I am trusting that some of you will get the connection between BYD and the pulp and paper industry. There will be many that don't--that will be the same crowd that when I quote Henry Ford, who said, "Whether you think you can or you can't, you're right" say, "I don't get it."

BYD is a Chinese automobile manufacturer that has not been let into the United States yet. They made 4.6 million automobiles world wide last year. Toyota, the top producer, made 11.3 million. The difference is BYD is an infant while Toyota is elderly by comparison.

BYD conceptualized autos (and light trucks, SUVs, etc.) by starting with four wheels and a cabin with customary modern protection systems. They only make EV's and completely redesigned the battery, among other things. They have sophisticated driver assist features, in fact, they sell driver assist features to Mercedes, BMW and others. BYD is completely vertically integrated like the original Ford River Rouge plant was.

The US manufacturers are doing everything they can to keep BYD out of the US. It is estimated BYD's cheapest version would sell for $10,000 here before tariffs.

What does this have to do with pulp and paper making? Embrace technological thinking. If an auto industry player can do what I just described to the auto industry, what keeps some entity from doing this to the pulp and paper industry?

As much as I like them, I don't think the existing suppliers can do it (after all, they pay the bills around here). It will take an entity willing to do less metal bending, less machining, less of everything we do now to build a pulp and paper mill. That demotivates suppliers.

So maybe we are "safe" but only for a while. Someday, some entity will be the BYD of the pulp and paper industry.

Jim Thompson is CEO of Paperitalo Publications.