The Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) hopes its Conference on Competitiveness will be the first of an annual series debating industry concerns.

CPI director of public affairs Graham Barnard said the conference would be a "very broad church, debating factors concerning our livelihood".

He said the paper indus-try competitiveness study (PrintWeek, 2 February) had pinpointed several key factors to discuss, including improving performance, employee effectiveness, public perception of the industry, environmental management and e-commerce.

The conference will take place at Stationers Hall in London on 9 November. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) permanent secretary Robin Young, Honda UK managing director Ken Keir, and M-real president and chief executive Jorma Vaajoki will be among the contributors.

Hello! publishing director Sally Cartwright will provide a customers perception of the industry.

Barnard said Young would present the initial findings from the DTIs review of its strategies and support for businesses, while Mark Ambler of PricewaterhouseCoopers would present findings from the DTIs series of studies on the impact of e-commerce on 30 industrial sectors.

Ambler, who led the paper industry study, discovered there was still scope for the development of e-commerce within the industry.

"The hope is that the conference will appeal to all in the manufacturing industry, not just those in the paper industry," said Barnard.

Story by Andy Scott