Monique Claverie, Senior Manager, Technical Marketing and Services for UPM Pulp in North America, joined the team in UPM’s newest market area in May 2024. With a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maine, and previous experience within the paper industry – particularly as quality manager for a tissue producer – she is the perfect fit for the new role.
“For the past six years I’ve been working for a tissue paper manufacturer. Besides handling in-house quality at the plant, I worked closely with customers on product development and making sure they had exactly the right grade of tissue for their needs. I think it’s useful to have been a pulp consumer on the other side of the table – especially considering a large part of UPM’s pulp volume in North America goes to the tissue industry,” Claverie says.
She adds that North America differs from other market areas in how a uniquely large share of tissue products are manufactured utilising TAD (Through Air Drying) technology. This involves using hot air to dry tissue sheets, resulting in softer and bulkier products compared to conventional methods.
Flexible pulp portfolio
In her new role Claverie is looking forward most to creating relationships with customers and utilising her technical background in helping them be successful in their own businesses.
“I think it’s extremely important to have a technical link between customers’ technical teams and our production facilities. Relationship building and getting to meet many of our customers in person is one of my main tasks in the beginning, as well as visiting all our pulp mills. I suppose I’m an extrovert among engineers as I enjoy that part of my job the most,” she laughs.
Claverie adds that only by gaining a deep understanding of customers and their products is she able to accurately find the pulp product best suited to specific needs.
“We’re somewhat unique in the North American market because UPM offers both hardwood and softwood pulps, and that also provides us with a certain flexibility for optimising our offering. So, my job – by utilising our R&D facilities and the extensive know-how of our global team – is to find the perfect fit for that customer’s end use from our broad portfolio.”
Optimising the product in close cooperation
A good example of Claverie’s work in practice is a current case where a specialty paper manufacturer required a product with a lot of air resistance but is using a machine with limited drainage capability.
“In this case we tested their pulp samples in our R&D centre to get data that could be compared with our products. We then ran a simulation programme to see how our different pulps would perform on their machine. Based on this I was able to make a well-informed recommendation for the most suitable product,” Claverie explains.
Considering the main elements of good customer service and building trustworthy relationships, Claverie highlights responding quickly to potential quality issues and working in close cooperation to understand the root cause and implement corrective actions.
“I believe in creating partnerships by providing information transparently and backed with meaningful data so that customers feel they can rely on us,” she notes.
Supporting the sustainability story
Much like her colleagues – Sales Director Darren Barker and Senior Sales Manager Jean-François Royer who are introduced in the 2024 issue of Pulp Matters magazine – Claverie works mostly from her home office and does a lot of travelling. Her husband also works in the industry.
“I’ve lived all my life in different parts of Maine – except for a five-year period in Michigan. Currently we live ‘way Downeast’ near the Canadian border, where we have 10 acres on the bay. I love the outdoors and gardening, and my husband keeps bees and makes our own maple syrup.”
With environmental values close to her heart, she says one of the reasons for taking on the new position was UPM’s strong sustainability story. She considers this a competitive advantage for the company in a market that tends to be very careful about regulatory constraints.
“I feel really good about the choices UPM is making regarding sustainability. Naturally it helps when you can stand behind the company values and believe in what you are selling,” Claverie concludes.
Text: Timo Nykänen
Read more about our sustainability practices and goals in our Sustainability Handbook.
View UPM Pulp Sustainability Handbook
