Highlighting the benefits of single species market pulps

摘要

Many of the major commodity paper grades (LWC, uncoated free sheet, A4 copybond, CPO etc.) have moved to larger high speed paper machines located at world-class sized integrated mills. Consequently it has become vital that the grade patterns on the smaller machines at non-integrated mills be upgraded to developing specialty papers. These specialty grades will sometimes be functional, always value-added and most definitely be considered high performance. These papers all have very demanding "prime requisites" that must be met if they are to satisfy the end user, grow in volume and become market leaders. Failure to do so will either result in failure or, at best having to be content to be a second-tier supplier to that industry. These non-integrated mills, having clearly defined their recently developed papers' prime requisite, must now identify those specific market pulps whose outstanding attributes and distinctive properties most closely align themselves with the paper's requirements. No longer will buyers have the luxury of purchasing pulps for their relatively forgiving commodity grades. Now they will have to rely on their pulp suppliers to clearly define each of their pulps on the basis of benefits, distinctive properties and outstanding attributes. Market Pulps will have to change from "good, all-around, papermaking pulps" to pulps that become known for their ability to produce highly desirable properties in the finished paper (e.g. smoothness, saturability, flow-through properties, TWA, etc.). What must buyers begin to do? Insist that their technical and production people define each paper grade by its "prime requisite" or most essential property. These will become guidelines that will determine which grade of hardwood or softwood to purchase. Having found the exact set of hardwood and softwood pulps that produce the desired properties, these pulp grades can then be specified in that paper grade's furnish (e.g. recipe) to control all future production runs. And what about the sellers? What must they begin doing? They must identify those benefits and outstanding attributes which are prominent in each of the pulps they are selling. They must seek to find those distinctive properties that would set each grade of pulp apart from the competition. These benefits must be backed up by solid technical evaluations and laboratory analyses; often times comparing that mill's own pulps with those of his major competitors so that a clear distinction can be shown to potential buyers. The #1 objective for the Market Pulp sales representative will no longer be to simply obtain a Purchase Order but, rather, to get his grade of pulp specified in the furnish of a customer's major grade of paper. The buyers and sellers who begin doing these things and doing them well are sure to be the most successful!