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AUVSI is the acronym for Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. This organization has been in business for 42 years. Whether in the air, on land, or in the sea, if it is robotic, this association is at the cutting edge. I had the privilege of spending a day at their 2015 Convention in Atlanta on 5 May 15.

In the exhibit area, there were 99 exhibitors categorized as "Automated Vehicle Applications," 136 in the "Camera Systems/Imaging/Vision" category, 173 representing "Commercial Applications" and 71 "Public Safety" applications. Interestingly, in a general way, nothing to do with pulp and paper, in the "Maritime" category there were 45 "Subsurface" and 66 "Surface" exhibitors. Keep in mind all these companies have a stake in robotic control expertise. There were also many additive manufacturing suppliers broken into two categories--those who make parts and those who make machines to make parts.

As you know, I have been advocating these new technologies for many years. I think the pulp and paper company that adopts some of these technologies can gain a great advantage. The news from AUVSI is that these ideas are not in the future, they are now. Ignore them at your peril.

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For instance, one fact that was announced in the opening session was this: it is estimated that in the USA, there are now 1 million drone flights per day. The opportunities and the risks presented by just this fact alone are astounding. I bought my second drone (or RPA--Remotely Piloted Aircraft) in January as I continue to test and explore what we might be able to do with these devices. What I saw at this show makes it look as if it were one of Columbus' ships, it is so out of date already.

So, where are we as relates to the pulp and paper industry?

1. You need to seriously consider making spare parts on site with a 3-D printer now. These are not toys, they are not experimental. They make parts cheaper, quicker and allow you to maintain a lower inventory than your maintenance department has ever experienced before. Additionally, don't think parts have to be made of steel. There are many composite printers that are making parts superior to steel parts that will withstand wear, pressure and temperature applications you are experiencing now.

2. I have been thinking of RPAs as only applicable to onsite inspections. This is now limited thinking. If you use recycled fiber, within a couple of years you will be sending RPAs to regularly inspect the storage facilities of your suppliers: Is the fiber being stored in a protected way, what are the outthrows that are being missed due to their sorting process and so forth? Things you have never been able to inspect before, due to cost, and that are detrimental to incoming fiber quality will be possible now.

3. If you are a virgin fiber producer, expect the forest certification bodies to demand you trace the fiber by truckload from the forest to your mill. You will be able to do this and they will expect you to do this down to the individual log level.

4. The camera and vision people have some very interesting applications under way. Using high speed, high definition video and proprietary software (which likely will soon submit to standardization) they are analyzing video for attributes and turning the results into quantifiable numbers. This will then allow you to manipulate the data from video to control other activities. For instance, you will be able to view a Fourdrinier table and derive data from the optical view to control your process. Very, very powerful.

5. Driverless over the road trucks are literally just around the corner. I say expect them on the road in limited numbers within twenty-four months. Shortly thereafter, their population will explode. This will completely change the logistics game.

6. The speakers at the convention said that by far the biggest and fastest growth category for drone applications is retail delivery. It is literally only waiting for FAA approval. So, containerboard producers, expect new specifications for your products as they will need to be made to be compatible with the demands of retail shippers such as Amazon. As an aside, this is astounding--we have gone from "Rule 41," the old railroad box standard, to a standard for manufacturing boxes to be handled by drones in less than thirty years.

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The mistaken idea that uptime is directly related to market conditions: Mills generally run flat out ... Check out the latest edition of Strategic & Financial Arguments.

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I thought I was up to date on these developments. This convention and exhibit left me feeling I have just been scratching the surface.

Has your mill bought its 3-D printer or its first drone? A simple yes or no answer on our quiz this week will help us all to understand the level of adoption of this technology.

For safety this week, drone inspections of high places should drastically reduce fall dangers.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

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