Crash Course

Information destruction professionals interested in learning more about the dynamics shaping the paper recycling industry will want to mark their calendars to attend the Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show Oct. 14 to 16. The event, which is hosted by the Recycling Today Media Group (publisher of Storage & Destruction Business) and event partner, the Paper Stock Industries Chapter (PSI) of the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI), is in downtown Chicago at the Marriott Magnificent Mile.
 

Up For Discussion
Among the keynote speakers addressing attendees of the 2012 Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show is David Oppedahl, a business economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Oppedahl speaks about the factors influencing the economy in general and the paper recycling and manufacturing industries in particular Monday, Oct. 15, from 8:30 to 10 a.m. A question-and-answer period follows his presentation, providing attendees with a forum to share their thoughts and concerns.

A second keynote session, Tuesday, Oct. 16, begins at 8:30 a.m. In “Milling Around,” speakers discuss how paper mills are responding to changes in recovered fiber supply. Moderated by Bill Moore of Atlanta-based Moore & Associates, a paper industry consulting group, the session features Matt Nightingale, vice president of business development with FutureMark Paper, Benoit Gratton, director of energy procurement with Cascades, and Myles Cohen, president of Pratt Industries.

From top to bottom; Conference attendees listen to panelists at a keynote session during the 2011 Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show. Bill Moore of Moore & Associates, Atlanta, addresses the audience during a session at the 2011 event. Industry professionals network and learn about new products and technology for the industry in the exhibit hall.

The Paper Recycling Conference opens with numerous workshops Sunday, Oct. 14, including a session about securely destroying products and information. In the workshop, titled “Safe & Secure,” panelists examine the security issues related to handling sensitive information in printed and digital form as well as off-spec or obsolete products. Speakers include Neil Gloger of InterGroup International, Euclid, Ohio; Marilyn Slavin of Green Delete, Chicago; and Trisha Rooney Alden and Greg Smitas or R4 Services, Chicago.

Moore of Moore & Associates also is scheduled to speak about recent trends in global recovered paper supply and demand and provides the firm’s outlook going forward five years in the workshop titled “Global Recovered Paper Markets Supply & Demand” from 3:30 to 5 p.m. An $75 fee is required for this workshop.

Attendees looking for an assessment of the health of the forest products and paper recycling industries will want to attend the PSI Sponsored session “Industry Assessment,” Monday, Oct. 15, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. In this session, a panel of analysts and consultants to the forest products and paper recycling industries discusses the trends driving these industries.

The growth in recovered paper exports makes the session “Beyond Borders” a natural draw for anyone handling recovered paper. In this roundtable discussion, scheduled for Oct. 15 from 1 to 2:30 p.m., a panel of industry veterans examines the roles of emerging markets and provides insight into how international trade of recovered fiber is likely to develop. Among the speakers scheduled for this session are Robes Nelson of Cellmark Recycling, headquartered in Sweeden; Cees Van Berkel of CVB Ecologistics, based in the Netherlands; and Patty Norris of Federal International, St. Louis.

A second PSI-sponsored session from 3 to 4 p.m. Monday focuses on recovered fiber specifications. In “Getting Specific,” a PSI representative addresses revisions to paper stock specifications as prepared by the group.

Complete programming information, including an updated list of speakers and session descriptions, is available at http://americas.paperrecyclingconference.com/Schedule.aspx.
 

Getting Down to Business
This year’s event is sure to attract business leaders from across the nation and around the globe for a diverse program of panel discussions covering the current factors affecting the recovered fiber industry. The Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show brings together suppliers, consumers, equipment vendors, state and local recycling officials and other professionals affiliated with the recovered fiber industry. The conference provides an important forum in which to network with industry colleagues, share opportunities and ideas and discuss strategies to create growth.

The Paper Recycling Conference also includes an exhibit hall featuring more than 60 suppliers to the paper industry, from baler manufacturers to shredder manufacturers to logistics companies. These equipment and service providers are ready to show off their latest products and technology and can assist your operation by improving production efficiencies or by buying and selling secondary fiber.

In addition to the opening reception Sunday evening from 5 to 6:30, the exhibit hall hosts numerous refreshment breaks and lunches Monday and Tuesday, providing attendees with ample opportunity for networking with other industry professionals as well as with suppliers.
 

Full conference registration for the first and second attendee from the same company before Oct. 6, 2012, costs $495 per person. Three or more attendees from the same company and PSI members can register for a rate of $425 per person. Full conference registration includes admission to all educational tracks, Paper Recycling Conference & Trade Show educational materials (jump drive, agenda, etc.), continental breakfast service (pastries, coffee/tea/juice) Monday and Tuesday, cocktail receptions (light appetizers/open bar) Sunday and Monday and lunch Monday and Tuesday. A trade show only pass is available at a cost of $300 per person before Oct. 6, as is a single-day registration.

Registration, exhibit and sponsorship information is available by visiting www.PaperRecyclingConference.com.

The author is editor of SDB and can be contacted at dtoto@gie.net.