By Martin Bayliss
This issue of the magazine has a strong focus on energy.
It's a subject that is of interest to us all every day,
whether we are filling up the car, paying the electricity
bill or helping to make our operations more efficient.
In business or in our private lives, the rising cost
of energy, the environmental impact of using it and the
realisation that dwindling supplies and political conflicts
could lead to a dramatic worsening of the situation are
making us realise the importance of reducing consumption.
Rising living standards worldwide means that our demand
for energy in the decades ahead will increase, whatever
measures we take today. The much-touted Kyoto Agreement
won’t actually reduce consumption, just reduce
the pace of growth and, we hope, its impact on global
warming. Nonetheless, we would all do well to take what
steps we can to cut out personal consumption, both to
protect our pockets and the environment.
Reader input to the magazine is welcome
across a
broad front: production, marketing, training
etc etc
How much more important then, for industry to move decisively
to take advantage of new technologies that help reduce
consumption and costs. It has been estimated that, even
in the harsh climate of Sweden, domestic consumers individually
use a tiny fraction of what is required to run industry.
A modern Swedish house uses an estimated 24,000 kWh per
year of energy, equivalent to 10 hours of tissue production.
Fortunately, as articles in this issue of the magazine
show, new technology and good management practice can
significantly reduce consumption When the energy cost
of a tonne of paper is double that of the capital cost
of the machine that makes it, it obviously makes a lot
of sense to choose energy-saving technology, even if
the initial investment is higher. And if, as seems likely,
energy prices continue to rise in the future, producers
without energy efficient production lines will increasingly
be squeezed out.
Energy is not a key theme just for this issue of the
magazine. We will be focusing on energy conservation
regularly in the months ahead. The subject is obviously
one of the most critical facing the industry - and all
of us - in the future.
Calling on our readers
Tissue World welcomes your input to this critical debate.
In an industry where secrecy is almost an obsession,
surely energy is one area where we have more to gain
by cooperation and openness than to lose by letting
competitors know our secrets. So if you, whether in
mills, converting plants or, indeed, any other aspect
of the business, have an interesting energy saving
idea to share with other Tissue World readers, please
let us know.
Of course, we are not interested only in energy-saving
ideas. Reader input to the magazine is welcome across
a broad front: production, marketing, training etc etc.
We referred above to the secrecy which characterises
this business, and which sometimes seems exaggerated.
Most companies probably have more to gain from publicising
their achievements than by hiding them.
In Tissue World over the years we have published many
articles about companies’ experiences with new
machines, technologies and ideas. We hope to do much
more of this in the future. In particular, it is our
belief that many smaller companies have interesting stories
to tell. You may not have the technical sophistication
or full range of expertise that is found in the Big Four,
but you surely have stories to tell.
You, our readers, are a disparate group of people. Among
you some produce tissue, others convert it into finished
products, yet others distribute it to the end user. Some
of you are suppliers and consultants who help with technology
and advice. In total more than 7000 of you, in over 100
countries, receive the magazine, and pass-on readership
certainly multiplies that number.
So this is an appeal to you. This is your magazine.
This is an opportunity for you not only to learn about
what others are doing but to tell the world what you
are doing. If you have something you think would interest
our readers, you can tell them through our pages. So
if you have something that you are really proud of, something
that you have achieved on a personal level or for your
company, please let us know. TW
