Technological Transformation in the Global Pulp and Paper Industry 1800-2018

At a high level of abstraction, the evolution of any industry is a function of changes in product market demand, technology, the surrounding institutional environment and organisational solutions. A new industry emerges as a result of a technological opportunity that encourages the entry of a large number of firms. This edited volume provides illustrative, well documented case studies of technological transformation in the global paper industry from the inception of the mechanical papermaking in the early nineteenth century Europe until its recent developments in today's business environment with changing market dynamics and consumer behaviour. The study focuses on the roles of the availability of technology, knowledge, investments and raw materials on the one hand, and demand characteristics on the other hand, within local, regional, national or transnational organisational frameworks. It deals the relationships between technology transfer, technology leadership, raw material dependence, and product variety on a global scale. The First Part of the book presents a number of case studies focusing on the issues of research and development in technological transformation in the global pulp and paper industry. The case studies are country and company specific and deal with first movers (e.g. Britain, France), countries with delayed technological transformation (e.g. Spain, New Zealand and Australia) as well as industry leaders (Canada, Finland and Sweden). The Second part approaches the question of the role of investments, regulation and institutions in technological transformation from a global and comparative perspective.