Commodity Chains: A Box of Tissues - Coursework Example

Commodity Chains – A Box of Tissues Hygiene is a fundamental part of healthy living. Most people cannot imagine the idea of living in this world without tissue. On average, it has been estimated that each person uses about 100 single rolls of tissue paper every year. The use of tissue paper is not only limited to bathroom hygiene, it can also be used to wipe off facial makeup, wipe out spills, nose care and other small bathroom chores. On average, it is estimated that a roll can last an individual up to five days (Michalowicz, 128). Tissue paper belongs to the secondary sector of the economy which is mostly majored in production of finished, tangible products. Given the sanitary nature of tissue paper products and how they are used for personal matters, they need to be clean and hygienic. Tissue paper can either be one ply or two ply depending on the manufacturers needs, although most of them are often two-ply. The biggest distinctive characteristic between tissue paper and other forms of paper is its soft nature that allows it to easily dissolve in paper. This can be attributed to a production process known as creping, in which the paper is dried in a cylinder and then scraped with metal. Tissue paper accounts for 7% of the toxic gases that are emitted into the air and cause pollution. This could be an associating factor as to why use of recycled paper has become quite popular. Raw Materials for Producing Tissue Paper Toilet paper is often made from new or “virgin” paper, which uses a combination of both softwood and hardwood trees. Examples of preferred softwood trees include Douglas firs and Southern pines. They are characterised to have long fibres, which tend to wrap around each other. This will be beneficial in giving the tissue the required strength. In contrast, hardwood trees have shorter fibres, which give the tissue paper its soft texture. The most commonly used hardwood trees include oak, gum and maple (Mintzer, 81). The ratio most often used in the production of tissue is commonly 70% hardwood and 30% softwood. The other raw materials required include water, bleaches and chemicals, which will be needed to break down the trees into usable fibre. Instead of cutting down more trees and causing more harm to the environment, most companies practise sustained forestry. For companies that make toilet paper from recycled products, the raw materials sodium peroxide or hydroxide in order to whiten the tissue, oxygen and ozone. However, for companies that make the tissue from virgin paper, chlorine based bleaches are required, which have been identified to pose a threat to the environment. The Manufacturing Process Pulping and Retting The first step in the production of tissue paper is the making of paper pulp, which can either be created from recycled paper products or new ones. The pulp is created by stirring together retted tree fibres in a large container at the plant. Retting simply means soaking and pulling apart. The nature of tree fibre and how much water is used in the mixture will depend on the product to be produced. Pressing After the pulp has been created and is ready for the next stage, it is pressed through pressure rolls, which serve the function of squeezing out the moisture from the pulp. If the manufacturer is looking to produce thin paper, the pulp has to be pressed through a number of pressure rolls. However, in an instance where the manufacturer is looking to produce thick papers, then pressing the pulp in two pressure rolls is enough. Creping In the next stage, the pulp shall then be processed by the use of what is known as the Yankee dryer, which is a dying cylinder heated by steam. In this dryer, the pulp will undergo a process that is known as creping. There is a hood located above the dryer, which serves the purpose f dying up the pulp by expelling forceful heat. Meanwhile, the roller will continue turning and fine blades, which scrape down the tissue to soft required thickness. The tissue, however, does not get to be scraped away completely as the rollers are set in a way that when the desired softness is achieved it no longer scrapes the tissue. China is one of the major providers of crepe paper for the US and many other countries (Papageorgiou, 27). Reeling and Cutting After the tissue paper has been dried and thinned, it is then reeled and cut with a machine to the appropriate lengths and sections. In addition, there are manufactures that can sometimes choose to add colour such as blue pink or white to give to the customer a variety of choices to pick from. Perfuming the tissue paper can also be ideal although the personal nature of tissue paper makes it hard as some people may have an allergic reaction to the perfume. Al the manufacturing stages in the production of tissue paper takes place in one area. Deciding on a location of where to set up the manufacturing plant requires one to consider a number of factors. Tissue paper, just like any other common product, is a rather competitive industry. The number one factor that one must consider is the availability of the raw materials. The proximity of the raw materials to the manufacturing plant will in turn reflect on the costs incurred in obtaining the materials. If the manufacturing plant is situated far from the raw materials, there shall be extra transport costs incurred in bringing the raw materials to the plant. Survival is important in this industry (Lamberg, 65). One needs to look at the long-term existence of the company and what would possibly make it prosper. The world is going green; hence, most companies are now using recycled products and not just felling trees however, they please. The competition does not stop with the local manufacturers of tissue paper, but also the entire globe in the industry of tissue paper manufacturing. Once one is already in the market, one ought to think of a way to gain competitive advantage over other competitors to ensure long-term survival in the industry (Weise, 125). Manufacturing of tissue peer does not require such technical skills but labour availability is still a factor that needs to be considered. Availability of cheap and highly available labour is important in deciding on the appropriate location for a tissue manufacturing plant. Given the fact that tissue manufacturing is not highly technical, the costs in employment of labour are likely not to be that expensive. Packaging of Tissue Paper Although for many people, packaging has never been a factor of consideration that determines whether they purchase tissue paper, it does not make it any less important. Creativity is important in packaging in order to ensure that a particular product stands out in the industry. The product design should be appealing in order to attract more customers to purchase the product. The price of the tissue paper will be dependent on various factors such as the quality, the grade of paper, the weight among others. There are machines built to serve this purpose which means that no human labour is required at this stage unless for the final step. Typically, production of tissue paper employs a lot of manual labour for folding and packaging the finished products. The salary offered to the labourers at the tissue paper manufacturing plant is menial given the nature of their work and the required skills to perform their work. Most of them are often paid on basis of number of hours they work in a day (Papageorgiou, 73). Furthermore, there is the fact that there is no serious training that needs to be undertaken in order for one to understand how to perform their required tasks at the manufacturing plant. The other jobs available at the tissue paper manufacturing plant is the position for an administrative officer whose main function is to simply oversee the smooth running of everything at the plant and manage the people employed to work there. After the tissues have been packaged, they often move through several steps of what is referred to as the chain of distribution. The chain of production starts from the extraction of the raw materials used in the production of the tissue paper to the minute it finally reaches the consumer. At the primary level, this is where the necessary raw materials and pulp are produced. At the secondary level, this is where the raw materials are finally turned into pulp and undergoes the several processes to be turned into the final product, which is tissue paper. Lastly is the tertiary stage, the tissue paper is finally distributed to retailers to finally reach the final consumer. Designing of the tissue paper is mostly done by the marketing research team in the company. Their aim is to go out and try to find out what it is the consumers want and figure out how best to deliver this to them. In addition, the marketing team can look at the different design available in the market from their competitors and come up with a design that meets the consumer needs and additionally gives them competitive advantage (Smith, 25). Work Cited Lamberg, Juha-Antti. The Evolution of Global Paper Industry, 1800-2050: A Comparative Analysis. Dordrecht: Springer, 2012. Web. Michalowicz, Mike. The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: The Tell-It-Like-It-Is Guide to Cleaning Up in Business, Even If You Are at the End of Your Roll. Boonton, N.J: Obsidian Launch, 2008. Print. Mintzer, Richard. Start Your Own Green Business: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Success. Irvine, CA: Entrepreneur Press, 2009. Print. Papageorgiou, Lazaros G, and Michael C. Georgiadis. Supply Chain Optimization. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH, 2008. Print. Smith, Maureen. The Us Paper Industry and Sustainable Production: An Argument for Restructuring. Cambridge, Mass. [u.a.: MIT Press, 2007. Print. Wiese, Arthur M. Impacts of Market-Based Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Policies on U.s. Manufacturing Competitiveness. Washington, D.C: American Petroleum Institute, 1998. Print. Read More