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Resilience in a Shifting Supply Chain: Leading Change in Pulp, Paper & Paperboard Mills
Global market shocks, volatile raw material costs, and shifting trade policies are rewriting the rules for pulp, paper, and paperboard manufacturing. The winners in this new environment will not simply be the most operationally efficient — they will be the ones whose leadership teams can adapt in real time, align their people, and turn disruption into opportunity.
Industry at an Inflection Point
The sector is facing a convergence of pressures
Trade and Tariff Volatility – The U.S.–Canada softwood lumber dispute and tariffs on Canadian pulp have forced mills to rethink long-standing supplier relationships and scramble for alternative sources.
Post-Pandemic Demand Shifts – COVID-19 caused commercial paper product demand to crater overnight, while consumer demand for household paper products spiked. Many mills pivoted quickly — but the shift revealed deep gaps in leadership adaptability.
Sustainability & ESG Mandates – Customers and regulators are increasing demands for sustainable sourcing, waste reduction, and transparency, adding new layers of operational and reputational pressure.
From the boardroom to the shop floor, the sector is navigating compressed decision timelines, higher stakes, and more unpredictable operating conditions than ever before.
The Cost of Standing Still
Ignoring these challenges comes at a steep price
Operational & Financial Impact – Delayed adaptation to tariff changes or raw material disruptions can erode already thin margins and jeopardize major customer contracts.
Eroding Market Position – Competitors who secure alternative supply chains or innovate product lines faster can capture market share while slower movers struggle to recover.
Cultural Drift – When leaders default to frustration over action, employee morale falters, siloed thinking takes root, and the organization loses its ability to respond cohesively to future shocks.
The LETS approach: Making the Human Side of Change Your Competitive Advantage
Le Transformations works with pulp, paper, and paperboard executives to equip leadership teams with the mindset, structures, and decision discipline to lead through disruption, instead of just reacting to it.
We align our human-centered change methodology with the operational realities of your business
Strategic Change Readiness Assessment™
Identify where your teams are prepared, and where they’re vulnerable, in facing the next market shock.
Organizational Assessment & Design
Redesign leadership roles, decision pathways, and team structures to accelerate response time
Change
Strategy Development
Create actionable, measurable roadmaps that integrate with your existing operational and technical change programs.
Change Leadership
& Team Coaching
Provide CEOs, COOs, and CFOs with trusted sparring partners to think through complex challenges without the weight of organizational politics.
Why We’re Different
While large, operationally focused consulting firms tackle process efficiency and supply chain optimization, we address the capability gap that determines whether those changes succeed.
Agility Over Bureaucracy – We deliver tailored interventions that fit your unique leadership culture, not generic frameworks.
Boardroom-to-Frontline Integration – We work at both strategic and human levels, ensuring alignment from decision-makers to plant managers.
Proven in High-Stakes Environments – In one paper products client, leadership shifted from reactive crisis management to a proactive, multi-supplier sourcing strategy within weeks, preserving profitability despite tariff pressures.
Take the Next Step
Schedule a Strategy Call – Let us help you explore how you can help your leadership team strengthen its ability to adapt to disruption and secure long-term advantage.