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Program

Wednesday, 10 October, 2018 - 12:00

Day 1: The Future of the Wood Products Market

12:00pm

Registration and Light Lunch

1:00pm

Welcome Remarks

1:15pm

Panelists

Panel Discussion: A Reflection the Past Year and the Future of the Wood Products Market

  • Are the previous distribution bottles necks a short term hiccup or should we be concerned about the long term lack of labor capacity?
  • Could unprecedented lumber prices and producers sitting on inventory cause a ‘run on lumber’?
  • Given the consolidation in other forestry product industries, will we see consolidation and M&A in the lumber and wood products sector?
2:15pm

RISI Outlook on End Use for Wood Products

2:30pm

RISI Outlook for Lumber

While demand for North American softwood lumber continues to be fueled by solid growth in US residential construction and R&R, numerous supply-side challenges including transportation delays, trade disputes, fiber availability and tight labor markets have made it particularly challenging for shipments to keep pace. The combination of factors contributed to especially tight market conditions in early 2018, sending softwood lumber prices surging to record highs in many cases. In this presentation, we will examine the sequence of events that has lead to the challenging market environment in North America, along with RISI’s demand outlook over the next two years and an overview of how capacity developments will likely unfold. 

3:00pm

Networking Coffee & Tea Break

4:00pm

RISI Outlook: Particle board & Engineered Wood Products

4:30pm

CEO Fireside Chat followed by an opportunity for questions and answers

5:00pm

Close of Day One

6:30pm

Cocktail Reception & Registration Re-Opens

Thursday, 11 October, 2018 - 07:30

Day 2: Cost & Supply Chain Challenges for Pulp, Paper & Beyond

7:30am

Registration

8:30am

Welcome Remarks

8:35am

Presentation of the RISI North American CEO of the Year Award

Presented to Steve Voorhees, CEO of WestRock

8:40am

CEO Winner Presentation & Fireside Chat

9:15am

Moderator

Panelists

Mapping the Use of Forestry Products, Pulp and Paper: Who are the Consumers of North American Forestry Products across the Globe? What is the future of demand from Asia, Latin America and Africa?

  • A look at capacity vs. consumption, how is it going to change over the coming months?
  • What impact will the search for alternative fibers have on pricing trends?
  • Understanding the trade flows, where are hotspots of consumption and how are they going to change?
  • Looking ahead, can we forecast what are going to be the impact of the European capacity increases on the North American market?
10:15am

Networking Coffee & Tea Break

11:00am

RISI Macroeconomic Outlook

A global macroeconomic outlook assessing where we are in the economic cycle? What do the next 12-18 months hold?

11:30am

RISI Outlook: Housing Forecast for the USA

12:00pm

Moderator

Chris Lyddan

Executive Editor, North American Woodfiber & Biomass Markets

RISI

Panelists

David White

Senior Director of Transportation and Logistics

Domtar

Panel Discussion: Trucking, Shipping and Trade: Challenges in the Wood Distribution Market

  • US vs. China. An update and an assessment of the short and long term impact?
  • Canadian Lumber vs. US: Export duties and the challenges of trucking
  • Truck rates are up. Will the tight supply loosen? What alternatives are there?
  • Labor availability: Will the incentives impact the labor capacity for construction?
12:45pm

Networking Lunch

1:45pm

Panelists

Bob Flynn

Director, International Timber

RISI

RISI International Timber Outlook

  • Agroforestry: While primarily a sector attracting only “impact investing” firms today, agroforestry and silvopastoral practices may offer benefits for main-line TIMOs and pension fund investors as well, in some situations.
  • International Log Markets: How have the “trade wars” impacted US exports of softwood and hardwood logs, from both the Pacfic Northwest and US South? How is Russia’s role in this market changing?
  • International Woodchip Markets: Record volumes being set in the Asian markets yet again in 2018, but a supply crisis is looming. News from RISI’s 10th International Woodfiber Conference in Durban.

 

2:15pm

North American Timber Outlook

2:45pm

Moderator

Bryan Smith

Deputy Editor, Global Pulp, PPI Pulp & Paper Week

RISI

Panelists

Chip Dillon

Wall Street Analyst

Vertical Research Partners

Ketan Mamtora

Vice President, Equity Research, Packaging & Forest Products

BMO Capital Markets

Panel Discussion on Cost Margins: Mitigating the impact of current cost fluctuations and preparing for future ones

  • A look at incremental margins: wages, transportation and currency fluctuations
  • Raw material prices have surged. What is coming next? Have they reached their peak?
  • How suppliers can accommodate a more strategic, market conscientious customer?
3:45pm

Networking Coffee & Tea Break

4:15pm

RISI Outlook on the Global Pulp Market

Underlying demand for market pulp continues to trend steadily higher, while supply disruptions combine with aggressive environmental policies in China are keeping markets tight and adding increased uncertainty and volatility to global fiber markets. This presentation will review current market dynamics and outline RISI's outlook for global market pulp.

4:45pm

Moderator

Hamir Patel

Director, Paper & Forest Products

CIBC Capital Markets, Equity Research

Panelists

Ken Shields

Chairman, President and CEO

Conifex Timber Inc.

Mike Grimm

President and CEO

American Eagle Paper Mills

CEO/Executive Panel: A Reflection on 2018, A Look at 2019 and A Consideration of the Future Global Market

Sponsored by: 

 

  • Consolidation: Why is bigger better? How is it going impact the management of supply and demand?
  • What questions do the NAFTA negotiations and tariffs pose for business?
  • How is the raw material price surge impacting the market? How can business mitigate the negative impacts?
  • The impact of alternative fibres. How can producers continue to innovate? Has it become a necessity to remain competitive?
5:45pm

Cocktail Reception

7:15pm

Close of Day Two

Friday, 12 October, 2018 - 08:15

Day 3: Sustainability of Trade, Packaging and Graphic Paper

8:00am

Registration

9:00am

RISI Outlook for Containerboard & Boxboard

  • How long will the renaissance in paper packaging demand continue?
  • Will shifts in the North American trade balance alter the demand/supply balance?
  • When will supply catch up to demand?
9:30am

Jim McLaren

Senior Editor, PPI Pulp & Paper Week

RISI

Panel Discussion: Packaging, Recycling & Sustainability

  • What is the appetite for CPGs to hedge pulp and paper pricing? Is the growth rate of the market too optimistic?
  • What are the impacts of currency fluctuations for the containerboard market and how can they can be mitigated?
  • How can you find opportunity in a low volume, high mix packaging solution plan across many regionals globally?
  • Are CPGs looking to redefine a material portfolio to diversify when market volatility is risky with highly common materials?
  • What are the sustainable material substitutes for mitigating raw material variables in cost?
  • The Impact of the Convertors. What will be the Immediate Disruption and the Long Term Impact? Will there be one?
10:30am

Networking Coffee & Tea Break

11:15am

Trade Cases - In a Fast-Changing Global Scene

11:45am

To Be Announced

12:15pm

Networking Lunch

1:15pm

RISI Outlook on the Tissue Market

  • What does the next 12 to 18 months hold for pulp and eucalyptus prices?
  • A look at the key factors that have impacted and the market and key future challenges for prices
  • How is consolidation impacting the tissue market and the outlook for future prices?
1:45pm

RISI Outlook for Graphic Paper

2:15pm

Trade Exposure and Impact For Graphic Paper

Tariffs and trade flows have become major issues for North American graphic paper, with the US taking action on duties for nearly every grade of graphic paper over the past few years.  These duties have had varying impacts on their respective paper markets, with a particularly profound impact for the duties on Canadian exports to the USA. This presentation will also examine the outlook for further major shifts in trade affecting the North American market and the market’s potential exposure to further impacts from duties in the context of global pulp and paper market.

2:45pm

RISI Outlook: Bioenergy and the Financial Impact for Mills

3:00pm

Closing Remarks

3:10pm

Close of Conference

Want to speak at the conference?

We are still looking to add the best minds in the industry to the upcoming conference, so contact us if you are interested in presenting. 

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