The forest industry is working hard to strengthen its market positions throughout the world. "The route to success is competitive technology, which means skilled Finnish engineers will continue to be needed in the future", comments Markku Karlsson, who was elected Chairman of the Finnish Paper Engineers' Association (PI) at this year's spring meeting (article on pages 308-309. "Understanding the way the paper industry operates and the image it has built up are matters that must be cherished, and this is what all organizations close to the paper industry worldwide, and particularly in Finland, are seeking to do", says Karlsson. In addition to its regular meetings and exhibitions, PIs work over the next few years will focus on improving training for young people entering the profession, including international study programmes, recruitment in both Finland and abroad, sponsorship and tutoring. Major projects completed recently include an extensive series of books providing education in papermaking, revision of which will soon be imminent. Fresh off the press is a book dealing with the history of Finnish paper machines published by the Finnish Society for the History of Technology and funded by the Finnish Academies of Technology. The book is available through PI. "We'll have similar projects in the future, but right now we're concentrating on issues closely connected with the everyday life of paper engineers", notes Karlsson.
