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40th Annual PRIMA Conference
10 - 12 May 2009, Turin, Italy
Paper - in Search of Relevance
Facing the biggest challenges since Gutenberg |
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Is paper still relevant and in what way? What should the industry do to secure its future in the new world order? Is there a future for paper at all in the digital world? Will paper become a mere by-product of the bioenergy and waste management industries? Who will own the supply chain? These and many more questions were the subject of the 40th annual PRIMA conference which took place in the historic city of Turin, Italy, in May 2009.
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PRIMA conferences have a reputation for making delegates think outside the box, but this year’s event was not for the faint-hearted. "Paper - in search of relevance, Facing the biggest challenges since Gutenberg" was this year’s theme and the presentations pulled no punches.
The industry is facing the greatest global paradigm shifts in centuries, from the growth of new media to the environment, demographics and a changing supply chain - and all of these in tandem with the worst global recession many have ever known. "As an industry observer for many years," said session chairman Peter Berg, "this is probably the first conference I’ve attended where there has been a general consensus that everything is not going our way."
The worst may not be over and when recovery comes, it may not be complete. This economic crisis is different because it is affecting not only present consumption levels but will also modify consumers´ attitudes in the future on a truly global scale. Producers will have to get used to operating in low-growth or declining markets. Paper will not be a given, but an active choice in many applications - producers will have to fight for the right to be chosen against the new media.
Clearly then, to ignore the paradigm shifts would be suicide, and there will be casualties. But one man´s challenge is another´s opportunity, and for those who seek them, the opportunities are out there. Restructuring, consolidation, a focus on value not volume, cost reduction programmes - these are all happening, but the industry needs to do more, much more.
To remain relevant, pulp and paper producers will have to reinvent themselves, adding real value, innovative smart products and a fuller range of services than is currently the case. Sustainability remains a key and one which needs communicating and capitalising upon. Bio power represents a huge opportunity for diversification into other industries, as do waste and forest management services.
Against the threat of new media, paper will have to fight for its place among tighter advertising budgets and consumers spoilt for choice. But for the innovative and value conscious, the future can still be bright.
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Mr Girolamo Marchi, CEO of Burgo Group opened the conference
Prof. Norbert Walter, Deutsche Bank Group spoke about global economy
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