A difficult summer looms, but we push on
We would love to say that a restful summer and a more peaceful autumn are on the way. But sadly, with war on Europe’s borders and the aftermath of the pandemic still sending shock waves through global supply chains, it is reasonable to expect these challenging times to continue for now.
We don’t need to explain how spiraling inflation is hurting. We are all feeling the squeeze as input costs rocket - in our case, for everything from bleaching chemicals to spare parts and labour.
However, logistics remain our biggest challenge, most notably for paper pulp in Europe, the transportation of which nearly always involves some element of rail or truck. Both are under pressure for a variety of reasons and are set to get worse during the summer months when hauliers and rail workers will expect to take their summer vacations.
The shipping of dissolving pulp and bioproducts has been less affected and our investment in chartering our own vessels has certainly given us stability and flexibility where shipping is concerned. But it is no exaggeration to say that just about everyone is now part of the logistics taskforce, including the sales team. We are working tirelessly to minimize disruption and seek solutions to the many problems we face today, and you can help. Please do send us your demand projections and forecasts well in advance so that we can plan together how to make the best of a difficult situation.
The professional challenges we all face make personal ‘time out’ all the more important, and we do hope that you will have the chance to relax at some point over the summer and return in the autumn renewed and refreshed.
As the articles this month highlight, present times may be difficult, but we continue to strive for a more sustainable future. We are investing in our staff (meet Martin Chovan, our new Sales Director), in our relationship with our customers (see Fiber Education and our partnership with Lenzing) and in innovation for a more sustainable future (see the exciting developments for a more circular fashion industry as a result of collaborations between OnceMore®, our pioneering sustainable textile raw material, and both Lindex and Bestseller’s Jack & Jones brand).
We will be back with more news in September. Until then, stay safe and happy holidays,
Henrik Wettergren
Johannes Bogren
Vice President Södra Cell International Phone: +46 470 894 52
Vice President Södra Bioproducts Phone: +46 340 63 34 15
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Subjects: Pulp
