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Dynamic Past, Brilliant Future: Francisco Razzolini on 40 Years in the Pulp Industry When Francisco Razzolini joined Klabin in 1985, he may have had no idea that it was the beginning of a career spanning more than 40 years of changes, challenges, and impressive growth. In 2006, he led Klabin's MA 1100 Project, which doubled the company's capacity to produce cardboard at its Monte Alegre Unit; he later oversaw construction of Klabin's Puma Unit in Ortigueira, a modern pulping facility designed to meet the highest standards of sustainability. Hosts Mark Rushton (Tissue360°) and Jan Bottiglieri (Paper360°) sat down with this industry leader atTAPPICon 2026 in Cincinnati, OH, where he shared his thoughts on the pulp industry's progress—and its future. In this episode, Razzolini discusses the exciting growth of both Klabin and the Brazilian pulp and paper industry, touching on critical topics like automation, biotechnology, and workforce development.He strongly believes that meeting our industry's short-term challenges will pay big dividends: "We have seen amazing new applications that are coming and I believe that is a brilliant future for our business, for our industry," says Razzolini. Listeners will want to catch this industry veteran's answer to this UpTime Lightning Round question: "What is the one thing you wish everyone knew about the pulp, paper, and packaging industry?"   Learn more about Klabin's US$2.5 billion Puma Unit project.  Check out the 2026 International Pulp and Paper Congress & Exposition, hosted by the Brazilian Technical Association of Pulp and Paper  (ABTCP).  Access more resources through the TAPPI OnDemand platform: • Listen to two "Live from TAPPICon" episodes of TAPPI's Better Together podcast, recorded in April, 2026 at TAPPICon in Columbus, OH.  • Read "Klabin Achieves Historic Score in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index" from TAPPI's OTW Newsletter. • Browse a variety of content at the Pulping Industry Group • Master pulping basics and more with a Hands-On Workshop, co-sponsored by NC State University—still one date left in 2026! It's easy to listen to (and subscribe to) UpTime. It is available anywhere you get podcasts, as well as on the TAPPI OnDemand platform, where you will also find episodes of TAPPI's Better Together event podcast. Be sure to listen, learn, and share!

We're excited to bring listeners this second of two special episodes recorded at TAPPICon 2026, April 26-29 in Columbus, OH.  We had a great turnout for TAPPICon 2026 and the new program format made it easy for people to engage, learn, and grow. TAPPICon’s multi-track program is planned and executed by real working papermakers, and 2026 brought Mill Monday, Technical Tuesday, and Workshop Wednesday to the forefront.   As TAPPI's official event podcast, Better Together is happy to bring you the opportunity to experience a taste of what makes TAPPICon special. We've assembled three interviews recorded with attendees at the event. Our guests for this episode are:  Wayne Reinhart Jr., technical solutions manager at SPM: "Bring me your issues and we're going to help you find a solution. And it could be anything from changing your process to certain types of equipment to help you monitor that equipment." John Watkins, product sales manager for Andritz Inc.:  "There is a tremendous opportunity to invest in automation and digitalization solutions because if we don't, the BRIC countries are doing it and we are going to fall behind. We have to adapt." Kurt Mehlberg, quality solutions manager, Domtar: "Continuously reducing risk, continuously challenging what we're doing, (using) a fresh sets of eyes or new tools like AI, that all makes us better. We've got to be able to listen and leverage that knowledge."  YOU can get in on the conversation! Mark your calendars for April 24 – 28, 2027, and join us in Indianapolis, IN, for TAPPICon 2027. We hope this podcast captured some of the excitement of TAPPICon but to really get it, you need to be there. Thanks to our amazing guests for sharing their knowledge and stories. Be sure to check out our first TAPPICon 2026 episode as well, where we meet three more of our TAPPICon attendees.

We're excited to bring listeners this first of two special episodes recorded at TAPPICon 2026, April 26-29 in Columbus, OH. We had a great turnout for TAPPICon 2026 and the new program format made it easy for people to engage, learn, and grow. TAPPICon’s multi-track program is planned and executed by real working papermakers, and 2026 brought Mill Monday, Technical Tuesday, and Workshop Wednesday to the forefront. As TAPPI's official event podcast, Better Together is happy to bring you the opportunity to experience a taste of what makes TAPPICon special. We've assembled three interviews recorded with attendees at the event. Our guests for this episode are: Brian Mock, owner and president of Event Capture Systems: "International Paper came to us and said, 'We need you to help us develop a camera-based safety system to add an additional layer of safety'... and it's been transformative." Joe Braun, division president, process industries and Wilson Monteiro, global  business line manager, Pulp, Paper & Fiber, ABB: "Reliability comes from the design of the plant, then the way that you are managing your asset, then (from) how you are operating your plant. If you have a stable operation, you have a direct impact on reliability." Abigail Hickman, third year dual major in ChemE/PSE at NC State University: "The opportunities are endless and industry professionals I meet... are really excited to see where I go with this." YOU can get in on the conversation! Mark your calendars for April 24 – 28, 2027, and join us in Indianapolis, IN, for TAPPICon 2027. We hope this podcast captured some of the excitement of TAPPICon but to really get it, you need to be there. Thanks to our amazing guests for sharing their knowledge and stories. Be sure to check out our second TAPPICon 2026 Episode as well, where we meet three more of our TAPPICon attendees.

'Minutes, Not Days':  Dr. Selene Silvestri on AI Tools for Supply Chain Decision-Making "Driving the Future of Global Supply Chain Integration" —that's the motto that greets visitors to the website of MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics in Cambridge, MA. Through research, education, and stakeholder engagement, MIT CTL doesn't merely study supply chains—they advance what’s possible and turn insight into action. Our guest for this episode is Dr. Selene Silvestri, a research scientist at the MIT CTL in the Intelligent Logistics Systems Lab. Silvestri's current research addresses supply chain network design and optimization, to help companies improve decision-making in their supply chain. In Paper360°'s May/June issue, readers learn about one of the Lab's most exciting new projects: the GENESIS platform, developed in partnership with Mecalux, a warehouse technology and intralogistics software enterprise. Silvestri discusses GENESIS and much more in this engaging episode of UpTime. "What GENESIS allows you to do is solve scenarios in minutes," she tells listeners. "And if you can solve scenarios in minutes, you do not only solve those that you want to validate. You solve scenarios that you want to explore, right?" Stay tuned until the Lightning Round, when co-host Mark Rushton asks Dr. Silverstri about the biggest changes she has seen in the packaging industry over the last 10 years. Learn more about MIT's Center for Transportation and Logistics and its many specialized labs—including the Computational Analytics, Visualization & Education (CAVE) Lab that Dr. Silvestri references in this conversation.  Discover Workforce & Leadership Development opportunities that can help your mill or plant build, upskill, and advance your supply chain employees and teams.  Access more resources through the TAPPI OnDemand platform: Paper360° Archives, including the complete May/June 2026 issue.UpTime episode featuring Wesco's Jefferson Smith and Matt Lasnicki on navigating supply chain challenges.Mark Rushton's article Saica in Spain: A Walk Into the Future of Mill Logistics.

Crib Crawls and Curve Balls: Wesco's Jefferson Smith and Matt Lasnicki on Supply Chain Challenges From aging infrastructures to multi-company mergers, Wesco's Jefferson Smith and Matt Lasnicki  have helped their pulp and paper industry customers through a variety of supply chain challenges. As Smith shares in his Paper360° article, Operations Depend on Equipment Supply Chains, it's an area mills ignore at their peril: One delayed part can rack up millions of dollars in downtime losses. In this episode of Uptime, Jeff and Matt, along with co-hosts Mark Rushton and Jan Bottiglieri, discuss the current reality for supply chain management—and some strategies for dealing with a world that's increasingly disruptive. "It all compounds," says Lasnicki. " The cost to operate (mills and converting facilities) keeps going up and if they don't find ways to drive efficiency, it's going to be a much bigger challenge for them in the future." Stick around for the Uptime Lightning Round, when we ask Matt and Jeff about the most exciting things they see ahead for supply chain management in paper and packaging. Thanks for listening! Access additional articles and case studies about effective supply chain management through Wesco's Knowledge Hub.  Review Wesco's products and services for pulp and paper industry customers.  Access more resources through the TAPPI OnDemand platform: Paper360° Archives of searchable articlesSearch a variety of other industry topics, including Market Trends

Still Looking for Balance: Bodo Kottwitz on Tissue Markets Today As a tissue industry consultant, Bodo Kottwitz is more than just the CEO of BKay Tissue Advice; he's something of an industry rock star. Bodo has a long career in pulp and paper and frequently speaks about the tissue industry and its markets at conferences and events around the globe. In this episode of UpTime, co-hosts Mark Rushton and Jan Bottiglieri chat with Bodo about how he sees the modern tissue industry—including supply chain challenges, energy costs, and true sustainability. When it comes to tissue markets, "uncertainty is more or less the headline all over the world," Bodo tells us. Stick around for the UpTime Lightning Round, when Bodo tells us his biggest challenge—and his biggest regret—in his industry journey. Thanks for listening! Click to watch the "Emma" Sofidel toilet tissue ad mentioned in our chat. Learn how to grow your career by becoming involved with TAPPI's Tissue Division. Access more resources through the TAPPI OnDemand platform: Bodo's Fall/Winter 2025 Tissue360° feature, Uncertainty Dominates Tissue MarketsMark Rushton's Fall/Winter 2025 Tissue 360° interview with Luigi Lazzareschi, SofidelView the Tissue360° archive, including the Spring/Summer 2026 issue.

This episode was recorded on-site at TAPPI's 2026 Student Summit in Birmingham, AL. More than 200 students, plus scores of other attendees, enjoyed panel discussions, a Career Fair, an Engineering Challenge, and so much more. Pulp and paper engineering students came from more than15 leading paper, packaging, engineering, and technical programs to participate in a program focused on "Charting Tomorrow."   We asked students to "take the mic" to let listeners know what matters to them. As always, they responded with humor, candor, and their own unique insights. This episode includes student commentary from five TAPPI Student Chapter schools:  Georgia Institute of Technology  Western Michigan University Auburn University University of Wisconsin Stevens Point North Carolina State University Useful links:  How to Craft Tissue Paper Truffula Trees Latest edition of Handbook For Pulp and Paper Technologists (The SMOOK Book) TAPPI-sponsored Scholarships for Industry Students I'm sure you'll enjoy our student hosts for this energetic episode of Better Together!  Don't forget to share this episode to spread the word about opportunities in pulp and paper—and subscribe to TAPPI's Better Together podcast channel so you won'tmiss future episodes of Better Together: TAPPI's Live Event Podcast and Uptime: A Paper and Packaging Podcast. Thanks for listening!

At CorrExpo 2025 in Savannah, GA, more than 1000 industry pros gathered to "Explore What’s Possible and Build What’s Next." This recorded-on-site episode of Better Together includes three engaging mini-interviews that capture some of the engagement and excitement of being there in person. CorrExpo 2025 featured an active exhibit floor, memorable networking events, and an expert-led technical program. In this episode, we'll be speaking with: · Carl Mazzanti, Co-Founder and President of eMazzanti Technologies. Carl and Jan discuss some of the amazing benefits AI can offer box makers · Christine Little, director of sales/Corrugated Machinery Division, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Learn how innovative machines can help our industry manage workforce challenges. · Jeff Buchanan, Director of Sales and Market Development, and Stephanie Falcone, Process Engineer, HarperLove. Jeff and Stephanie tell Jan about an intern program that's making a difference for young engineers. Click to read more about CorrExpo 2025 in Savannah—including CorrExpo LIVE! videos, event photos, Sponsor Showcase videos, and more. SAVE THE DATE for TAPPI/AICC's Corrugated Week, September 28-30, 2026 in Fort Worth, TX. Sign up for updates so you won't miss this exciting event. BIG NEWS:  TAPPI is launching a NEW podcast series called Uptime! A Paper and Packaging Podcast, hosted by Jan Bottiglieri and Mark Rushton, editor of TAPPI's Tissue360° magazine. Uptime! will bring listeners 30-minute interviews with industry leaders and innovators that feature lively questions, thoughtful insights, and even a fun "lightning round" to keep guests on their toes. Better Together subscribers will automatically receive new Uptime! episodes so if you are not already subscribed, please do so—then share with colleagues, clients, and industry friends.

We're excited to bring listeners this first of two special episodes recorded at TAPPICon 2025 in Minneapolis, MN, May 4 - 7. We had a great turnout for TAPPICon 2025 and there was more than enough positive energy to go around. TAPPICon’s multi-track program is planned and executed by real working papermakers, and it shows – always a high level of learning and engagement, people meeting new friends and solving problems together. Here is YOUR change to experience some of that energy! We've assembled three interviews recorded with attendees at the event. Our eclectic group of guests for this episode includes: Frank Mignano—Manager, condition monitoring and Industry 4.0 solutions, Schaeffler Group:  "This kind of technology and toolsets are the things that entice and encourage the younger folks to get involved in the paper industry." Robert Bustin—Business development manager at Radix Engineering:  "We are taking data at mills and making it more valuable, useful, and available." Thierry LeBlanc— Software and EHS Expert at CONFORMiT:  "AI is going to continue to evolve—it's going to be much more integrated into everything we do." If you've never been to TAPPICon, what are you waiting for? Mark your calendars for April 22 – 26, 2026, and plan to join us in Atlanta, GA, for TAPPICon 2026. We hope this podcast captured some of the excitement but to really get it, you need to be there. Thanks to these three professionals for sharing their knowledge and stories. Be sure to check out our second TAPPICon 2025 Episode as well, where we meet three more of our TAPPICon attendees.

We're excited to bring listeners our second of two episodes recorded at TAPPICon 2025 in Minneapolis, MN, May 4 - 7. TAPPICon 2025 was a huge success, with strong attendance and a revised multi-track program that let attendees plan exactly the experience they needed. As always, there was a high level of learning and engagement, people meeting new friends and solving problems together. To try to capture some of that energy, I set up my podcast table right off the exhibit floor and talked to folks from throughout the industry. Our three guests for this episode include: Priya Venkat—Co-founder and COO of Haber: "There is so much pressure in terms of costs, maintaining a workforce, achieving net zero—the only way our industry can get there is by leveraging AI." Rich Ermlick—Principal at Boring Excellence: "If you find yourself doing the same improvement projects every three to five years, you're not improving. That indicates there is not an underlying system." Curtis Stone—Application engineer, Pulp & Paper, at Schaeffler Group:  "Bearings in a paper machine are one of the most highly engineered pieces of equipment... there is no one silver bullet." Thanks to our three guests for sharing their perspectives with Better Together listeners. Be sure to check out our first TAPPICon 2025 Episode as well, where we meet three more of our TAPPICon attendees. I hope we were able to capture some of the excitement of a live event – but to really get it, you need to be there in person. So if you were not able to make it to Minneapolis this year, we hope to see you in Atlanta for TAPPICon 2026 – put it on your calendars, April 22 – 26, 2026.

This episode was recorded on-site at TAPPI's 2025 Student Summit in St. Petersburg, FL. More than 300 attendees—including pulp and paper engineering students from 13 different universities—enjoyed panel discussions, a Career Fair, and Engineering Challenge, and so much more. We asked students to "take the mic" to host their own interviews and share their unique voices. First up, Western Michigan University students Parker Langellier and Toby Archer interview Dr. Med Byrd, Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator for the Paper Science and Engineering program at North Carolina State University.  "The paper process is very unique, very specific, and—let's face it—delightfully funky," Dr. Byrd tells our hosts, as they explore what makes pulp and paper such an amazing career choice. Next, veteran Student Summiteers Tanner Stogner and Michael Reuss interview first-time Summit attendees Conyers Preveaux and Gavin Knight. All four are students at Auburn University in Auburn, AL. As one student comments, "You see familiar faces all around. It's really nice that we have 300 people here and we all want the same thing: to grow our industry." This is the first of two episodes hosted by student volunteers at the 2025 Student Summit. Make sure to Subscribe to Better Together so you won't miss the next episode!

This episode was recorded on-site at TAPPI's 2025 Student Summit in St. Petersburg, FL. More than 300 attendees—including pulp and paper engineering students from 13 different universities—enjoyed panel discussions, a Career Fair, and Engineering Challenge, and so much more. We asked students to "take the mic" to host their own interviews and share their unique voices. Our first guest hosts are Tabitha Newberry, Katelyn Gyurich, and Shelby Conley, three students studying Paper Engineering at Western Michigan University. "I think my favorite part of student summit is making connections," says one of our students, as they discuss what makes this industry truly special. Their enthusiasm for TAPPI is contagious... and they may just have the next billion-dollar idea in specialty tissue. Next, Jacob Levesque, a chemical engineering student in the pulp and paper program at the University of Maine, interviews TAPPI's own Sidney Onyekwere, Standards Project Coordinator, about the tremendous knowledge-growing possibilities for students within the Standards and TIPs process. "We offer a Swiss army knife of knowledge and information—there's something for everyone," Sidney says. This is the second of two episodes hosted by student volunteers at the 2025 Student Summit. Subscribe today to Better Together and share this episode to spread the word about the amazing opportunities available to students who choose a career in pulp, paper, and packaging.

On this episode of Better Together, host Jan Bottiglieri speaks with Naomi Gehling, Academic Programs Administrator for Auburn University in Auburn, AL. A former Auburn alum herself, Naomi shares her knowledge about what students in the pulp and paper sciences really want from a career in our industries. Our students are amazing—they're so smart, and they're ready to go," she says. "I've not met anyone in our Pulp and Paper program who is not excited about going into our industry. They're invested." Auburn has an undergraduate specialization that focuses on pulp and paper industry training; that specialization is open to students from a variety of engineering disciplines. The Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering, hosted within Auburn's Department of Chemical Engineering, has a complete, controlled-conditioned, wettest laboratory for chemically and physically evaluating pulp and paper. The Auburn Pulp and Paper Foundation (APPF) provides scholarship support for students  on the way to becoming highly skilled, entry level engineers in the pulp, paper and allied Industries. The APPF connects those students to engaging Co-op or intern experiences within papermaking or supplier companies, and then finally with full-time employment in the industry for those students as they graduate. The annual TAPPI-PIMA Student Summit is the premier event for students in engineering and technical programs nationwide. No matter where you are in your academic journey, it’s the perfect chance to network with fellow students, industry experts, hiring companies, and potential mentors. The 2025 Student Summit will take place January 18-20 in St. Petersburg, FL.

Welcome to the second of two special SuperCorrExpo 2024 episodes, recorded on site and unscripted at this amazing event. We do these event episodes to capture some of the energy you might experience if YOU were there: meeting peers, learning new things, and expanding the limits of your professional life. Today's guests are: Bowman Mitchell, VP national accounts at Redlist Software: "In this world, operations is king. You've got to get as many boxes out that door as possible." Jason Hooston, CEO & co-founder at Two10 Technologies: "If I'm going to make a decision, the most important thing is that I want to have confidence in that decision... data is a big part of that." Christine Little, director of sales, corrugated machinery, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries: "We're focusing on what we're calling Declaration of the Independents. We're looking at the independent market a little differently." Jeff Buchanan, director of sales and market development; and Tyler Haggard, director of business development, for HarperLove: "If we can help improve productivity and reduce waste, it's huge in the marketplace not only for us, but also for our customers' savings." Teemu Salo, managing director at Adara Pakkaus Oy: "You need to rely on your partner. You need to keep good contacts and whatever comes up, you have to take it to the table and run through it." Rick Putch, director of technical services and process improvement, National Steel Rule: "If there's one thing in the corrugated industry that everybody's looking for, it's productivity gains. In class, I break it into three things." These conversations were captured at SuperCorrExpo 2024, held September 8 - 12 in Orlando, FL. Occurring only once every four years, SCE is the premier trade show and conference dedicated to the corrugated packaging industry. It is organized by TAPPI and AICC. SAVE THE DATE for SuperCorrExpo 2028, which will again take place September 8 - 12 in Orlando, FL. Please remember to share, like, and subscribe! And join us again for Better Together.

Welcome to the first of two special SuperCorrExpo 2024 episodes, recorded on site and unscripted at this amazing event.  Maybe you missed this year's SuperCorrExpo... maybe you were there and want to recapture some of the awesome energy... maybe you just love corrugated professionals for the cool and interesting people they are. Whatever the case, this episode is for you! Our guests include: Steve Rote, technical development director, Metsä Board Americas: "We need to adapt to the changing times, whether it's market demands or technology." Sharon DiRé, senior product marketing manager, Advantive: "So as circumstances change... the machines automatically update (to) keep things moving efficiently, which helps minimize waste as well." Igor Tkalenko, CEO, Corruga.expert: "We get many messages about how to bring young people to the industry, so for    SuperCorrExpo we came up with the idea of... a game." Gokul Gopakumar, VP, technology and business development, Sun Automation: "It is very important to understand AI as a tool and not mystify it so much." Jerry Vivlamore, corrugated end of line process application partner, Signode: "We can provide the customer with a dashboard of how well their equipment is running." Ludovic Tremblay, product expert, ConformIT: "You meet people that have been in this industry for 30 years—and for a reason. Once you're in it, you get it." These conversations were captured at SuperCorrExpo 2024, which was held September 8 - 12 in Orlando, FL. Held only once every four years, SCE is the premier trade show and conference dedicated to the corrugated packaging industry. It is organized by TAPPI and AICC. SAVE THE DATE for SuperCorrExpo 2028, which will again take place September 8 - 12 in Orlando, FL. Share, like, and subscribe!  We truly are.... Better Together.