How Domtar Digitized Manufacturing Training and Cut Downtime
How Domtar replaced paper-based training and tribal knowledge with digital skills, analytics and issue visibility—driving measurable savings, safety improvements and team engagement.
Company Profile
Paper & Pulp
North America
8 (and expanding)
Domtar’s Results with Poka
Saved through improved
paster process performance
Digital work instructions
created
Digital forms
completed weekly
Reduction in paster
failures in one year
- Increased operator confidence and skills tracking
- Empowered frontline ownership of issues and improvements
Aging Knowledge and Inconsistent Training
At Domtar’s West Carrollton facility—originally built in 1947—training had barely evolved from decades-old methods. Despite operating in a high-precision thermal paper manufacturing environment, most training was still paper-based: SOPs printed in binders, high-level checklists and informal peer-to-peer coaching.
But as the workforce changed dramatically, the cracks began to show. Between 2014 and 2025, the number of workers with 10+ years of experience dropped from 95% to just 19%, while 68% of operators had fewer than two years on the job. The result: a 54% reduction in paster failures in one year, knowledge gaps that impacted safety and quality, and little visibility into why problems occurred.
“Too much training relied on tribal knowledge,” said a Domtar training lead. “Our trainers were often just as new as the people they were training.”
Domtar’s leadership recognized that the future of their operations depended on transforming how knowledge was captured, shared and scaled.
From Strategy to Action
Leadership committed to solving the knowledge challenge by launching a company-wide initiative: Manufacturing Knowledge Development (MKD). Backed by Domtar’s SVP of Operations, MKD prioritized the development of frontline workers as a strategic imperative.
The solution? Poka—a connected worker platform purpose-built for manufacturing teams.
“We visited other facilities and saw Poka in action. Within an hour, I went from skeptical to saying, ‘We have to do this,’” said Sam Aspiranti, Sr. Manager of Optimization.
Domtar kicked off its rollout at the Brownsville, TN plant, using Poka to digitize training, build forms and share information across teams. As results came in, adoption quickly scaled across eight additional sites—including West Carrollton.
Driving Engagement, Skills and Results with Poka
At West Carrollton, Domtar deployed Poka across three key use cases:
1. Modernizing Training with Skills and Work Instructions
Paper-based SOPs were replaced with rich, digital content that combined:
- Step-by-step video walkthroughs
- Pre-task risk assessments
- Tool checklists and safety notes
- “Show me” audits to validate knowledge
“Now, our training content matches how people learn—video, tactile, pictures. Operators can access it anytime, on the floor or at a terminal,” shared a site leader.
Poka’s structured skills and endorsement system also enabled Domtar to track exactly who was qualified for what—and identify where more support was needed.
2. Analytics That Drive Real Savings
After implementing Poka forms to log and analyze paster process failures, Domtar identified a root cause—operator tape angles—leading to procedure updates, retraining and measurable gains.
By standardizing this process and creating a new skill in Poka, they are now on track to save $186,000 annually in reduced downtime.
3. Empowering Operators to Raise and Resolve Issues
Before Poka, many issues went unreported due to cultural and operational barriers. Now, operators use Poka to document problems with pictures and video, track responses and follow along in an issue log.
“With just a few clicks, our team shares what’s happening—and gets a response,” said David Worley, Plant Manager. “We went from silence to 22 team members reviewing and helping solve a problem in a single day.”
We went from silence to 22 team members reviewing and helping solve a problem in a single day.
Sam Aspiranti
Sr. Manager of Optimization
Real Culture Shift, Not Just Software
Domtar now completes more than 4,600 digital forms each week, tracking safety, maintenance, operations and quality. Work instructions are not only accessible—they’re alive: updated, reviewed, and tied to frontline input. Best practices are shared across sites. Skills are tracked, audits conducted, and operator confidence is higher than ever.
“The training used to end when the checklist was done. Now, it never really ends,” one trainer noted. “It’s become part of how we work, how we improve and how we support each other.”
Operators report feeling more heard, safer on the job and better prepared.
Advice for Other Manufacturers
For Domtar, success came from leadership buy-in, keeping things simple, and putting users first.
“Don’t overcomplicate it. Make the forms short and useful. Make the videos real. Give your people a reason to log in every day,” said Aspiranti. “That’s how you create a habit—and a culture.”
Enabling the Workforce of Tomorrow
What started as a need to modernize training has become a company-wide movement—reducing downtime, improving safety, and strengthening trust on the shop floor. Poka has helped Domtar build a scalable, connected learning environment, where frontline workers are empowered, engaged, and equipped to thrive.
And the journey is far from over.
“Poka’s just getting started here,” said Worley. “But already, it’s changing the game.”
Ready to replicate Domtar’s success? Talk to our team and see how Poka can help you digitize, connect and empower your frontline.