|
WBE.Net
Newsletter
Release
Date: 5-21-08
Farmers Join
Bush: Si Food!
US farmers have lined up squarely
behind the Bush Administration in prodding Congress
to quit stalling and finalize a major, pending trade
deal south of the border. According to the American
Farm Bureau, the Peru and Colombia Free Trade Agreements
will increase US farm exports by $1.4 billion a year.
Based on USDA estimates, every time a million dollars
worth of agricultural products are exported, 14 jobs
are created here at home. So, once they are fully
implemented, the Peru and Colombia agreements should
provide over 18,000 new jobs in the US due to increased
agricultural exports.
WBE Export
Product Tip: A Breath of Fresh Air
Among the most successful
products exported by America's and the WBE.Net's traders
are medical and health-related equipment. Here's a
product made in the USA that can help people worldwide
with their respiratory problems. California-based
CATALYTIC PURE AIR manufactures a portable indoor
air purifier that uses the new technology of catalytic
conversion and ultraviolet light with carbon and HEPA
filters to produce the healthiest air possible. This
product reduces contaminants that cause poor air quality
including odors, bacteria, micro-particles and carbon
monoxide. The purifier is simple to use wherever poor
air quality is affecting people's health, such as
hospitals, dental and medical clinics, homes, offices,
factories and schools. One unit purifies up to 2,000
square feet and costs just 20 cents a day to operate.
The product has received International Electrical
Approvals for use in Canada, Japan and the European
Union, and has passed independent laboratory tests
with flying colors. It can aid in allergy and asthma
relief, and helps reduce severe respiratory problems.
CATALYTIC PURE AIR is actively seeking international
distributors. You can learn more by clicking to their
website at www.8usa8.com
JIT is It!
Just In Time is a clever system
used by manufacturers to save money by avoiding the
costs associated with maintaining stockpiles of Inventory.
Having piles of goods sitting in your warehouse is
expensive! It drives up your overhead in property
lease costs, and hogs space at your facility. So the
constant quest to cut expenses and increase efficiency
has given us JIT. A typical scenario: Factory A manufactures
airbags and ships them to Factory B, which builds
cars. (Under the old Inventory system, Factory A would
churn out huge numbers of airbags and stick them in
its warehouse. Then it would ship hundreds or thousands
of them over to Factory B, which would then stick
them in its warehouse.) Under Just In Time, Factories
A and B remain in constant, close communication. Factory
B only orders the exact amount of airbags that it
needs at the moment. Factory A gets the order, and
the airbags go directly from its assembly line into
the back of the truck, and off to Factory B! No one
stockpiles anything! This system was actually invented
by Henry Ford 90 years ago, made popular more recently
by Toyota, and is now almost universal. Ford put it
this way: "We buy only enough to fit into the
plan of production. If transportation is perfect and
an even flow of materials can be assured, it is not
necessary to carry any stock whatsoever. The materials
arrive on schedule and go from the railway cars into
production." Put simply, Just In Time is all
about having the right material, at the right time,
at the right place, and in the exact amount needed,
without the safety net - or expense - of Inventory.
uShip - One
Cool Resource
UShip, Inc is an Austin-based
company that operates an online shipping marketplace
- a clearinghouse for getting things delivered, whether
small or huge, domestically or around the globe. Launched
in 2003 by three University of Texas MBA students,
uShip has become the eBay of shipping. It boasts a
roster of 100 thousand transport venders - shippers,
rail lines, trucking movers, international ocean shipping
lines, freight brokers and freight forwarders. Here's
how uShip works: You have something you need to move
somewhere. You go to the uShip website, post what
you want to ship - free of charge - and the freight
companies bid for your business. Then you choose the
winning bid (no obligation to accept a bid). Bidding
is also free to the freight companies: they only pay
uShip once their bid is accepted. The shipment could
be anything - an armoire for Grandma across town or
across the country, cars, motorcycles, pets, general
goods, whole households, containerized cargos...even
giant turbines destined for Shanghai! You get the
idea. The auction bidding system means that you, as
a customer, can realize major savings on your shipment.
Another cool feature for the WBE.Net trader is that
all the freight companies are customer-rated, so you
know what you're getting! As part of the process,
you're asked to rate the firm you choose. On the Web
at www.uship.com.
Your Keyboard
is Out to Get You
As you go about your work
- nailing down the WBE.Net Trade Deal of the Century
from the home office desk, beware. Because chances
are, you often eat at your keyboard, and if so, scientists
have a warning...Don't. Or, if you must, be verrry
careful. It turns out that your computer keyboard
may be dirtier, in terms of germs, than your toilet!
British researchers have been swabbing keyboards and
finding astounding amounts of bacteria - literally,
several times the pollution levels found on toilet
seats. They discovered that little bits of food lodge
between the keys and provide breeding grounds for
bacteria. Solutions? One, you can give yourself a
break away from your work area when you have your
meal - a relaxing respite, while you munch. And two,
whether you eat at your desk or not, give your keyboard,
mouse, phone and other work surfaces a regular sanitary
wipedown. Oh, yes - and be sure to wash your hands
regularly - especially after visiting the restroom.
Among the germs the scientists pulled out of the keyboards
was coliform bacteria. As in, poop. (Eeeooh!) Just
a timely heads-up from your friends here at the Newsletter...
|
