TAPPI/PIMA leadership focus.In this special feature, leaders of the sponsoring organizations of Solutions!, TAPPI TAPPI Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry and PIMA, explain their current and future plans for their organizations. Commenting for TAPPI are Kathleen Bennett, president of TAPPI and vice president, portfolio management, information technology for Georgia-Pacific Corp.; and Willis Potts, vice president of TAPPI and recently retired from Inland Paperboard paperboard, material similiar in shape and composition to paper, but generally thicker, stronger, and more rigid. Paper machines, e.g., Fourdrinier machines, are used to make sheets of paperboard. and Packaging. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Commenting for PIMA are Ralph Feck n. 1. Effect. 2. Efficacy; force; value. 3. Amount; quantity. He had a feck o' books wi' him. - R. L. Stevenson. The most feck the greater or larger part. - Burns. , president of PIMA and vice president of manufacturing for Georgia-Pacific's Rincon, Georgia Rincon is a city in Effingham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,376 at the 2000 census. History The City of Rincon, in the southeast area of Effingham County, was first incorporated as recently as 1927. , mill; and Terry Gallagher, national affiliate chairman of PIMA and business manager-tissue, for Nalco Co., Naperville, Illinois Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will counties in Illinois in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,358; The United States Census Bureau estimated the population in 2006 at 142,901. . TAPPI RESTRUCTURING restructuring - The transformation from one representation form to another at the same relative abstraction level, while preserving the subject system's external behaviour (functionality and semantics). FOCUSES ON FOUR INDUSTRY SEGMENTS SOLUTIONS! TAPPI recently announced a major restructuring. What are the reasons for the restructuring and how will it change the way TAPPI works with its members? BENNETT/POTTS: The pulp and paper industry The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American (United States, Canada), northern European (Finland, Sweden) and East Asian countries (such as Japan). Australasia and Latin America also have significant pulp and paper industries. is experiencing dramatic and unprecedented social and economic change. This change demands that TAPPI transform itself in order to continue its 90 years of service to its members and to the industry. While TAPPI must preserve its core values, it must also stimulate change and innovation. Traditionally, participation in TAPPI required that one physically attend an event--either a committee meeting, a conference or a short course. Developments in information technology now afford us the ability to access information and interact with others literally at any time of the day from any location in the world. Each month, 25,000-30,000 unique visitors A count of how many different people access a Web site. For example, if a user leaves and comes back to the site five times during the measurement period, that person is counted as one unique visitor, but would count as five "user sessions. access practical knowledge and information on TAPPI's website (www.tappi.org). Further evidence of the changes in TAPPI participation is found in the increasing popularity of TAPPI's virtual seminar program. This program gives participants the opportunity to interact with world-class experts on topics of immediate relevance from the convenience of their own plant, mill or lab. Information technology also addresses another huge change agent, globalization globalization Process by which the experience of everyday life, marked by the diffusion of commodities and ideas, is becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have contributed to globalization include increasingly sophisticated communications and transportation . The expansion and development of the industry beyond North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. and Europe to Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. . Asia, and Australia bring a host of opportunities as well as challenges. TAPPI's global membership facilitates the flow of knowledge and information worldwide. Industry professionals need to be able to access solutions at any time, from any source. Industry mergers, acquisitions and corporate restructuring have placed new and different demands on industry technical personnel. While not relinquishing re·lin·quish tr.v. re·lin·quished, re·lin·quish·ing, re·lin·quish·es 1. To retire from; give up or abandon. 2. To put aside or desist from (something practiced, professed, or intended). 3. their technical responsibilities, technical personnel are increasingly called upon to shoulder supervisory and operating responsibilities. These new responsibilities will be addressed by the professional development opportunities available from TAPPI. These huge socio-economic changes also dictate that TAPPI deal more directly with industry companies. While TAPPI is and will always be primarily an individual member organization, the demands of an ever-changing world dictate that the Association engage with its Sustaining Member companies, as well as all other industry companies. We must better understand these companies' needs and how TAPPI can best tailor its programs and services to meet them. TAPPI will also seek out relationships with government, sister associations and related non-governmental organizations “NGO” redirects here. For other uses, see NGO (disambiguation). A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by private persons or organizations with no participation or representation of any government. (NGOs) that will enhance the Association's ability to serve its members, their companies, the industry and society. SOLUTIONS! What are the main reasons people should join TAPPI? BENNETT/POTTS: Whether one works in a pulp or paper mill, a corrugated cor·ru·gate v. cor·ru·gat·ed, cor·ru·gat·ing, cor·ru·gates v.tr. To shape into folds or parallel and alternating ridges and grooves. v.intr. box plant, a lab or in the forest, TAPPI provides a unique connection to the largest body of industry experts and useable, practical knowledge available anywhere. TAPPI truly provides the people, resources and solutions every industry professional needs. TAPPI is the place to go for reliable knowledge, practical information and access to the industry's best people. SOLUTIONS! What are your goals as president and vice president of TAPPI for the coming year? BENNETT/POTTS: While producing world-class events such as SuperCorrExpo and Paper Expo, TAPPI will also undertake the development of a new and revolutionary business plan. This new business plan represents a new path forward for the Association. While keeping TAPPI's historic mission and vision in mind, this new business plan will focus on three key objectives. They are: 1. To serve members and the industry by focusing on distinct industry segments 2. To grow membership 3. Achieve financial sustainability While still engaged with TAPPI's traditional technical committees and local sections, the Association will focus on these key industry segments: * Pulp and paper operations * Pulp and paper technical * Converting * Suppliers Recognizing the unique and different requirements of each of these key industry segments TAPPI will, over the course of the coming months, restructure its programs and activities to meet specific industry needs. The Board of Directors and the TAPPI staff are working together on this ambitious and exciting new plan. We expect to share further details of the plan in the months to come. This new plan will focus the Association's resources, stimulating necessary change while preserving TAPPI's core values and historic mission of service. PIMA FOCUSES ON PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS! As the paper industry changes, what are the current focus areas for PIMA? FECK/GALLAGHER: PIMA's goal is to continue to support and strengthen the pulp and paper industry by providing the means for its members to address relevant issues to the industry by developing their management and leadership skills. PIMA has restructured, or (more appropriately) refocused on the significant issues that bring value to its membership, and thus to the paper industry. We have focused on our conferences (national and divisional), networking, training and multiple industry alliances as ways for our members to achieve this skill development. With the time constraints In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. placed on our members, we have brought innovative programs directly to our membership. These include webcasts on such topics as Six Sigma Not to be confused with Sigma 6. Six Sigma is a set of practices originally developed by Motorola to systematically improve processes by eliminating defects.[1] A defect is defined as nonconformity of a product or service to its specifications. , reliability, and finance. These are cost effective training vehicles that can be shared by an unlimited number of members at each participating site. We have redesigned our national conference to minimize the days away from the mill and focused on key issues from management, reliability and information technology. We are also bringing programs and speakers to the local level through our divisions. Division meetings address timely and pertinent topics in seminars and workshops such as personal accountability, leadership, and coaching PIMA maintains multiple partnerships with such organizations such as Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS CPBIS Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (Georgia Institute of Technology) CPBIS Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports ), National Paper Trade Association (NPTA NPTA National Pest Technicians Association (Nottingham, UK) NPTA National Parent Teacher Association NPTA National Progressive Taekwondo Association (Springfield, MO) NPTA National Paper Trade Association, Inc. ). American Management Association (AMA (Automatic Message Accounting) The recording and reporting of telephone calls within a telephone system. It includes the calling and called parties and start and stop times of the call. ), and TAPPI. It is PIMA's mission to deliver value by creating forums that address current issues and develop management and leadership skills. These industry alliances complement PIMA's mission while bringing world-class management education opportunities to the paper industry. SOLUTIONS! What are the main reasons people should join PIMA? FECK/GALLAGHER: As an industry, we face many challenges, such as consolidation, downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing , and globalization. These all require management skills to address key issues. PIMA is creating forums through training and networking to better prepare us to take these challenges head on. This extends to exploring other industries facing the same issues. As an example, we have invited industry leaders from the steel industry on several occasions to share their failures and successes in addressing many of the same challenges we are seeing today. SOLUTIONS! What are your goals as President and National Affiliate Chairman of PIMA for 2004-2005? FECK/GALLAGHER: Our goal is to build membership by continuing the focus on those vehicles that drive value for our membership and our industry. In a dynamic market, that means continually seeking feedback from our membership and adjusting our focus appropriately. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: * Why TAPPI is undergoing a major restructuring. * How PIMA is focusing on serving its core groups. * Prospects for membership growth in a mature industry. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: * TAPPI Web site: www.tappi.org. * PIMA Web site: www.pima-online.org. |
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