Design Prejudices

October 15, 2023

Preparing for 2024--October 2023

The equipment market in 2024 seems a bit mixed to me. By this I mean demand for new equipment seems uncertain at this time...not much vision for what will happen.

This applies to both pricing and delivery.

What does this mean for you, the project engineer? You will need to be more diligent than ever as you put together your budget and schedules for 2024 projects.

Don't assume past behavior will be reflected in future performance. Suppliers are trying to recoup costs increases from their suppliers while maintaining their profit margins. Delivery schedules may be stretched due to equipment manufacturers being reluctant to bring back workers that have been laid off.

For you, it is a time to be cautionary and ask lots of questions.

What is your opinion? Drop me a line at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com. I would like to hear from you.

And by the way, I come to mills and talk to various departments about many subjects. To arrange my custom visit to your mill, just email me at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com or call me at 678-206-6010.

Young Engineering Manager of the Year, call for nominations

We are looking for an individual who has done an extraordinary project, one that almost defies belief. Its extraordinary features can be schedule, technology, cost or all three. There is an age limit on the manager eligible for this award: they must be under 35 years old when they completed the project.

We have often gotten nominees that go something like this, "I nominate Joe because he has done a great job of running our engineering department for the last fifteen years." Quite frankly, we are not interested in such nominees.

However, if you know someone who has led a very exceptional project in the recent past (the last two or three years) and meets our age requirement, we want to know about it. We want to honor them and hold them up as an example for Engineering Managers in every pulp and paper mill around the world.

Just send your nomination, with as much details as you can provide, to jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com. We will seriously consider it.

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Please write when we tickle your brain cells! Email jthompson@taii.com