So you want to install a new paper machine that generates profits? First fire the engineers....

摘要

BOTH THE EUROPEAN AND NORTH AMERICAN paper industries are at a crossroads. Declining paper demand appears to be the big predicament but it is neither the only one nor the most important. History tells us that this is a transitory issue that will eventually run its course, at least for most grades. The poor demand underlies the issue that everyone appears to be ignoring which is that the paper industry in the West is clearly uncompetitive and the mitigation brought about by the continuous mill closures will simply not turn things around.