PPNB Supercluster and Innovation

The northeast Wisconsin PPNB industry supercluster (pulp & paper, printing, nonwovens and bio-refinery) holds great promise for innovation in the next five years.

Innovation needs a driving force. In this region's PPNB supercluster, the following factors are working together to provide that driving force:

1. A strong PPNB ecosystem was built up over the past fifty years in northeast Wisconsin.
2. Global economy pressures created both a need for jobs and a surplus of smart, experienced PPNB supercluster workers.
3. The New North, area Technical Colleges, and other organizations are encouraging and enabling networking and collaboration in northeast Wisconsin.
4. The knowledge economy provides new effective tools for information gathering, information sharing, and inexpensive and quick global communications.
5. The intersection of each of the four PPNB industry sectors brings to the individual sectors new ideas, new ways of looking at opportunities and challenges, transfer of appropriate technologies and development of hybrid technologies and products.
   
6. Emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, result in products and manufacturing processes that were not possible ten years ago.

PPNB innovation has not yet reached critical mass, but an organized and determined effort by the right people will soon get us there. The infrastructure to support the critical mass is being built, and new ideas are being tried on a regular basis. Within the next one to two years, expect to read regular stories about PPNB innovation, regular meetings and quarterly conferences for the PPNB supercluster, new equipment and manufacturing processes originating in northeast Wisconsin and a new period of growth for the PPNB ecosystem in our region.

If you have ideas to share or want to work with others to strengthen, expand and innovate within the PPNB supercluster, please consider contacting me or one of the following people:

• Dave Hollenberg, director of the Paper Industry Resource Center in Green Bay (http://www.uwgb.edu/pirc/)
  
• Jerry Murphy, executive director of New North (http://thenewnorth.com/)
  
• David Yegihiaian, chair of the New North Small Business & Entrepreneurial Council, (http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/newnorthsbef/)
  
• Kurt Waldheutter, regional director for Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network, (http://wenportal.org/)
  
• Drew Fleck, executive director, Center For Innovation, (http://cfiportal.org/)

Many others in northeast Wisconsin would also be glad to talk with you about PPNB innovation. The more people we get involved with this effort, the sooner we'll reach critical mass.

Here's to the upcoming explosion of innovation in Wisconsin's PPNB supercluster!

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