 "Being told your company's social responsibility: ISO 26000"
Jim
It seems to me that if Ludwig could build a pulp mill (patterned after the former Crown Simpson Pulp mill in Fairhaven, CA) on two barges in Japan which then were transported by sea to the Amazon River in 1978-1979, a micro mill is conceivable.
John Yolton
SKF
Eureka, California, USA
***
Jim,
After reading your exchange of emails with Jim Atkins on micromills, it got me thinking about a couple of things.
I recall that back in the early 1980's when I started working with my late father, Alfred M. Hurter, he told me about a similar concept for a mini paper mill that he had been developing in the early 1970's. His concept was to build a wastepaper-based mill in modules that would fit in standard railway cars. His idea was to be able to move the mill to various locations where wastepaper was readily available. Then all you needed to do is to interconnect the modules in the various rail cars and connect them to power, water supply and effluent disposal. If the wastepaper supply dried up in one place, all you needed to do is disconnect everything and move the mill to a new location with a wastepaper supply. He was about half way through the design when he abandoned the project due to other pressing matters. Note that his end product was tissue as he found a small tissue machine that could fit in the rail car.
Regarding the whole concept of modular mills that are pre-assembled and shippable in containers, this has been done for tissue. The Modulo system was developed about 20 years ago by Perini together with Toschi of Italy. The original designs were for 8, 10 and 12 tons/day and ones for 15 and 20 tons/day were developed later. These plants came with complete deinking lines, the tissue machine, steam boiler etc. The plant was preassembled in the Toschi plant for testing prior to shipping and then dismantled and put in shipping containers. The plant was designed for flat floor installation - no basements - making it easy to install. I do not know if these small Modulo plants are still available but I am aware that Toscotec still uses the Modulo name in some of its designs - see http://tinyurl.com/NI13Apr09
So, your micromill concept is not off the wall but perhaps just for the wrong end product.
Best regards,
Bob Hurter
Ottawa, Canada
***
Hello Jim & Jim,
As to the discussion about an alternate papermaking machine, I was trying to come up with something to add. I thought of something that my daughter posted on the refrigerator door (in her job hunting endeavors), which read (and may be somewhat appropriate),
"Remember, a real decision is measured by the fact you've taken action. If there is no action, then you haven't truly decided", Anthony Robbins.
Anyway, why reinvent the wheel? Much (most?) of newsprint and printing paper may in the not in the too near future go the way of the dodo bird. But all of this is just adding to the rhetoric (BS?) So I should quit fast.
Regards,
Chuck Green
Webster, New York, USA
***
More New Math
Fun.
The pirate definition reminds me of the old joke:
Ran into a pirate the other day. Eye patch, hook and peg leg.
"Wow, what happened to your leg?" "Shark."
"Wow, what happened to your hand?" "Battle."
"Wow, what happened to your eye?" "Bird droppings." "That wouldn't cause you to lose an eye." "Well, you see, it was the day after I got the hook."
Abbreviated.
George Mead
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, USA
***
Jim
Again enjoyed your article, as it very much tracks the discussion we had at our Global Sustainability meeting recently, this appears to be a stick to beat ourselves with. I am a firm believer in sustainable development (you got to make money, look after your people and planet, and have a long term business strategy that continues to deliver shareholder value (they own the company), while employing your people and growing their skills).
However without the making money and the long term business viability you cannot do any of the others, and this is one of many initiatives that seems to miss that fact.
No doubt this will progress, but partially because nobody pushes back.
All the best
Robert Turnbull
Sappi
Braamfontein, South Africa
***
Please dont write to me anymore. I do not share your oppinion.
(name and country withheld)
***
The answer isn't even close!!!
In the first round, 64 teams play 32 games. Each game has two possible outcomes. Therefore, there are 2^32 (2 raised to the 32nd power, or 2x2x2x2x2...32 times) different combinations of winners in the first round. In the second round there are 32 teams playing 16 games with 2^16 outcomes. Round three has 2^8 outcomes, round 4 has 2^4 outcomes, round 5 has 2^2 outcomes, and the championship game has 2 outcomes. Multiply all these together, and you have 2^63 possible ways the brackets could be filled out. Now add the play-in game. This is a game played between two last-seeded teams on the Tuesday following the Sunday of the final selection of the other teams. Since there are two outcomes possible for the play-in game, the total possibilities become 2^64.
2^64 = 1.844 x 10^19!!! this is 1844 followed by 16 zeroes, a far, far bigger number than the trillions of dollars in our federal deficit.
Steven J. Moore
Wausau Paper Corp.
Rhinelander, Wisconsin, USA
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