Google Inc. may bid for map –software provider Waze Inc. Facebook
Inc. already has bid for the startup and is willing to pay about $ 1 billion.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
President Barack Obama is planning to visit the areas in New Jersey affected by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey Area. Republican Governor Chris Christie may join him.
President Barack Obama is planning to visit the areas in New
Jersey affected by Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey Area. Republican Governor Chris
Christie may join him.
Remote control makes loading safer and more efficient for drivers
Remote control makes loading safer and more efficient for drivers
For
drivers, loading and unloading is a time-consuming activity. Volvo Trucks has
therefore developed Work Remote, a wireless remote control device that
streamlines the load handling process. The gains are lower costs for haulage
firms and a better working environment for drivers.
It is not exactly
news that time equals money in a haulage firm. Nor does it come as a surprise to
hear that time savings are a valuable commodity in everyday operation.
“For
a haulage firm, it is important to have high productivity, which is all about
transporting freight from point A to point B in the safest and most efficient
way possible,” says Christer Pehrson, Business Manager Long Haul at Volvo
Trucks.
One area in the transport sector where efficiency can be
improved is loading. In order to check that the weight of the cargo is properly
distributed, at present the driver has to climb up into the cab several times
during the loading process to check the load indicator in the instrument panel.
Other load-related functions, such as raising or lowering the truck, are also
currently performed from inside the cab. This takes a lot of time, is very
tiring and represents a risk of driver injury since he or she can trip or fall.
Volvo Trucks developed Work Remote to help save time and reduce the risk
factor. The new device is a wireless remote control unit which brings together
all the functions that the driver requires while loading or unloading. With the
Work Remote it is possible to control everything from raising and lowering of
the truck’s air suspension system to kneeling the vehicle, activating the power
take-off, regulating engine revs, switching off the engine and locking the
truck. Extra controls fitted in the instrument panel via a Volvo Trucks
accessory module can also be linked to the remote control, such as controls for
a crane or pumps.
“In the remote control the driver can immediately see the
indicated load weight and its distribution across the axles of both the truck
and trailer. In other words, the driver has all the necessary information in his
or her pocket instead of having to run back and forth. Loading is more
efficient,” says Christer Pehrson.
In addition to saving time, the Work
Remote also saves the driver’s energy. This can help promote better traffic
safety.
“For many, loading is a stressful task, and stress leads easily to
accidents. With the Work Remote we eliminate much of this stress since the
driver doesn’t have to run back and forth the whole time. If loading is easier,
this also means there’s a more relaxed driver behind the wheel. This leads
indirectly to a more alert driver and promotes improved traffic safety,” says
Christer Pehrson.
Work Remote will be launched together with the new
Volvo FH series and will be available on the market in 2013.
For further information, please contact:
Ida Mattsson, Volvo
Trucks Global Brand, phone +46 31 323 63 42
E-mail:
ida.mattsson@volvo.com
Vestas Wind Systems has has involved the services of the State Prosecutor for Serious Economic and International Crime for investigating deals its former CFO Henrik Noerremark made in India
Vestas Wind Systems is the largest wind turbine manufacturer
in the world. It is based out of Denmark the company has set aside $24 million to
recover the losses for the deals its former CFO Henrik Noerremark made in India.
The company has involved the services of the State Prosecutor for Serious
Economic and International Crime.
U.S. wants to encourage the use of renewable energy. The U.S. senators are proposing to give tax incentives for companies which install energy – storage systems.
U.S. wants to encourage the use of renewable energy. The
U.S. senators are proposing to give tax incentives for companies which install
energy – storage systems.
General Motors and Raju bhagarwalla
General Motors and Raju bhagarwalla
Raju with his push-cart busy with ‘Green Business’
Raju is a ‘bhangarwalla’ (one who goes house to house and collects all kinds of solid waste by paying to waste/scrap-provider and makes money by selling it to recyclers). He is one of the thousands of Indians engaged in such activities mainly in cities and towns. Raju, like many of his competitors, migrated from a village located in another near-by state of India nearly a decade back and established his ‘bhangar’ business in open space, not used and noticed by any one in Pune. He can be termed as rag picker, waste picker, dabba-batliwalla (collector of glass bottles and tin packages), lokhand-patrawalla (collector of metal parts and sheets)
Raju is, literally, a ‘business nomad’. He is ready to shift his business premises any time if any one objects, because his business is conducted in open space only with a single important equipment-a weighing balance, thats all. . And there are other places in the city where a small payment to police would suffice to continue the business until some one notices him again. Most of the time he is ‘conspicuous by his invisibility’! That is because of nature of his business. Heaps of waste amidst which he sits is camaouflaged by the typical crowded, dusty and busy Indian streets in the cities.
His business model is simple. He gets one Indian rupee (about 2 USA cents) per kg of scrap steel or paper that he collects by paying to one who provides the waste and selling to the one who takes it for the recycling. For glass and plastics it is half or less for each Kg. He aims for about Indian Rupees –INR- 300-400 (USD 6 to 8) per day but at times it can be as low as INR 80 per day. If you consider the definition of ‘ Poverty Line ’ as per Planning Commission of India which is INR28.65 per capita in cities and INR 22.42 in rural areas, Raju is a “ rich guy’. That is Indian way of looking at poverty. Sadly, he has no shelter of his own and his business place is on the roads, lanes and by-lanes. But, surprisingly he does have his very own business and operational strategies.
He starts his business early in the morning, and focuses on the remote area around which he has no competitors. I live in such place, up the hill and away from the city and see him regularly. One of those days I asked him, what he is doing to increase his earning. In today’s management terms it was like asking a CEO, ‘what is your business projections and vision over next few years?’
‘I want to recruit more boys whom I will deploy to cover more houses in suburbs which are fast expanding and if I myself shift my focus in the main cities which now have growing tendencies to throw away more and more, my business will grow’, said Raju. I was quite surprised. In today’s managements terms he was focusing on expansion, volume and geographical market fragmentation and not on ‘price structures’ or not even’ resource efficiency’! After all Raju was a CEO of his business but with ground realities.
In 2011 UNEP produced a report titled Towards a Green Economy. It described an economy that results in improved human well-being as well as social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The report provides number of cases like that of General Motors who saved millions of dollars through resource efficiencies. I read a report early 2013 that General Motors saved whooping USD 1 billion by recycling.
It is claimed that GM through recycling and other innovative activities (it made and sold bird nests with the discarded battery covers!) GM generated a total of $2.5 billion in revenue between 2007 and 2010. The company stated that it wants to do more but there were barriers like inadequate infrastructure in other parts of the world where GM operates to support recycling. GM had planned a meeting with a group of automakers, suppliers, waste management companies and government officials in USA to promote more recycling.
“By connecting local recyclers – and those with potential – with area companies, we can start to address the gaps and build a more robust infrastructure that will help the auto industry and beyond to leave a smaller footprint”, stated its top official .
Raju, who is busy in collecting scrap steel including discarded auto parts, probably produced in the shops of General Motors whose cars are sold in India, is unaware of Green Economy definition of UNEP and billions made by GM. And General Motors is equally unaware of Raju’s efforts to make their business more resource efficient.
But I am sure, UNEP, one day will be aware of such ‘Green Entrepreneurships’ and report the case study of Raju bhangarwalla in its next report. And hope that General Motors one day would hold a meeting of the ‘bhangarwallas’ in India to ensure that adequate infrastructure with trained supply chain for the recycling economy is built. The enthusiasm and zeal of Rajus of the world would help GMs of the world make billions more.
by Rajendra Shende, Chairman TERRE and former Director, UNEP.
Deep Earth Energy Production Corporation is planning to develop the first geothermal power plant in Canada
Deep Earth Energy Production Corporation is planning to
develop a geothermal power plant in Canada. It will be the first Geothermal
Power plant in Canada. This was disclosed by the CEO Kirsten Marcia. It is
going to use the heat in Saskatchewan. The capacity of the plant will be 5
megawatts.
Friday, May 24, 2013
British Columbia the Canadian province is trying to avoid supertankers which will be a threat to $73 billion oil export industry employing about 550000 people
British Columbia is one of the Canadian Province who slogan
is “Super Natural”. The Province is trying to avoid supertankers which will be
a threat to $73 billion oil export industry employing about 550000 people.
The U.S. Defense Department has issued contract for biofuel plants as a part of the program by President Barack Obama to boost renewable energy.
The U.S. Defense Department has issued contract for biofuel
plants. The total cost would be $ 16 million. The fuel would be used fighter
jets and destroyers. This is part of the program by President Barack Obama to
boost renewable energy.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
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