It's the kick-off season once again and not just for the NFL. September traditionally marks the start of the meeting and exhibit cycle for the year. And, in spite of stagnate growth in many areas of the industry, there are still signs of renewal in the months to come.

Print® 01 jump starts the trade show agenda, promising new technology and cost cutting measures for boxmakers serving the packaging or display industry. Association meetings this fall, like TAPPI's in Seattle and the AICC in Vancouver, will bring us the latest business forecasts and hopefully provide solutions for strengthening the industry as a whole. Equally as important, these meetings give industry members the chance to meet, exchange ideas and discuss new challenges.

And what a difference a year makes. Just last September, it seemed like the biggest concern we had was that as an industry we were being pushed aside by the new economy companies. Many feared the dot.com companies were going to sweep traditional brick and mortar companies out the door. Computer gurus were so highly revered that they brought their dogs to work and got freebies on coffee and soft drinks. More importantly, our stock was undervalued and investment companies were pouring money into Internet start-ups that had yet to make a dime.

Those days have come full circle however. According to the Wall Street Journal, surviving dot.com companies have lost over 50% of their stock value since January 1, 2001, and many lost over 90%. Needless to say, many more simply disappeared when the investors' money dried up.

Now, we find ourselves with a new endeavor — to resurrect the old economy from the ashes of the new. This task has put many of our companies under great pressure. While we have fought our own battles, organizations like the PPC, AICC, NPA and TAPPI's corrugated containers division continue to provide the tools for efficiency, generating new business and staying competitive. The industry has proved resilient also thanks to entrepreneurs and managers that have not forgotten how to make products that people and society really need.

This month's issue of BCI reflects that start of the year spirit with a number of new and interesting features. We lead in with the new TAPPI corrugated containers division news section — Out of the Box. TAPPI and Boxboard Containers International are working more closely to ensure that the superb technical information generated by the TAPPI corrugated containers division is distributed to the industry in a timely manner. Our associate publisher, Glen Dougherty, has been instrumental in developing these ties between TAPPI and BCI.

This month's cover story, Connecting the Dots — Tropicana Packaging Design and Production Goes Digital, takes a new angle on the purchasing paradigm and reveals how a major packaging buyer, Tropicana Corp., runs its worldwide supplier network. Discover how Tropicana's graphics and packaging operation became one the most digitally integrated in the world.

Other features cover inkjet printing for primary and secondary packaging, specialty folder-gluers and software workflow solutions.

Remember, for today's news, back issues and a host of other information, go to our website at www.boxboard.com.