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ATLANTA-- September 9, 2002--
For generations, the Institute's Annual Conference
has been a prestigious event accessible by invitation
only. Over one hundred of the world's top-ranking pulp
and paper executives attended the conference each year
to learn about the Institute's contributions to the
science of papermaking and to discuss the problems
facing the industry. This year for the first time in
the Institute's history, this premiere event will be
offered live over the Internet.
The Sixty-Sixth Annual
Executives' Conference will focus on the future of the
paper industry and is titled, Insight, Innovations
and Investment: Creating Pathways to Better Times.
The Conference will be conducted in three parts.
First, the reception
and dinner the evening of September 24 will be followed
by a keynote address by Dr. Frank Giarratani. Professor
Giarratani will compare the case histories of the steel
and paper industries and provide us some insight into
the future as consolidation and globalization continue
to change the competitive nature and structure of the
pulp and paper industry. Dr. Giarratani is Professor
of Economics and Co-Director of the Sloan Steel Industry
Center at the University of Pittsburgh. His research
specialization is in regional economics and in the economics
of the steel industry. His work, which has been both
theoretical and applied, is represented in publications
concerning regional economic growth and decline, econometric
modeling of regions, and structural adjustment in the
steel industry. His award-winning book, The Renaissance
of American Steel (Oxford 1996), reports the findings
from this work.
The second part of the
Conference will be held at IPST on the morning of September
25 and will focus on innovative technologies that can
make a difference to future competitiveness. The future
of the paper industry will be highly influenced by technologies
outside of traditional papermaking areas. As part of
IPST's initiative to bring increased value to the industry
and to increase collaboration with Georgia Tech, the
Office of the President initiated five new research projects
with Georgia Tech in the past year to pursue new paper
industry opportunities. These five projects bring new
collaborations between the world-class faculty at IPST
and Georgia Tech and build the IPST research program
beyond traditional areas. Georgia Tech faculty add new
capabilities in cutting-edge technology areas such as
nanotechnology, biosensors, electrical engineering, and
materials science. The Innovation Grant Program offers
opportunities for new products and new product platforms
that lie at the interface between papermaking technologies
and other cutting-edge technologies. Georgia Tech/IPST
research teams will report on new product technology
opportunities emerging from joint research projects that
integrate advanced technologies with paper and provide
the results of their research.
Finally, in the afternoon,
the Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS)
will provide the results of their research. The CPBIS
was formed in October 2000 when IPST, Georgia Tech, and
the Sloan Foundation joined forces with the paper industry
to create a new research center. First the Executive
Director of CPBIS, Dr. Jim McNutt and Dan Cenatempo from
Jacobs Consultancy will provide a lively analysis of
the state of the industry. Then, the Director of the
Center, Dr. Tom McDonough will give an overview of all
the research currently under way. Lastly, the research
teams will provide the results of their research. Some
of the topics include understanding price behavior in
the pulp and paper industry and the value of forest biotechnology
to vertically integrated pulp and paper manufacturers.
Dr. James Ferris, President
of IPST, says, "At IPST we are working to create
a Internet presence that will engage the pulp and paper
industry's scientists and executives on a global scale.
Webcasting of the Annual Executives' Conference is a
way for us to open our doors to a wider audience to begin
a relationship that can benefit us all."
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