The Specialization Of The Construction Industry

blogger /

Today’s Construction industry has become quite competitive. Contractors are required to me efficient, cheap, and punctual. For either a new construction project, or a remodel, contractors have the challenging task of assigning the exact price for the completed work. In addition to the obvious cost calculations for the material costs such as foundation materials, lumber, roofing, doors and windows, cabinets, carpet, paint, appliances, plumbing, electrical wiring, landscaping, and many other things, they also have to calculate the time for each task to be completed and determine the labor costs for the construction project. In the past, one contractors quote may have varied greatly from the next, simply because of the many variables involved. Construction time was usually the target that was missed the most.

Computers and software developed for contractors has enabled contractors to work more efficiently. With the use of specialized software, contractors are able to provide more accurate quotes, and determine these figures in a much shorter amount of time. The quotes provided are usually more uniform depending on the contractors own markup.

The construction industry has become so refined, that many teams of workers are assigned to their specific task. When that task is completed, their job is done, and in comes the next team. For example, once the foundation had been built, the framing team needs to come in, followed by the plumbing team and electrical team. Next is the drywall team, the carpet team, the paint team, etc. What is impressive is that each team has specific estimating software for their stage of the construction process. T

When the electrical contractor has the plans for the building, including all the square footage figures, and all the plans and electrical needs, he can simple input all that information into his electrical estimating software, including the pricing of specific electrical fixtures and the current costs of wiring, etc., and the software will calculate the final costs, including labor. Each subcontractor has a similar process and when all taken in sync, the contractor is able to provide a total estimate for the construction project.

All of this specification results in a very efficient construction industry. Of course, you can still hire a jack of all trades builder, they still exist. Just understand that it is impossible for one person to be an expert in every process, as well as being an expert in the use of all the software available. His estimates will be more variable. Either way, the numbers should make sense to you, and everything, including the time table, needs to be put into writing.

An Overview Of The Heavy Machinery Industry

blogger /

The present day market is a highly competitive one and therefore companies need to devise new and innovative business strategies in order to continue making profits and to substantially increase their market share. For this reason, companies have now begun to shift their business focus from creating tangible products to developing a whole range of comprehensive products along with service designs. This explains the increasing importance of innovative services and this has become apparent over the years. However, little has been done for the management of these services. Heavy equipments are ones that are used mainly in the construction and manufacturing industry. These colossal equipments are difficult to transport, are capital intensive and have a long life cycle of use. This heavy industry machinery is extensively utilised by diverse industries including forestry, transportation, agriculture and construction.

These industries call for substantial investments in heavy equipments and thus getting a proper ROA or return on assets is necessary. Capital velocity is highly important in this respect. It is necessary to make provisions for such innovative services in order to ensure high level of performance and asset availability within a limit budget. Heavy equipments are usually customised and thus are difficult to manage and maintain. These equipments can be divided into different categories such as mining equipment and construction equipment. A working face, shovel, stacker and dumper is used for open pit mines whereas a drill, underground loaders and rigs are used for underground mines. Construction equipments comprise a long list including trenching equipment, piles driving equipment, wagon and trucks, excavating equipments such as clamshells, power shovels, hoes and cranes; draglines, scrapers and tractors.

There are different types of heavy equipment that are used for similar purposes and thus it would be difficult to make a generic classification. There are a number of factors that are taken into consideration while classifying these equipments and these include service facility, operating environment, revenue generation, core competency, life expectancy, service skills, subsystem, cost and weight.

Stakeholders play a crucial role in adding value to the customer through the supply chain. The list includes profiles such as that of manufacturers, service providers, designers, governments, contractors and suppliers.

Companies that use heavy equipment and heavy lifting services will obviously need the help of high investment in order to achieve an equally high ROA. Asset management is important in this respect. It is a proper and systematic approach adopted towards the maintenance and the upgrade of assets. Asset management comprises the activities and processes that are necessary for minimising the investment, maximising the commercial return, manage risks and optimise the strategic value. Asset management also includes every function right from operations to procurement, from engineering to maintenance. The latter is considered to be an integral function of asset management.

The business strategies implemented in the industry are a bit different from the other industries. It is a bit difficult for the heavy equipment industry to garner profits and improve their market position in the long run. Service development can increase the opportunities to a great extent thereby making more room for marketing opportunities.

Iso 22000 And Your Industry

blogger /

Over the last few decades, there has been significant progress in the development of international food safety standards. Many companies refer to the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) guidelines in ensuring food safety and quality at the manufacturing plant level. However, many retailers and buyers in the food industry supply chain have slightly differing requirements, depending on their particular circumstances. For example, US retailers must comply with onerous and very specific food safety requirements laid down by the FDA, and they pass these on to their overseas suppliers, making supplying the US market sometimes costly for suppliers.

The impact of ISO 22000

Given worries about food safety and the emerging standards, ISO, the international body responsible for standardization, decided to produce a food safety standard covering the entire food supply chain. The ISO 22000 was launched in 2005 in order to meet this requirement. ISO 22000 has become one of the most recognized global food safety standards. It lists over 60 codes of practice and guideline documents associated with the food sector.
An informal survey on the impact of ISO 22000 on various sectors was conducted in 2008.

Category Number of certificates
Catering 164
Food processor 149
Dairy processor 116
Beverage manufacturer/winery 90
Meat/poultry processor72
Ingredients 66
Packaging 54
Confectionery 51
Fruit and vegetable processor46
Distributors and Handlers45
Feed manufacturer 32
Seafood/fish processor25
Bakery 25

As the table above shows, ISO 22000 has yet to be adopted widely in the retail sector, but a significant number of catering establishments from small restaurants to large hotels, and school cafeterias have found the standard to be a useful tool.

The Indian Snack Industry And Bikano Namkeen

blogger /

Every decade witnesses a change, a change in lifestyles, fashion, living standards, technology, and what not; food habits are no exception. With busy lifestyles pounding on the existence of the urban gentry, it is no longer the usual home made food all the time that is in the platter. Given the demand for food snacks, meals, chaat, sweets, and more, a number of restaurants has cropped. And if the restaurant happens to be that of a reputed brand, you will not easily get a seat; you will have to wait in queue to get it. Even if you want to buy take-away food snacks or chaat or any other items, you will have to wait as there will be many others like you waiting to pay the bill and get the items.

As aforementioned, food habits and lifestyles have changed to a great extent. This has in turn steered the growth of the snack industry. It is namkeen items including potato chips, etc. that are savored by people at large any time of the day while on the move. If you visit a home in India, the hospitality showered comes in the form of serving of some hot or cold beverages with the accompaniment of namkeen items and sweets. Bikano namkeen offered from the house of Bikanervala is one of the most selling items in the Indian snack industry. You will be spoilt for choices when you come across the menu of Bikano namkeen items. Worth mentioning are aloo bhujia, ratlami sev, peanuts, badam lacha, bikeneri bhujia, chana masala, cornflakes mixture, dal moth, ganthiya, kaju mixture, kashmiri mixture, khatta meetha, khoka bhujia, matar masala, moong daal, navratan mixture, peanut masala, and more. It is no exaggeration to point out the fact that once you taste Bikano namkeen, you wont feel like tasting the namkeen of any other brand. Such is the spiciness, taste, crispiness, and flavor associated. The sky is the limit for the Indian snack industry with players like Bikanervala catering to the snack and namkeen needs of the people at large.

When we speak of food snacks, what are the items that fall in the menu? It can be either of kachodi, samosa roll, soya tikki, pav bhaji, vada pav, pakoda, paneer pakoda, bread pakoda, burger, soya masala wada, samosa, gobhi pakoda, paneer tikki, and more. Of course, it will take time to prepare any of these food snacks items at home not to mention the ingredients that you will need to collect first before you start for the preparation. Why worry when you can get high quality and tasty food snacks items in a restaurant near your home or wherever you go. And if it happens to be afternoon or evening, you can satisfy your taste buds with chaat items like aloo tikki, papri chaat, raj kachori, bhalla papri, lachha tokri, pani puri, bhel puri, pao bhaji, dahi bhalla, paneer masala chilla. All chaat items are accompanied with the mouth watering chutney.

Internet Moneymaking Opportunities In The Education Industry

blogger /

Although it should come as no surprise, there are a variety of ways for schools and educators to make money online. While the opportunities are endless, one recent concept has emerged, and thats the notion of selling goods and services through an educational auction and freelance network.

One of the more obvious ways that schools and educators can make money is by selling their unwanted materials and supplies online. The best way to get paid is through a trustworthy educational exchange website, where its free to list items, and a small fee is taken only when the item sells. You can sell items on behalf of the school, an individual, or a preschool or daycare.

If your colleagues are too busy to deal with selling their unwanted educational items, you can always assist them by listing their items for them, and then taking a percentage of their cut.

Educators and professionals can sell their services through the same educational networking website. By listing your areas of expertise, you can get hired to do the jobs that other educational professionals just dont have the time to complete.

You dont have to limit your moneymaking potential to selling goods and services you can also make money by being an affiliate. The gist of being an affiliate is that you indirectly promote the educational exchange site by sharing the link with interested parties and vendors. You receive money whenever your referral results in a transaction during the first year.

Why shouldnt schools and teachers make money in any way they can? You certainly cant depend upon your state and local government for additional help. Beyond selling magazines and submarine sandwiches to raise money, there has to be other avenues.

You can generate revenue by thinking creatively and showcasing your goods and services on the Internet. Youll find an entire pool of buyers online that you never knew existed. When you specifically use an educational exchange auction site, you can buy and sell almost anything related to the field of education.

Whether its janitorial supplies, puzzles, or televisions, there is a school or classroom that needs exactly what you have. You simply have to connect with the schools that need your old electronics or gym equipment. Perhaps you even have something brand new that you never used. Whatever youve got, take the time to list your items for free on a reliable educational networking website as soon as possible. Dont wait any longer to earn some extra money.