depth and breadth. "It's a big show, so be sure to bring your walking shoes!" commented Patrick Hurd, strategic sourcing and procurement, Georgia-Pacific Corp. "Paper Summit provides a great opportunity to interact with suppliers and learn about the latest technologies. It's truly a valuable experience--I'm definitely planning on going again this year."

EXHIBIT DRAWS CROWDS

The Exhibit at Paper Summit promises attendees the chance to view the latest technology and innovations from hundreds of suppliers; for some, that opportunity alone is worth the trip. Leading providers of equipment, technology and services fill more than 40,000 square feet of exhibit space. As a bonus, the New Technology Showcases highlight the industry's newest technology while the Environmental and Energy Pavilions on the show floor help attendees quickly find the information they need. Admission for one, two or three days is free.

Yet the Exhibit is only part of the story. Paper Summit component events give attendees the rare opportunity to meet all their educational needs--including continuing education, industry updates, new technology information, and networking with peers and suppliers--with the minimum investment.

Highlights of this year's Technical Conference program include process efficiency and cost optimization. Also, the industry's environmental professionals will gather to discuss alternative compliance programs, what's new with MACT, the latest in innovative control technology, alternate uses of residuals, and much more.

ON THE FAST TRACK

All told, the combined Paper Summit events offer seven program tracks; conference registrants are free to move between tracks or to focus exclusively on their area of greatest interest. Three additional tracks, focused by job category, are available through the Mill VIP Program, and are free to paper company personnel. Tracks include:

* Innovations

* Product Performance

* People and Infrastructure

* Manufacturing Excellence

* Environmental

* Maintenance and Reliability

* U.S. Dept. of Energy Agenda 2020 R & D

* Mill VIP Program: Operators

* Mill VIP Program: Superintendents

* Mill VIP Program: Management

For conference attendees, the Maintenance and Reliability Track will be of certain interest. "The paper industry has been in a 'down cycle' for quite some time," noted M & R Track speaker Michael E. Bevis of Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. "Capital money is often difficult to obtain. We can't sit back and wait for better equipment or price increases in order to return to a desired level of profitability; to be competitive, we must maximize the runnability of existing equipment."

The M & R track features eight separate sessions on a variety of topics, including The Bill Babbington Maintenance Roundtable, an open forum for discussing maintenance issues. Issues can be technical, organizational, regulatory or of any other nature related to mill maintenance. The roundtable will give Paper Summit attendees the opportunity to ask maintenance questions and to share best practices.

The M & R track's keynote speaker will be Bob Taylor, SAPPI North America. Taylor is VP of Manufacturing for the North American operation of SAPPI Fine Papers, and spent 23 years with International Paper. He has been a long-time advocate and keen student of reliability systems as a key competitive advantage.

Bevis said that his presentation--Practical Applications for Thermography in Paper Mills--will focus on usable solutions for papermakers. "The presentation will provide innovative methods to solve a wide variety of problems in pulp and paper mills by using thermography," Bevis said. He added that the session is ideally suited for all maintenance, maintenance planners, electrical, and production personnel.

"For some in the audience, this will be their first introduction to thermography. This will demonstrate the importance of having a good program in their plant. For those experienced with thermography, we hope to provide information that will allow them to increase their problem solving capabilities," Bevis said.

The new "People and Infrastructure" track will give Summit attendees the latest strategies for leveraging their most important asset--people. "The paper industry is very advanced technically--companies have spent millions of dollars over the decades to make great advances in papermaking. However, our industry's technological focus of the past has not been enough to achieve and maintain global competitiveness," said Colleen Walker, associate director and industry liaison at The Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS) in Atlanta, Georgia. "Great people work in the paper industry, and our industry needs to explore and learn new ways to better support, train, and retain these dedicated individuals as our industry faces new challenges."

In addition to learning about new developments in continuing education and training, P & I track attendees will hear results from a multi-mill study demonstrating how training has helped make some operations highly profitable, even those with old equipment. The track will kick off with a CPBIS-sponsored session, "Revitalizing The Industry," co-chaired by Walker. Three topics are slated for the session: the state of the North American paper industry, the effect of industry factors on price behavior, and the effect of wood quality changes on mill profitability for liner-board production.

"These topics, each in a slightly different way, all look at the consequences of how business and research decisions have or could affect the profitability of the industry. By understanding the impact of past decisions, industry leaders are better equipped to make smarter choices in the future. This is needed if the paper industry is to be revitalized," Walker said.

ENVIRONMENT AND MORE

In the forest products industry, environmental concerns are paramount, affecting past perceptions, current operations, and future viability. Timely topics addressed in Paper Summit's Environmental Track include the newly signed MACT rules for industrial boilers (Boiler MACT) and plywood and composite wood products (PCWP) facilities. Cosponsored by the Pulp & Paper Technical Association of Canada (PAPTAC), the Environmental Track is structured in three concurrent sessions running throughout the Summit.

The Environmental program will include a number of tutorials and panels addressing the New Source Review (NSR) reform rules, contaminated sediments, environmental issues for the mill manager, and activated sludge bulking, just to name a few. Highlights of the program will include a nearly day-long session that provides guidelines on what it takes to be a Successful Environmental Professional in today's climate and an "Air Fair," where attendees will be able to visit one-on-one with regulators and industry experts on a variety of air topics.

Mill managers and other environmental professionals should also plan to attend a high-level overview of the environmental regulations that are likely to affect the forest products industry over the next 3 to 5 years. Workshops on Residuals Management and Biological Wastewater Treatment will be offered on Sunday, May 2, prior to the conference.

Highly specialized tracks like those featured in this article provide a great focused learning opportunity; but attendees are also free to move between tracks, choosing the sessions from any track that best meet their current training needs. This creates a personalized program for individuals or mill teams that delivers measurable value and convenience.

"These seminars always provide a wealth of information that can be taken back to an attendee's plant," commented Bevis. "Also, the opportunities for networking with both suppliers and mill employees provides insight into solutions through the experiences of others."

Walker agrees. "One of the most significant benefits of attending any conference is networking with one's peers," she said. "Many mill-based folks just don't get a chance to interact with their peers, and this is extremely valuable on many levels! These interactions, and learning about new advances in technologies, products, and business, can give all attendees valuable take-home info to implement on the job."

IN THIS ARTICLE, YOU WILL LEARN:

* The separate events that combine to form Paper Summit

* Details of some of the hottest Tracks

* How Paper Summit benefits attendees

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

* Request an up-to-date program: [e-mail]

* View the entire technical program--including abstracts of each paper--online: www.papersummit.org

* Sign your company up to exhibit at or sponsor part of Paper Summit: www.papersummit.org

RELATED ARTICLE: PAPER SUMMIT EVENTS

Paper Summit consists of a full menu of events addressing every aspect of pulp and papermaking. Most events will run at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, May 2-5. Paper Summit registrants can choose to take part in any or all of the following events:

The Exhibit at Paper Summit: 200 + exhibitors occupying 35,000 square feet of exhibit space. The Exhibit includes main floor Energy and Environmental Pavilions, as well as product demonstrations.

TAPPI Spring Technical and International Environmental Conference: Educational programming comprising more than 200 presentations, including panel discussions, demonstrations, workshops and more. The International Environmental Conference joins TAPPI's Spring Technical Conference at Paper Summit. Cosponsored by PAPTAC, the environmental track addresses important environmental concerns in three concurrent sessions throughout the program.

Mill VIP Program: A free program track for pulp and paper manufacturing employees that offers lunch vouchers, transportation reimbursement (for those within 250 miles driving distance of Atlanta) and more.

U.S. Department of Energy's Forest Products Industry of the Future: An educational track presenting results and emerging technology opportunities from more than 40 DOE cost-shared research projects.

TAPPI Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony: Includes the presentation of the prestigious Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal and the Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award.

RELATED ARTICLE: PAPER SUMMIT EXTRAS

In addition to the large Exhibit and the multi-track educational program, Paper Summit attendees are invited to participate in several other events, including.

Poster sessions: Open to all Paper Summit attendees, the Poster Session illustrates some of the newest ideas in the industry. In this informal technical forum, authors present new information, results, or data. Posters will be available for view and study Sunday through Wednesday during registration hours. Summit attendees will also have two opportunities to discuss ideas presented in the posters with the authors and other attendees.

TAPPI Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony: TAPPI's 2004 Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony will be held May 4, 2004. All TAPPI Paper Summit attendees are invited to attend. This annual gathering provides a forum for TAPPI members, Fellows and guests to share information and recognize those who have made unique contributions to TAPPI and to the industry. During the Ceremony, the Association's highest honors--the Gunnar Nicholson Gold Medal and the Herman L. Joachim Distinguished Service Award--will be presented. Several new TAPPI Fellows will be recognized and honored at the annual Fellows Luncheon.

Exhibitor bonuses: With more than 4,000 pulp, paper, or related manufacturing company representatives expected to attend, Paper Summit has attracted the attention of the industry's top suppliers. At press time, hundreds of companies had already secured space on the 35,000+-square foot exhibit floor. In addition to strong "mill" attendance, exhibitors' benefits include the following:

* Complimentary guest passes for Exhibitors to share with customers

* Paper Summit location boasts over 25% of the Western Hemisphere's mills/manufacturing and processing facilities within a 500 mile radius

* Special marketing opportunities in print, on web, and directly to mills

* The chance to sponsor New Technology Showcases spotlighting real mill applications of the latest innovations

Networking Events: Registrants of the Spring Technical and International Environmental Conference can participate in several receptions and "hot topic" breakfasts scheduled throughout Paper Summit.

JANICE BOTTIGLIERI, SENIOR EDITOR