“When we hear 2035, we might think it’s a long way off, but in some ways, we’re already there,” says Inside Tissue Manufacturing founder
Rob Gusky discussed his 42-year career, the challenge of passing on tribal knowledge to a new generation and what to expect from the Tissue Mill 2035 panel at the Tissue Summit
In today’s Talk Tissue, Brian Uzcategui spoke with Rob Gusky, founder and host of the Inside Tissue Manufacturing podcast, about his career, the generational shift taking place in the tissue industry and the future of tissue manufacturing.
During the conversation, Gusky shared his 42 years of experience in engineering, the last 30 of them at Kimberly-Clark, where he retired in May. He explained that his passion for the industry led him to create the podcast as a way to stay connected and to share the experience of veteran professionals with people around the globe, especially young people entering the industry.
Another topic discussed was the wave of retirements in tissue mills. Gusky noted that at the facility where he worked for the last eight years, most employees had more than 25 years of experience, and that attracting and training new people has become one of the industry’s toughest challenges. He also talked about how artificial intelligence could reshape tissue manufacturing over the next decade and why the younger generation may be a great fit for that direction.
Finally, the conversation turned to the Tissue Summit, which will take place on November 2 and 3 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. At the event, Gusky will host a fireside chat with the director of engineering of Procter & Gamble, Scott Hansen, on “Tissue Mill 2035”, discussing what the next ten years of tissue manufacturing will look like and how professionals can prepare for what is coming. Tissue mill employees and converters can attend at no charge, and registration is available at tissuesummitnorthamerica.com.
