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Warehouse Conveyor Systems

To improve the productivity of a small- or mid-sized distribution center or warehouse, think about installing a warehouse conveyor system. To choose the right one for your warehousing needs, you will need to consider the initial expense, the total cost of ownership, maintenance expenses, energy consumption, throughputs, the noise level, the environment, and who will set it up for you.

In regard to throughput, determine the speed your operation has to achieve. A low-speed option can run 50 to 150 cases every minute, and a high-end model can run at a sustained level of more than 300 cases per minute. In addition, if the parameters of the warehouse may change within a relatively brief period of time, a modular conveyor may be the best choice because you can take it apart and reassemble it with less difficulty than you would have with an older system, and production can be resumed quickly.

The option you choose should enable you to balance your throughput needs, return on investment, and ease of operation. Here are some basic choices to consider:

Skatewheel conveyors come with rows of small metal or aluminum wheels. They have no motor, and are useful in bringing bags, sacks, and cartons down a slope. Skatewheels are ideal for moving items to shipping areas for loading onto delivery trucks, generally in accessible areas for short runs. These are a good choice for smaller warehouses.

Belt conveyors have a motor-powered belt on top of a constructed bed. These are popular because they are cost effective and can be used to convey a wide range of light- and medium-range products (regardless of their shape) throughout the warehouse. They also require little maintenance.

Sliding bed systems, which have an unpainted metal surface sliding along a bed, may be the best choice if you need to move unstable loads at a slow speed. Used to transport small products and odd-shaped items, they can be found in assembly stations and load stations.

Live roller conveyors come with elongated, adjustable rollers over the conveying bed that are powered by line shafts, chains, or belts. They can accommodate heavy loads with solid bottoms and are suitable for use in an unclean or harsh environment.

Accumulation systems are intended for operations that require a buffer or are works in progress. Sensors direct their belts or rollers to start and stop in order to pace cartons without causing a delay in production. Since they need extra motors and controls, they are rather expensive, but this is offset by the flexibility they provide.

You will also want to make sure that your conveyor system is relatively easy to access and repair, so that your warehouse operations will not be seriously affected when maintenance is required. Since the expense in running the operation is also an important factor, note that a belt system is the least expensive, and a high-voltage, motor-driven option usually costs less than the motorized roller-conveyor type.

When making a purchase of a piece of equipment …

Innovative Structural Racking Is Ideal For Industrial Applications

Many companies have a warehouse in addition to their administration building for their business. Structural racking is ideal for industrial applications such as a warehouse building that houses pallets of merchandise that could either be shipped directly to a customer or sent to one of the businesses smaller locations. There are different styles and types of the racks for pallets and when they are installed, they are placed in different configurations in order to accommodate forklifts and other vehicles that would drive right up to the racks.

Some of the industrialized institutions that would benefit from these large shelving units might be big box stores. Many of them are actually large warehouses that allow people to shop within the building and purchase items in bulk. They stack the merchandise directly on the racks for consumers to shop and pick out what they need. If something is place higher on the racks, then an associate would have to use a forklift to bring it down for them.

There are all types of manufacturing companies that would be able to keep more inventories in their warehouse or alongside their factory and machines if they used different types of shelves for storage. A manufacturing company that makes small parts would have to purchase smaller shelving units or racks that have a tight-weave on the bottom so that the small parts do not fall through.

With many of the racks for shelves, they could be installed along the outside of the room or in the center of the space or both. Many large warehouses have rows of racks so that small cars or other transportation machines can ride through the isles in order to reach exactly what they need. If a big box store is not set up like a warehouse, then their back room is no doubt using the rack systems for storage of their overflow stock.

Auto parts stores would make good use out of the rack style shelves to hold car batteries, oil and air filters and larger items such as bumpers and radiators. Many of the auto parts stores have the front part of the building the shopping area and then just beyond the cash registers is the racks stacked as high as the ceiling for storage of the various parts that do-it-yourselfers purchase for their vehicles. Other types of stores could also benefit from having a shopping area in the front and a storage space of ceiling to floor racks in the back.

Businesses that carry a lot of inventory and need a place to store the items would benefit from having these stacking racks in their warehouse or back room. They are easily assembled, sturdy and durable. Most are made of steel so they can take a ding or two from a forklift. In addition, many are adjustable in height so that if a companies products change sizes and the boxes are now taller, the shelving racks can be adjusted …

The law requires that employers provide safe working environments for their employees. However, given the cost of safety measures, some may be tempted to cut corners.

Instead, workplace safety should be thought of as an investment that can pay dividends. Here are some ways to prevent accidents and keep workers safe.

Frequent Maintenance on Machinery

Heavy machinery that is frequently maintained is less likely to break down and cause injuries. Employers should have maintenance and diagnostics services performed on a regular basis to keep machinery in the best possible condition.

Training for Employees

All employees should receive thorough training on the tasks they are expected to perform. They should not be allowed to perform the tasks until they have completed training and demonstrated competence in the tasks they are expected to perform. Under no circumstances should an employee be asked or allowed to perform a task for which he or she has not received adequate training.

Clear Procedures

The employer should have safety procedures in place to prevent workplace accidents. Employees should receive training on the procedures, the steps should be clearly posted, and there should be consequences for those who do not follow the procedures.

Protective Equipment

Employers should provide adequate personal protective equipment for employees appropriate to each task. Learning to use the equipment correctly should be part of employee training, and there should be penalties for employees who go to work without the proper equipment.

Making an investment in safety now can pay off in the long run. If an accident or an injury occurs, work has to stop temporarily to help the injured worker. The injured worker may have to spend some time out from work to recover. Poorly maintained equipment may break down even without causing any injuries, resulting in a work stoppage until repairs can be made. Therefore, safety can promote workplace productivity.…

Using Red Raspberry Leaf Tea to Induce Labor

Towards the end of pregnancy, I think all of us would like the child to decide to make his or her debut. At that point in time, we can no longer even see our feet, we have to bend backwards when we try to walk and sleep is almost impossible between our big bellies and the lively kicking match in our womb.

Over the generations, there have been a number of ways of trying to bring Junior out quickly. Some work, some don’t and some are downright dangerous. It is a difficult subject and a decision that should not be made lightly.

About once a year, a news story will show up on our local television station about a special salad this or that restaurant offers its pregnant guests. The dressing is usually made with balsamic vinegar, and it is rumored to start labor. That may or may not be true, though you should be aware that balsamic vinegar does usually contain some lead.

Blue cohosh is another method used in the past. This does work, but it has too high a price tag in many cases. It can cause both the mother’s and the child’s blood pressure to rise dramatically. Women and children have died from this, usually from a heart attack.

My mother told my husband to drive me down a bumpy road to get the festivities started. This does not work and it’s very uncomfortable for all concerned. Neither does walking or jogging.

Another old wive’s tale is that taking a laxative will help. Again, not true and very uncomfortable. The sphincter muscle is the same, but the substance only irritates the colon, it doesn’t have any affect on the reproductive system.

Raspberry leaves are good for pregnant women, but they can cause uterine contractions. This does not mean that it is likely to start labor. More often, it stops premature birth or a miscarriage. Because it can cause contractions, always check with your doctor before using it (or any other herb).

There is one way to get things rolling, and it’s the thing that probably got you in this condition in the first place. Because of the hormones released during intercourse, having sex is a good way to do the job. Your doctor has probably been told by many patients what caused their labor to begin.

Keep in mind that self inducing can be dangerous both for you and for your child. If it’s too early, the baby could have serious complications, including low birth weight. If it’s an herb, it will cross the placental barrier. Discuss this with your doctor before using anything to make sure it’s the right choice in your situation.…

Things to Think About and Plan on Doing When You Move to Another State

You have decided to move to another state. This could be for a number of reasons like you got a new, better job offer or opportunity, you wish to move closer to your family or you would prefer to change locations due to other reasons like different weather, safer community or larger city access. Whatever the reason it is to move there is a lot of things to think about before and after you relocate to another state. After you have sold your house and had your garage sale or donated things you do not wish to take with you, it is time to pack everything up. Many homeowners choose to do this themselves rather than have a moving company do it to save themselves some money. A great resource would be to go to a Houston contract warehouse where you can purchase boxes and packaging supplies in the Houston fulfillment section of the warehouse. They can help you with bubble wrap, paper, tape and boxes to make sure all of your valuables are securely packed for the move. What else do you need to do to have your move go smoothly?

Make sure after you pack each box thoroughly you label it with permanent markers. The best idea is to label it with what room it should go into in the new house, not what room it came from in the old house. This will help the movers on the other end to know where each box should go. Another thing to make sure of is to not pack up important documents and valuables like jewelry and cherished artwork. These things would be better off going with you in your own vehicle for safety. Unfortunately many things are lost during a move because many moving companies pack more than one household on their truck and despite good labeling sometimes a box or piece of furniture goes the wrong way never to be seen again. So, if it is highly valuable, you should keep it with you.

Once you arrive in your new state, you need to get settled. One of the first things you will need to do is to buy all of the basics like food and paper products. If you already have a warehouse membership to a place like Costco or Sam’s go online and find out where the closest one to you is located. This would be the perfect time to shop there for all of the basics you will need and to get them in bulk to save money. Since you are also familiar with their products it will help you to know what you can buy there. Many times, different states have different grocery stores that are completely unfamiliar and different which can be a bit disorienting at first. For all of your basics, first go to the warehouse type store. All of the perishable items that you could not …

Avoid Storage Disasters

Storing needs are unavoidable in today’s world, where the sizes of homes have shrunk. Many prefer studio apartments and bachelor flats since they are a bit lighter on the pocket. These homes have an area of around 60 to 300 square feet and the apartment does not have separate rooms. Everything is adjusted within one square room except the washroom area. It is an arrangement where the living room, bedroom and kitchen are accommodated in one room. Thus, it leads to space constraints and homeowners feel the need for Brooklyn moving and storage.

Storing facilities enable homeowners to move their belongings to safely store at the unit. It frees up space in the home and thus offers a better living condition. Although, Brooklyn self storage warehouses can be of great help, they should be chosen carefully. Many people commit mistakes while packing, moving and storing and thus invite disasters. A little care can make a huge difference to your storing experience. Here are some tips to avoid storage disasters.

How To Avoid Common Mistakes

Wrong Packing – Packing your belongings rightly is half the job done. It will not only help in storing the items properly, it will also protect all the items from the possible damages. Although, Brooklyn self storage warehouse is safe and clean, the changing weather conditions may cause serious deterioration or damage. For instance, a wooden article that is left uncovered may be infested due to high humidity levels. The moisture in a storing unit can cause mold, mildew, warping and other weather related damage to your belongings. Different items would require different types of protection. A glass dinning table would be better protected if the glass is coated with wax, it will prevent scratches. Another important thing to remember while packing is to pack the items in boxes of equal size. This will help in stacking the boxes one above the other. Kitchen items should be wrapped with care; the delicate crockery should first be covered in plain paper and then packed in boxes. Do not use newspaper to wrap crockery. The newspaper ink may be transferred on to the crockery. Be very careful while packing for Brooklyn moving and storage.

Hiring A Bigger Unit – Many people commit the mistake of hiring a bigger unit. They only look at the floor space of the Brooklyn self storage buildings. Do not ignore the vertical space and stack up items in a rack or boxes. This way you will be able to save money on the rentals. The bigger the unit, higher will be its rental.

Location – Choosing a Brooklyn moving and storage that is located far from your home or office is another mistake. You may be able to save a few dollars on the rentals but in the long term, it can be a headache to drive all the way to the unit to fetch your belongings. Do not compromise on the location. The facility should be close to your …

Hiring in a Deep Labor Pool

The economy of the past few years has created a great number of obstacles for small business owners. As an advisor to owners and managers across the country, advice on sustaining the current situation grows more and more difficult, as that advice includes decisions that affect my clients and their employees quality of life. However, I believe that advice will pay dividends as our economy changes and begins to grow again in the future.

The current labor pool is deep. From laid off professionals, recently graduated college students and everyone in between and in the ditches. It is from this deep pool of human resources that I advise my clients to begin trolling for human capital that will help to solidify their business foundation and take advantage of the coming opportunities that are bound to be presented as this economy restarts.

Key areas that can be an investment are in customer service, operational efficiencies and product or service quality. The current economic downturn has not slowed the evolution of the consumer, who now uses social networking and other technologies to aid in their buying decisions. By shoring up your customer service, efficiencies, product and service qualities, you are putting your company in a position to stand out when consumers begin purchasing in greater quantities and more often.

The deep labor pool offer business owners and managers the opportunity to capitalize on experienced workers at a discount, providing a key investment opportunity to solidify the business when there is time to properly attack business issues that often get overlooked when business is busy and times are good.

The best way to begin looking at how to use the experience of others currently available is to review your current business plan, or if you don’t have one write one, today’s business climate means a business plan is something all small businesses should have. Once you have that plan in place, look for where your deficiencies are and look at how you can fix them using today’s labor pool.

In a deep labor pool there are opportunities to “catch and release”. These experienced professionals and young new to the workforce educated people are often swimming through the labor pool, willing to help in any way possible, which in turn pays them and keeps their heads in the business game and ads to their experience. As you engage these workers and solutions are put into place, your company will benefit from the experience of people who normally may not be available to small business in a cost effective way.

Today labor pool will not remain full of readily available, lower cost experienced people. Now is the time when experience and planning will best fortify the foundation of businesses. Use the opportunity to find that experience and prepare your company for the coming recovery and gain the knowledge that will most assuredly become more costly and harder to find as the labor pool becomes shallow again in a booming …

2012 Amendments On California Labor Laws – What’s In Store For The New Year?

During the stint of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, he has enacted a few employment laws to provide equal benefits and rights to employers and their employees. But when Gov. Jerry Brown took over his post, he was able to sign in a few bills that are set to be enacted as law effective January 1, 2012. Thus, there are amendments to the California labor laws by the new year that employees can look forward to.

In order to prevent employer liability and to equally uphold employee and employer rights for all companies based in California, here is a detailed look into some of the amendments to the state law:

The existing California Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act indicate that employers have the right to secure a copy of the consumer credit report for an employee or applicant for purposes that include applicant evaluation, retention, or re-assignment of an employee. However, this particular aspect of the California labor law has been revised such that employers are now prohibited from obtaining a copy of the employees’ or applicants’ consumer credit report. The only ones that are given the right to access the employees’ credit report are financial institutions. The only grounds for which an employer can seek a copy is when the employee concerned is in a managerial position, part of the Department of Justice of the state of California, law enforcement worker, or when the information contained in the report is required by the law. Even so, the new legislation require employers to post a notice in advance before they are given access to the report. Failure to comply with these conditions is subject to lawsuit or damages to the employee wherein there are certain fees involved.

The next notable amendment in the California labor law concern written commission agreements. Indeed, effective next year all forms of employment contract that involve paying commissions to employees must be done in writing. This will be the main basis for the computation and payment of said commissions to concerned individuals. The employee must also sign a copy of the written commission agreement or else the employer must pay a penalty of $100/day to the aggrieved employee.

Misclassification of employees in California as independent contractors is also subject to lawsuits, according to the state’s employment laws. The SB 459 legislation in California prohibits employees from misclassifying the status of their employees, especially when it is willfully done. When an employer is caught with this violation, the law also requires that they post a public notification of this violation and that must be kept for one full year. All employees that were discovered to jointly participate in the employer’s misclassification of an employee is also held liable by the law.

The Equal Benefits Law in California is being put forth as one of the most significant changes in the state laws with regards to obtaining benefits. The previous law dictates that …

Human Trafficking Charges and Penalties

Human trafficking is a gigantic underground industry that affects innocent individuals all over the world. According to the U.S. Department of State, 2007 estimates of the number of people forced into servitude range from 4 million to 27 million. This large difference in estimates suggests that very little is known about the human trafficking industry, and that the stories that reach the public may be just the tip of the iceberg. To combat modern-day slavery, states across the U.S. have outlawed the practice and will heavily prosecute anyone found to be involved.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is the holding and transport of individuals against their will to force or coerce them into sexual exploitation or manual labor. Young girls are particularly at risk of becoming a victim of modery-day slavery; based on U.S. Department of Justice statistics, an estimated 50% of all trafficking victims are children and approximately 80% are women and girls. About 70% of all female trafficking victims are forced into the sexual exploitation industry, while 30% are forced into manual labor.

When most people think of human trafficking, images come to mind of someone being forcibly kidnapped and kept under house arrest. In fact, experts believe that many victims of human trafficking are in plain view everyday but are tied down by other means. Traffickers may use threats of violence, loan sharking, or other means to prevent victims from fleeing. Many transnational victims have their passports or other identification confiscated or hidden from them to keep them from leaving.

Charges and Penalties

Any person who is found to be involved with modern-day slavery will face severe criminal penalties. In Florida, for example, it is a second-degree felony to commit human trafficking through the transport, housing, funding, or recruiting of a victim. Individuals who benefit from money that is knowingly tied to trafficking may also be prosecuted. The penalties tied to a conviction include:

Up to 15 years in prison, and

Up to $10,000 in fines, and

Restitution payments to discovered trafficking victims and their families

Any involvement in modern-day slavery is a serious offense, and suspects should expect to face an aggressive prosecution in court. A conviction for a single offense could haunt you for the rest of your life and greatly reduce your freedoms for years.…

10 Ways to Build Security in Your Data Center Warehouse

Your data center warehouse stores passwords and user Ids of several databases & systems. This makes the security of your data center a necessity. Here we will provide you different ways to ensure the security of your warehouse.

A� First thing you need to make sure for proper security of your data center is to build it on right spot. Make sure that it is at least a distance of 20 miles from headquarters and 100 ft from main road. Do not build it near airports, power plants and chemical factories. Do not build it near areas prone to earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.

A� Ensure that your data center possesses at least two sources for all utilities like water, voice, data and electricity. The water lines should be underground.

A� Consider the walls of the data center. Foot thick concrete walls are always a better option and are very effective against damaging elements. Besides this, these walls are quite inexpensive. To add some extra security, you can go for walls that are lined with Kevlar.

A� Don’t forget that it is your warehouse, not an office building. So, you should try to avoid windows or limit windows to administrative area only. You can also use bomb-resistant glass in windows.

A� You can also use landscaping to protect your warehouse. Huge boulders and trees are capable of hiding your data center from cars & other vehicles passing by it. Where landscaping could not secure the building, you can use cash-proof barriers there.

A� You can control access to parking lot using retractable barriers at every entry point of vehicles. Retractable bollards are one the most apt solutions that will allow you to control access to parking area.

A� Arrange security for bomb detection. For places that can be likely targets, you can provide guards with bomb sniffing devices that are portable. They can also use mirrors to find out underneath the vehicles for any sort of explosives.

A� For exits, use doors without handles outside. Whenever these doors are opened, a loud alarm will automatically inform the security command center about some mishap.

A� Use ‘surveillance cameras’ around the perimeter of your data centre building and at every entrance & exit. You can use a combination of cameras as well such as standard fixed camera, low light camera, pan zilt zoom camera and some motion detection devices.

A� Make sure that walls and ceilings do not provide any hidden access points.

These are the ten ways to ensure the security of data warehouse centre.…

Things to Consider When Hiring a Transport Consultant

The usual situation and problem of workers nowadays is moving from one place to another for job-related conditions and/or professional reasons. So, you need to look for a company that offers auto transport services because not everybody own personal cars and cannot buy one that may be used when transferring from one place to another. So, the best solution you can possibly do for this kind of situation. But before you can actually hire a transport consultant that will help you when you move or transfer, you must consider a few things and some pointers to be remembered. You must also have other options so that in case you can retry on another transport consultant.

The very first thing you should consider is if the transport consultant has any idea if the car to be used is registered with DOT or not. Also, in case of emergency and injuries, the transport consultant must acquire of a car service which has valid insurance covers. This must be reasonable, fair and favourable on your part because the value of the car will be nothing compared to you and what can possibly happen to you.

Also, your transport consultant must provide you with a set or list of registered companies offering quality service and facilities for transport. The best thing is if your transport knows which among these companies can give you the most fitted and reliable service for transporting of your things. And, this should be done and guaranteed with the best car they have. Most of the time, movers carry their loads using trailers. But, you can always rent or hire a transport car with the help of your transport consultant. He or she must consider what will be efficient to you, your companions if there are any, and friendly to the budget. The only thing that will only spoil your trip is if your car will be exposed to damages and obstructing elements.

The price will always be an issue here once you choose or acquire of transport services including your transport consultant. Remember, the price will always determine what type of service you will be having. Why? The higher amount you pay the better quality you will get. Whichever will you be having, you should always keep in your mind that it is what you get in the end that matters. And, that is the very first thing that your transport consultant that should be doing. He or she must take into account what you will need and what will satisfy your demands.

So, these are only some of the important and very essential things you need to always keep in mind and remember so that next time that you will need the services offered by a transport consultant, you will have a wide range idea of what you should consider. And, this will serve as your guide as you go on to the next step of your life when you …

Six Theories of Motivation

You might have the best 3PL services to run your contract warehouse. However, your staff might lack the motivation required to perform their duties. Without enough enthusiasm from employers and employees, any business is destined to collapse. Therefore, a proper incentive is needed, no matter what kind of work you do. Whether you run your own business, or you are an employee working under someone else, the most important thing is to have a goal set in your mind. In order to reach that goal, you and your employees need motivation so that everyone can excel in their work. In general, there are six theories of motivation.

1. The first theory is about your acquired needs. People might be motivated to do a task that gives them what they desire. For instance, people might be looking for power, growth, friendship or any other achievement through their particular job.

2. The next theory is called extrinsic motivation. This basically involves people who are looking for external rewards in their tasks. They might not be looking for many acquired needs, but want greater rewards than that, such as praise from their boss, the promise of money, etc. People who have such incentives may also fear punishment.

3. The third kind of enthusiasm comes from intrinsic motivation. This incentive comes from within. A person might be enthusiastic about doing a task that pleases them, or something they are passionate about. These kinds of people enjoy their work and remain satisfied. Motivation therefore is already present inside the person and just requires some positivity to be harvested.

4. The next level of enthusiasm comes through the investment model. People might just be enthusiastic about finishing a task that they started. Since they have already invested time and money in that particular job, and have worked hard to achieve their goals, they have a sense of duty and accomplishment towards it.

5. An enthusiastic person might also be determined because of the endowed progress effect. This is when a person is already progressing at a productive rate. It often increases motivation within them, enough to proceed further with the task. In fact, it never hurts to have healthy competition revolving around the workplace because it eventually makes the organization increasingly enthusiastic about its goals.

6. The last theory is related to psychology. A positive psychological effect might be very helpful towards inspiring someone. A person might be interested in doing a particular task because it gives a feeling of being themselves, and proving their capabilities to others. Since the ultimate goal is set in their minds, they will have an easier and more motivated journey towards reaching their goals.

This is not all. There might be many more theories which might also be very complex. Whatever they are, one cannot deny that without enough motivation, one cannot succeed in any business. To set firm in any kind of work you plan to do, you need to first decide your level of …

How to Save Thousands of Dollars Through Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is an effective technique for gathering information or even small amounts of work from the general population, typically for free. This can be anything from voting on the best website design to translating books and articles, to designing the next big “thing”. Almost anyone using the web has been involved in crowdsourcing one time or another. Among CAPTCHAs – those aggravating little boxes which force you to try to pick words out of ink-spills – a popular brand is reCAPTCHA. Every time a reCAPTCHA is solved correctly, it helps convert one word from an old book or newspaper into digital text. For more information, visit the Google reCAPTCHA website

One specific task, say re-typing books, is a cumbersome process. For one person, this may take a few full work days. Also, most would want to be paid; Fairly. So in two days, one could have a digitized copy of War & Peace, and be missing a few thousand dollars if they paid someone to do this. However, if a million different people each type one word, one could have a digital copy of War & Peace, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden. For free. The task of typing one word would be so menial that it would not even be considered work.

Effective crowdsourcing techniques are based around breaking a task or goal into the smallest unit of work possible. This is not often enough to survive on, however. The task for each person must either

A) Have a clear goal that excites the user

B) Benefit the user in some way

C) Create a useful product in which the crowdsourcing task is a byproduct (Google’s reCAPTCHA)

D) Be so effortless that it could be completed during that involuntary-browsing phase most web users reach late at night.

With enough of a crowdsourcing effect, any company can reduce the amount of employees they need, or man hours they need, saving them thousands or even hundreds of thousands. Take wikipedia for example. They have a relatively small article writing staff for how many articles they have. Wikipedia mostly falls under point (A). The ultimate goal is providing real, true information.

Google’s reCAPTCHA service, as mentioned before, falls under point (C). It’s one of the most used, off-the-shelf CAPTCHA products. Whether it did or didn’t digitize books, you would still be typing words to it, so digitizing books is a byproduct.

A lot of business directories, or yellowpages, type websites fall under point (B). Users are able to sign up, write reviews for companies, and then receive some kind of reward. Anything from some sort of point system, or score system, or even a monetary system. This saves the business directory company from having to purchase products or services from every business and later discuss them.…

Finding the Right Fulfillment Solutions Provider

Choosing the right fulfillment solutions provider for your business is a decision not to be taken lightly. The company that you decide upon should, hopefully, be an improvement over your own ability to provide high quality services in a reliable and efficient manner while also maintaining your bottom line. Finding a business partner that meets or beats all of these requirements is not an easy thing to do. Nor should it be. Good help is hard to find, but it shouldn’t keep you from making a profit. Finding the right fulfillment center with a sound distribution network, at an affordable price, will no doubt ensure that your company has a unique competitive advantage over the other guys in your industry.

So how do you find the right fulfillment company for you? Before answering this, it is imperative that you have a sound understanding of your company’s own talents and deficiencies from a logistical standpoint. When you know what your organization is not, then the answer to what you are looking for from a potential partner in fulfillment distribution should suddenly become clear. This new business associate must be able to satisfy not only your needs, but more importantly, they have to be willing and able to step in and provide these services to your customers with the same passion for quality that your company has worked hard to become known for.

Your business partners and customers have come to expect efficient quality at an affordable price. Ensuring this trust is not betrayed is the best way to keep your clientele loyal and happy. In order to make certain these valued relationships are not compromised, please remember that you need to do your homework first. There are plenty of “decent” fulfillment houses out there to find. Finding a “great” fit for your company can be done if you are simply willing to put in the necessary time and effort.…

Finding a Great Warehouse to Meet Long Term Business Storage and Fulfillment Needs

When looking to find warehouse space for your business, there are many considerations. The important thing is to lay those down on paper – and measure potential warehousing partners against your exact current needs, and how it can meet potential future needs. Not all warehouses are created equal. Sure, you may just want a cheap place to hold some buyer beware. Here we outline key considerations that should be on your list when evaluating potential warehousing partners.

Questions to Consider When “Interviewing” Potential 3rd Party Warehousing Companies

1. Can the warehouse meet your growth needs and grow with you?

2. Is there a variable inventory storage cost structure that will allow you to save during seasonal downturns when you need less space? And additional space during peak season, “on demand”, when business is up?

3. Will they add you as an additionally insured on their insurance policy and provide you a certificate of insurance?

4. Is the warehouse clean and tidy? Suitable for your product?

5. Is adequate security in place?

6. Do they have rodent and pest control measures in place?

7. Do they meet required standards for building safety and maintenance (look around, are fire extinguishers in place and is inventory well stacked on appropriate racks).

8. Do they provide fulfillment services?

9. How is fulfillment services billed – what is the cost structure?

10. Are they connected to transportation carriers that can cost effectively deliver your freight to customers or other centers>

11. Do they have attractive courier account rates which you can leverage – can they pass on their discount to you to help you realize savings to offset warehousing costs.

12. What is the total cost to you?

With the last point on warehousing services cost, be careful to make an apples-to-apples comparison. Based on the services/benefits you need (the questions above of which will help); formulate what each prospective warehousing partner can offer, the ones you will need now or in future, and then come up with a projected budgeted cost.

Switching from One Warehouse to Another – Measure Costs Carefully Now

Consider warehouse switching costs now. If you go with a lower cost warehousing service provider because some advanced services you might require in future, not now, then compare short term savings to the costs of switching – moving all your warehoused inventory to a new warehouse location. Consider also soft-costs. A key facet of employing a 3pl warehousing partner is that they’re closely integrating into your operations and will become a key partner and hopefully, problem solver.

Having to re-establish a strong relationship with a new partner requires “starting over” in many respects. You have to re-explain everything you need as you’re leaving a warehouse and the people there that know you and your business well. There’s cost there. Also, beware 3PL ‘s that are larger and where your only interaction is with a salesperson. Often, promises come easy …

Using Conveyor Systems

Conveyor systems are primarily built to move products from one area to another in a warehouse or production facility. Making an efficient and consistent way to transport many products whether heavy or light, to different areas of the facility.

A conveyor system is built up out of parts which fit together to build the whole system. The parts can be:

Gravity roller conveyor – meaning that the conveyor is not powered and the items travel along by being pushed or through gravity such as an incline.

Gravity skatewheel conveyor – skatewheel conveyor are another form of gravity, the skatewheels are attached to the conveyor and the wheels on the top where the product can be moved across.

Belt conveyor – products are moved along a belt which is moving.

Wire mesh conveyors

Plastic belt conveyors

Bucket conveyors

Spiral conveyors – a sprial conveyor takes the products up or down to a different level in a small space.

Vibrating conveyors

Pneumatic conveyors

Belt driven live roller conveyors

Lineshaft roller conveyor

Conveyors are often used in many industries such as:

Distribution

White Goods

Logistics

Manufacturing

Printing

Engineering

Automotive

The advantages of using a conveyor system are:

It is more efficient than manual moving – A conveyor system offers more efficient ways of moving products around a production or warehouse facility. This means that more throughput is possible than using a manual moving system.

Better tracking – Using a conveyor system enables items to be properly tracked and processed with a management system. This means that items are traceable and can be followed allowing for quality control.

Increase productivity – Using a system means that the process can be refined and improved to make a more efficient process. This leads to greater productivity that can be reproduced day after day.

Things to think about when looking for a conveyor system.

When looking for a conveyor system it is important to get the right advice at the start of the process. This saves time and money later on if the design and system development is given planning time at the beginning.Getting a company that have worked with systems that suit the purpose that you are looking to automate mean that the learnt experience can be passed on and make the process run you need to automate? It’s worth asking the question if you need to automate your processes and what benefits that will have.

Way’s to optimise the system.

Through good planning and knowing the goals at the start of the project helps make optimising the process better. It’s always better to know what is possible and get the right advice from the system at the start of the planning. Then optimising becomes part of the planning…

What Is Your Real Labor Cost?

What do your employees really cost you? More than likely, it’s more than you think. What makes it even worse is that your employees probably don’t know what they really cost you either. And yet, he is one of your most important resources. Not only do we need to know his true cost, but we also need to learn how to best develop him so he can produce more for you and earn more for himself. It’s the holy grail of managing people, but in this chapter, we will focus on determining the true hourly cost of our direct labor-employees on the job site.

Most contractors have it in mind that the hourly wage is the cost of one hour of labor, and as there is variation within the group pay scale, a ball park labor rate is the average of all direct hourly wage rate. Not so.

Burdening the hourly wage

In reality, to put an employee out in the field and producing revenue for the company has many other costs associated with that effort. We call those additional costs directly associated with the direct labor cost as “Labor Burden”. Most contractors carry these costs in G&A because many of these costs such as insurances are paid on a regular basis regardless of the ongoing jobs in the field. But it a simple truth is that if you didn’t need the employees you wouldn’t need the additional costs. So, many construction companies prefer to use the burdened labor rate in their direct cost of labor rather than carry it in overhead (G&A).

The following is a list of typical labor burden costs.

• Company portion of Social Security

• Workers compensation

• Company portion of private insurances

• Company pension fund matching

• Vacation pay

• Paid sick leave pay

• Training costs

• Paid breaks

• Uniform service

• Company provided tools

Indeed, it is not uncommon that a burdened labor rate can be as much as 30% higher than a straight hourly contract wage. For this reason, the additional costs of burdened labor have been forcing many construction owners to not hire company employees; rather it is cheaper to contract the work out at a straight hourly wage. However, a vast majority of contract labor is not covered by required insurance and can cause some major liability if injured on the job. In addition, contract labor may not have the skills a trained employee would have and as a result poor workmanship can affect the contracting company in many ways; after all the customer is their client and not the contract employees’.

There is little doubt, in most construction jobs, using contract labor can be less effective than using well trained company employees; it has to do with building a competent workforce with training and a sense of company identification. But, if competitors use cheaper contract labor, it can really force the issue. Besides, most illegal aliens use this form of …

Avoiding False Alarms Associated With Braxton Hicks Contractions

Many first time moms and first time dads will rush to the emergency room at the first moment that the mother has a contraction. This is not always necessary. If you take Lamaze Class, they should teach you about how to know when it is time to go to the hospital. It is a little known fact that the mother can spend most of the labor process at home. It is actually recommended that women stay at home as long as medically possible. This allows the mother to calm down and be more relax, rather than spending 24 to 48 hours in a hospital bed. This article is not about figuring out when your wife or girlfriend is in labor. Rather I would like to talk about signs that she is not in labor.

Although contractions are a good indicator that the labor process is beginning, it can also be a misleading indicator. The mother will actually have contractions all throughout the pregnancy starting about six weeks into the pregnancy. These contractions start off extremely mild. So mind in fact, that the mother may never feel them. These contractions are called Braxton Hicks contractions. Towards the end of the pregnancy the mother will start to actually feel these contractions. Sometimes these contractions can cause false alarms and needless trips to the birthing center. These contractions, also known as false labor, will behave differently than real labor contractions. Unlike true labor contractions, false labor contractions will not grow in intensity and the frequency will not increase over time. False labor contractions will eventually subside.

One way to ensure that you know if your wife or girlfriend is having labor contractions or Braxton Hicks contractions is by timing them. Time the duration or the contractions and the time between the contractions. Surprisingly there is an app for that. You can download an app for Droid or IPhone, which will help you keep track of the duration and frequency of her contractions. Note whether the average time between the contractions is increasing. Unless otherwise directed by her physician, the rule of thumb is to call get ready to go to the hospital If the contractions last for 60 seconds, are less than five minutes apart, and these averages go on for more than an hour. At this time you should contact the doctors for further guidance.

If the contractions are being felt before 37 weeks, it is important that you pay close attention to the severity and consistency of the contractions. If the contractions become more rhythmic, frequent or painful these may be signs of preterm labor. She might start having menstrual like pains, vaginal bleeding or spotting, or have any change in the level or color of the vaginal discharge. She might feel pressure in the cervix and back pain unlike what she felt before. These are all signs of preterm labor and you should contact her doctor immediately. I do not provide this …

What to Do If You Think You Are Going Into Labor

There is a lot to do when you are preparing for your new baby. Finding just the right crib, getting baby clothes and other items together are a lot of fun, but it isn’t the only thing you will need to do. You’ll need to put together a plan so that everyone is aware of what to do when that day finally comes.

Calls to Make

You’ll need to call your labor coach or coaches, so they can meet you at the hospital or birthing center. You’ll also need to call your doctor, so that he or she is aware that delivery is near. If there are other friends and relatives you wish to call, do so before leaving home, as cell phones are usually not allowed in hospital facilities. They could interfere with some of the equipment.

Grab the Suitcase

It’s a good idea to have a suitcase packed and near the front door when you approach your due date. Babies come on their own schedule, and you may be asleep when it begins. In that suitcase, you’ll want supplies for both you and baby. I also recommend you have something to do, such as a book or crossword puzzles. You won’t need them during labor, but if you have to stay in the hospital for any length of time, it will come in handy.

Prepare yourself

Labor is going to last quite a while, and there are a few things you might want to consider prior to leaving. If you have long hair, braid it tightly, preferably in two braids. It could get very messed up otherwise. You may want to avoid using the restroom before going to the hospital. The urge could be caused by more than the need to have a bowel movement.

Remember your Classes

Hopefully, you and your coach have attended childbirth classes. These classes not only explain what is going to happen, they will also give you some things to do to make the process easier. The class you choose should have at least a few breathing exercises. These are important for both you and baby, as many of us tense up and hold our breath when we’re in pain. Keeping plenty of oxygen in your body could help you avoid a C-section.

Labor and delivery are difficult, but advance preparations and a list of what to do prior to it can make it a bit easier. Ask your doctor if he or she has any other advice for you, as each situation is unique.…

Know the Signs When Your Dog is in Labor

Dog pregnancy is very difficult to figure out. Since dog’s cannot speak to us, the only way we know how dogs are feeling is by their reaction and behavior towards the ones they love – you. Only YOU know your dog more than anyone else, so you can determine what is different about your furry family member.

Your dog will get sick and begin to vomit just before labor. As your dog gets to her “nesting” place, she’ll walk in circles to get settled. Once your dog has nestled into the place she will give birth, you’ll notice clear discharge come from the vaginal area. After about an hour of this, the discharge starts to look greenish and your dog’s puppies will begin to come. Remember, during this process keep speaking comforting words to your dog. Especially if you are close with our dog, she will feel very calm to hear her name in a soft tone.

As the puppies begin to come, they may come all at once or they make take 20-30 each. You may need to help out if your dog is busy birthing one, to take care of the ones already birthed. All you’ll need is a washcloth, it should be big enough to cover the puppy, but small enough so it won’t get in the way.

Once a puppy is birthed, gently wipe away the placenta by wiping against the grain of the puppies hair. This will encourage the puppy to begin breathing. Also, you may need to cut the umbilical cord. Tie a knot of string just above the puppy and another knot just above that knot. Take sterile scissors and cut the space between the two knots.

Once your dog has birthed the entire litter, she will be exhausted. Make sure you help your dog with using the bathroom. During pregnancy, your dog may have to use the bathroom, so take special care that your dog doesn’t urinate and birth puppies at the same time.

The birthing process can be an amazing experience, and runs smoothly usually. Keep your local vet hospital or your personal veterinarian’s number handy in case something goes wrong. Remember, let your dog have some alone time with her new pups at the end.…

Essential Warehouse Supplies for Janitors

Having a mop and a broom on hand for cleaning up is not the most efficient way to handle the important job of janitorial work. Janitorial products are inexpensive warehouse supplies, but can greatly increase the janitor’s ability to work safely and efficiently.

Instead of storing mops, brooms, cleaning solutions and other essential cleaning supplies in a haphazard manner, consider buying a janitorial supplies cabinet. These cabinets are divided into two segments. One is for taller items like brooms and mobs. The other segment is divided into shelves for storing cleaning products and includes a separate base for a bucket. Made from 24 gauge steel, the shelves can each hold up to 85 lbs in weight.

With big 8″ rear wheels and swiveling 4″ front casters, a janitor can easily take all of his essential supplies with him as he works with a janitor cart. Among all the warehouse supplies for cleaning, these carts are some of the best, saving time and increasing work efficiency. The cart holds a large capacity plastic bucket on one side and has a 23 gallon capacity plastic bag holder on the other side.

Mopping up floors can be tiring work. A good, ergonomically designed mopping system makes quick work of mopping. The large capacity bucket, clearly marked in quarts and liters, makes mixing solutions easy. The large casters make it easy to move the system as you work. The handle gives increased torque and makes wringing out the mops easy, eliminating the wrist and arm strain.

Where there are hazardous spills, you need to be able to set up clearly visible barriers quickly. With up to 16 articulating panels on wheels, light weight, bright yellow folding barriers can be erected in seconds and stored away compactly when not in use. Other safety floor stands and barriers include warning labels and can be used when needed for traffic control.

Wet-dry vacuum cleaners are essential warehouse supplies in industrial settings. These come in a variety of price ranges, ranging from light to medium duty models for well under two hundred dollars to heavy duty machines that can cost up to five hundred dollars or more.

One man cannot efficiently sweep up a large warehouse floor manually with just a broom. However, one man who has a broom forklift attachment can easily get the job done. These heavy duty brooms can clean up both liquids and solids and will even easily sweep up gravel and other heavy debris. These warehouse supplies are ideal for use both inside and outside of the warehouse.

These are just a few examples of janitorial supplies you can buy that will greatly improve efficiency and safety in the workplace. A good warehouse supplies company will have everything from replacement mops to storage sheds to supply you with all your janitorial needs.…

Labor and Birth: Hospital or Birth Center?

What is a birth center?

Before you even start looking into a birth center you are going to have to meet the requirements of having a low risk, healthy pregnancy.

OK you have passed that test; you are low risk and ready to check this out. So what is a birth center? This is a place where you can enjoy a mellow, low tech, comfortable and safe labor. They are usually an independent facility, not at all like a mini-hospital, but more like being in a nice hotel or bed and breakfast.

Many couples who choose this option still wonder about what, if something, were to go wrong. Don’t worry! Emergencies don’t just happen. They develop. And there is usually plenty of time to transfer to a medical facility, if needed. In pretty much all birth centers you will be taken care of by a midwife, and have a backup hospital close by. Birth centers are equipped with IV’s, oxygen, medication and infant resuscitation, and trained and licensed medical practitioners who know exactly what they are doing.

Some of these birth centers are known as freestanding. This means you will be going to them routinely throughout your pregnancy, and having all your appointments at the same place you will be laboring and birthing. For all you nervous mommies, this gives you time to acclimate.

Hospitals

Most labors and births take place in a hospital, especially if you have an obstetrician. In most cases you will deliver at the place where your care provider works or “has privileges”. So keep this in mind before choosing your provider.

Hospitals are good places to deliver for those who have high-risk pregnancies, have had previous birth complications, are planning on doing a VBAC or need a cesarean section. In these situations it is important to have the knowledge and back up from the hospital staff. Many times you will have on-staff pediatricians, anesthesiologist, and newborn medical technology.

Hospitals have come a very long way in the last century. They are no longer that cold, sterile, scary place no one wants to go during labor. Many hospitals, especially those with birth centers have very accommodating rooms. These rooms can include, jetted tubs, dim lights, private bathrooms and sometimes the option of a birthing tub. You may be able to labor, deliver, and recover all in the comfort of one room.

One thing to keep in mind is that all hospital policies can vary, so make sure you know what your priorities are for your labor. Many policies differ between routine IV’s, fetal monitoring, birthing positions, time limits, and cesarean policies.

Which one should I choose?

Birth Center Benefits include having more control and involvement during your labor, your pick of invitees, no pressure in getting an epidural, a network of services, lower costs, breastfeeding help, and a speedier check out.

Hospital Benefits include the backup of immediate medical intervention if needed, benefits to the high risk mothers or …

What Is a Time and Attendance System?

Time and attendance systems are the computerized equivalent of the paper time sheet and can automate day-to-day employee tasks such as scheduling employees, tracking work hours, managing project costing and calculating accrued benefit entitlements through simple to sophisticated software. They commonly replace a spreadsheet scheduling system.

These systems can reduce the administrative hassles of managing paper time slips and can greatly reduce the mistakes. They are mostly needed in bigger companies with staff whose work schedules are constantly changing. They can also cut down on the biggest crime: buddy punching.

These systems also provide time tracking and schedule management capabilities including setting the break times, lunches, time off and overtime. The systems will also track late punches and show any patterns of absenteeism. Most systems also include auditing and reporting tools as well as give managers direct access to their employee data.

Companies with employees who are mostly salaried probably don’t need this type of system. Companies with mostly hourly or part-time employees probably do as so companies with a mix of salaried and hourly staff.

The need for a time and attendance system often begins when a company hits about 25 employees. Companies with more than 1,000 employees often turn go larger, more powerful systems that can create complex schedules, incorporate more advanced labor planning and can even include employees’ desired work schedules.

Time and labor management systems that are designed for larger companies feature more sophisticated functionality such as recording an employee’s daily work by project, job and/or location and sophisticated job costing and job planning capabilities. They also have more robust reporting tools. Job costing like this is invaluable to companies that need to monitor their workforce productivity or forecast their workforce needs.

Employees use identification cards or a computer to punch in and out each day. Some use proximity cards which only need to be waved near a time clock reader. Magnetic stripe cards are also often used. For security purposes and to avoid buddy punching some companies use biometric input devices that check handprints or fingerprints to ensure that the correct employee is doing the punching in and out.

A growing number of companies are letting their employees enter their own information directly into the time and attendance system. They allow them to enter their vacation time, sick time and their flex-time hours.

How do you find a good Time and Attendance System? You can surf the internet or you can go directly to and use the Time Attendance Software Selection Tool. The Selection Tool will ask you a series of questions and then show you the products best suited to your requirements.…

Industrial Shelving – A Solution For Heavy Industrial Businesses

Do you have a large amount of inventory? Tired of having to deal with all sorts of problems? Industrial shelving can help you manage your inventory, keep portions of your order on the shelves as well as ensure that you are ready to go with whatever you might need at the moment. Shelving made for industrial uses can stand up to the tests of time. Best of all, it is made out of sturdy materials to ensure that you will never encounter a problem.

Industrial shelving also does not have to be expensive. There are many companies which sell second hand industrial shelving as well as low priced new shelves. This makes the cost to the company that buys it much lower. Best of all, you do not have to worry about paying for the shelving right away as many of these companies will allow you to buy on credit. You simply pay them within thirty to sixty days and you will continue to enjoy your shelving. This allows the business to focus on extending their business and increase their sales while still having the materials necessary to do so.

Shelving is a portion of the business that few think about. You need shelving regardless of what you sell. Services are one of the few businesses that do not require that the business have shelving in all situations. Some service based businesses do require that you have industrial shelving due to the toxic materials that they use. Industrial shelving is also useful for individuals who operate a business out of their home. For example, someone who often works with automobiles or other types of vehicles needs to store their equipment and supplies. Many of these supplies are toxic to the environment so it is wise to use industrial shelving.

Shelving for industrial uses is not available everywhere. However, there are a number of different companies that sell it. Best of all, you do not have to be an expert to purchase it. Industrial use shelving is the perfect solution for almost every heavy use situation.…

One of the most difficult things about moving to a new city can be leaving all your usual services behind. You’re used to a particular hairdresser, plumber and mechanic, and it is tough to make the switch. There are ways, though, that you can smooth out the process and find good services in your new city. Read on to learn how.

Do Your Research

First, do your research. Start online, searching for whatever service you need. You might be looking for car repair Edmonds WA. In that case, check out several possibilities. Read about their services and qualifications. Make note of customer reviews. Check out Better Business Bureau ratings. One or two possibilities will probably come out on top.

Ask for Recommendations

You can also ask for recommendations. As you get to know people in your new city, ask them who they go to for their services. You new neighbors, for example, might be able to recommend a good electrician, plumber or handyman. Someone at work could point you in the direction of a talented hairdresser.

Try Them Out

When you’ve done your research, gotten some recommendations or both, then pick a couple good candidates, and give them a try. You never really know how well a service will work for you until you use it once or twice. If your dishwasher is acting up and your neighbor advises you to call a particular appliance repair shop, then do so. It’s worth a shot.

Make a Switch

Finally, remember that if you aren’t satisfied with a service for whatever reason, you can always make a switch. You are not obligated to stay with the first place you choose. In fact, you can try out a number of different shops for each service until you find one that is a good fit for your needs and your budget.

Finding new services in a new city isn’t easy, but if you persevere, you’ll have new favorites very soon.…

Contract Warehouses – What You Need to Know

In any business, maintaining accurate and precise control of inventory and its associated costs is critical to staying lean in these uncertain times. Storing and maintaining inventory can be a very expensive and labor-intensive process that will quickly consume your operating budget, if not streamlined for maximum cost efficiency. Most businesses are not ‘in the business’ of managing inventory, they are in the business of selling goods. For this reason, many companies choose to outsource their inventory management and product fulfillment operations to contract warehouses. These businesses exist solely to oversee the safe storing and shipping of products, allowing business owners to focus on the core competencies of their business.

In the past, many companies chose to handle receiving goods from manufacturers, investing in land and warehouse space, and paying and training a labor force to ship goods and respond to customer complaints. As one can imagine, this cost is exorbitant and unrealistic for young businesses in today’s marketplace. As a result, some investors saw a need for a low-cost solution for businesses who needed to move and store products, and decided to absorb the cost of industrial real estate and a skilled workforce. With an optimally efficient operation, these business can provide a low-cost service to their clients while still making a profit by defraying their costs across multiple clients.

These warehouses and the exceedingly competent fulfillment professionals staffing them consolidate multiple companies’ cost of maintaining a warehouse and shipping operation, allowing each to reduce their inventory and fulfillment costs dramatically. The logistics professionals who run these warehouses are often highly-trained and industry-certified in their roles. You can rest assured that they will accurately fulfill every order so that it arrives at its final destination safely and on time. Additionally, since their entire business is moving inventory, a third party fulfillment center can offer a much more efficient operation than any business could ever hope to achieve in-house.

A warehouse solution means you never have to worry about receiving, shipping, or managing the physical movement of goods ever again. The warehouse can receive inventory directly from your manufacturer, and store it according to any particular product specifications. For instance, if you order produce or anything else that must remain cold, warehouses have a refrigerated storage solution to protect your goods from spoil. Many warehouses also offer distribution services including accurate packing and shipping, and timely delivery of orders. Today, many warehouses even have a customer service department on their payroll to handle any concerns your customers may have with the product or delivery.

Effectively, a warehouse allows you to completely outsource the central operations of your business. This frees you up to focus on growing your business. By focusing on what you do best, and allowing a fulfillment warehouse to perform according to its core strength, you can make your business leaner, reducing costs and growing profits exponentially. In fact, many entrepreneurs are effectively outsourcing both the operations and marketing of …

Data Warehouse Development – Get Knowledge From Your Data

Business Model Development

The first step in data warehouse development is to define the enterprise business model by gathering and listing all real life business activities and drawing up a case model. An enterprise business model to be effective must be consistent, where business requirements should be identified through a complex and systematic approach.

Some models are based on functions closer to an organizational structure which is liable to change with emerging business trends. They also demonstrate how business workers and other concerned entities work together to achieve business processes. The essence in an enterprise business model though is a consistent framework.

Data Model and Architecture Development

When a model is in place the next step is to create a system data model – an abstract data model which describes how data is used and represents business events, entities, transactions and sundry real life activities that are defined by the enterprise business model.

The third step will be to define the data warehouse architecture which is a framework detailing how the elements and services of the warehouse mesh together and how to direct the data warehouse’s growth over time. This is analogous to a set of building documents, blueprints, plans and specifications prepared prior to construction.

Datawarehouse Development

The final step in data warehouse development when the foregoing steps are set, documented and planned is to establish a physical database. A data warehouse requires a physical data base system where computer hardware is one of the prime considerations. The computer’s processing power should be able to cope with the intensive processing that will arise.

Storage devices must be able to hold large volumes of data which are updated frequently. Networking support, one essential feature, must be fast and efficient. Other considerations are the selection of the right software applications. The market is replete with relational database software applications. Some of the well-know names in the field are Microsoft SQL, Informix, PostgresSQL, Sybase and MySQL.

Education, Training, Documentation

Successful implementation requires educating users and systems staff members into the complex technologies involved. The data warehouse development training process will need several layers of training to ensure that the model is productive and generates the necessary data in a productive and meaningful manner.…

Compensation – What’s It All About?

Compensation is the other side of wages or salary. Simply put, wages or salary is due to an employee and the compensation is offered by the employer. When we talk of wages, many factors come into play. These include their performance, skills, years of experience, etc. Their pay is usually decided keeping in mind factors such as market value, unions, or the social norm that is prevalent at a given period.

Compensation is also known as cost to company. This perhaps defines the basic tenet in running a company. There can be no company without its work force and the work force in turn cannot exist without compensation from the company.

The employer determines the pay for the employee. For an employer, this consists of more than the money. It includes benefits, tangible and intangible rewards, etc. The employee may be receiving more than just a certain sum of money in his pay check. The extras are covered by the employer. Compensating employees usually is the major portion of a company’s expenditure. Considering the fact that they spend a large sum of money towards their employees, the employer also considers it an approach to hiring and retaining their employees as well as generating good will and receiving loyalty in return.

To sum it up, compensation is related to the contract between an employee and his or her employer. This compensation is critical to the employees as well as the Company and extends to the general economy. Thus, it becomes more than just a basic reason for working. No one wishes to expend energy for no return. Similarly, a worker is not likely to offer his services for nothing. After all, we work in order to provide for our needs and this includes our family’s needs. For that little bit more than the money, we also seek recognition and status because it gives us a greater sense of accomplishment.

There is a variety of concepts that can be used to understand compensation towards a work force. These are economic, psychological, sociological, political, equity based and communications. Each of these concepts is brought into play while setting basic standards of compensation and as such, also defines the relationship between an employer and employee holistically. One cannot establish wage parameters without understanding the above mentioned concepts as the human workforce does not work in isolation. After all, labor or the human resources that a company depends on works in conjunction with the others in order to help the company grow.…

Cosmetologist: A Career in Beauty

Cosmetology is an exciting and rewarding career that focuses on beauty in terms of skin care, nail care and beauty and hair care and style. A career in cosmetology could land you in a field you will love from becoming a professional hairstylist in an upscale (and high-paying) salon to starting a job as an aesthetician in your very own nail shop. Learn more about how to get started in a job that lets your creativity shine through.

Cosmetologist Career: Education

If you wish to become a cosmetologist, you will need to be at least 16 years in age and attend a state-licensed cosmetology school or barber school. Some states require students to earn a high school degree or GED before they can enroll in a cosmetology school or program. Cosmetology training programs typically, last about nine months and often, results in an associate’s degree. Those who wish to become nail technicians will have a shorter program the term length differs by state. Some states require nail technicians/manicurists to complete 500 hours of coursework, while others require only 400 hours, and some states might accept hours working as an intern, as credit towards your schooling hours.

Cosmetologist Career: Licensing

Additionally, any cosmetologist workers including hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists (excluding shampooers) are required to be licensed, in order to practice anywhere in the United States. After completing a state-approved cosmetology program, individuals are typically, required to take a state-administered exam, in order to receive their license. In most states, skin care specialists, manicurists and pedicurists, generally have a separate licensing exam.

Cosmetologist Career: Earnings

One of the most exciting opportunities for cosmetologists, hairstylists and aestheticians is that their earnings increase substantially as they become more experienced and start building their clientele. The list of cosmetology career options doesn’t end in working as a hair or nail stylist or aesthetician licensed cosmetologist can advance their career to manage or open their own salons, to become image consultants or sales reps or to teach in cosmetology/barber schools. According to (2009), cosmetologists earn an average annual income of $11.21/hour, which figures up to about $23,330 a year. However, the earnings vary considerably by job title.

Cosmetologist Career: Occupation Outlook & Expectations

According to the BLS (The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), the projected employment for Personal Appearance Workers (e.g. – cosmetologists, barbers, nail care and skin care technicians). However, this employment growth is estimated to vary according to specialty. To better explain this, here is an example: The increase in jobs for skin care specialist is expected to be much faster throughout the next seven years (2018), than the projected job growth for other cosmetology occupations that require either an associate’s degree or post-secondary training.

A career as a hairstylist, manicurist, color specialist, aesthetician, Botox specialist or whatever dreams you have in the world of personal beauty and style can be very promising throughout the United States, as predicted by The Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Jump start your …

Fundamentals of Warehousing

Warehousing is one of the most important logistical aspects that new businesses fail to take into account while formulating their business plans. Need for warehouse plays a major role in the budgetary considerations of any new venture, as it calls for creating infrastructure in the form of storage buildings, means of transportation, and associated maintenance costs and manpower. In fact, this work is different form core business aspects and requires certain level of expertise and knowledge. The following are certain basic fundamentals and facts pertaining to this warehousing concept.

1. Warehousing is important for companies and firms that deal in manufactured goods and products. Furthermore, this can also have significance for companies providing services with respect to various equipment. However, this is only relevant when the company or firm does not have its own facilities.

2. Storage and transportation services can be acquired from outside agencies that specialize in these kinds of services or already have extensively established infrastructure in terms of transport and storage. Usually, companies prefer to blend the two concepts of renting storage space and having their own. More specifically speaking, companies have their own warehousing facilities near their base of operations and hire storage space when it is needed at some remote locations.

3. Warehousing is especially important for companies that are involved in export and import businesses. Material imported can be stored in the storage facilities located near the ports. This is particularly beneficial because until the goods are taken out of the storage facility, no duties are required to be paid. Furthermore, in case the goods are exported from the same location, no duties are also required to be paid.

4. The majority of storage facilities can be around ports, airports, industrial townships, and industrial sectors of major cities. These are the prime locations for companies and storage facilities. The location is advantageous from the point of view that spurious transportation costs can be reduced through the storage facilities. These locations are also ideal for storage facility owners because of the easy availability of clients.

5. The cost of hiring these storage facilities for the warehousing purpose varies depending on the services that are needed. Storage facilities range from fully manual to semiautomatic and to even fully automated, where even the cranes and forklifts are controlled by computerized software. The level of material security increases with rise in the level of automation in the warehouse. It has a direct bearing on the rent of storage units. In addition to this, storing perishable items requires climate control, such as cold storage, and hence costs more.

6. The process of keeping track of materials stored in the storage facility is known as Warehouse Management System (WMS). WMS calls for specialized skill and requires expertise in handling logistic aspects and computer software. Furthermore, big industrial storage facilities are also equipped with loading and unloading docks for trucks and transport vehicles to carry goods from or into warehouses. Also, some of these types of storage …

Understanding Child Labor

In America, Child labor is strictly prohibited which means children under the age of 18 years cannot be employed. While this holds good for organizations not to employee children, there are several children who deliver newspaper every day, who sell magazines at the stations, who help parents at their farm. Do these activities come under the scanner? We need to be very specific and clear in defining what entails child labor.

Legislation has been fairly clear on explaining further and making certain allowances for children to be allowed to work only in certain areas and under specific conditions.

If the child has a found a job and it requires him to drive a motor vehicle, it would be a problem with quite a few jurisdictions that have very clear boundaries and limits to defining what is allowable and what is not.

Children need to be over 16 years of age to be able to qualify to apply for a driving license. The child labor laws also prohibit children below 16 years of age in most of the states to take up jobs that involve driving motor vehicle. So under both counts minors would have to wait to become 17 years old to be able to take up the job and the license.

The child labor laws are laid down detailing the conditions, the situations and the kinds of jobs along with timelines that the children can be engaged in legally and also specifies where they cannot be engaged. Children for example may not be allowed to serve in any public place beyond office hours and definitely not on night shifts.

All the states are very diligent and take extra care to ensure the labor laws are complied with. Children cannot be employed to work at nights and work continuously beyond 8 hours. The conditions at place of work have to be conducive for children to be employed.

The child protection legislations are explicit in detailing and guiding managements not to employ children where there is a chance of likely danger to the safety of the child or the situations are likely to be dangerous to his health. Children therefore cannot be made to work near fire, explosives, water or climb up on roof tops to work etc.

Should your require more information about the laws in a particular state, you could check the government website or contact a local employment attorney.…

Warehouse & Inventory Optimization Combats Against Recession

A key factor for minimizing costs and maximizing operational effectiveness in the current and future economic climate is an effective Logistics, Warehouse and Inventory Management strategy. Many companies, regardless of industry sector, have survived the recession to date through drastic cost cutting exercises frequently having reduced the workforce and either closing or “mothballing” manufacturing and production facilities.

This strategy is often borne out of necessity and has the immediate short term benefit in terms of cost reduction and this raises two further questions; “What else can you do to improve your cost base?” and with evidence in some sectors that the worst is behind us, “How should you be planning not only to recover but also to grow and become stronger than you were before the economic downturn?”.

That is not to say that the recession is over, nor will there suddenly be a sharp rise in demand, but planning how to react to economic recovery and capitalize on every opportunity as and when it arises is crucial. Where measures have been taken to rationalize and contract to combat recession, businesses need to be sure that they can react to the inevitable upturn in trade as and when needed and not be found wanting or lacking in resource and strategy when the time comes.

Long term security will be highly dependent on a robust and sustainable Logistics and Warehouse strategy within your business and within that of your customers and suppliers throughout the supply chain. In order to survive, companies must endeavor to undertake the widest review possible to ensure that all elements of their warehouse processes and facilities are not ‘sub-optimized’ and that inventory levels are minimized yet remain effective.

This requires analysis and developed solutions for:

Appropriate Warehouse and Inventory management techniques

Optimized target inventories (holding cost vs. ordering cost vs. service)

Tactical stock location/s and picking / stowage strategies

Dynamic inventory targets reflecting varying demand patterns

Safety stock requirements to meet specified service targets

Improved demand forecasting to allow for optimized inventories

Benefits analysis of Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) or consignment stocks

Optimized warehouse / stores layout and Materials Handling practices / solutions

Most importantly the costs of current warehouse and inventory operations (per item or unit load dispatched), must be clearly identified and the on-going cost reduction strategy must define requirements for flexibility in the business over the next 3 to 5 years.

The strategy must be tested to ensure Interface / interaction between Warehousing and dispatch and other operations / departments within the business as well as integration with existing ERP / MRP systems and WMS modules.

This process is kept simple and comprises of the following key steps which include within them all of the areas identified above:

Current State Logistics Review for your business focusing on your warehouse and inventory costs; product volumes; your production / warehouse locations; customer base; your suppliers and distribution networks.

Future State Strategy proposal showing what your costs could be and …

This is the Major Barrier to Labor Productivity Improvement

Embarking on a labor productivity growth program can be considered a huge task. But when you think of it, every successful organization is always changing the way it gets things done so that it can maximize effectiveness and efficiency. Technology by itself will not necessarily guarantee an increase in labor productivity. The key to productivity is people. The key to people is good leadership. This means that you cannot prescribe or impose productivity improvements on people. They have to be led and the changes had to be created by them. The majority of labor productivity initiatives fail because somebody in top management has said that the target increase is 30% without any consultation or discussion with the people concerned. It is no wonder that they fail.

Labor productivity improvement starts when people can see that their job can be made easier and they can participate and drive the changes. Their job performance will increase as they apply their creativity and their energy. The real motivation comes when people derive complete satisfaction from their job and they know that they are making a meaningful contribution to an overall goal. It is the job of the leader to make sure that every member of staff is aware of the parts of their contribution pays in the overall scheme of things. The job of the leader is to create this environment and to make sure that the people receive positive reinforcement on a regular basis.

You cannot expect any labor productivity improvement unless the people receive frequent positive reinforcement so that they know the importance of their tasks. If they don’t get involved they will not find any meaning in their work. Effectively, this will create a barrier to productivity improvement. Sometimes an unqualified person in a job or someone who has not been trained properly will create a situation where the person feels that they are being treated unfairly and their job just cannot be very important. Once people reach this situation is very hard to turn them around and make them productive.

Productivity improvement just doesn’t happen by itself. It has to be planned very carefully and the most critical area is the introduction of the concept. Effective leadership must be developed at every single level because this will have a profound effect on the motivation of the people. If they think that they have been given an ineffective leader, they will believe that the organization doesn’t care about them. After all, they reason, if we were really important we would be given a good leader! You could say then, the biggest impediment to labor productivity improvement is the quality of the leadership available within the organization…

Data Warehouse Ownership

Who is the owner of Data Warehouse? It is very important issue but hard to answer. Here are several examples from the practice of how to apply Data Warehouse ownership.

First, there can be two levels of data ownership: production data level and cube/theme data level. Ownership on production data level is clear to define because users who want data from productions systems have to ask production system owner for permission and access rights. Production system owner allows data cube, data theme or report initiator to use data from production. Data organized in new environment like cube or theme mean new information. It is so because situation is more complicated, cubes or themes are made from usually made from several production sources and data is worthless without good context. Who is the owner of the cube? It is the person who initiated cube building, request who started building of the cube. Owner of cube or theme is second level owner. Anybody who would like to use data from reporting cube, reports or themes must ask second level data owner for access rights. Owner of the cube asks for data access from source systems but potential users of the cube ask cube owner.

Making fragmented ownership by dimensions and measures ownership is too complicated and messes complete procedure.

Who is Data Warehouse owner? If the ownerships has to belong to only one department it is a little bit risky decision. For example if IT is owner, they are just service providers without in deep knowledge what to do exactly with content. Perhaps better variant is to give ownership to strategy or to finance, to be more precise to controlling. Reason for this decision is general view over definitions. Definitions are necessary for solid external and management reporting. Controlling knows best what kind of products will be made upon Data Warehouse for official reporting. If this solution is still not adequate perhaps best solution would be to establish committee of experts from all business areas with lead from controlling and to give ownership to this body.

Without ownership there will be no strategic development of Data Warehouse system. It will only run for coverage of current needs without any pro active approach. Data quality management will be very doubtful and at the end there will be no one to decide how to handle vast quantities of needed actions.

There is a strong need to declare officially Data Warehouse ownership and to establish data security procedures as soon as possible.…

Prepare Your Furniture The Proper Way

Furniture is the key element of a room. While the right kind of furniture can enhance the attractiveness of a room, the wrong one can make your room seem like a total mess. But, your job doesn’t end at just choosing the right piece of furniture. You need to place it properly too. Even the best furniture cannot help your room from looking bad if it isn’t correctly placed. So, if you need your interiors to not look like a disaster, these are some axioms that you must follow.

The most vital thing to have a look into is the space you have in the room. While arranging the side chairs and the settee, make sure you leave some space in between them. As per professional interior decorators, there should be about 48-100 inches opening in between the side chairs and the settee. You have to also consider the requirements of the members of your family when talking about deciding the distance. If you have family members with hearing impairment, you can decrease the distance as per your comfort.

The position of your doorway is a crucial part of furniture arrangement too. You must ideally arrange your furniture according to the amount of doors in a room. For instance, if there are two doors; you need to ensure your furniture isn’t placed in the middle of the path between the 2. In fact, you do not want to face relentless interruptions by folks walking to and fro when you are in the middle of a talk. If your room has a single door, confirm your furnishings are placed in an easily accessible area and one should not need to walk around the entire room to reach them.

A room’s attractiveness is sometimes decided by the sense of balance it evokes. This sense of equilibrium is critical for your life as well as your furniture. For a start, avoid keeping several enormous pieces of furniture in a single corner of the room. Instead try and place some smaller pieces together with the big ones to make balance. You can also try maintaining equilibrium by adding considerate focal pieces like a painting there.

When designing a room, the general public tend to concentrate only on the visible appeal. Nonetheless functionality is a similarly crucial aspect that can’t be ignored. Of course, there can be no point in scattering furniture all over the place and not having the ability to maximize it. So as an example, if you’re planning a family room, remember to be certain that at least some pieces of settee are facing the TV set for max convenience.

So, next time you arrange your furniture; simply refer to the above tips for a fashionable and functional room makeover.…

The Many Jobs of a Business Operations Team

The supply chain management part of business can be very intricate and pretty confusing. There are many things that an operations manager of a company is responsible for. For example, a person in operations could be charged with putting together a Houston Contract Warehouse, so the company he/she works for can store their products there and possibly ship them from there as well. Then, another person at the storage facility would be in charge of the Houston Fulfillment, meaning they would keep track of the inventory in the unit. Below is a list of responsibilities of someone who works in the supply chain management part of a company:

1. These people make decisions about how the product will be manufactured, where, when, and how to use the machines to make the product. The operations team would determine when it is most cost effective to use the machines and how much should be put through the machines each day. Then, as far as the machines, this team would figure out how to run everything as efficiently as possible in order to keep up with inventory needs and management requirements.

2. Another responsibility that falls on operations is the decision about transportation of the product. For example, an operations person would decide if a truck, airplane, boat, or train is the most cost efficient and product efficient way to ship the items. This all depends on how much the product cost to make, the different places it needs to be shipped to, and the cost of each transport option. For instance, it would be best to ship clothing to China on plane because fashions go out of style quickly and the product probably cost a lot to make, both of which most likely easily outweigh the cost of the airplane to take the items.

3. Operations make decisions about inventory levels. It costs money to keep inventory because it cost money to make the product, so it is worth money. The more a product cost to make and the longer you hold it in inventory, the more money is wasted. It is important to keep a small amount of inventory, yet you do not want to face a stock-out and risk upsetting either another business customer or a consumer. So, deciding on inventory levels can be a very difficult task. Some companies find it is most effective to bring inventory in “Just-In Time” which means the stock comes literally, just in time to be sold or used to build another product. A lot of car companies use this method because it is easier than keeping expensive automobile parts around that could easily be broken or misplaced if not used right away.

4. Finally, operations managers and employees must choose where and how they will store their products. This decision depends on what the product is. For example, something like ice cream would need to be kept in a very cool environment before making it …

Three Stages of Labor

Pregnancy labor is divided into three stages that usually last for 12 to 14 hours in the first pregnancy and 8 to 10 hours for second time mothers. During first stage or early labor the cervix contracts and widens. Second stage includes the actual delivery of the baby. The third and final stage encompasses the separation and delivery of placenta.

Stage I- The first stage which is usually the longest part of labor marks progressive changes in the cervix. During this stage, cervix gradually opens. The contractions may be 15 minutes or more apart. Later, the contractions become stronger and closer coming every five minutes and lasting thirty seconds. Cervix begins widening from about 4 to 10 centimetres. At the end of the stage, some women experience more frequent contractions though they are still mild. During each contraction, try to walk around the room. If you are tired, lying on bed on left side may make you feel good.

Stage II- In the second stage, contractions may be a little further apart. Once the cervix is fully dilated and the uterus contracts, it exerts pressure on the baby and you feel a spontaneous urge to push. With each push, the baby starts becoming visible. You may start feeling strong burning as the tissues begin to stretch. A slow and unhurried delivery can avoid perineum from tearing. If you get too anxious, try some relaxation exercises. This stage may last for two hours or more and continue until the baby is born.

Stage III- Just after the baby is born; the uterus begins to contract again. The first few contractions generally expel the placenta. Mothers are encouraged to feed their babies during this time as it helps the uterus to contract and separate the placenta. Early breastfeeding is good for the baby and satisfying for the mothers too. Feeding starts the releases of Oxytocin hormone which causes contractions and helps the uterus maintain firmness. If the uterus doesn’t contract properly, you’ll continue to bleed. If you do not nurse and the uterus is not firm, you will be given Oxytocin to make your uterus contract. Usually, the third stage lasts for just ten to fifteen minutes.

In order to ensure smooth pregnancy, talk to your gynecologist and set a birth plan. It is always good to know about the three labor stages. You need to correctly understand when your body gives the signs the full blown labor. Speak to friends who are already mothers. Enjoy the first glimpse of your new born. You and your partner should share this special time together.…

Contract Warehouses Do More Than Just Store Goods

The wonderful thing about any kind of large storage facility, particularly the third-party variety, is that they take in huge consignments of goods for companies and keep them in perfect condition. Not only this, they also offer the service of splitting the loads into more manageable sizes for onward transportation either to other facilities around the country, or to customers who have ordered the goods. For anyone wishing to know more about this service, look for ‘Texas contract warehouse’ or ‘California contract warehouse’ online to get some idea of what is available.

Of course, many goods will come into the country from other countries worldwide. These can be huge amounts which the importer may well not have the facilities for. What these third-party companies do is to hold the goods in readiness for onward travel. Added to this they have some extra services which aid the importer when it comes to packaging etc.

Most of these companies have sister companies which produce specialized cartons and boxes which can be printed up to just about any design necessary. Splitting the loads and repackaging is made easy since the importer will not have to employ any other staff to do this extra work. Also, the goods may be of a rather delicate nature so these facilities will also have temperature controlled venues to make sure that everything is kept at just the right level to make sure that they do not get damaged.

This becomes extremely necessary for fresh food like fish products or chicken etc. Indeed, some of the seafood will have to be kept chilled, not frozen, while being processed and packaged for onward travel. This may take some rather specialized treatment so it is important to check out the facilities before entrusting this company with high value merchandise.

For example, some lobster sells at an extremely high price along with several kinds of different sea foods. The rarer it is, the higher the value so it is imperative that they are handled with extreme care. If they are not kept cool enough they can become extremely dangerous to eat and this would do nothing for the credibility of the importer to say the least.

Chicken and any kind of bird products are also a little sensitive so keeping fluids and blood drips away from fresh produce is absolutely essential. This is yet another way that these specialized storage companies really take up the slack since they are usually well versed in how to handle these goods. On top of this, they may well have refrigerated trucks to deliver the goods on to other destinations too which saves the importer from paying out for this extra facility.

Finally, most companies will benefit from using this kind of storage facility. Finding a great one which can satisfy all the needs of the company then is very important. Checking out what is online is probably the first place to start since a lot of …

Factors That Decide the Price of a Moving and Storage Service

The prices of moving and storage services vary a great deal. Therefore, it is important for you to know the factors that influence the rates of such services. It will help you find the best firm that fits your budget and criteria.

Here are the key factors that influence the rates of moving storage services.

Type Of Service

A full service provider will cost you more than the Portable On Demand Service (PODS). The full service providers offer you a wide range of services like packing, loading and unloading, transportation, and storage. But, if you hire PODS, you will be responsible for packing, loading, and unloading of items. The moving and storage firm will provide you with a portable container and once you stuff your goods inside it, they will transport it to the desired location.

Type Of Store Unit

A climate-controlled unit will cost you more than a simple ventilated unit. You can decide whether to hire a climate controlled unit or not depending upon the types of items you want to store and the duration of storing.

Location Of The Store Unit

If you hire a store unit in city, it would cost you more than if you hire one in suburbs. Therefore, you should first decide the location that would best suit your purpose. If a store unit located on a highway, between your present and new home, can serve the purpose, you could think of hiring that as it may turn out to be slightly cheaper.

Volume Of Items

Volume of items decides the amount of packing supplies, the size of truck and the size of unit that would be required for storage. Therefore, if you have a lot of stuff, you will need a large sized truck and unit, which will increase the total cost of moving and storage package.

Reputation Of The Service Provider

The rates of reputable moving storage firms are slightly higher than the rates of others. However, it is always better to pay more than taking the risk and handing over the responsibility of moving your household items to an inexperienced company or the one that has a lot of complaints against it.

Security At The Storehouse

A self storage warehouse that has a resident manager, theft alarms, and electrical fencing for security is costlier than the ones with only gated access. Depending upon what you want to keep and the location of the unit, you should decide the security features that you want in the self storage building.

Period Of Leasing The Unit

The price of a moving and storage package depends on the time duration for which you want to lease the unit. If you want to store your items in self storage building only for a week, it will cost you less than if you want to store your items for a fortnight or a month.

There are a number of self storage warehouses in the US …

Voice Pick Technology: Helping Take Your Warehouse Automation Process To The Next Level

Chief executive officers of manufacturing and shipping facilities understand that seamless and intuitive warehouse automation is one of the most critical components to ensuring that internal operations run as smoothly as possible. Voice pick technology has recently arrived on the warehouse automation scene as a viable resource to allow these plants to optimize productivity and efficiency. Though this technology system found its original use in the backrooms of supermarkets, it’s steadily demonstrating that it can prove a powerful tool in any industry. More specifically, many leading executives in virtually every manufacturing industry vertical are relying on this innovative new process to forever change their internal pick, pack, ship procedure and take their warehouse automation to the next level.

Understanding The Basics And Benefits Of Voice Pick Warehouse Automation

This technology essentially drives and directs order picking through the use of a headset and microphone. Employers wear the computer system on their person and are instructed on which items to select. Once the proper item is retrieved, staff members articulate a verbal confirmation back to the system and can move on to the next item on the pick, pack, ship itinerary.

This technological advancement allows busy employees an opportunity to receive orders verbally without having to continuously stop the process by reading the next item on the list. Also this particular automating system allows for hands-free direction. In short, the technology equips a manufacturing or shipping organization for a more streamlined order fulfillment process.

Some other benefits enjoyed by organizations employing this technological system include:

• Less time and resources spent on staff training due to verbal prompts

• Enhanced order fulfillment accuracy

• Increased staff productivity

• Hands-free & eyes-free operation provides a safer work environment

• Stock and inventory numbers receive live updating

• Removal of printing and assigning picking information

• Reduction of overall stationary costs associated with printing and reprinting orders

• Less time spent checking and rechecking orders

• Elimination of returning to order desk for next assignment; staff members simply move on to the next order automatically

These are just a few of the many benefits that corporations employing this form of warehouse automation receive. Perhaps one of the best features of this innovation lies in its perfect blend of human involvement and robotic assistance. Yes, a voice pick system helps minimize and even eliminate human error altogether in many instances. However, the technology still requires human engagement and interaction to help oversee the effectiveness of the product. This strikes an essential balance that other ‘all or nothing’ warehouse automation tactics don’t have. Because of this, it’s no wonder that this technology is consistently gaining entry into manufacturing facilities of every size and scope and in a host of industries.

Does your business need a voice pick system to enhance your warehouse automation process? More specifically, with so many distinctive features and benefits associated with it, can your manufacturing business afford not …

Radiant Tube Heating – Keep Your Business Warm

Heating large areas such as warehouses and air craft hangers is a lot different to warming your house or office, the area is much larger and so needs to be examined from a different angle, taking into consideration not just the practicalities, but the costs and environmental factors too.

One viable solution to consider is commercial tube heaters which allow you to pipe heat into your business in a targeted and cost effective way. Radiant Tube Heaters are ideal for heating large warehouses as they provide targeted heat where it’s needed which is particularly beneficial if you have a large building and you have staff working in just one corner, you can ensure they’re kept warm without the added cost of heating the entire warehouse.

Radiant Tube heaters work by being fixed to the ceiling and targeting infrared radiant heats towards to floor by a reflector. If you were to imagine standing in front of a roaring log fire, or in direct sun light, you only feel the maximum benefit of the heat when you’re directly in its path, as soon as you move away from the fire or out the sunlight you feel noticeably cooler. Radiant tube heating work along the same principle, the heats rays only travel in straight lines (like light) and are absorbed by cooler solid surfaces which they’re aimed at rather than being aimlessly pumped into the air.

Radiant Tube heating can be incredibly cost effective because you’re not wastefully heating a large warehouse or open plan building, you’re just targeting a specific area which can have a positive impact on your business, not just from the savings you’ll see in your heating bills but also in reducing your carbon foot print. In compliance with the Kyoto Protocol, the UK government is trying to ensure all UK businesses produce as little greenhouse gases as possible, which is why the climate change levy was introduced. The less harmful pollutants your business admits, the less tax you have to pay on them, in fact, if your business is serious about trying reduce it’s carbon footprint, you may even be eligible for an Enhanced Capital Allowance or a Carbon Trust Loan to help cover the cost of the installation and maintenance of your radiant tube heaters.

The downside of radiant heaters is that they do only heat the area they’ve been targeted on, if you’re after a heating system to heat a wider area you may have to consider another method such as propane heating, or a warm air blow heater.

Tube heaters are relatively easy to install and maintain. Their compact size means they can be easily fitted in small, compact places and once installed they run easily and shouldn’t require much maintenance. You should be prepared to pay a little more for the products and their installation compared to other heating methods, however the savings you will soon see will more than compensate for this.…

Having Trouble With Storage? Look For A Perfect Wardrobe!

Companies going through storage problems often opt for Texas contract warehouse or California contract warehouse. However, the same is not true when you lack space to store your personal stuff. Finding the right wardrobe that can take care of all your storage problems is a daunting task indeed. Above all they are not just meant to store your clothes and shoes. In fact, an ideal wardrobe is one that allows storage of any item that needs to be kept away for the time being.

Sounds simple does it not? But do consider every facet. As you must be aware, there are various sizes available in the market. In case, you have ample space in your bedroom there is always an option to get one installed. At the end of the day, it all goes down to the availability of space.

The wardrobe with a sliding door will be more convenient as it hardly takes any space. Moreover, you can store and get back objects with ease. The best part is you will have more space to occupy in your room as you do not need space to open up the door so down with the conventional doors, and say yes to the sliding doors.

Besides this, some nicely crafted wooden wardrobes are a perfect show of your exceptional taste and elegance. Many times, you just like to get a new wardrobe for some change. By adding an elegant wardrobe, you will certainly be able to add class to your bedroom and take care of your storage problems along the same line.

While searching for them, you will find that custom built and designed wardrobes to be a good deal. Why so you ask? Well there are various reasons. They save space, and are much durable and above all you can always set partitions to your perfection.

There is no doubt that some well-crafted wardrobes are the sign of true professionals who always provide the furniture an exquisite finish. This level of skill, however, is quite rare and unlikely when it comes to a nonprofessional. You can ask them to embellish your wardrobe with more elegant items like mirrors or designed handles that will add to its beauty.

Some customized pieces are available in almost every shape and size possible. Now, it is up to you to go out there, make your choice while matching it according to your requirements. Apart from solving your storage crisis, with a unique design you can get an item to match your room decor.

You can easily opt for a walk-in wardrobe if there is a slightly bigger space in your room or kitchen, for instance. What makes them amazing is the fact that they are beautiful and can compliment the nature of almost any bedroom. If your room has a funky aura, then why not try colorful wardrobes. For one, you can match them with the colors of your curtains or carpets and second it …

Data Warehouse Appliance – Need Expert Statistician For Justifying Its Function

Usually people have a notion that data warehouse appliance is all about storing loads of old data, but this is not the entire fact. Besides being archive, it also articulates huge amount of data from various sources into a single comprehensive database, so that the user can examine and manipulate the content as per the requirement. The user would be having only one database, so it becomes vital for him to access and feed data from a variety of sources, in order to obtain the information, which he requires. The data warehousing appliance is a tried and tested way of examining information to make survey of cluster of statistical and other content, so that a corporation can plan out future artifice and can find out the outcomes of its proceedings. Correct usage of content can create a huge difference to the way in which a trade can evolve and can develop, as it enables the production of projections and forecasts. This data can be used to create a business module, thereby helping the user to focus on the business. Furthermore, it helps in cutting costs and making better usage of the accessible resources.

There is a major difference between the data warehousing appliance and business intelligence. Business intelligence uses various methods to compare and interpret information and content, in a motive to improve efficiency. Advanced software enables the management of content to render useful information for smooth running of the business. Data warehouse appliance can be referred as a pot, which consists of all sorts of information. With the help of a dash board, reports, analysis and any kind of content can be assimilated and can be used. Furthermore, both data warehouse appliance as well as the business intelligence work together in order to give the end user the exact required information. The employees, who are required to use this application, should be well trained in database building and management. They should be proficient in statistics, in order to make full use of the given application.…

Welding automation is the use of computer technology to automate welding operations. Welders have traditionally used torches that are connected to electrical power sources to melt two or more metal pieces together. The operator must monitor the welding process in order to ensure a quality weld. Welding automation automates much of the welding operation, freeing the operator from having to pay close attention to the welding process. Welding automation systems allow the operator to focus on other tasks while the automation performs the welding operation.

The automated welding operation uses various sensors to measure and control the welding process. Sensors can be used to detect the position of the weld joint and provide feedback to the automation system. Welding automation systems also use sensors to detect the temperature of the welding operation, the current being delivered to the torch, and the position of the torch with respect to the workpiece. Welding automation systems typically use a robot arm that holds the torch. The robot arm is controlled by the automation system, which moves the arm according to the data from the sensors. The robot arm delivers the welding energy to the joint and monitors the weld for quality. There are many types of sensors used in welding automation systems. Many of these sensors operate in one of two ways. Some sensors send information back to the automation system that is used to control the welding operation.

The History of welding automation technology

It can make welding much faster and more efficient by allowing you to weld multiple parts at once. When you think of a robot, you probably think of a machine that performs certain tasks automatically. Welding automation is not quite the same as welding robots. Welding automation refers to the technology that controls the operation of welding machines. The most important thing to know about welding automation is that it does not replace human workers. Welding automation is actually more efficient than manual welding. It allows workers to do more productive work while spending less time on the actual welding process.

What are some of the benefits of automated welding?

Some of the benefits of automated welding are that it can help speed up the process of welding, it can save time and money, and it can make the welding process more efficient. Additionally, some of the benefits of automated welding include that it can target your ideal audience, it can help you save time and money, and it can make the welding process more efficient.

How does an automated welding machine work?

An automated welding machine is a machine that is used to weld metal. The machine is designed to cut and join pieces of metal together using a variety of techniques. It can either use a manual or electronic welding process.

The benefits of using an automated welding machine are that it can save time and money, and it can make the welding process more efficient. Additionally, it can help you reduce the amount of labor …

Avoiding Debt

This is a short article on ways of getting out of debt.

There seems to be more people in debt now due to the ongoing recession. People losing their jobs or simply wanting to keep up with the Joneses. There are any number of must have new gadgets coming onto the market every month and they are all expensive. The trouble is unless you’ve saved up the money you will have to use credit to buy them if you feel as though you have to have them.

The adverts we see and hear are all very persuasive and they even offer inducements such as zero interest or buy now but don’t pay for a year. The companies who offer these deals to you will not be doing so out of the goodness of their hearts. They will still be making money. More often than not you will be charged more at the end of the deal than the book price when you first walk into the shop.

You have to be a savvy shopper due to this and make sure that you don’t fall for the advertising tricks that are put in your path.

I’ve researched different ways for getting out of debt without getting into more debt as you go along.

Try saving up for things that you need rather than using credit to buy everything instead of using your credit card or going out and getting a loan.

Make sure that you pay off your credit cards each month. Credit cards have high interest rates and if you carry over a balance each month and just pay off the minimum you will have a credit card debt for years and pay back more than double the amount you borrowed. If you do carry forward a balance then try and pay off more than the minimum amount each month so that the debt is paid off quicker. This way you won’t be repaying as much to the credit card company.

Try and do the same with any loans you have. Make sure that you know the penalty for paying the loan off early but if you can pay off more each month again not only will the loan be settled earlier you will also be able to avoid paying huge amounts of interest.

Keep your discipline and don’t be fooled into buying what you don’t need. If you want to buy a big-ticket item then do your research and see who can sell it to you for the cheapest price and then start saving for it. Don’t think that because it’s interest free it won’t cost you anything in the long term.

When going shopping know what you need and stick to it. Make a list and don’t buy anything that you don’t need. Again that way you will know roughly how much it will cost you.

Have a look at all your household bills and see if you can switch them to cheaper deals. There are …

Career Or Calling? – Vocation and the Helping Professions

Most of what is written about the idea of vocation in the sense of “a calling” to a career is written about religious vocation. I believe, however that what is written has some relevance to all powerfully felt attractions to careers especially to those in the helping professions.

Luigi Rulla (1971), writing about religious vocation, begins with career theorist Donald Super’s idea that career choice is the expression of “self-concept-in-situation”. But Rulla argues that the salient difference between career and vocation lies in the fact that vocation is not the expression of self-concept, but rather the expression of the self-ideal. He argues that vocation has much more to do with expression of values than career does. It is perfectly possible in the light of Super’s theory to pursue a career which is well suited to your abilities and to the potential of the environment but which does not strongly emphasize personal values. Another career researcher, Riverin-Simard (1990), observes that there can be a re-definition of personal values at mid-life which is strong enough to provoke an upheaval in career trajectory. The question of vocation therefore often rises to the forefront for mid-life career changers considering expressing their values by moving towards careers in the helping professions

Vocational callings have the characteristic requirement that the personal values of the aspirant be coherent with those of the domain or the institution with which they are considering aligning themselves. In the case of vocation the importance of congruent values may be more important than questions of ability because ability and skills are surface attributes that can be modified to a significant degree as the aspirant strives to express their deep values. This idea is comforting to mid-life career changers as they struggle to develop the skills which will permit them to express their passionate beliefs in the values of their chosen vocation.

Those who make helping professions their calling often inhibit their ability to sell themselves because social work or “soul work” requires the kind of emotional or spiritual commitment that precludes its own marketing and any portion of vocational commitment in a job will tend to pull it out of the market place.

Vocation-based work is at odds with the job market because, as hard-nosed business men will point out, a man who will not threaten to quit his job has no leverage when demanding a higher salary. Vocational work is rarely undertaken with personal financial gain as its central intention, and the “products ” of the helping helping professions, for example, are not commodities in the normal sense of the word because they are often not services which can be easily priced.

It can be argued however that vocational callings transcend the market place because they remain necessary and important services which society can not easily do without. The emphasis on values may lead a vocational aspirant to make personal sacrifices and over-ride normal considerations of stability, prestige, status and remuneration… and …

How to Find User Geo Location and Perform Large Scale Data Analysis in Data Warehouse

With deluge of data from users in weblogs companies make use of them for multiple purpose including user behavior like how long users spent time on which pages, which are more popular pages, user page traversal, etc. Typical weblog has information (but not any specific user identifiable info) like the time of the day, ip address of user, the page served, status of page served, etc.

One way to make use of IP address is to map it to a location like city, state or country. One can get/purchase products that provide list of IP blocks mapped to locations. One for example is MaxMind. The data is reasonably static but you can get the latest data once every month or quarter and use it. So, now you have users’ IP addresses in one hand and mapping of IP blocks to city/country in another and finding the user location may seem straight forward which it is if you are doing it for few IP addrs. But it can be a big performance issue if you are doing analysis on tens or hundreds of thousands of IPs on regular basis (using MySQL database).

MySQL 4.x or 5.x, do not use index while performing range operations between two sets of data. But GeoCity data maps block of an IP address to a city and for a good reason. This will force you to use range operations like (=) greater than or equal and (

Note: IPv4 (IP address of 4 octets like 255.255.255.255 with 32 bits unlike IPv6 which are 128 bits long) can have 2^32 (2 to power of 32) addresses, nearly 4 billion. Furthermore, IP authorities allocate group of IP addresses to ISPs or particular country and there is no reason to store all separate IP addresses.…

The Right to Unionize

Labor unions have a long history in America; however, recently, union membership has fallen to under 9% of the private sector, a low that has not been seen since 1932. Union leaders allege that corporate employers are responsible for their diminishing membership, because they illegally discriminate against employees who support the union.

The History of Unions

The first labor unions began in the late 18th century, but became significant following the Civil War, when the National Labor Union was established in 1866. Although the NLU dissolved in 1872, the concept of labor unions was beginning to spread rapidly. Following the NLU were the Knights of Labor, who sought to unionize all laborers and producers and led one of the first successful railroad strikes. Unfortunately, in 1886 government officials intervened and disbanded the group for alleged violence.

The American Federation of Labor quickly sprang up alongside the Knights of Labor. The AFL sought to establish basic rights for workers, such as an eight hour work day, and the prohibition of child labor. The AFL only included skilled workers, and refused to represent African American and women’s rights. The AFL thrived while the Knights of Labor dissolved.

The AFL allowed its members to represent their own trades and run their own strikes. In the 1900s, strikes and boycotts were fairly common, as union workers fought to earn their rights. Coal mine, railroad, and factory workers were especially prominent in the unions.

Many of the rights we have today are the direct result of the union struggles in the 19th and 20th centuries. Unfortunately, however, there are still workplace injustices that need to be addressed today.

Labor Unions Today

Most unions that exist today belong to an umbrella organization, either the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) or the Change to Win Federation. Although union membership is low, there is no shortage of injustice.

Many union leaders believe that corporate discrimination and exploitation is responsible for low membership numbers. Although it is illegal to discriminate against an employee because they are affiliated with a labor union, it still occurs. Many corporations threaten their employees with termination, “black listing,” or relocation.

Blacklisting means union workers will be put on a list when terminated and will likely experience difficulties finding new work.

Relocation occurs when a substantial number of workers organize to rally for better working conditions, but instead of recognizing their workers’ needs, businesses just pack up their stuff and leave. They will reopen a plant in another struggling city and employ hundreds of new workers for extremely low wages. In this way, businesses avoid addressing workers’ rights while exploiting economically impoverished cities.…