International Paper - the world's largest manufacturer of paper products - faces its own unique set of business and techology challenges and opportunities as it moves further into the 21st century.

Dr. Jeff Stevens, IP's director of Global Manufacturing Center of Excellence (Technology), will address both in a presentation Thursday, Sept. 22 at noon in Room 521, Paper Tricentennial Building. Pizza will be served at 11:45 a.m. Please RSVP by contacting chris.luettgen@rbi.gatech.edu.

The company is a leading global producer of renewable fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper products, with 53,000 employees operating in 24 countries.

Dr. Stevens is a Georgia Tech alum, receiving his bachelor's in ChE in 1992 and his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1998. He began his pulp and paper career at Bastrop, La., mill as a process engineer in the pulp mill in 1998 and worked in pulp, power, paper production and technical areas at Bastrop and other mills. He then spent seven years at Bowater corporation building new fiberline, converting paper machine from newsprint to LWC, optimizing the energy balance at the mill to eliminate fossil fuel use, optimizing the production capability of the mill.

In 2007, he returned to International Paper as pulp mill manager at Riegelwood mill and in 2011, became the manager, Technical Services for International Paper’s Industrial Packaging Mill System. In 2013, became the Mill Manager at the Franklin Mill.

In his current role with IP, he is responsible for all aspects of operational and manufacturing improvement efforts for International Paper.