The Final Word by Jim Thompson


With all the financial turmoil going on in the general economy today, there is one area that seems unusually calm by any measure —- the pulp and paper industry.

As I have been out and about in the first two months of this year, I am pleasantly surprised how professionals in most grades exhibit a calm and sometimes optimistic behavior. We did our turn in the barrel in the 1990s and early part of this decade. We are not without grades with unique problems. However, as a whole, the managers, scientists and engineers I am encountering seem much more in control than I have seen in a long time. It is about time!