Paper week: A report from the AF&PA Conference

At the 128th Paper Week held in April in New York, the American Forest & Paper Association assembled an interesting group of presenters to cover key problems that continue to afflict the paper and packaging industry, particularly in North America. Among the presenters, the consensus is that the past 18 months have not been good for the paper sector. Specifically, the paper sector remained slack despite background factors seemingly being perfect. Most presenters point to aging paper machines as the culprit. The solution lies in the industry's readiness to look for alternative ways to grow such as looking at new technology, the possibility of restructuring, and looking at changing market trends specifically from the customers' perspectives.