Jerry Stumpf

As the paper industry consolidates, in-plants speak out on how it is affecting them. by Caroline Miller TWO YEARS ago, it seemed as if everyone in the paper industry was switching dance partners. Among the major acquisitions was International Paper's purchase of Champion—a deal worth nearly $7.3 billion, excluding net debt. Then came the almost soap-opera-like saga of Weyerhaeuser's hostile takeover of Willamette Industries that dragged on for 14 months. It finally ended with an agreement that called for $6.1 billion in cash, or $55.50 per share, including the assumption of $1.7 billion of Willamette debt. At $19 billion in combined sales, the deal

As customers clamor for faster turnaround, in-plants are relying on their collators for relief. Upgrading to newer models, managers say, has helped most of all. TEN YEARS ago, Jason Seto's shop sent out any collating job over 5,000 copies. Twenty years ago, it was still collating by hand. Today, Seto's shop can turn jobs around in as little as 24 hours, thanks to its in-line collator/stitcher/trimmer. Although Seto's shop at the State of Hawaii's Department of Education has had a collator for the last 20 years, only recently did the shop strengthen itself by replacing its 11-year-old collator with a new Standard Horizon