A couple or so years ago Wayne Sanders set out to change people's perception of Kimberly-Clark and the products it produced. At the time, the paper industry's markets were beginning to cool off and the writing was on the wall. His plan was to put some distance between K-C and the traditional paper industry. He stated emphatically (especially to the media) that Kimberly-Clark was not really a paper company, but a consumer products company. In my infinite wisdom I thought 'What's up with that? They make paper don't they?'
K-C does make paper, but not in the standard sense of the word. K-C, along with Georgia-Pacific, Procter & Gamble, SCA and a handful of others, makes tissue paper. What Mr. Sanders may or may not have realized was that he was starting a trend that would take the industry by storm.
Today, tissue is the talk. Tissue trade fairs and seminars are being developed. Publishers are scrambling to create tissue issues (no pun intended). Some have gone as far as to create special tissue titles devoted entirely to the squeezably soft stuff. PaperAge is on the bandwagon too. Shaw Shahery of Convermat Corp. graciously authored Tissue Watch 2003, which you can find on pgs.18-22.
Tissue is the rave, and why not? There's "At-Home," "Away-From-Home" and "Personal Care;" there's Bounty, Brawny, and Scott. There's family packs, junior packs, and personal packs. There's BigFold, Multifold and Narrowfold; there's one-ply, two-ply and even paper towels that claim that they may be "too strong!" Worried about bringing home something that might clash with your bathroom's decor, not a chance. Today's tissue makers have more floral patterns and designer packaging than Benjamin Moore has paint.
Tissue is personal. People rub it along their noses, wipe their mouths and clean delicate body parts with it. Babies get their bottoms wrapped in it. It blots up mustard, ketchup and anything else that ends up on your shirt. It gets you out of a jam after dumping a glassful of anything all over the floor.
Tissue is innovative. Would you prefer ultra soft, menthol, extra large, scented or the ones with a little bit of lotion added; in almond, blue, pink, white or yellow; in an upright, regular or family box; with ducks, ships or Mother Goose printed on the side.
Tissue has fast developing markets. Those absorbent little sheets seem to fall into luck. Just look at the resurgence in facial tissue since the Lifetime channel began airing romantic tear-jerkers around the clock. Re-runs of Steel Magnolias could keep 5 or 6 new tissue machines busy for the next ten years.
Seriously though, the tissue market is booming and the folks that make the stuff should be applauded. They've been incredibly innovative, pushed branding to the max, and most importantly, recognized that the consumer is king, or queen as it may be. They seem to live by creed: "If you want it, we've got it. If we don't have, we'll make it."
These guys are good!
