Georgia On My Mind

The fifth annual Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show, June 27-29 in Atlanta, is expected to top earlier shows in attendance, exhibitors and speakers.

The conference, while successful, continues to add features, programs and offerings to make the three-day event a valuable time for networking, meetings and learning about the trends and the key issues for the paper recycling industry.

GOING PULP TECH. While the conference has delivered top-notch information from the business, marketing and legislative side of the paper recycling industry since it began five years ago, the technical side did not garner as much attention. Throughout the past several years, in comments and surveys, some attendees have requested that the educational program address more technical and science-oriented subjects.

That missing component has been added this year.

The Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI), an association of engineers in the pulp and paper industry based in Norcross, Ga., has put together a twin track of technical programs that focuses on the manufacturing side of the paper recycling industry. The association is running this technical track at the same time as the non-technical sessions, giving attendees the opportunity to sample both areas of the paper recycling business.

The technical session of the conference will address such subjects as dealing with stickies in the pulping process, mill stock preparation requirements and technical and process considerations in mill paper recycling operations.

While adding on a technical track, the Recycling Today Media Group has not lost sight of the value of its traditional business-oriented sessions. This year, speakers run the gamut from top executives at internationally known paper companies, such as Georgia-Pacific Corp., to key paper stock dealers, brokers, equipment providers, consultants and expert municipal recycling officials.

While the TAPPI track is meant to expand the coverage of the annual conference, the core goal of the Paper Recycling Conference remains the same: to deliver the most effective mix of presentations and meetings for people involved in all aspects of the paper recycling industry.

TALKING BUSINESS. As always, opening the program will be a roster of top executives from various parts of the paper recycling industry as they examine the outlook for the paper recycling industry.

The opening panel consists of Simon Davies, Georgia-Pacific Corp.; Henri Mermeulen, Kappa Packaging; and Pieter van Dijk, Van Dyk Baler. This keynote panel will look at the future of the paper recycling industry from a European perspective, a North American perspective and from the side of an equipment supplier.

While the keynote panel brings together many top names in the paper recycling field, it is not the only session that has prominent executives from throughout the paper recycling industry. In fact, the panels from the six different sessions are filled with experts who will touch on a variety of subjects.

Other sessions include an in-depth look at what the municipal side is doing to ensure that an adequate supply of quality recovered fiber continues to be collected. Speakers from this panel include the recycling coordinator for the city of Philadelphia, a representative from SP Recycling and a top executive with FCR, a large paper recycling operation operating in the Southeast.

Other panels will examine the changing dynamic of the document destruction business; the booming market for recovered fiber to Asia, especially China; the growing demand for mixed paper; and trends in the paper recycling business from a mill buyer’s perspective.

Supplemental sessions will enhance the overall program. While the exhibition hall and educational sessions will provide significant value for attendees, this year’s show continues to include pre-conference workshops.

Two pre-conference workshops will be conducted Sunday, June 27th. One will focus on the transportation segment of the industry, an area that is often overlooked. Two transportation officials, one from a trucking firm and the other from the railroad industry, will conduct an interactive session where interested parties can discuss ways to maximize shipments while minimizing costs. This workshop is included in the registration price.

The other workshop, also to be held June 27, will look at recycled paper pricing. This workshop, conducted by Bill Moore, principal of Moore & Associates, will delve into the dynamics of pricing and market volatility, as well as at future forecasting prices for many grades of recovered fiber. There is an additional charge to attend this session.

Moore, principal of Moore & Associates, a sponsor of the show since its inception, notes that the show has grown significantly over time. "The show is the largest concentration of paper recycling people in the world in one place at one time."

Moore also notes that the show will likely be the broadest representation in the industry, with a growing number of people from Asia attending this year. "We are getting more and more people registering for the conference from outside the U.S.," Moore notes. "Added to that, it is one of the strongest programs we have ever had."

"We’re excited about this year’s line-up. The conference will offer top-flight programming, and the exhibit space is sold out again," says Jim Keefe, publisher of the Recycling Today Media Group, sponsor of the conference.

"The new alliance with TAPPI will add a track of technical sessions covering recovered fiber utilization at the mill, adding even more value for attendees. We’re offering a mill tour and the AF&PA (American Forest & Paper Association), PSI (Paper Stock Industries chapter of ISRI) and NAPW (National Association of Paperstock Women) are also all holding meetings in conjunction with the conference."

Echoing these remarks, Maria Miller, conference manager, notes that since the show began in 2000 the response from attendees has been very positive. "This is the fifth year the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show has been held, and, each year, many of the same past attendees come back, while we have increased the number of first-time attendees."

While at press time the roster of speakers was still being completed, some of the companies that have confirmed speaking engagements include the following: Georgia-Pacific Corp., Weyerhaeuser, FCR, CSX, SP Recycling, SCA, City Carton, Abitibi-Consolidated and America Chung Nam.

Along with the technical track, another new component for this year’s show is a tour of the Pratt Industries recycled paperboard mill in Conyers, Ga., held on Tuesday. The facility, which produces 100 percent recycled-content paperboard, has a significant amount of innovative equipment. (See story starting on page 30 of this issue.)

GETTING SOCIAL. Finally, for those who are looking for opportunities to socialize, network or just have fun, there is plenty of time to do any or all of these. The conference will begin with an opening night reception in the exhibit hall Sunday night. At this time, attendees will have the opportunity to meet customers and suppliers. Exhibit hall hours throughout the conference offer additional networking opportunities.

And for those who like to do their networking on the golf course, there will be a golf outing Sunday morning at the City Club Marietta.

All in all, the show holds something for everybody interested in any aspect of the paper recycling industry.

The author is senior and Internet editor of Recycling Today and can be contacted via e-mail at dsandoval@RecyclingToday.com.