::The Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies::

Forum & Lectures

Abstracts:

Ladd R. Hall:
"Bestmarking performance in steel industry - why success occurs"

Nucor Steel is one of the Steel Industry's few domestic relative success stories of the past decade or so. The lecture's focus is on what Nucor Steel calls BestMarketing -- where Nucor has analyzed itself, its competition, and the best performing companies across many industries to identify why success occurs. Nucor has accordingly created, adopted, and modified its best practices to meet its needs and foster an environment of continuous improvement. In this light, the firm has formed corporate-wide teams that are dedicated to improving safety, quality, productivity, costs, customer service, delivery performance consistency and reliability. In sales, Nucor measures success based upon shareholder value, meeting customer needs, operating earnings versus its competition, selling value versus its competition, and market share in strategic sectors. In manufacturing, Nucor measures success based again upon share holder value, achieving the industry's low cost position and reducing costs, improving quality and maximizing assets' performance. Success is found at Nucor by pursing this portfolio of directed goals.

Dr. Richard B. Phillips:
"Imperatives for manufacturing success in the paper industry"
The lecture's focus will be on Imperatives for Manufacturing Success in the US Paper Industry. The material outlines 'Ten Imperatives for Success' -- (10) Translate Sustainable Raw Materials into Top Line Impact; (9) Make more Profit off our recovered waste; (8) Become superior in Supply Chain Management; (7) Level the Playing Field on Tariffs; (6) Enlist Customers to help Level the Playing field with all Suppliers meeting equal Standards; (5) Enlist our Government to level the playing field on Corporate tax rates, Regulations, and Tort Reform; (4) Create Top Line Growth with New Products that improve our Customers' Bottom Line; (3) Be represented in those parts of the world where demand is growing; (2) Do whatever it takes to improve capital and people productivity; and (1) Reinvest in our people.

Frank A. Dottori:
"How pulp & paper professionals attain successful outcomes"
The lecture's focus will be on how Pulp and Paper professionals can best attain successful outcomes in today's shifting market place and business culture by using Tembec, Inc. as a crucible. Tembec seeks to create an environment where employees can participate, be creative, be constructively critical without fear of retaliation by their superiors. In essence, Tembec tries to adhere and share the Vision of "A Company of people building their own future" -- with all employees of the company, regardless of position. Tembec is old fashioned -- setting out to try to protect its employees and provide them with job security. In return, Tembec asks for and needs commitment and loyalty. Has Tembec been successful -- that is for others to judge -- but sharing of Tembec's story will help others make that judgment.

Dr. Martin Kenney:
"Lift & shift - offshoring service and shifting US economy"
This lecture will in a sense explore a concept we can call Lift and Shift? -- The Offshoring Service Provision to India, in which the reasons for and degree and rate of the shifting of US economy services jobs to India are explored. This material will point out who is involved in the shift of service jobs to India, and what the rationale are for their decisions plus what are the residual risks such shifts create for those affecting such shifts. Implications for the US economy of such services jobs offshoring will also be addressed and compared/contrasted to the recent years' offshoring of US-based manufacturing jobs. Also to be discussed are the reasons that India is much more involved in the rate of offshoring of services jobs than other countries often written about -- such as Indonesia, China and Ireland. The offshoring of jobs from the US economy may have major implications for the health and well being of the US economy across time, and understanding the current realities is critical to be able to fully comprehend the nature of these potential domestic economic implications across time.