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Pointe-Claire, Quebec, and
Atlanta, Georgia - January 8, 2001 - The two premier
Institutes serving the North American pulp and paper
industry have signed an agreement to explore collaborative
efforts leading to the delivery of greater value to
their member companies. The Institute of Paper Science
and Technology [IPST] and the Pulp and Paper Research
Institute of Canada [Paprican] have signed a Memorandum
of Understanding committing the two institutions to
investigate new ways to work together for the mutual
benefit of the institutions and their respective constituents.
Dr. James L. Ferris, President of
IPST, said, "These two institutions have been informally
working together since the 1920s. Now, we have a formal
agreement that allows us the latitude to find those areas
where we can combine our forces to solve our industry's
most significant problems or identify new economic opportunities." Dr.
Joseph D. Wright, President and CEO of Paprican, said
of this agreement, "With the consolidation in our
industry, the global forces at play, and the absolute
imperative to invest in technology as a key component
of a successful business strategy, this agreement will
open opportunities for each institute to serve its joint
and individual members more effectively than ever." George
Weyerhaeuser, Jr., who serves as Trustee for both Paprican
and IPST and is past Chairman of the Board of Paprican
said, "Both institutions have provided their respective
member companies with education, research, information,
and service support for over 70 years. With an increasingly
common company membership base resulting from cross-border
mergers in the pulp and paper industry, there are emerging
opportunities to seek economic synergies and develop
research partnerships that will benefit all members of
IPST and Paprican."
The Memorandum of Understanding calls
for creation of a high-level team to jointly explore
potential opportunities. The team, sponsored by the presidents
of the two organizations, has been asked to reach its
conclusions by the end of April 2001.
IPST is an accredited graduate school
formed by the U.S. paper industry in 1929 and currently
serves over 50 member companies through four Centers:
the IPST Graduate Education Center, the IPST/Georgia
Tech Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies,
the Major Research Programs Center, and the Haselton
Library and Knowledge Center. It is located on the campus
of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia.
Paprican is a research and development
organization serving the pulp and paper industry. Its
main laboratories major pilot plants, and head office
are in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, with a laboratory and pulping
and screening pilot plants in Vancouver, BC. There is
a technology transfer centre in Prince George, BC. A
strong support system for its member companies is provided
through a unique blend of research capability and mill
knowledge and expertise. It has educational and post-graduate
programs at McGill University, the University of British
Columbia, and Ecole Polytechnique.
For more information contact:
David Bell, Director of Institute Development and Assessment, IPST
or
Cyril Doucet, Vice-President, Administration, Paprican
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