Archive for the ‘business’ Category

New Design Tools & Materials Assist New Glass Design

Monday, July 13th, 2009

As a designer of commercial buildings in all areas for the past twenty years, I can honestly say that the learning curve seems to slope ever-steeper. Whereas in the past, simple curtain wall and glass panel construction was a modern marvel, these days have ushered in new concerns about sustainability and practicality that embody the modern architectural vision that older construction methods made too expensive to be pragmatic on any wide scale. New design and construction methods, along with strong concern for environmental factors both inside and beyond the realm of the specifically architectural have led to new design solutions for glass buildings that expertly balance the needs of users with concerns for the environment: interests which the modern ideals tell us should usually align.

Specifically, to address some of the concerns about temperature control associated with regular glass curtain wall construction, the implementation of double façade design not only provides a buffer against sunlight, it also adds a sense of spaciousness and makes functioning windows more practical and cost effective. For one, the buffer between the skins provides for circulation and the ability to keep windows open year round. What’s more, coupled with composite windows, the outer façade not only has the ability to reflect sunlight and prevent the ‘incubation’ or ‘greenhouse’ effect of traditional architecture, it also provides for privacy and is far less costly in terms of the carbon footprint required for its production and the other environmental costs associated with glass manufacturing and transportation.

For all its benefits to users and the environment, double façade construction is not without its drawbacks. From beginning through design, planning, prefabrication, and construction, this desirable method for construction is more complicated than its traditional counterpart. Thankfully for architects like me there is a suite of software tools that customize the drawing environment, visual objects, planning tools, and specification systems in such a way that is consistent with the needs of an architect who frequently works with glass façades. Whether it’s simulating the thermal impact of different sizes and types of composite windows, or putting together cutting specs and plans for contractors assembling the façade, the suite put out by Glazier makes it easier for me to realize the modernist dream and put my clients into a building they can use and enjoy sooner, and at a lower cost to them. I highly recommend that anyone who frequently works in glass use tools suited to the job to make designing more accurate, more considerate of needs (with thermal simulation, etc.), and easier.

Keeping it Close to Home

Friday, July 10th, 2009

I run a housewares business, importing glasses and tiles from the Middle East and Mediterranean. Like most exports from the region destined for the eastern seaboard, most of my inventory makes it way through ports in New Jersey. To service my clients – mostly higher-end home design stores – I had to run LTL sized orders from my NJ warehouse to destinations all up and down the coast: from Portland, ME, to Miami, Florida. While my business is one built on solid markups, the cost of transportation sometimes ate as much as 1/3 of my gross margin.

I was astute enough to realize that I could use some assistance with logistics. I wasn’t sure exactly what sort of help I needed, but I was sure there had to be a better way to manage and deliver inventory more effectively – whether it was requiring my customers to order more, or storing it closer to them. On the recommendation of a friend who runs a paper business in New Jersey, I contacted Transport System Inc., basically to get their consultation on ways to reduce my freight shipping costs overall.

After hours of free consultation and taking time to become familiar with my inventory and replenishment cycles, they were able to devise a somewhat decentralized solution that would allow me to deliver full trailer loads to other warehouses up and down the east coast, from which LTL sized orders could still be filled. This allowed me to serve my customers better, since I didn’t require them to wait until I could get a mostly full trailer to their area – and mine is not a high volume (by actual volume) business: tiles and glasses are small and expensive.

From a main NJ warehouse, inventory gets moved to satellite locations by the trailer load. With the help of an asset management solution that TSI implemented for me, I am now able to see my real-time inventory all up and down the coast, which allows me to plan my buying and importing much better. The net result is that I am actually holding the same quantity of inventory, but delivering it much faster (same day or overnight for most of the East Coast at no extra charge to customers), more reliably, and far more cost effectively. I also have new markets that have been opened up to my products by new capacity elsewhere – TSI has setup my logistics for a push into the Midwest / Chicago market with a warehouse.

For firms who are finding that logistics eats into a lot of their high margins because they are forced to ship LTL or deliver customer orders same day or overnight, having the humility to enlist the help of logistics experts is crucial. I had that humility – I can brag about it now – and it truly paid off. I am grateful for my carrier and warehouse company’s expertise.

 

Corporate Events at The Go Kart Track

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

Employees should not dread going to your firm’s annual corporate event. Los Angeles businesses must develop team building tactics in order to drive communications between all levels of their organization. There are a variety of different events in which your organization could use to help stimulate communication; some will be exciting while others will not spark any interest. 

Sparking the interest of your co-workers is an important factor when considering where your firm will host their quarterly function. It would be very easy to convince your colleagues to host an event at the local go kart Los Angeles track. Your employees will appreciate the fact that you’re looking to plan business parties at out of the ordinary locations where they can kick back and relax in a stress free location. 

When hosting a corporate event, Los Angeles firms should note the distinct advantages of engaging in letting associates chase one another around the local go kart Los Angeles track where they can reach speeds of over thirty five miles per hour. Having the opportunity to meet and greet fellow workers will help set your co-worker contact in motion driving the trust between co-workers to grow.

The amount of trust between colleagues is a distinct factor when trying to implement more growth for your firm as a whole. In order to be successful at this corporate event, Los Angeles businesses must encourage their employees, when driving at a go kart Los Angeles track, to have a straight line of communication between the driver and his/her team, in order to do this they must develop trust as a team or else they will fail in the long run.

After reviewing this article it should give you should know understand the focal reason for hosting a corporate event. Los Angeles businesses should know value the gains from deciding on unique team building occasions.

Find the Perfect Employment Listing

Friday, May 29th, 2009

There are thousands of job offerings out there, but only a few are high paying gems. How do you find the jewel jobs in a sea of job postings?

Job web sites are great resources, but there are literally thousands of them, and each in turn features thousands of jobs. This can add up to a pile of job potential in a hurry. The problem is that only a few of these jobs are the high-paying jobs you’re really looking for. Finding the perfect employment listing can almost seem like combing for a diamond ring on an ocean beach.

Yet coming across a diamond in a landscape of sand is much easier when you have the tools. An employment search engine is like having a metal detector on a beach. It hones in on those job web sites that feature offerings that are most related to your search, scanning literally thousands of sites and giving you the best potentials. Because of the sheer size of the database, many of these jobs can be hard to find, yet the search engine puts them all out front for your discovery. It helps uncover that perfect employment listing, giving you the opportunity to direct your future.

There are literally thousands of websites dedicated to employment. You could spend weeks upon weeks surveying these sites and only look at a fraction of them. But why not let technology work for you? A computerized search engine dedicated to employment can scan those sites within seconds, delivering you the most relevant information. You’ll be surprised at the tremendous amount of job opportunities available, as well as pleasantly pleased how relevant the first few pages will be for your own search.

Not that the computer throws out the local newspaper classifieds. In fact, the computer compiles them. A job search engine can help you scan through employment classifieds from newspapers around the world as easy as checking the weather on Google. The want ads of every community are just a simple computer search away.

With the age of digital technology, a lack of opportunity isn’t the problem. The difficulty, in fact, is that there is too much of it. A job search engine helps to simplify the options, putting the most relevant listings at the top. Find that gem of a job you’ve always wanted, no matter what nook or cranny it’s hiding in.