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42nd Annual PRIMA Conference
THE PAPER UNIVERSE IN TRANSITION
New Links. New Structures. New You.
22-24 May 2011, Berlin, Germany |
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Delegates about PRIMA 2011:
"A very informative and enjoyable conference"
"The focus on China was excellent"
"Very good, interesting and dynamic speakers"
"Hard to find any weak points. It is a very good conference"
"Excellent over all"
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Disrupt or be disrupted!
True to its style, this year´s 42nd Annual PRIMA Conference didn´t pull any punches when it came to telling the industry some unpalatable truths. This year´s theme was all about transition: What´s driving the fight for the consumer´s attention, who is winning and why? How can the industry manage such transition and survive to tell the tale? Print clearly isn´t among the leaders so far in the changing world order: Does it stand a chance against the new world giants such as Google and Apple? Is there a chance of salvation from the emerging economies or will they leapfrog paper altogether?
On hand to discuss the drivers of transition, managing transition and the global dynamics of East meeting West were experts from both the new and old orders, from within and outside the chain: They explained the challenges for paper and laid down the gauntlet: Disrupt or be disrupted: The industry has three options in the face of new media; to panic, ignore or seize the opportunity.
Since option three is the only viable choice, it´s a case of getting wet in order to learn to swim. The future is about community and relationships. It´s not about a specific medium but about combining media, of which print is one element, and new hybrid solutions could be more than the sum of their parts.
Delegates were warned, however, that seizing opportunity will require new business models, real innovation, partnerships in new areas and unprecedented cooperation along the value chain. E-books may well be outselling their printed counterparts on Amazon in the USA, but that doesn´t mean that print is dead. On the contrary, print is special, but the industry must create and communicate if it is to stay that way.
It has the potential to do this. In a world of shrinking resources where it will be imperative to make more from less in a sustainable way, the tree could be key if the industry seizes its chance and maximises its, as yet, untapped potential. While non-integrated producers may find the transition harder, there is considerable room for growth away from commodities. Speciality markets, smart packaging, hybrid media solutions, new alternatives to fossil-fuel based materials, all are waiting to be developed. Integrated papermakers and pulp mills are uniquely placed to position themselves at the core of a Third Revolution at the heart of which will be sustainable forestry and a whole host of applications for cellulose. The competition for wood will be fierce, however, and there is no time to waste if the industry is to retain its ownership of the forest.
By the end of day two, the message was clear: The future doesn´t lie in the past, the good old days will not return. Transition means evolution and change. Make the most of it, delegates were told: Improving productivity is now a given, markets and products need to be diversified and innovative, and green credentials must be communicated. If a united paper chain can translate its fantastic environmental performance into competitive advantage and extract more value from everything it does, the future may be bright after all.
All presentation slides are avaiable for download (conference delegates only). Log in details were distributed during the conference. Should you have mislaid your password, please contact PRIMA. |
presentation slides
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Berry Wiersum, CEO Sappi Fine Paper Europe, Host of PRIMA 2011, opened the conference with the keynote address
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