PPI Awards 2011 - And the winners are ...

By Mark Rushton, Editor, Pulp & Paper International Magazine, RISI

BRUSSELS, Nov. 21, 2011 (RISI) - The PPI Awards evening held in the middle of November was yet another memorable occasion as top industry achievers from all over the globe were recognized. This is only the third time that PPI has held the awards, and each year the quality and quantity of entries multiplies as it rapidly becomes one of the industry's must attend events.

Congratulations to all the nominees and their amazing achievements.

Managing Risk and Safety Award

Sponsored by FM Global

Winner: Smurfit Kappa España, Spain

The priority for Smurfit Kappa's Mengíbar Mill has been to make all personnel aware of activities to preventing damage to the facility, and also how to avoid any potential environmental damage. Programs like Safety Week, with the 2010 slogan "Heath & Safety, Everybody's Role," included roundtable discussions and contests to encourage participation and sharing new ideas. In 2007, a Near-Miss program was started, analyzing every incident to prevent accidents before they occur. The effect has been overwhelmingly positive: no loss time accidents have been reported at the mill since 2009.

Runners-up:
- Ahlstrom, Finland
- BILT Graphics Paper Products, Bhigwan Unit, India
- Ilim Group, Russia
- Mondi Dynäs, Sweden
- Mondi SCP, Slovakia

Sponsored by Kemira

Winner: Bio PAPPEL International, Prewitt Mill, USA

Being situated 7,000 feet above sea level produces its own set of water challenges to generate 225,000 tons of recycled linerboard per year. Because of its single water source and lacking a permit to discharge water, Prewitt needed to go further with water reclamation and reuse than a traditional mill and in the process made the mill a zero-liquid discharge facility. Certified FSC and SFI, Prewitt faces a daily task to produce "clean water" from an inconsistent and dirty feed, but at the same time has achieved a 30% reduction in water consumption over the last ten years.

Runners-up:
- AbitibiBowater, Mokpo Mill, South Korea
- Caraustar, Carotell Paperboard, USA
- BILT Graphic Paper Produts, Bhigwan Unit, India
- Smurfit Kappa Group, Los Reyes Mill, Mexico

Environmental Strategy of the Year Award (Company)

Sponsored by Metso

Winner: Domtar, Canada

Domtar was named one of the Top 100 Greenest Companies by Newsweek magazine in 2010. Since then the company has introduced "The Paper Trail," a revolutionary tool that lets customers and interested parties measure the environmental impact of Domtar paper. Believing that transparency is the critical component of sustainability, The Paper Trail measures water usage, the distance fiber travels to the mill, greenhouse gas emissions, waste to landfills and renewable energy usage. Real-world equivalents are offered to translate the measurements to easily understandable metrics. Through this project and others, Domtar is letting the customer decide.

Runners-up:
- Mondi Syktyvkar, Russia
- Shaniv Paper, Israel
- Smurfit Kappa Carton de Colombia, Colombia
- Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers, India

Green Energy and Biofuels Award

Sponsored by Andritz

Winner: ArjoWiggins Dalum Papir, Denmark

Dalum Paper is a leader in the recycled fine paper market and has become a green energy supplier of district heating. On average, 15% of all households in Odense consume recovered heat from the mill, allowing the city to close a coal-fired plant. Wanting to reduce the mill's energy consumption, a five-year project focused on capturing excess heat from paper production and implementing a new energy source. This investment in new technology to switch from natural gas to biofuel, along with optimizing existing equipment, changed the mission for the company. As a result, electricity consumption has been reduced by 13%, steam by 64%, and a 93% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Runners-up:
- Mondi Štetí, Czech Republic
- Mondi Swiecie, Poland
- Mondi Stambolijski, Bulgaria

Environmental Strategy of the Year Award (Mill)

Sponsored by Cargill

Winner: Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers, India

The mill is certified ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and Chain of Custody and Controlled Wood by FSC. A leading producer of paper from bagasse, TNPL follows a basic philosophy of improving its economy of operation by better environmental management. Through multi-year projects, water consumption per metric ton of paper was reduced by 40% from 2007 - 2011. A project to generate energy from wastewater resulted in a 39% decrease of discharges. Currently, the mill is piloting a zero liquid discharge project and plans to increase its use of renewable.

Runners-up:
- BILT Graphic Paper Products, Bhigwan Unit, India
- BILT Graphic Paper Products, Ballarpur Unit, India
- North Pacific Paper Corporation (Norpac), Longview Mill, USA
- Sappi Fine Paper North America, Somerset Mill, USA
- Smurfit Kappa Nettingsdorfer Mill, Austria

Promotional Campaign of the Year Award - Environmental Message

Sponsored by HP and Colorlok Technology

Winner: Domtar, Canada - Paperbecause

PAPERbecause was created out of a concern that the benefits of going paperless have been over-simplified and the strong environmental performance of paper production underreported. Structured on an earlier successful campaign focusing on the environmental aspects of paper, PAPERbecause was a more far-reaching approach to highlight the societal, behavioral and emotional implications of using paper. Along with Paperbecause.com, the fully integrated advertising and awareness campaign stressed not only paper's benefits, but also the fact that electronics and paper can exist side by side, without one serving as an absolute substitute for the other. Since the campaign's launch, awareness of the Domtar brand and of the company's efforts in sustainability has increased significantly.

Runners-up:
- International Paper, Belgium - The Little Book Series
- Kruger Products, Canada - Sustainability 2015
- Sappi Fine Paper North America, USA - eQ Sustainability Program

Promotional Campaign of the Year Award - Pulp, Paper and Board Product

Sponsored by Kadant

Winner: Ibema Papel, Brazil - Ibema Gravure Contest for Students

Ibema describes gravure as "the graphic arts mother" and it represents the highest value that a single sheet of paper can reach. Due to the importance of gravure for the culture of graphic arts and the graphic industry, and to bring a new generation of students to this area, Ibema created a gravure contest to promote the value of this artistic activity. Supported by the Brazilian Printing Industry Association and the Brazilian Technical Printing Association, this annual contest is important because it contributes to the culture, education and value of paper and the printing industry.

Runners-up:
- Asia Pulp and Paper, Indonesia - IK Yellow Photocopy Paper Contest
- Grupo Portucel Soporcel, Portugal - Pioneer - New Image Campaign
- Sappi Fine Paper North America, USA - Digital Design Center Campaign
- Sappi Fine Paper North America, USA - Flo Channel/Off Register Campaign

Sponsored by Eka

Winner: LC Paper, Spain

LC Paper has squeezed its energy costs for tissue production to just over half the typical cost of running a tissue machine in Europe. Since installing a new machine in 2009, the mill's average energy cost is just over 84 Euros/tonne, compared to an average of 157 Euros/tonne in Europe. Knowing the tissue machine hood held the key to the most potential energy savings, LC Paper began with a blank sheet of paper to see how to operate as efficiently as possible and integrate effectively with its co-generation facility.

Runners-up:
- BILT Graphic Paper Products, Bhigwan Unit, India
- BILT Graphic Paper Products, Ballarpur Unit, India
- Domtar Kamloops Mill, Canada
- Mondi Dynäs, Sweden
- Mondi SCP, Slovakia

Sponsored by BTG

Winner: Södra Cell, Sweden - Dura Pulp

DuraPulp is a bio-composite mix of wood pulp and a biodegradable polymer. When the mix is heated, the plastic encapsulates the paper fibers and the two components take on special properties such as humidity resistance, tensile strength and rigidity. The result is a material with all the properties of ordinary paper but with the difference that it can cope with larger changes in weight and humidity. Like paper, the material is fully biodegradable and recyclable, extremely lightweight and durable. Used in such early applications as a designer lamp and the world's first fully biodegradable chair, DuraPulp offers exciting potential applications previously unexplored by pulp companies.

Runners-up:
- Cascades, Canada - Rolland Enviro100 Satin
- Cascades Tissue Group, Canada - Cascades Moka Unbleached Bathroom Tissue
- Deltaclip International, The Netherlands - Deltaclip
- Gold East Paper Jiangsu, China - NEVIA Medical Imaging Paper
- Holmen Paper, Sweden - Holmen VIEW
- Mondi Dynäs, Sweden - Advantage MF Spring Pack Plus
- Smurfit Kappa Specialties Division, The Netherlands - Euroboard Spezial Kraft

Sponsored by Voith

Winner: Domsjö Fabriker, Sweden

Using a strategy of "Make more from the tree," Domsjö now turns as many wood components as possible into profitable products, with the rest slated for energy production. One of its products is specialty cellulose used in viscose fabrics, medical tablets, and paint and heat protection for space shuttles. Another is a biogas sold for steam and electricity production throughout Sweden. Investing in further development of wet and dry cellulose, the company is preparing to expand to other areas of textiles and energy. Through investment and R&D, the facility has become one of the few biorefinery centers in the world based on wood as the raw material. Domsjö is ready to take its biorefinery to the next level and take advantage of the world's growing demand for green.

Runners-up:
- Domtar, Canada
- FutureMark Paper, USA
- Södra Cell, Sweden

Mill Manager of the Year Award

Sponsored by ABB

Winner: Karl Heinz Gerlach - Smurfit Kappa Group, Herzberger PapierFabrik, Germany

Karl-Heinz Gerlach is the Managing Director of the Herzberger Papierfabrik mill, which produces nearly 260,000 tons of various board grades for customers throughout Europe. Promoted to the position in 1999, Mr. Gerlach introduced an integrated management system, new environmental programs and emphasized controlling costs through a lean production structure strongly focused on automation. Under his management, the mill's output has increased almost 250%. With the reputation of a dedicated, driven and creative person, passionate about his business, Mr. Gerlach was recognized for his achievements within the Smurfit Kappa Group as Manager of the Year in 2008.

Runners-up:
- Emmanuel Boullay - Cascades Sonoco, Birmingham Mill, USA
- Gerhard Kornfeld, Mondi Syktyvkar, Russia
- Roger Hagan, RockTenn, Solvay Mill, USA
- Siddha Jothykrishnan Varadarajan, Tamil Nadu Newsprint and Papers, India
- Tom Detwiler, Domtar, Johnsonburg Mill, USA

Global CEO of the Year Award

Sponsored by StepChange Consulting

Winner: Paul Herbert, CEO, Ilim Group, Russia

Paul Herbert has been the CEO of Russia's largest pulp and paper company, the Ilim Group, for four years. In that time, Mr. Herbert modernized the company's forest operations, including the world's biggest purchase of forest equipment, and started the world's largest NSSC pulp plant. Under his leadership, Ilim reached record production volumes in Ust-Ilimsk and Koryazhma, overall production has exceeded 2.5 million, and sales have reached $2 billion. With over 40 years experience in the industry, Mr. Herbert has worked at all levels in the industry, from engineering to production and business. Serving as a senior executive, he has been on the front-edge of M&A activity around the globe, concluding deals whose value total $5 billion. With an everyman's approach to his employees and a wealth of worldwide experience, Mr. Herbert is propelling Ilim forward as an international pulp, paper and board producer.

Runners-up:
- Antonio Maciel Neto, CEO, Suzano - Brazil
- David Hathorn, CEO, Mondi - South Africa/UK
- James Rubright, Chairman and CEO, RockTenn - USA
- Jussi Pesonen, President and CEO, UPM

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