TAPPI Tissue Forum to Explore Business and Market Trends, Latest Technical Innovations

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The new Tissue Forum at TAPPI’s 2011 PaperCon will run all day Tuesday, May 3, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., with two sessions in the morning and two sessions in the afternoon. In addition to in-depth analyses of market trends in the tissue sector, papers presented in the Tissue Forum will provide updates on the latest technical innovations, as well as safety and reliability best practices for operating yankee dryers.

In the Tissue Market Overview session on Tuesday morning, Soile Kilpi, principal, Poyry Management Consulting USA, presents a situation assessment that covers the market outlook, demand, and supply and capacity development in North America with a glimpse into global developments. Insights will be provided into at-home and away-from-home segment opportunities and challenges, and there will be a discussion about brands and private labels and quality tier developments. Outlook for fiber – virgin and recycled will be commented upon as well as sources for raw materials and future outlook. Producer moves and new product launches will be highlighted. In addition, China will be briefly explored in terms of raw materials and tissue market outlook.

The state of the industry session is followed by a close-up look at brand building in tough times. Jacques D. Hagopian, Brand Manager – Charmin, Procter & Gamble, provides an overview of P&G, and highlights the fundamentals of brand management. These brand building fundamentals are brought to life using the Charmin bath tissue brand as a case study. Examples of recent Charmin marketing executions will cover a wide variety of consumer touch points ranging from traditional TV, digital media, and experiential marketing all rooted in a single consumer inspired idea.

Chris Luettgen, senior research and engineering manager, Global Manufacturing Support, Kimberly-Clark Professional Business, explores the role of sustainability in brand building. As Luettgen explains, delivering products designed to enhance peoples’ lives in a manner that is socially, environmentally, and economically responsible has been integral to Kimberly-Clark’s organizational values for decades. These values have provided a strong foundation for the company’s journey towards leadership in sustainability. This presentation will explore the strategic initiatives, challenges, key learning, and overall progress made as Kimberly-Clark has worked to integrate principles of sustainable development throughout its global organization.

The second morning session looks at recent developments in tissue functional properties, with three being explored in some detail. First, a fracture mechanics description of the creping process will be presented. The model provides guidance in understanding and optimizing the creping process to produce high quality products. Second, various technical approaches to measuring intrinsic absorptive properties of both variable density (structured) and unstructured (conventional) towel products are discussed. These approaches are discussed in view of consumer input regarding "absorp-ability." Third, new technologies are presented based on advanced polymer chemistry and biotechnology research that suggest future directions for wet strength resin developments. Examples include engineered proteins, boronic acid chemistry, polymer multilayers and nanogels. Presentations include:

• Modeling and Simulation of the Creping Process by Melur K. Ramasubramanian, North Carolina State University
• Paper Towel Absorptive Properties: Analytical Measurement and Consumer Preference by Dave W. Loebker, PhD, Procter & Gamble
• New Polymers for Wet Strength – An Academic Perspective by Robert H. Pelton, McMaster University.

The two afternoon sessions are both panel discussions, beginning with a detailed look at projects by the TAPPI Yankee Dryer Safety and Reliability Committee to deal with missing, inadequate, or lack of adherence to standard practices that lead to Yankee dryer delay. causing low productivity and negatively affecting safety. Committee Projects include creating a Reliability Standard Practice Knowledge book, developing a Visual Yankee Dryer Safety Standard, and improving service provider and owner-user capability using Standard Practices. To do this a number of subcommittees were formed to address various delay issues. These actions will be discussed by:

• Yankee Dryer Steam and Condensate Systems, Pekka Kormano, Deublin Steam Systems
• High Temperature Air Systems (Hoods), John Holton, Metso
• Cast Iron Yankee Dryer Maintenance and Inspections, Clive Butler, PMT Industries
• Yankee Dryer Surface Reliability, Sam Archer, Nalco.

In the final panel session on tissue forming systems, two industry experts discuss practical aspects and/or new developments in tissue forming. Each panelist will give a brief introductory presentation, and then will take questions and comments from the audience. Micheal J. Hendricks, BTG Americas, will discuss "Consistency Measurement and Control in a Tissue Mill – The Often Neglected Parameter." Jay A. Shands, Johnson Foils, will follow with a discussion of Tissue Forming.

More information about the Tissue Forum is available online.