Alicia Gail Stout

Papermaking has its origins thousands of years ago in China. Today, it is still a viable industry which employs over 660,000 in the United States alone. While the process of papermaking remains basically unchanged, there are many issues and concerns which are common to all who derive benefit from this industry. Consumers are demanding lower costs for paper products and cleaner air and water for the environment. Thus, market considerations and environmental regulations have created a highly competitive, global arena where these demands must be met. This collection of web resources is designed primarily for those papermakers who need reliable, current information in support of both business and technical goals, but anyone with a connection to the industry will find interesting sites to visit. 

General Information, History

Oldest US MillThe history of papermaking in the United States begins in the late 1600’s.A short history appears here.www.historybuff.com/library/refritten.html

Robert C. Williams American Museum of PapermakingSite provides a virtual tour of the museum with links to other papermaking museums.www.ipst.edu/amp/

News Resources

Company SleuthThe portal provides information about companies publicly traded and offers links to topics including company overviews with descriptions of size, product lines, current market data, recent company news, discussion boards, and litigation activity.The site is very easy to navigate, using company stock symbols as a major search term.Once free, it is now a subscription service costing ~$80 per year, although some limited information is fee-free.The user may set up a list of companies (s)he wishes the service to automatically track.www.companysleuth.com

www.prnewswire.comA constantly updated news service.Excellent for late-breaking industry news such as mergers and acquisitions.Allows for topical news searching under “paper, forest products and containers.”A must for those with business and competitive intelligence responsibilities.

Hoover'sCarries information relating to company size, products, locations, and news.Some data on privately held companies; much is fee-free but premium information is cost-based.www.hoovers.com

Publications

Solutions!The premier issue of this journal appeared in September, 2001.Previously entitled The TAPPI Journal, it will probably continue to be the most widely read publication of the papermaking industry.Supplied to the association membership, it includes information on the technology, manufacture and use of paper and news of the industry.Industry courses, conferences, publications and full text articles in the current issue is available.Note: texts are VERY slow to load, but worth the wait.Other current paper-related journal issues such as Paper, Film and Foil Converter, Journal of Pulp and Paper Science, Corrugating International, and International Non-Wovens Journal also available at this site.Members can retrieve archived materials.www.tappi.org

Far Eastern Economic ReviewAs an industry with a global reach, this site is one of the better gateways for news of this region.Provides an overview of the current regional economic climate.Suggest searching site using “pulp” or a specific company or country name to retrieve most pertinent articles.www.feer.com

Business WeekThis is the site for the familiar business weekly.It consolidates global business news.Good search function for filtering items of specific interest, including pulp and paper.Many articles contain good statistical data.www.businessweek.com

Statistical Information: Pulp, Paper, Forestry

http://forestweb.comSite includes industry news and news archives, directories, industry statistics, discussion forums, job listings and access to several periodicals including Paper Industry Management Association(PIMA), International Papermaker. Forestweb also offers a business to business market service.Good international headlines.Must register for full-service access.

AF and PAThe American Forestry and Papermakers Association collects and disseminates the most timely, comprehensive data on production levels and trade available.Membership is required for access to the most detailed databases, but much is located on the public site as well.www.afandpa.org

United States Forest ServiceIs a primary source of government information about pulp and paper.It is easily searchable; many forest service documents are available on-line.Research on almost any facet of the industry can be located at the Forest Products Laboratoryhttp://www.fs.fed.us/library/index.htmland http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/pubs.htm

Industry Organizations

Southern Forest Products AssociationContains a comprehensive list of papermaking/forest products organizations and companies, with links to many of their websites.Does not have individual contacts listed, however.The membership roster provides a quick overview of the major industry “players” in the Southern region of the United States.www.sfpa.org

Pulp and Paper Technical Association of CanadaAlso known as PAPTAC, this organization’s site complements information by TAPPI to give the industry picture in North America.It contains consultants and their areas of expertise.The association provides statistical , trade standards, forestry, environmental and technical information.Membership is required for total access to this information, but much is available to the non-member.www.paptac.ca

Government Resources

Trade Development in Forest ProductsDomestic and international trade issues for the forest products industry, which includes pulp and paper, are found at this site in addition to business analyses of the industry.Many links to trade associations, US companies, trade statistics, and tariff information are present.Provided by the US Department of Commerce.www.ita.doc.gov/td/forestprod/

Other

www.packagingnetwork.comA free on-line newsletter is available at this site.Company news, technical advances, personnel changes within the packaging industry are included.Content includes all packaging materials, not paper alone.