Undergraduate research explores new markets for Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd.

What began as a response to US-imposed tariffs on Canadian paper products has transformed into an in-depth analysis of international demand for black pellets and activated carbon.

Thanks to funding from ACOA and IET, Dr. Billy Newell was able to fund two undergraduate students — Anees Mallick and Tong Liu — to conduct analyses of European and Asian markets for Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. as the company explores new product development. Their work has brought to the forefront several opportunities and highlighted areas where additional research would be needed. This project is part of the larger Center for Research and Innovation initiative which brings together expertise from industry, academia, and community to address local challenges.

"The hopes are that the project can provide an initial understanding of the demand and market characteristics of new products," said Dr. Newell.

Black pellets are a renewable fuel used to replace coal. Activated carbon is a purifier, commonly used to filter drinking water, swimming pools or remove odors. Both products are already used in European and Asian markets — the students’ analyses determined to what extent there would be demand for a new source — that is, CBPPL.

While CBPPL would certainly want to conduct additional research of its own, said Dr. Newell, these analyses provide an excellent starting point.

"Each student wrote a report on their respective markets, and presented their findings to the senior management team at the mill," he said. "Doing an applied project like this is a great learning experience for the students. We hope to also have some graduate students doing similar work in the coming years, and we will employ more undergraduate students for projects like the one described, but for different products." 

Ms. Liu, who came to Canada from China, graduated with her business degree in May 2020; she said she hopes her findings are helpful.

"I feel it was an honor to be able to present my research report to the management team at CBPPL," she said, adding she very much appreciated the guidance and support from Dr. Newell. "This was a valuable opportunity to obtain research work experience and to apply the business management knowledge we learned in classroom to real business circumstances."