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PaperWeek Canada 2014 Preview

PaperWeek Canada keeps getting bigger and better. The 2014 event is packed with activities and learning opportunities. The conference program achieves a balance of technical topics and business insights from industry leaders. This year is also a milestone. It is the 100th edition of the PAPTAC annual meeting, now known as PaperWeek Canada. PAPTAC is planning a banquet to celebrate the centennial.
PaperWeek Canada runs from Feb. 3-6, 2014, in Montreal. For the most up-to-date schedule and event details, visit www.paperweekcanada.ca.
The keynote speaker list for PaperWeek is impressive. Richard Garneau, president and CEO of Resolute Forest Products and Brian McClay, principal, Brian McClay & Associates Pulp Market will provides insights on the pulp and paper market in the medium-term. Sten B. Nilsson, CEO, Forest Sector Insights AB, will speak on the subject of the transformation of the Canadian forest industry. John D. Williams, president & CEO of Domtar, a company well-versed in innovation and transformation, is also confirmed as a speaker for PaperWeek.
To facilitate attendance for the many disparate sectors of our industry, the conference sessions have been organized into tracks, grouping sessions on the same topic within a condensed time frame. Highlights of the packaging track will be Norampac’s presentation on the recent start-up of the Greenpac state-of-the-art linerboard mill, KSH’s discussion of the restructuring of the North American containerboard industry, and a presentation from the Paper and Paperboard Packaging Environmental Council on sustainability. Technology-oriented presentations are expected from Voith, Kadant, Albany, Kemira, StoweWeavexx, Metso, Buckman, GL&V and AstenJohnson. On the reliability topic, speakers include SKF, GP Allied, R. Coulombe Group and IDCON.
Among the returning attractions are the career fair (supported by Cascades, Domtar, FPInnovations, Kruger, Resolute, Tembec), the trade show with networking events on the show floor and end-of-the-day receptions, and FIBRE Day, featuring the work of the research networks that make up FIBRE. In addition, the International Forest Biorefinery Symposium returns to PaperWeek Canada for the fourth year. This is the most important forest biorefinery program in Canada. It will have sessions on forest biomass resources; biorefining technologies; bioproducts; markets; and building links between the forest and the chemical industry. There is also a special session on BioFuelNet Canada, a Network of Centres of Excellence that brings together the Canadian biofuels research community.
The host hotel for PaperWeek Canada is once again the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, and events generally take place on site. Plan to be in Montreal to take part in the centennial of the pulp and paper industry’s annual gathering.PPC