Bumpy road ahead for synthetic paper
Chemical & Engineering News · 1972
The future for paper based on synthetic pulp is bright, consultant Richard M. Kossoff told the European Chemical Market Research Association, meeting in Copenhagen earlier this month. However, he also warns of some roadblocks ahead. Mr. Kossoff points, for example, to what he calls "the lip service principle, " which in his view is probably the biggest pitfall that companies encounter when assessing potential markets for new, high-technology products aimed at replacing existing, lower-cost materials. It has been the main reason for the disappointing outcome of such widely touted developments as high-temperature plastics and graphite (carbon) fibers. Now it is plaguing commercialization of the first-generation synthetic paper based on modified polymer films. "The 'lip service principle' is simply this," Mr. Kossoff explains. "Potential end users express great enthusiasm for new 'high propertied' products during their developmental phase. But when the products are commercialized, the number of buyers suddenly shrinks to a fraction of the original." ...