Henry J. Ostrowski, P.Eng

Engineer Henry Ostrowski has made many important engineering contributions over his 50- year career, earning him a reputation as a quality-control pioneer in the pulp and paper industry. His efforts to standardize quality specifications of box plants and container board mills in the 1950s and 1960s helped ensure more responsible use of Canada's scarce natural resources. One of his most noteworthy contributions is a patented apparatus for testing the stiffness and strength of medium liners and combined board. This invention led to the Edge Crush Test, which is now the box quality indicator required by U.S. and Canadian carrier and freight regulations, and which demonstrated the strength of lighter weight boxes manufactured using less material. After his retirement in 1974 from Domtar Packaging Limited, Engineer Ostrowski continued to work as an engineer for the Canadian Executive Services Organization. In this voluntary capacity, he travelled to Brazil, Malaysia, Singapore and China to assist these thendeveloping countries increase efficiency in their pulp and paper mills, thereby protecting the world’s natural resources for generations to come.