Chile Site Visit News Update: Tommy Fulghum visits Chilean Operations!   In early February this year, Tommy Fulghum spent 10 days in Chile visiting the various operational units, attending management review meetings and visiting our customers. This was a good break from the cold weather in Augusta (winter in the Northern Hemisphere in February!!), but also afforded Tommy a chance to get a first hand update on all the Eucalyptus chipping in Chile.  It had been three years since Tommy last visited Chile and this trip proved to be an event-filled one indeed!  The visits were to the Coronel mill, which operates for Sumitomo and Nippon Paper; to the PAC mill in Coronel (which does export shipments of E.nitens for various customers); to the Forestal Pacifico operation, which purchases fiber for Volterra; and to the Valdivia operation, where Fulghum Fibres chips for Forestall Rio Calle Calle (Oji Paper is the offtake customer) and Forestal Anchile (Daio Paper is the offtake customer)  Tommy spent a lot of time, on this visit, at the Valdivia operation, as shown in the photos below…   In this photo, Tommy, Juan Pablo del Solar (General Manager, Fulghum Fibres Chile) and Alejandro Villouta (Mill Manager, Fulghum Fibres) are discussing the issue of “slivers” and to how prevent them.    Here Tommy and Juan Pablo are discussing the knife changing strategy at Valdivia – “You have to keep those knives sharp to make good quality chips!” Tommy reminded the team.  Tommy also enjoyed meeting all the plant operators – his Spanish was stretched to the limit, but a firm handshake solved all translation problems!   Tommy with the day shift operational team at the Fulghum Fibres Valdivia Plant. The chip load-out in the rear of the photo is for load-out to barges – chips are transported about 14 miles down to the port of Coral, where they are stored and eventually shipped  to Japan in bulk shipments of about 44,000 GST per vessel – any way you look at it, this is a large amount of chips moving over the water at one time!    Tommy with Alejandro, Juan Pablo and Pamela Neira (the Office Manager at Valdivia) in the conference room at the Valdivia operation. A photo taken outside the Valdivia operational office – Tommy with Juan Pablo, Alejandro and Kurt Mälzer (Executive Vice President Business Development - Fulghum Fibres, President - Fulghum Fibres Chile)   A typical Chilean “Asado” (BBQ!) – this was taken on the weekend when Tommy visited our customers in Valdivia – Eduardo Hartwig and Jaime Vial. Pictured in the photo, from left to right are…  Juan Pablo del Solar, Tommy’s wife Joan, Tommy, Eduardo Hartwig, Jaime Vial’s wife, Carolina (the wife of Juan Pablo) and Jaime Vial.