This year we began laying the foundation to achieve these goals. It started by taking a hard look at ourselves. What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? What challenges do we face? How do we compare with successful companies outside our industry? It was an enlightening process. We learned what it takes to be the best. The answer lies in doing three things very well. Executing our strategies. Focusing on customers. Operating safely.

These three objectives form the base of our strategy. The inside front cover of this report lists these objectives and their supporting elements. We also learned that we must develop a system and organization to achieve these objectives. It means operating with speed, simplicity and decisiveness—terms not currently associated with Weyerhaeuser. It means changing our decision-making process, how we’re organized, how we manage this company. In 1998, we started making those changes.

We began reshaping important functions to deliver services in the most cost-effective and efficient manner. We started with engineering and information technology. Then we combined our environmental, health and safety groups into a single organization. Finally, we aligned the manufacturing functions of our primary pulp, fine paper and containerboard mills under a single vice president. All are now company-wide functions accountable for two goals. First, they must meet the needs of the businesses they support. Second, they are to develop company-wide standards and reduce redundancy in their functions. >