Whats different about the pulp and paper business in Europe today ?
Smith : Over the past several years Europe has cut production on a widespread basis, especially in coated fine paper and newsprint. The good news is that board looks promising, and tissue continues to grow. Because several major producers had the guts to reduce capacity, especially in magazine and coated fine papers, the supply and demand ratio is better. Lundgren : Even after a period of decline, Europe’s pulp and paper producers business still adds up to about a 100 billion euro annually. Of course, it’s dissapointing for everyone that losses are the common denominator. This is especially tough when when you consider the huge amount of capital invested in the forest products sector. As a leading supplier of chemicals, we are exploring many avenues to help our customers improve their bottom lines. The answer is by no means firesale prices for our products, because that only weakens our ability to provide the R & D and partnership potential to make a long term différence. How do you se
