Sappi Fine Paper North America won a 2008 CIO Award recently. The award, given by CIO magazine, recognizes only 100 organizations world-wide that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT).

The company won the award for developing an integrated knowledge management system to control the over $600 million it spends on raw materials.

The system incorporated data from various sources including plant floor control, quality, Mill Execution and ERP systems to provide a single view of costs and input material use. Information is now available in near real time with detail never before possible. Sappi says it has been able to bundle data into knowledge so that decisions are clear and actionable immediately with control over financial implications.

Sappi also announced the winners in its 2008 International Printers of the Year Award. Amongst them were California's Continental Colorcraft in the Brochures category and Toronto, Ontario's Transcontinental Yorkville O'Keefe in the Magazines category. www.sappi.com PI