Canfor’s co-op program enhances learning opportunities for students by providing helpful resources, guidance, and hands-on experience. Throughout the course of my placement, my research project was focused on how to recover valuable fibre and chemicals lost through processing fibre. I presented to the engineering, technical and leadership teams at Canfor Pulp my findings.
I recently completed my fibre and chemical recovery project presentation, making recommendations based on my lab studies and providing insights on how Canfor Pulp can improve mill operations. The goal of the project was to determine the optimal way to recover fibre and chemicals lost from the system without negatively impacting the overall pulp process. I was able to apply my work term learnings at Canfor Pulp to the project and presentation, from design and engineering to public speaking.
These term projects and presentations are important in developing engineering and other co-ops because it offers students the time to fully immerse themselves in a project and then present their findings to leadership. It’s a unique opportunity to take ownership of a business challenge and see it through from beginning to end. The findings will be shared with the Canfor Pulp team and has the potential to be used for further research or implementation of some of the recommendations.
Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity to work on this project using the skills I have learned from my colleagues and the engineering team. Being able to present my findings to Canfor’s leadership team highlights how Canfor empowers co-op students to engage in significant tasks that may require additional bandwidth and a dedicated focus. These projects are typically pre-developed by the engineering teams and assigned to co-op students who then dedicate the necessary time and research into outlining how changes can be effectively implemented at Canfor Pulp mills.
