Rethink

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Rethink Discovery - IIIOpening Doors to
Innovation and Learning-- A Thought Leadership
Program Ben Thorp Innovation Panel
North Carolina State University Pulp Paper
Foundation Annual Meeting -- October 10, 2002
Raleigh, North Carolina

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Program Overview

• Introductory Remarks -- Background Program
  Overview Kathy Buckman Davis
• Keynote Richard Phillips
• Panel Session 1
• Innovation Pathways or Dead ends? Ben Thorp
• Panel Session 2
• Learning Doorways or Roadblocks? Mike Kocurek
• Summary Wrap-up Jim McNutt
• Adjourn

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Innovation Pathways or Dead Ends? Session
Leader Ben Thorp

• Ben Thorp
• Director -- Pulp and Paper Engineering
• Georgia-Pacific

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Thorp Innovation Pathways . . .

• Note Our first panel session today will be
  driven by exploration of three selected
  innovative industry developments
• These developments will help us focus on selected
  key issues intended to raise our collective
  awareness of the power of innovation for our
  industry
• Is true innovation possible?
• Where can we find it?
• How do we nurture it?
• What can we learn from efforts to encourage
  innovation?
• How important is innovation to our industry?
• Where do we go from here?

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Thorp Innovation Pathways . . .

• Don Carli Business Process Innovation
  Sustainable Management Nima Hunter, Inc.
• Vincent Chiang -- Product Innovation Products
  with Reduced Lignin NCSU Faculty
• Gary Peter Raw Materials Innovation Tree
  Genetics Development Trends CPBIS University
  of Florida Faculties
• Todays Approach
• Introductory Comments Pondering Innovation
  Thoughts
• Addresses by the Three Panel Members
• An Open Forum Interchange between the Panelists
  the Audience(s)

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Thorp Innovation Pathways . . .

• Historical analysis indicates that the vast
  majority of RD in the Paper Industry (excluding
  tissue products has been focused on
• Our Processes not our
• Products and Innovations that provide benefits to
  current and potential customers.
• Can we make an effective change in this area?

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Thorp Innovation Pathways . . .

• Even when we have focused on our processes, we
  have not always looked in the right areas
• The Following Table shows that fiber is the
  number 1 cost in most grades
• Yet our pulping processes destroy both fiber mass
  and strength
• Can we make an effective change in this area?

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Thorp Innovation Pathways . . .