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Representative illustration: Two mills, newsprint and kraft pulp, faced falling prices and demand, with paper machine efficiency at 85% and little faith in budget.

Case Study · Pulp & Paper

Two mills, newsprint and kraft pulp, faced falling prices and demand, with paper machine efficiency at 85% and little faith in budget.

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1Challenge

A feasibility study found serious communication gaps between production and maintenance. Goals: newsprint from 546 to 600 tons a day and pulp from 624 to 670, with no capital spend.

2Approach

  • Set process benchmarks and indices, standardized operating methods and trained all operators
  • Synchronized production planning so the tightest area set the pace for all others
  • Held daily 15-minute cross-functional meetings, which uncovered a digester programming fault

3Results

+10%

Saleable tons/day, newsprint mill

+7%

Saleable tons/day, kraft pulp mill

78%

Less overrun inventory

63%

Less digester lost time

Both mills reached their production goals, and a years-old blowback problem was solved.

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© USC Consulting Group 2026 | Pulp & Paper. Representative industry image. Results are engagement-specific; sizing and forecast figures are labeled as such.