Week of 19 February 2018: Transportation Optimization
Jim Thompson
Email Jim at jthompson@taii.com Listen to this column in your favorite format I was introduced to "Just-in-Time" manufacturing concepts sometime in the mid-1980s--over thirty years ago. At that time, this meant that suppliers of paper products were supposed to keep warehouses full of product made to customers' specifications and deliver it to them on a moment's notice. We kept it on our books, assumed the liability for its potential damage or loss and owned the warehouses. Some savings! **** Save the date! The Pulp and Paper Industry Reliability and Maintenance conference, sponsored by IDCON and Andritz, will be held March 19-22, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. **** **** Jim Thompson is back again...with a new book on a taboo subject: the personalities in the pulp & paper industry. Jim has written in the past on many subjects based on his four plus decades in the worldwide pulp and paper industry. This new book is packed full of information valuable to the senior member of the industry as well as the recent entrant. A must for every pulp and paper library. **** This tiny compendium of logistics improvements would be incomplete without a nod towards intermodal shipping, invented in North Carolina in the 1950s. Not so important for domestic shipping, intermodal containers have revolutionized international shipping and reduced costs considerably from the days of stevedores loading and unloading every shipment mode at every shipment node. The intermodal container, or "connex," in some circles, has been as revolutionary and cost saving as anything else I have mentioned here. My dream, however, is that someday we will fabricate these containers of corrugated board, not steel, and simply repulp them at the location where they wear out, no matter where they are in the world. Perhaps this vision is a matter of pride in our own industry on my part! **** EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES: * An expanding company is looking for a Corporate Industrial Electro-Mechanical Engineer near Allentown, PA. Relocation is available. Do you have a storied list of unique electrical and mechanical engineering skills you're ready to take to the next level? Do you envision yourself in a corporate-level leadership role that your experience finally merits? And do you relish any opportunity to troubleshoot and solve real-time problems, all while designing and installing new services and systems that will not only ensure safety, but also turn a potentially hazardous work environment into a continuously thriving one? If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412. * We are a large automation company that has a line of consistency transmitters, sample valves and sheet break detectors that are marketed through a rep. network. We are seeking someone with a strong background in consistency control to facilitate start-ups, provide troubleshooting and technical advice. The individual should have experience in all major types of consistency measurement technologies (blade, rotary, microwave and optical). Knowledge of sheet break detection technology is desirable as well. Willingness to travel to paper production facilities across the US is a must. Travel & Living Expenses to be reimbursed along with an agreed upon daily per diem rate. For more information, please contact Jim Thompson at: jthompson@taii.com Ph. 678-206-6010 Cell: 404-822-3412. ________ Other interesting stories:
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