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REFLECTIONS FROM THE FRONT LINES OF INDUSTRY TRANSFORMATIONMarch 28 2012For the last decade I have been on the front line of a historic shift in the fabric of the Canadian forest products industry. Its odyssey through tumultuous times is in itself a fascinating story but it also offers insights into the challenges and changes faced by the entire Canadian economy. Read This Op EdTHE NEW GLITZY FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY: An Emerging Player in the Bio-EconomyMarch 28 2012By Catherine Cobden Recent media reports have suggested that one of Canada’s oldest economic sectors, the forest products industry, is in great need, as one prominent newspaper put it, of some razzmatazz. After all, the market for paper products has been shrinking and the malaise in the American housing market continues to depress demand for lumber. Might the mighty forest products sector of the past be on its way to fading into the sunset? Read This Op EdA Fresh Future - Canadian BiomassMarch 28 2012
Written by Catherine Cobden In a previous column, I talked about the changing face of the forest sector in Canada. After a difficult decade, there’s a new buzz and a fresh, new face to the forest products industry. It has become more competitive and productive, aggressively cultivating new products and markets, leveraging world-leading environmental credentials in the marketplace and vigorously pursuing ways to extract more value from every tree in the form of bioenergy, biochemicals and biomaterials. The industry is transforming, brimming with opportunity and on the move. Read This Op EdCANADA’S FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY: A CHANGE IN ATTITUDE = A CHANGE IN FORTUNEMarch 16 2012Bone replacements, jet fuel, and auto-parts made from wood fibre. These are not the kind of products you would normally associate with the forest products industry ― a sector historically known for cutting trees, sawing them into lumber and selling them to the nearest market. These traditional activities will always be at the core of our sector. But today’s competitive global economy requires new thinking about our forest resource. Instead of building a business model based on a “commodity consciousness”, we need to instead embrace a “market consciousness” that responds to the shifting demands of the marketplace. Read This Op EdThe Canadian Forest Products Industry – green, innovative and open to the worldDecember 01 2011As we close the curtain on the 2011 International Year of Forest, it’s a good time to take stock of one of Canada’s oldest and most important industries ―about where it is and where it wants to go. Read This Op EdWANNA GO ON A DATE?November 01 2011You wouldn’t normally expect a magazine dealing with biomass to carry a column promoting a dating service. No, we’re not actually talking about roses and champagne. But all the same, the Canadian forest industry has launched its version of a match-making service to encourage the formation of relationships. Specifically the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) has been setting up a meeting place to link up various sectors interested in exploring business development opportunities using wood-based bio-products. Read This Op EdRAIL SHIPPERS TO GOVERNMENT: PLEASE HONOUR YOUR PROMISE NOWSeptember 01 2011Hard-working rail shippers cheered when the Conservative government announced back in March that it would “enhance the effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of the entire rail freight supply chain”. Read This Op EdTHE NEW GLITZY FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY: An Emerging Player in the Bio-EconomyAugust 01 2011Recent media reports have suggested that one of Canada’s oldest economic sectors, the forest products industry, is in great need, as one prominent newspaper put it, of some razzmatazz. After all, the market for paper products has been shrinking and the malaise in the American housing market continues to depress demand for lumber. Might the mighty forest products sector of the past be on its way to fading into the sunset? Read This Op Ed |
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