Category: Industry

For any manufacturer, the most important goal is to reduce product defects, and thus improve profitability. There are lots of ways to achieve this goal, however, the methods are supposed to come from the specific industry itself. You may apply quality control process or Six Sigma to reduce defects. However, the product defects will not be eliminated no matter which process improvement strategy is utilized. You may be infinitely close to 100% defect free for the interlining products like woven interlining, non-woven interlining and fusible interlining, but most probably you will never achieve the goal of 0% of product defects rate. With the improvement on reducing product defects, an interlining manufacturer may gain auxiliary benefits, such as lowering costs and increasing productivity, which finally turn into saving money in the business.

Reducing product defects for interlining products like woven interlining, non-woven interlining and fusible interlining is not the sole task for the managerial team in the company, but it is a collaboration of each individual in the organization. The involvement of the employees, especially those on the production line is the key to the success of reducing product defects. You will be open-minded when you have your staff directly involved. Indeed, with the contribution made by the employees, fewer errors and mistakes will happen during the production cycle, which in turn results in lowering the product defects.

The primary thing is to identify the changes we want to make, after you decide to reduce the defect rate for interlining products like woven interlining, non-woven interlining and fusible interlining. You can start with asking the employees in the company for what the problems are. You should also spend time on viewing the issue from every angle with the ideas got from the employees. This approach is insightful since the employees are in the manufacturing cycle with the interlining products, and may have ideas that the administrative staff have never come across. When implementing reducing product defects, the leader should bear in mind the basic principle of cost effectiveness. In other words, measures and actions should be taken under the full use of available resources. No matter which process improvement strategies you are applying, you may consider hiring professionals from consulting company that utilize Six Sigma. These professionals will help you identify the changes that need to be made.

Once you have target the changes need to be made, the subsequent step is to analyze the approach to the changes. At this stage, you should form a team to analyze how to deal with the changes. Documenting the measures or steps is essential to the success of reducing product defects. When analyzing the approach to the changes, the team should spend time on listing all the possibilities and have a comprehensive check on the running machine. It is also pointed out that the team should take the time to check whether the machines to produce interlining products like woven interlining, non-woven interlining and fusible interlining are on correct status, which is a crucial step in the process improvement strategy. Defects will be cut back and money will be saved if the machines are running at a correct status. If appropriate information on the machines is available, you will know how to adjust the change to benefit the company most, and thus reduce product defects.

After the implementation on the changes, a review process is needed to evaluate the outcome. You should constantly review the outcomes to ensure whether they are beneficial at all. You should always talk with the employees on the production line. They operate or monitor the machines every day, and get the firsthand results on the outcome of interlining products like woven interlining, non-woven interlining and fusible interlining. Indeed, employees will be able to provide useful ideas and suggestions to further improve the situation on the production line. If the company is looking for continuous effects on reducing the product defects, you can simply start from the identifying procedure and focus on the implementation of another change.

Remember when you are striving for reducing product defects in a business, your base line is that your company is saving money. The efforts on reducing product defects may become meaningless if the cost on interlining products like woven interlining, non-woven interlining and fusible interlining increases. On the contrary, the more money you save, the more benefits your company will receive.

With your efforts to reducing product defects by the changes, you may start to set a new goal to avoid making the same errors in the future. This is the direction to be infinitely close to 100% defect free. However, the set goal must be realistic, and all staff in the company should be involved. Under the current fierce competition in the interlining industry, reducing product defects should be a continuing strategic planning to save the business money, and improve the productivity.

Emerging Markets Direct (EMD) announced the release of their latest China Steel Industry Report 2H10. It states that China ranked number one in crude steel production (reaches 567.8 million metric tons) again in 2009, which is 13.5% higher than previous year and sharing 46.3% of the world’s total.

The report first profiles the China Steel Industry.Driven by China’s economic development, production of steel reached 426.6 million tons as of August 2010, and is expected to reach 640 million tons for the full year. Finished steel products also increased significantly, EMD outlines the growth scenario of finished steel products, out of which heavy rail track material has an impressive growth of 52.8%.

The Chinese industry is highly fragmented with approximately 800 steel mills, majority state-owned in nature. EMD lists out the production by province out of which Hebei province comes first among other Chinese provinces (22% of total China production).

The EMD report then covers market trends and outlook. The Chinese government introduced measures to curb the over-heated property market in August 2010. According to our report, China’s steel consumption is expected to decelerate in 2011. As the no.1 steel importing country, what will be the impact? EMD gives you an overview of the import numbers and steel price.
It also provides a discussion on the export market. In 2009, China fell from no.1 to no.4 in the export of steel product. Exports rose by 153% YoY in the first half of 2010 due to the revival of the marco-economic condition. With the removal of tax rebates on certain steal products in July, will exports still increase in the coming months? What is the impact of China exports on other ASEAN countries?

What are the prospects of the China steel sector? What is the outlook for steel price? How does the performance differ between Chinese and non-Chinese steel producers? What are the factors leading to the difference in their EBITDA? The China Steel Industry report gives you the background to answer these questions.

Finally, it describes the competitive landscape and leading players of the industry. The China Steel Industry report provides basic company profile, history, financial highlights, performance data, recent development and SWOT analysis of Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation, Baosteel Co. Ltd, Anshan Iron & Steel Group, Angang Steel Company Ltd., Wuhan Iron & Steel Group, Hebei Iron & Steel Group Company Ltd.

Table of Content
1. Industry Profile
1.1 Global Steel Industry
1.2 China Steel Industry
1.2.1 The Structure of the Industry
1.2.2 Fragmentation of the Chinese Steel Industry
1.3 Industry Production
1.3.1 Production of Steel Products
1.3.2 Production by Province
2. Market Trends and Outlook
2.1 Steel Consumption
2.2 Imports Market
2.3 Exports Market
2.3.1 Impact of China Export on Southeast Asia
2.4 Prices
2.5 Market Outlook
3. Leading Players and Comparative Matrix
3.1 Leading Players
3.1.1 Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation
3.1.1.1 Baosteel Co. Ltd
3.1.2 Anshan Iron & Steel Group Corporation
3.1.2.1 Angang Steel Company Ltd
3.1.3 Wuhan Iron & Steel Group
3.1.4 Hebei Iron & Steel Group Company Ltd
3.2 Comparative Matrix
3.3 SWOT Analysis

4. Tables and Charts
Table 1: Major Steel Producing Countries (million metric tons) in 2008 and 2009
Table 2: Top 20 Steel Exporting Countries in 2009 (million metric tons)
Table 3: Top 20 Steel Importing Countries in 2009 (million metric tons)
Table 4: Major Chinese Steel Producers (million tons) in 2008 and 2009
Table 5: Production of Finished Steel Products (thousand tons) in 2008 and 2009
Table 6: Steel Production by Province (thousand tons) in 2008 and 2009
Table 7: Steel Imports by Quantity (thousand tons) from 2003 to 2009
Table 8: Steel Export by Quantity (thousand tons) from 2003 to 2009
Table 9: Price of Whorl Steel 22mm Q235 by Province (RMB per ton) from 2006 to 2009
Table 10: Baosteel Co. Ltd Distribution of Business Income and Cost of Principal Business Segments (RMB million)
Table 11: Leading Players Financial Highlights 2008 and 2009
Chart 1: World Crude Steel Production (‘000 metric tons) from 2003 – 2009
Chart 2: World Steel Production by Geographical Distribution in 2009
Chart 3: Production of Steel and Steel Products from 2001 to August 2010
Chart 4: Production of Iron Ore, Pig Iron and Coke from 2002 to August 2010
Chart 5: Production of Steel Billet by Large and Medium Enterprises from 2002 to August 2010
Chart 6: Imports of Iron Ore from 2000 to 2008
Chart 7: Steel Product Exports in China from January 2009 to August 2010
Chart 8: Exports of Selected Steel Products by Value from 2007 to August 2010
Chart 9: Trade Balance of Iron & Steel from 2005 to August 2010
Chart 10: Prices of Selected Steel Products (RMB per ton) from January 2009 to July 2010
Chart 11: EBITDA per Ton Forecast from 2004 to 2011
Chart 12: EBITDA per Ton by Region from 2006 to 2015
Chart 13: Baosteel Co. Ltd Distribution of Steel and Steel Products

About Emerging Markets Direct
Emerging Markets Direct is the online research store from ISI Emerging Markets, a Euromoney Institutional Investor Company. We deliver in-house industry research report, industry analysis and data vital to support all kinds of business decision, academic and research purposes. Our flagship product Emerging Markets Direct Report covers the top 20 industry sectors of India, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Indonesia. ISI Emerging Marketsin-house analysts crunch the numbers from our proprietary CEICdatabases and combine the results with on-the ground industry insight. The result is reliable, hard-to-get industry data, analysis and insight. Previously available only to subscribers of the ISI Emerging Markets Information Service,Emerging Market Direct reports are available now at our online research store. Our Other products are: CEIC snapshots, CEIC datatalk, Intellinews.

Each day during the Christmas season, many businesses and private individuals turn to printers, asking them for personalised calendars and corporate Christmas cards. Writing Christmas cards became a tradition in the XVIII century, when the British royal family started to use them as a form of congratulation for social acquaintances.

So, Christmas cards became the ideal way to congratulate someone during the holiday season, without having to spend a lot of money on the purchase of gifts and wrapping paper. Furthermore, Christmas cards could be sent by mail without any problem; as the XX century advanced, more and more people turned to Christmas cards as a solution to an increasing social ambiance and to lessen the need to provide tokens or gifts of friendship that overwhelms their entire financial income.

Even so, Christmas cards became a great advertising and marketing opportunity since trade cards started to appear. Trade cards are prints on one single sheet or card, with the business simply wishing the customer a Merry Christmas; but the idea of the Christmas card as we know it started to appear and become more popular in the XX century. In 1961 only 2000 of them were printed, while in 2005 an average of 1.4 million Christmas cards were printed, sent and distributed.

This makes Christmas cards one of the strongest money-makers for the printing industry, not only from the private sector, but also from the commercial sector that seeks to elevate their business higher in the ranking of the target market, in contrast to their competitors.

Frequently, printing workshops linger through the year with a small amount of work, according to the difficulties and economic events that happen in the location where they are found; it might be that all the work they do relates to marketing promotional products. Big printing companies do not worry much about the off season, since they carry on the printing requirements for other companies, however, the small printing business, the one that suffers the changes of the printing business season, suffers the consistent reduction of marketing promoting products.

The Internet, with its online marketing potential, makes it less necessary for advertisers and marketers to use promotional products to enhance the presence of a product, service or business in the target market. Consequently, printing workshops have to subsist as much as possible on alternative means, until the Christmas season. Christmas cards are still popular among private citizens and businesses; however, the appearance of the laser printer and the increasing use of the Internet has modified greatly the way Christmas cards are viewed, printed and even created.

In yester years, Christmas cards were printed on cardboard and decorated with water colours and even glitter; now, even serigraphy is taken off the Christmas cards, making laser printed Christmas cards the new fashion statement; this might end up reducing the printing workshops to a thing of the past.

Despite it all, Christmas cards are still the biggest income source for all printing workshops alongside the printing of catalogues and calendars. Therefore, the effect that Christmas cards have on the printing industry is evident to the naked eye.

The FARO Arm is acknowledged for its significant role in mining and other industries but not too many people are aware that it also plays an important role in the furniture industry. Just like the other industries, the furniture industry relies on exact measurements and the manufacturers of quality furniture have learned to rely on the FARO Arm when it comes to this.

The Faro brand is responsible for many effective measuring technologies like the laser scan Faro arm, the portable arm and FARO Arm laser scanner. The furniture products that people see on display have gone through several processes and that includes cutting of its various parts. This is where a highly accurate calculating tool like the Faro arm is most needed so that the exact measurement is specified into the CNC machine.

While the CNC tool is an accurate machine, manufacturers can only maximize its function when used with an equally accurate measurement tool like the FARO Arm. Furniture, whether it is planned for the bedroom, living room, bathroom or even in the office, should fit the drawing board so that it can be more useful and improve the aesthetics of any area where it is intended to be arranged.

The development of measurement technology that requires the assistance of computers has led to the growth and evolution of the furniture industry. Whereas before, furniture production has to be made in mass, manufacturers are now better able to come up with production based on demand thanks to technology. The quality of the furniture has also improved as even the smallest faults or differences in design and specifications are easily caught with the use of new technologies like the ROMER Arm.

The Faro arm technology has not only made the measuring process more efficacious for the furniture industry. It has also simplified the process of designing furniture through the 3-D laser scanning capabilities of the Faro arm. Today, both manufacturers are customers are able to get a virtual image of their proposed furniture designs so they can approve it prior to the actual manufacturing.

Even antique designs can now be duplicated thanks to reverse engineering. This is particularly useful for people with periodic interior designs for their homes and who want antique-design furniture to grace their space. Even the most uneven design space can now be corrected to conform to the ideal design with laser scanning technology.

Function and design are two important aspects of furniture manufacturing and the best way to blend the two to produce a dazzling product is through the use of the Faro arm. Large-scale and even smaller furniture makers now make use of technology to improve their production and assembly line. To achieve the best craftsmanship, furniture makers now rely on software and 3-D laser scanning technology to make furniture without the gaps, sags and welded joints usually seen in other designs.

With the use of Faro arm, manufacturers can now focus on more detailed designs for their furniture. Furniture is no longer reliant on a single raw material like wood these days because the consumers have also learned to love other materials like steel and furniture made from these materials come out more textured and smooth.

Do you really need experience for a construction job? Several would say that experience is not really necessary, and many construction companies do hire workers with no experience for smaller jobs. But according to James Day, an experienced AECOM public health engineer, experience is vital especially for construction and engineering students. “Start looking for work experience as early as you can, even in your first year,” Day advices students. “Dont wait for your departments work placement tutors to feed opportunities to you.”

And Day isnt the only one who thinks experience is essential. Most graduate recruiters agree that construction-related experience really improves a graduates chances of landing job offers in the future. In the TARGET jobs recruiters board held last year, majority of recruiters pointed out that generally, when it came to job offers graduates who had industry work experience were better able to answer pertinent questions and tackle assessment exercises.

Benefits of Experience

The benefits of experience are not only limited to graduates, but extends to those who continue to expand their experience through the years. James Moschoyiannis, better known in the construction industry as Jim Moschoyiannis, is a director and shareholder of one of Australias leading construction companies, L.U. Simon Builders. But he didnt get to where he is now simply out of pre-graduate experience, but years of continued experience and learning. Throughout his career Jim has handled projects of every scale and from every sector, which led him to be promoted from being project manager to construction manager in just 7 years and appointed director in just 6. His long and fruitful career is evidence enough that experience is crucial not only in landing those first construction jobs but making it to well-respected positions within the industry.

Gaining Experience at the Start

For the majority of those entering the construction industry the most difficult part is finding opportunities to gain experience at the very start. Usually, recruiters wont take graduates on an unpaid basis due to minimum wage legislation, and most other companies cant afford adding paid placement students over the people they have already hired.

So what can construction students do to gain some early experience? Here are some helpful tips:
Get sponsored. Sponsorships or scholarships from construction companies will not only provide financial support to students but will guarantee work experience placements, particularly during the holidays.
Apply for paid work experience schemes. There are plenty available online for all kinds of construction-related positions from quantity surveyors to engineers to project managers.
Work-shadow. Knowing the predicament of construction students, recruiters have been very keen on giving students every possible opportunity to gain experience. One of these is work-shadowing opportunities. When students spend time observing professionals at work rather than taking on work themselves, they dont go against any legislation and still gain insights regarding the work involved. To gain this opportunity, students must write well-researched and well-written cover letters and CVs asking for permission to work shadow a professional.
Voluntary work. Its possible to do voluntary construction work during the gap year, but this may require a fee or some fundraising for certain charities.
Temp work. If possible, students should check whether they can get temp work in a related field.

Theres no doubt that experience bears a lot of weight in the field of construction. Gain it early and develop it consistently and you can achieve much success in the industry.