Christian Dropshippers – 3 Great Tips on Selling Christian Items Online
January 13, 2012 | 
Author Selling Christian items on eBay or the Internet is fairly easy but you should know a few things before you get started. Selling on eBay is the same no matter what product you want to sell. You must follow these three steps to be successful. Find the demand for a product then find a reliable Christian dropshipper.
Find which Christian items are selling or are in the highest demand on eBay. I do this using various tools. On tool is free from eBay and is called eBay Pulse. You can go to eBay and search for eBay Pulse. This search tool will show you the top ten most searched items within a category. So if you want to sell Christian items then use eBay search to see what others are searching for on eBay. You always want to sell products that are in high demand.
Once you know which items you want to sell then you need to find a Christian item dropshipper. This can be fairly difficult. It took me several years before finding a reliable dropshipper and one that I could trust. Most dropshipping companies don’t carry a big inventory and don’t really have the tools you need to be successful on eBay. You can look on the internet by searching for “Christian dropshippers” but you could get scammed. I suggest joining a eBay seller’s forum and ask around.
Another way to look for a dropshipper is to find an item you want to sell on eBay and then search for that item on the internet but add the word “wholesale” or “drop shipper”. If you do this you might find the exact company that the eBay seller is using.
Scenario Of Intimatewear Market
The journey of lingerie from ‘cotte’ to trendy intimatewear
The existence of lingerie is as old as the existence of women who wear it. In the middle ages things were easygoing as women wore various corset-like alternatives like the cotte, the bliaunt and the surcot, which move on easily over their dresses and hold the breasts firmly. Wearing underwear/corsets has been practiced since the ancient civilization of Egypt and Greece, where women wore corsets to support their breasts. Bras have been worn in all ages to support women’s breasts and give them a fashionable look.
18th Century: It is believed that the history of underwear started in the 18th century. The padded silhouette with a flat stomach, slim waist and cone-shaped bust was a style. The corset, a vital part of any woman’s clothing at that time, gave the body a typical shape, squeezing the internal organs and making them feel comfortable. Extreme usage of satin, silk and damask decorated with embroidery, ribbons and laces gave the effect of artistry.
19th Century: Women wore corsets, crinolines and bustles. The S-shaped silhouette trend started at that time. Women wore underwear like knickers, corset, camisole and waist slip.
20th Century: Lingerie turned out to be simpler and more practical. Corsets were replaced by a more flexible girdle modern bra. Pastel colours for lingerie came into existence. In 1910 boyish silhouette became a trend. The first brassiere to have a patent, which was accepted largely, was a bra invented by a young New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob in 1910. In the 1930s femininity became a fashion trend. A woman was covered by the one-piece garments known as corsets including a curved and bust-emphasizing brassiere and girdle with garters. But one-piece corsets were accepted largely and panties were reduced in size and finally gained the shape of bikini briefs.
21st century-the era of intimacy-intimatewear: In this era the fashion is pushing women to exhibit the underwear as outerwear which is worn for the sensitive pleasure of a partner. Lingerie is considered as the second skin by many women. In the present era, women have more choices than ever in terms of style, design, fabrics etc. Since many centuries fashion in connection to lingerie styles was toggling between the feminine and masculine, painful and practical. In the recent time, lingerie is the most attractive, luxurious and feminine clothing that is worn intimately and respected for its practicality and comfort.
Worldwide Market Growth Forecast of Lingerie
Today, the main concern about marketing the lingerie products is the fight for share between global brands and retailers’ local labels worldwide. It is also about consumers’ choice and acceptance of brand. With its matchless combination of fashion and function, lingerie is a product category that crosses the fine line between necessity and luxury. Besides these features, it has increased into about a US$30 billion-a-year industry and placed itself for further growth over the next five years.
To know the global lingerie market, it is essential to check out not only the competition between brands, but also the separate bra-wars taking place between brands and local retail labels. The leading player among lingerie brands worldwide is United States-based manufacturer Sara Lee, which has a major market share in its home country as well as the European market. After Sara Lee there exist companies like Warnaco, Fruit of the Loom, VF and Maidenform, in Europe Triumph also possess a major market share. The more comfy La Perla, meanwhile, is atop the high end of the world lingerie market.
In the retail sector, US chain Victoria’s Secret, the UK’s Knickerbox and northern European retailer Hunkemoller provide to the specialist market, but the huge quantity of lingerie is traded by clothing retailers like Marks & Spencer and hypermarkets like Wal-Mart and Carrefour. Though, the tendency is to be robust on briefs than bras, and repeatedly sell these items in multiple packs. While the leading retailers and brands keep up to propel the market, the nature of uniqueness demands that there is also a push of smaller, more up market labels that offer to a few niche.
Of the total world lingerie market, amounted to US$29.5 billion annually in 2003, bras calculated to 56 per cent of total sales, while briefs and the body wear/daywear/shape wear category add 32 per cent and 12 per cent in that order. Of about 6.4 billion bras and briefs were procured worldwide in 2003. The report shows that the average woman buys two bras and five pairs of briefs per year. Lingerie sales in the developed world are observed to be basic fashion-driven, with the average woman having six bras and eight pairs of briefs in her wardrobe – more than she usually requires.
The buying of these products is normally determined by style factors, like as what styles (g-string, padded bra) look best under certain types of clothing, or what colors appear best. In the past, this picture has not been right for developing countries where lingerie is bought more out of need than desire. Though, population growth, unstable demographics and the appearance of consumers with more disposable income is changing purchasing habits in these regions, and the lingerie market is projected to gain advantage from this opportunity.
According to a research report, the global lingerie market was calculated to be $29.15-billion (U.S.) in 2004 and is projected to increase (at the rate of about 9 per cent) to $31.6-billion in 2012. And the product category that will have the quickest growth is “bodywear, daywear and shapewear.”
Despite this noteworthy growth, demand for lingerie in the developed world has been observed to be rising at about five per cent (based on low population growth, ageing demographics and product saturation), while that of the rest of the world is projected to increase by almost 20 per cent.
While this turns out to be a fairly steady 7 per cent raise in world volume to 6.8 billion units, it also amounts to massive growth in developing nations. This will go together by a noteworthy push towards offshore manufacturing in countries like China and India, as continuing enhancement in technology and communications make such alternatives far more cost effective than the domestic alternative. Markets that are expected to develop in the future include the Indian sub-continent, China and Southeast Asia. India and China are projected to increase their international market share by about US$100 million each, while Southeast Asia, already a leading market for lingerie, will increase by US$350 million in value.
Given that price points in these sub-regions are somewhat low; this expected growth shows an opportunity in huge quantity for lingerie companies. Products which shape the body and offer smooth curves are observed as a key growth sector for baby boomer lingerie buyers. New and innovative fabrics like Lycra and microfibers will keep on featuring a lot in this segment.
Prices to keep steady
With downward price emphasis at a retail level compensating any attempts at increasing manufacturers’ costs, prices are not anticipated to have any noteworthy impact on lingerie market growth in the developed world till 2010. Though, value growth in the developing world is more complicated to estimate, due to the extensive trading in the gray or black markets and, hence, not at normal retail prices.
Nonetheless, Sara Lee is anticipated to keep on its dominance of the developed world market and formulate sizable inroads into other markets over the next five years – even in the challenge of financial problems faced by competitors such as Warnaco and Maidenform. Along with it the low profile and hence low debt European companies like Triumph and Wolford will keep surviving. It is understandable that high-volume growth for lingerie’s leasing players will come from emerging markets, while, in a sector where discrimination is important, beneficial business will also be held by niche marketers. Fortunately for all matter, lingerie is pushed by female consumers’ loyalty to brand, fit and comfort, making it as one of the more financially strong segment in the apparel market.
China
China exported 4.2 billion pieces of women’s undergarments in 2004, a 30 percent raise from 2003. In China, Shantou is one of the leading manufacturing hubs for women’s undergarments with well-set up and good factory management systems, offering prompt service and efficient supply chain system. This harbor city in Guangdong province exported women’s underwear worth $650 million in 2004, accounting to be the third of China’s outbound shipments of the product. Shantou possesses more than 1,500 suppliers, about 150 of who export directly. Shantou’s associated towns of Gurao, Xiashan, Chendian and Liangying are the leading manufacturing areas. Gurao, the biggest center, has more than 440 undergarment makers. Annual sales reach $260 million, including 564 million brassieres and 180 million pairs of underpants. Shantou is renowned across China as a major producer of knitted underwear. Xiashan and Chendian each produce more than $100 million worth of women’s undergarments per year.
Suppliers in Shantou vary from small companies with 50 workers to big manufacturers with 1,500 employees. Though, small and midsize suppliers constitute the major companies. Many suppliers possess vertically integrated production with in-house fabric knitting, dyeing, finishing and printing, and garment sewing, embroidery and packing capability. The city’s bra and panty suppliers target on midrange models, but high-end designs are also made by them. Approximately 90 per cent of output is for OEM orders.
Seamless bras and panties are trendy designs which are more preferable now a days. Hanzina Underwear Co. Ltd, a leading supplier of such products, has invested a huge amount in 20 Santoni circular knitting machines from Italy, two warp knitting systems and 350 sewing machines. The company makes 200,000 pieces per month. The use of lace and embroidered fabrics is also well-liked among Shantou suppliers. Chengtai Underwear Knitting Factory makes bra and panty sets with lace trimmings, embroidery or prints.
The midsize company makes undergarments for Wal-Mart and donna l’oren. Hongjie Underwear Industrial Co. is also a leading producer with 1,500 workers and fully integrated production that covers fabric knitting and sewing. The company provides fancy bras and panties in crocheted fabrics, intricate prints and embroidery. The company also produces items like push-up and convertible brassieres.
Many companies are making efforts to decrease their lead and delivery times. Shantou’s port, one of the 20 leading harbors in China, transports cargo to many countries and regions. This facilitates suppliers to provide convenient shipping to foreign buyers and supports in continuation in transportation at cheaper rates.
India
The lingerie market in India is still in its infant stage and, until in recent times, the accessibility of high quality intimate apparel was limited to irregular or grey imports sold under the counter. Because of the limited products and lack of enough specialized and organized retail atmosphere, the fashion realization and quality awareness of the Indian consumer for intimate apparel is yet to be realized.
India is also one of the most scattered retail markets in the world. The products, so far, have been mainly marketed as a commodity and are price and margin oriented. Till today huge quantities of bras are sold to end users by male salespersons in mom-and-pop shops. Majorities of the stores do not even provide a trial room.
As a consequence, large consumer base are not sure of the functional features of a bra or even their own sizes. When Gokaldas Intimatewear began developing Enamor, their first aim was good fit. Across India Enamor surveyed and measured 4,000 women. They noticed that 80 per cent of Indian women wore a uncomfortable fitting underwear. In India, bras were made only in B and C cup sizes, though Enamor’s research found that most Indian women required A or D cup sizes.
In India Triumph, Lovable Lingerie, Enamor, VIP, Juliet, Amul etc are major players in lingerie market. Today 70 per cent of the lingerie market of India is unorganised. But that can be replaced with the increase in the number of malls and quality-conscious consumers. For example, Lovable’s growth of 20 per cent last year was sustained by new retail space.
The joint market contribution of the leading five retailers in India totals less than two per cent. Though, Lingerie sales have increased by 12 per cent in the past five years because of a new awareness of intimatewear. Women’s innerwear industry in India is worth Rs. 2,000 crore and is growing at an average rate of 12 per cent.
Turkey and Bangladesh have already observed the potential and are aggressively promoting its innerwear industry. Many Asian countries are defeating India in the US, the world’s biggest clothing importer. According to the US office of Textiles and Apparel, in 2002 the country imported 198,094,426 dozen pieces of cotton underwear. India’s contribution in this was a paltry 2.36 per cent. In bras using manmade material, the US imported 37,676,800 dozen pieces. While China constituted 32 per cent of these, Indonesia had 10.5 per cent. Even Bangladesh had 1 per cent. However, India exported a meager 0.65 per cent. Though, there is a great potential to be taped if approached in an organized manner with a proper set up.
Womenswear: the most profitable segment
The Rs.28,375-crore womenswear apparel segment covers 32.1 percent share of the Indian apparel market in value terms. In volume terms, market share of womenswear is one percent greater than that of menswear but in value terms its share is five percent less than that of menswear due to branded segment in womenswear was practically non-existent till a few years back. At present, it is the most profitable segment for investment. During 2005, volumes increased by 5.5 percent while value appreciation was as high as 15 percent.
Women’s trousers and skirts category observed a highest growth during 2005, volumes growing nine percent and value appreciating more than 23 percent over 2004 levels. Western wear like suits and blazers and Lingerie are the two other categories where progress was excellent, volume and value growth being 10 and 21 percent respectively in the Western wear and 6.8 and 18.1 percent in lingerie.
In early days the Indian women mostly trusted foreign products or directed their friendly corner tailors to stitch form-fitting bodice, which were worn under dresses. But now the scenario is different. The first trendy movement for both men and women was seen when Associated Apparels Pvt Ltd, producers of Liberty shirts, introduced the world famous Maiden Form bras, Jockey men’s underwear and Jantzen swimwear in 1962 in India.
It was a lanky period for Liberty shirts with complexity in imports and the export market initiation, so the late Bhawandas Wadhwani approached the lingerie business with technical knowhow from the USA. The brands got an achievement of optimum level with their styles and quality. But due to the government’s restrictions for foreign brands, Wadhwani discontinued the overseas tie-up and changed the names to Libertina for lingerie and Liberty for men’s underwear in the late 70s. From 80s to 90s the company focused on undergarments. Even today Libertina and Liberty are still one of the major players in the lingerie market.
With the great triumph of Libertina and Liberty, other Indian companies also shifted into the lingerie markets. In the 70s Peter Pan from Dawn Mills entered in the market with lingerie styles of the West. The brand was popular amongst the Indian women, but two decades later it vanished from the market.
In 1971, VIP entered the men’s underwear market with a big-bang and became the most talked about brand due to its advertisement featuring model Dalip Tahil. Since then VIP is a leading player in the men’s and women’s underwear market. VIP launched Petals, a Lycra moulded cup bra with motifs, which was accepted well at that time, but was later discontinued. But introducing Loveable in 1996 was a huge success as they brought in a foreign brand, but it was made in India. Lovable was followed by Feelings, VIP’s domestic products and Daisy Dee another foreign brand. The very ultra Vanity Fair was introduced in 2004 and lastly a Korean Brand Try for men and women in 2004. VIP’s fashionable new men’s innerwear called Frenchie X was targeted to meet the challenges thrown by the foreign brands.
Another leading brand in the lingerie market is Rupa & Co established in 1985. Its variety of men’s, women’s and children’s underwear put together makes it India’s biggest innerwear manufacturer and seller. Besides these two brands there are other labels produced by them. Amul, Lux Cozi, Dollar are some of the brands catering to a particular segment of the men’s underwear market, while the lingerie segment has its own local offerings like Neva, Bodycare, Softy, Lady Care, Little Lacy, Red Rose, Sonari, Feather Line and many more.
In the 90s Jockey re-entered the Indian market followed by Calida and Liberti Blu. Then the very high fashion Gossard existed for a limited time. In the 21st century, Enamor, another foreign brand entered the Indian market through Gokaldas Exports and the very chic French brand Aubade started its only outlet in Mumbai. La Senza is the next foreign brand that is set to enter the market while Hanes has already set with a very unconventional ad campaign targeted to comfort for the Indian male.
One of the leading foreign players in the Indian lingerie market is Triumph. They have a presence in 150 countries around the world and a turnover of US $2 billion with a production of over 200 million units annually, producing 6000 new fashion styles per year designed by 200 designers in 11 countries. Triumph started its operation in India in six metros, and is now spread in 45 cities. As far as lingerie is concerned, India is still in its initial stage. India has to wait to become a matured market as compared to the other Asian markets like Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and Vietnam. In the last three years there has been a great growth in the business but the retailing of lingerie and distribution channels are limited. Triumph markets through retailers, MBOs, and two franchisees in Mumbai and Kolkata, and further more they are going to increase in the near future. From 300 outlets in India they target to cross 1,000 outlets in three-five years. With all raw materials imported from Europe, Triumph is produced in Chennai and has gained a 50 per cent raise in sales since it came into the country. Though, Triumph is the only internationally managed brand, it also aims to satisfy Indian buyers and has the capability to source intelligent fabrics not offered in India. Triumph was the first to introduce moisturising fabrics with Aloe Vera and the one-piece bra which is produced by one piece of fabric. The sizes and styles are very particular to Indian consumers. Triumph which begun production in India in 1998 has been exporting to the USA before it came into the local market. With 80 per cent exports and 20 per cent local sales in India, Triumph adds new products and concepts for 5-10 styles each year.
Lately, well-known international lingerie brands – Aubade – from the fashion capital of France has entered in Indian market.
While the international lingerie outlook is as exciting and bright as the outerwear one, India’s growth in the former segment can be called just about negligible. Body and beach fashion shows are showcased twice a year around the world showing the latest trends in innerwear fashion. New underwear fabrics with ‘anti’ treatment like anti-stress, anti-smog, anti-static, anti-allergic, anti- bacterial, anti-moisture and anti-odour pamper the body. Top European products like Bruno Banani, Excellent, Schneider, Louis Feraud, Calvin Klein, Gianfranco Ferre, DKNY, La Perla, Gossard, and Schiesser are some of the brands that set their inspiration to the ultimate test. Thanks to the new outerwear performance made by designers around the world and India, lingerie is seemed with renewed fascination in India too.
It may be shocking that there are 1000 Indian brands in the market but only 200 are nationally active. The others cater to markets in the vicinity of their production. Many of these brands have so far continued the advent of MNC labels for the last decade and should continue to do so.
The Indian lingerie Industry is growing because of the increasing domestic demand coupled with huge export potential. It will soon receive an upfront position. From a cottage industry it can be transformed into a growing trade. Indian brands have experienced that they have to be more quality conscious and work harder in branding, promotion, packaging and innovation. Only the mindset to make world class lingerie is lacking. Smaller countries like Sri Lanka, Turkey and Bangladesh are major producers in this segment. Indian companies have recognized the significance of innerwear for men and women and the competition is just boiling as new and more players arrive to offer Indians that much required fashionable lift.
To read full please visit http://www.fibre2fashion.com/industry-article
History Of Citrus
The pleasing appearance of citrus trees and the fruit was mentioned by many ancient travelers, even though the fruit of citrus trees had not evolved to the point as an important food staple, the fragrance of all parts of the citrus trees, including the flowers and fruit, were desirable perfumers of rooms and were thought to repel insects.
The occurrence of citrus in Europe and Mideast were thought to have been natural occurring native trees and shrubs, but historians today believe that the ancestor of the citrus trees, Citrus medica L., was introduced by Alexander the Great from India into Greece, Turkey, and North Africa in the late 4th century BC. The most ancient citrus was called ‘citron.’
There are ancient clues from wall paintings in the Egyptian temple at Karnak that citrus trees had been growing there. There were other suggestions that citrus trees may have been familiar to the Jews during their exile and slavery by the Babylonians in the 6th century BC. Even though speculations suggest that citrus trees were known and grown by the Hebrews, there is no direct mention in the Bible of citrus.
The first recording of citrus, Citrus medica L., in European history was done by Theophrastus, in 350 BC, following the introduction of the fruit by Alexander the Great.
In early European history, writers wrote about Persian citrus, that it had a wonderful fragrance and was thought to be a remedy for poisoning, a breath sweetener, and a repellant to moths.
Citrus was well known by the ancient cultures of the Greeks and later the Romans. A beautiful ceramic tile was found in the ruins of Pompeii after the city was destroyed by a volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Another mosaic tile in the ruins of a Roman villa in Carthage, North Africa, in about the 2nd century AD, clearly showed the fruit of a citron and a lemon fruit growing on a tree branch.
Early Christian tile mosaics dating back to 300 AD of both oranges and lemon were shown in lemon-yellow and orange colors surrounded by bright green leaves and freshly cut tree branches; the relics can still be seen in Istanbul, Turkey at mosques that once were churches of Emperor Constantine.
It is not known how, where, or when the exceptional present day varieties of citrus trees developed, such as the sweet orange, lemon, kumquat, lime, grapefruit, or pummelo, but there appears to be a general consensus of opinions that all these citrus developments and improvements were obtained by natural and artificial selection and natural evolution. It is well known, that the Romans were familiar with the sour orange, Citrus aurantium L. and the lemon tree, Citrus limon. After the fall of Rome to the barbarian invasions and the Muslims, the Arab states rapidly spread the naturally improving cultivars of citrus fruits and trees throughout much of North Africa, Spain, and Syria. The spread of sour orange, Citrus aurantium L., and the lemon, Citrus limon, extended the growing and planting of these trees on a worldwide scale by planting the seed, which produced citrus trees very similar to the parent trees. The Crusades conquest of the Arabs later spread citrus planting and growing throughout Europe.
The sweet orange, Citrus sinensis, appeared late in the 1400′s, near the time of Christopher Columbus, who discovered America. After trade routes were closed when the Turks defeated the Eastern Roman Empire in 1453, centered in Constantinople (Istanbul), many European kings began to seek alternate, trade, sea routes to open trade by ships with China and India. The sweet orange tree introduction into Europe changed the dynamics of citrus fruit importance in the world. The voyage of Portuguese explorer, Vasco de Gamma, recorded that in 1498, there were multitudes of orange trees in India, and all the fruits had a sweet taste. The new sweet orange variety, known as the “Portugal orange” caused a dramatic surge in citrus planting, much like the much later appearance of the “Washington navel orange” tree introduction into California.
The lime, Citrus latifolia, was first mentioned in European history by Sir Thomas Herbert in his book, Travels, who recorded that he found growing “oranges, lemons, and limes” off the island of Mozambique in the mid 1600′s. Lime trees today are available in many cultivars.
In 1707, Spanish missions were growing oranges, fig trees, quinces, pomegranates, peaches, apricots, apples, pear trees, mulberries, pecans, and other trees according to horticultural documents.
The Mandarin orange, Citrus reticulata, was described in Chinese history in the late 1100′s, but was unknown in Europe, until it was brought from a Mandarin province in China to England in 1805, where it spread rapidly throughout Europe.
The pummelo, Citrus grandis, also called the shaddock and the ‘Adam’s Apple’ was growing in Palestine in the early 1200′s and was planted and grown by the Arabs. The pummelo is believed to have an Asian origin and was planted as seed in the New World.
The grapefruit, Citrus paradisi, is believed to have arisen as a mutation from the pummelo tree. Grapefruit were so named because they grew in clusters like grapes, but most gardeners considered them to be inedible until A.L. Duncan found an outstanding seedling grapefruit that was named Duncan grapefruit in 1892; the original tree is still alive and growing in Florida.
Christopher Columbus introduced citrus on the island of Haiti in 1493. It is believed that he brought citrus seed to be planted and grown of the sour orange, the sweet orange, citron, lemon, lime, and pummelo fruits. Records show that these citrus trees were well established in the American colonies in about 1565 at Saint Augustine, Florida, and in coastal South Carolina.
William Bartram reported in his celebrated botanical book, Travels, in 1773 that Henry Laurens from Charleston, South Carolina, who served as a President of the Continental Congrees, introduced “olives, limes, ginger, everbearing strawberry, red raspberry, and blue grapes” into the United States colonies after the year 1755.
William Bartram in his book, Travels, reported that near Savannah, Georgia, “it is interesting to note that as late as 1790, oranges were cultivated in some quantity along the coast, and in that year some 3000 gallons of orange juice were exported.”
Many of these wild orange groves were seen by the early American explorer, William Bartram, according to his book, Travels, in 1773, while traveling down the Saint John’s River in Florida. Bartram mistakenly thought these orange trees were native to Florida; however, they were established centuries earlier by the Spanish explorers.
The citrus industry began rapidly developing in 1821 when the Spanish gave up their territories and its many orange groves to the United States. Wild orange tree groves were top-worked with improved cultivars and residents traveling to Florida realized how refreshing orange juice tasted; thus began the shipments of oranges, grapefruit, limes, and lemons that were sent to Philadelphia and New York by railway and ships in the 1880′s.
Citrus plantings were extensively done in California by the Spanish missionaries; however, the commercial industry began to grow with the 1849 Gold Rush boom, and efforts to supply the miners from San Francisco with citrus fruit were successful. The completion of the Transcontinental Railway further stimulated the citrus industry, since citrus could be rapidly sent to eastern markets. Later improvements of refrigeration helped to increase citrus growing and planting, mainly oranges, lemons, and limes throughout the world in 1889.
Florida at first dominated citrus production in the United States, but because of some devastating freezes in 1894 and 1899, Satsuma orange trees were virtually wiped out in the Gulf States. Thousands of acres of Satsuma orange trees were wiped out in Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana in the hard freeze of 1916; thus the citrus production of the United States began to shift from Florida to California.
Citrus is marketed throughout the world as a beneficial health fruit that contains Vitamin C and numerous other vitamins and minerals in orange and citrus products lime marmalade, fresh fruit, and frozen and hot-pack citrus juice concentrates.
Copyright 2006 Patrick Malcolm
Pros and Cons of RFID Technology
I. RFID Advantages
Radio Frequency Identification provides a valuable service that is capable of revolutionizing the way companies track products. There are many benefactors of this technology: the military, retailers, suppliers, consulting firms, producers of the technology, and consumers. RFID provides companies with a better alternative to bar-coding because no line-of-sight is needed to read a pallet, a carton, or a product with a RFID tag. RFID tags also contain information on the product that is easily readable and accessible for the reader. RFID will also begin to automate company’s supply chain, reducing labor costs, human error and time spent checking in products.
In 2005, manufacturers and suppliers requesting new bids from the military must be RFID compliant on four different levels: packaged operational rations, clothing, tools, and weapon system repair parts and components. The military requires that all cartons and pallets are shipped with a Military Shipping Label which displays shipping data. The Department of Defense has created the RFID Military Compliance Solution as a way to help suppliers and manufacturers meet the military’s new standards for RFID. The program is run by Avery Dennison Retail Information Services, and they were commissioned by the RFID Military Compliance Solution. Avery Dennison Retail Information Services sells the RFID tags to companies which must be affixed close to the Military Shipping Labels to comply with Department of Defense regulations.
The U.S. military is saving an enormous amount of money by using active and passive RFID systems. By using RFID for communication and transportation systems in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is able to diagnose and fix problems much faster than before. The implementation of RFID in just this area will save the military close to half a million dollars this year. The U.S. government has contracted IBM to do research on the current RFID being used currently in the military and the potential future applications for RFID in the military. The military has been successful in creating better visibility throughout their supply chain increasing their productivity and stability.
Retailers and other companies that have a demanding supply chain can gain an advantage on the field by using RFID in the supply chain. By demanding that all levels of their supply chain be RFID capable is a sizable investment. The productivity increase that follows the initial investment and implementation for companies will pay for their investment. Wal-Mart was the first retailer to use RFID in their distribution centers and warehouses, prompting many companies to follow in their footsteps once Wal-Mart’s success was realized.
RFID is very successful with retail companies because it improves productivity, saves on human labor costs, and gives companies real-time visibility with all their products. RFID tags use an Electronic Product Code (EPC) which is an upgrade and a replacement for the Universal Product Code (UPC) system. “EPC has a 96-bit code that has digits to identify the manufacturer, product category and the individual item. Manufacturers obtain registration numbers & assign them to products. Each number is unique to a given item.”
The cost of a tag is anywhere between twenty-five to fifty cents. In the next five to ten years it could be reduced to five cents per tag. At some point in the near future tags could fall to one cent tempting companies to use RFID tags on every product in a store. Wal-Mart says that since their stores now have RFID, it makes it easier to keep store shelves stocked allowing employees to interact with customers.
Target was able to save on their investment for implementing RFID, following in Wal-Mart’s footsteps as Wal-Mart had already paved the way and suffered the pitfalls of implementing a new technology. In addition to the lower implementation costs, many of Target’s suppliers had already begun preparing for the switch over to RFID assuming Target would follow Wal-Mart. Target as a large retailer knows how important it is to be able to provide real-time data on pallets, cartons and shipments up and down-stream through their supply chain.
A break-through in RFID technology was made by Intermec, Inc. in May of 2006, with new rugged and reusable RFID tags. These tags can be written thousands of times; it can handle hazardous chemical exposure, and withstands temperatures from -50 degrees Fahrenheit to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In October of 2006, Intermec released a new version of the rugged, reusable RFID tag, including wide-band antenna that can be used on any surface in any part of the world.
RFID makes the business world seem like a smaller place, even companies like Wal-Mart who are very big and have a large integrated supply chain. RFID enables companies to be more efficient with their time and space. Companies that combine some newer supply chain technologies with RFID could see great results. Combining auto-picking with RFID would reduce man-power needed, time needed to move pallets and cartons around a warehouse, and time needed to send pallets to their proper destination. The goal of a company’s supply chain should be to reduce time needed to be productive, by automating as much of the supply chain as possible. It reduces human error, and machines are capable of running twenty-four hours a day and cost less than human labor. The
application of RFID for a large company like Wal-Mart or Target, as well as smaller retail stores can ensure a better shopping experience with more in-stock items and a more knowledgeable store.
The RFID market is booming and many technological companies have gotten in the game producing RFID parts and systems. In many cases being a producer of RFID components and systems also allows you to become a consulting firm for the technology. Hewlett Packard (HP) is one of the largest companies developing RFID systems. HP’s goal is to make it as easy and affordable as possible for a company adopting RFID technology. HP has experience in the RFID field, as they were one of the early adopters of the technology and have been very successful integrating it into their business. HP began with two larger clients, Hasbro (produces children’s toys) and Conros (a large Wal-Mart supplier). Hewlett Packard has created two RFID Centers for Excellence, one in California and one in Taiwan, to demonstrate new potential uses for the technology, as well as how it can be implemented into a business. More centers are slated to be opened throughout the world, including Great Britain, Singapore, and Tokyo RFID Centers for Excellence.
The RFID market sits at roughly one billion dollars in 2006 and has varying estimates as to the growth potential of the market. Estimates of RFID market size in 2008 vary anywhere from $1.3 billion by IDC, to $4.2 Billion by the Yankee Group. As shown in Figure 1 in the appendix, most of the industry is made up of sales of hardware, tags, readers and other physical products of RFID. Roughly 20-25% of the market is made up of consulting work for the technology and the last 5% is made up of software for RFID. The two biggest areas firms are concentrating on are the production and consulting sides of RFID.
The biggest challenges for producers and consultants alike are the reliability and durability of RFID systems and products. It is hard to simulate the wear and tear a product will experience over time. HP has made testing RFID products one of their benchmarks, providing intense field-testing of RFID to ensure its durability and quality. A competitor of HP is IBM, who according to AMR Research is the market leader in RFID. IBM has over eleven years experience working with RFID, and like HP, they were an early adopter of RFID technology. The advantage that IBM has over HP is there world-renowned consulting services, coupled with their immense networking capabilities. IBM’s services promise more results than HP’s RFID systems mainly because of IBM’s consulting expertise. IBM works with companies to locate the best avenues to implement RFID, attempting to maximize Return on Investment (ROI) by reducing one person per shift from manually tracking products allowing them to focus on value-added manufacturing activities. IBM also focuses on other ways to improve ROI including, offering a one-time savings of $230,000 in operating costs, continuous fabrication line operations, better customer service providing real-time information on products, and less errors and delays cause by human error.
RFID began to take off once companies like Wal-Mart and Target, and the U.S. military demanded that their top 100 suppliers must adopt RFID technology. Many suppliers were not ready for a move like this, a move that would completely retrofit their current operations at a high cost to the supplier. There were some suppliers that welcomed the change in technology and already began implementing RFID in anticipation of Wal-Mart and the U.S. military’s demand that their suppliers adopt the new technology. Wal-Mart demanded that their top one hundred suppliers would need to be RFID ready by January 2005, and to Wal-Mart’s surprise, twenty three extra suppliers have volunteered to make the change to RFID. There is a new generation of tags that hit the market in 2005, called the Gen 2 Standard, which make RFID more appealing to suppliers who have no RFID systems in place. The Gen 2 RFID improves on the first generation of RFID by increasing read times, increasing read ranges, and read tags more accurately.
Suppliers and manufacturers will notice the benefits of implementing RFID into their organizations streamlining parts of their operations. Return on Investment is the most important factor for a business implementing RFID. Suppliers will see their ROI increase as human labor hours are decreased, human errors are decreased and interoperability is increased. RFID increases the visibility of the suppliers so they can do their job in real time, assuring that the correct package is sent to the correct location. It also saves money in the long-term for manufacturers and suppliers because RFID will save time spent inventorying and tracking products. An advantage for suppliers and manufacturers using RFID is customization of products in a shorter period of time. Smaller suppliers and manufacturers will have a harder time implementing RFID, as costs range from $100,000 to $5 million to implement the technology, but as costs go down more companies will adopt RFID.
RFID does have another potential benefit for suppliers that could give them invaluable information. For Wal-Mart suppliers, readers are set up at the back door so suppliers know when their shipments have arrived increasing visibility for both entities. A second reader is placed at the entrance to the sales floor so the supplier can see what is on-hand on the sales floor and in the stock room. This will allow the supplier to see which products sell better than others so that they can be replaced, and it also allows the supplier to develop more accurate sales forecasts. A secondary benefit of RFID is that the promotions that merchandisers spend a lot of money to set up are often left in the stock room for too long or are improperly placed. Now merchandisers and vendors can make sure their promotions are being handled correctly. Suppliers and manufacturers have the potential to save money on production costs, while making money on customized products.
Consumers should be the ultimate winner with RFID being implemented throughout a company’s supply chain. In the long-run, stores will save money throughout their supply chain, thus bringing down costs to consumers. Consumers should also expect to find more helpful and more informative customers service with companies that have RFID. These companies now have real-time data to share with the customer. A consumer complaint about retail stores has always been that there are too many out-of-stock items; however, with RFID in place many of these stores should see a significant decrease in out-of-stock items. Having RFID tags on certain products can also make people’s lives much easier, such as a microwave that is a reader and recognizes the tag of the food you put in and will automatically cook it according to the directions on the tag. It also helps environmentally because companies will use resources more efficiently, benefiting everyone. Once RFID tags are able to be used on food products it will make a recall on a certain item much easier and it could potentially save lives.
Consumers use RFID everyday and many do not realize the benefits they are receiving from the technology. Contactless payment is a developing technology, the card being used contains a tag and the payment area contains a reader. Mobil and Exxon use a “Speedpass” as their contactless form of payment allowing customers to wave the card in front of a reader to pay for gas or anything in the convenient store. Visa and Mastercard are the two biggest developers of this technology, claiming that it will benefit everyone from consumers to businesses. It allows people to have preset money on a card (either debit or credit) which decreases waiting time at check-out stands and increases loyalty to companies that offer this feature. Another use of smart cards is keyless entries, which is becoming a popular trend in America, using just a card and swipe it over the sensor to allow entry. RFID is a beneficial technology for consumers saving time and offering conveniences traditional bar codes, credit cards and keys cannot offer.
RFID contains many advantages over traditional ways of coding pallets, boxes and products. It allows for non-line of sight reading of the tag which stores all the product information. RFID reduces human labor costs and human errors through the supply chain saving companies money, as well as reducing theft in the store and warehouses. RFID can save lives as well if there is a recall and the recalled food item or product is tagged, then it would be easier to collect all the units.
II. Disadvantages
Radio Frequency Identification has been around for over fifty years, but it has been the rapid development and deployment of the technology over the last five years that has raised people’s awareness and understanding of the technology. While there are many potential benefits for RFID, there are many pitfalls as well. Every level that could benefit from RFID can also reap negative rewards from the technology.
The U.S. military was one of the early adopters of the technology using it for over ten years in a limited area of their operations. In 2003 they upgraded their usage of the technology by demanding that all suppliers must affix a RFID tag to every pallet, carton and big-ticket item being shipped to the military. The biggest problem the military faces is an issue of security. With complete product information on a tag it is easy for an enemy of the United States to pull information off a tag. This could result in loss of life of U.S. soldiers or even U.S. civilians if the wrong product ended up in the wrong hands. The tags could inform enemies of potential weaknesses and strengths of our military and give them a view on how to attack us at our weakest points.
Large companies like Wal-Mart and Target who use RFID face many potential problems with the technology. RFID has no proven infrastructure making it difficult for suppliers to keep up with these company’s demands to become RFID-ready. If the suppliers cannot effectively implement RFID into their business, then retailers cannot fully view their supply chain. If retailers cannot get all their information in real time across their entire supply chain, then the issues they are trying to solve will remain problems. Out-of-stock items, first-in-first-out products and last-in-last out products will still cause problems for these large retailers.
EPCGlobal is a start to an international standards body for RFID. It has yet to be approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and there is still not a global frequency standard. While 900 MHz appears to be the best frequency due to its long read-range capability, 13.56 MHz is still used delaying the standardization of global frequency for RFID. High costs of RFID implementation is the reason many mid-size and smaller retailers have not adopted the technology. The short-term outlook for companies who use RFID isn’t impressive, although long-term benefits will be realized.
Privacy issues are the number one pitfall for RFID and retailers. As long as the tags are only affixed to pallets and cartons then the retailers would not have any specific information on the consumer. However, when RFID tag prices fall, companies like Wal-Mart and Target plan on using RFID tags on individual products which they can trace consumer’s buying habits and other information consumer’s wish to keep private. It was privacy issues that force Benetton to cease their pilot RFID system. They wanted to embed a tag in articles of clothing to stop theft, determine consumer buying habits and keep their inventory at an acceptable level. Privacy advocate groups such as the Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion (CASPIAN) fight companies using RFID to track consumer behavior. A study showed that up to 78% of America was against RFID based solely on privacy issues. It will be difficult for companies in the future to tag individual items without a public outcry without some form of protection for the public’s privacy rights.
Consumers have the largest disadvantage of any other entities involved with RFID technology. There are five privacy issues that consumers must try to protect themselves from: Hidden placement of tags, unique identifiers for objects worldwide, massive data aggregation, hidden readers, and individual tracking and profiling. Hidden placement of tags by companies is an easy way to get information from consumers. The consumer will feel safe buying a product with no knowledge of an RFID tag embedded in their clothing. These tags theoretically could track a person around the world if there were readers in specific locations throughout the world. Personal information may also be embedded in these tags giving information as detailed as your medical history. Prada and Swatch use embedded tags in their clothing, and Benetton did as well, but a boycott of Benetton was successful and they removed their tags. There is no law against companies embedding tags, and only California and Utah have made official requests to change the situation.
Companies who use RFID can compile massive amounts of data on consumers, including product likes or dislikes, buying power or even prescription history. RFID makes it easy to amass this data and to designate correlations. If a corporation owns many stores they can combine data between companies and create new data on buying habits.
Hidden readers violate people’s privacy much the same way hidden tags do. Gillette and Accenture are introducing “silent commerce” which embeds tags on people’s products and readers in strategic locations without the consumer’s knowledge. These companies have experimented with different reader locations ranging from secret carpet locations to shelve locations and even hidden in floor tiles. Readers could even be installed in doorways on street lights, anywhere that people have to pass through, and instantly all information embedded in the tag is broadcast to the reader. If this were to happen privacy would be impossible because you would never know if the products you have contain tags, and you never know when you are within proximity to a reader.
The disadvantages of RFID hinge mainly on privacy concerns, technological imperfections, cost of the technology and no proven way to set up an RFID system for a company. The government and corporations are the two groups that offer the most concern for privacy issues. Hidden tags and readers threaten to take away human mystery, offering a world where people see, feel and hear only what the government and large corporation want people to.
III. Future of RFID
The future of RFID is uncertain, however, the technology is here to stay. Companies have many obstacles to overcome to make the technology a feasible option to be implemented. Privacy issues and will persist, although cost for RFID systems will decrease. In order for RFID to be successful, companies must work with privacy advocate groups to develop a fair way to implement RFID without alienating their customers.
Technology will continue to develop for RFID and many new applications will be realized. Automation will be a side-effect of RFID development, in the supply chain and in everyday activities. Contactless payment methods are already available, as well as automatic keycards to open doors. RFID tags installed in cars with readers on the roads and freeways will alert the authority if you are breaking the law. Supermarkets will eventually be able to realize their shopping cart checkout system once prices fall to a more affordable price. Fresh foods, metals and liquids will all be RFID compatible in the near future. If privacy issues are not watched closely, people will become tagged and there will always be someone watching and analyzing every person’s decisions.
RV Sales
The United States has a vast topography including, beaches, forests and mountains. This prompts an increasing number of people to go for short holidays, either for recreational purposes or to cope with stressful lifestyles. Recreational vehicles are considered to be a perfect getaway for weekend and short domestic trips to neighboring cities. The increase in demand for these vehicles has resulted in an increase of RV sales.
Recreational vehicles come fitted with basic sleeping, toilet and cooking amenities. They can accommodate a number of people and are considered a safe and comfortable holiday vehicle. A lot many people are also opting for used recreational vehicles. This has directly caused a positive growth in the RV sales chart.
Reports have revealed that RV loans have almost always been paid in full. A very minimal percentage of RV loans have been delinquent. This trend has paved the way for banking and financial institutes to help provide lower interest rates and longer loan tenures in a number of RV loans. This leniency and availability of low interest rates has in turn, increased RV sales.
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) monitors the RV industry very closely. Their reports conclude that RV sales have increased considerably since the beginning of this decade. RV producers and businesses are continuously increasing production to cope with consumer demand. RV sales reports and statistics showed an increase in shipments up to 16.1 percent in 2002 as compared to 12.4 percent in 2001.
Production capacities for manufacturers and businesses have increased in this decade. Improved RV sales have helped the industry grow in all aspects. The positive outcome of augmented RV sales has resulted in hiring new workers and launch of new assembling units. Expansion of existing plants and building of new facilities are also being encouraged.
How to Start a Wholesale Distribution Business from Scratch
Have you ever thought of starting a wholesale distribution business? Maybe you’re ready for a new challenge or have realized the profits that you can make when you deal with larger quantities of product. In any case, you need to know what to do in order to be successful.
The first thing that you want to do is choose the products that you will be selling to retailers. You may want to choose products that you already know something about in order to use that expertise to choose quality products that you can then sell and make profit from. Make sure that you are testing the products prior to purchasing larger quantities. You want to be sure that you are always selling a superior product.
These products will need to be stored somewhere, so choosing a warehouse is the next step in your wholesale business. You need to choose an area that is both secure and easy to manage. You might want to consider renting a space or using your own facilities if they are large enough. Determine how much the cost of the warehouse will be in terms of square footage and make sure that you are comparing multiple warehouses to ensure that you’re getting the best deal.
You might also want to consider setting up your warehouse in one of the southwestern states in the U.S. as this will allow you to be accessible more easily from Mexico or South America – where manufacturing is expected to skyrocket in the next few years. This will not only be more efficient, but it can also cut down your distribution costs.
To start off right, you will want to create a system that will allow you to monitor the progress of your products from the manufacturer all the way to the customers. This can be called an order flow system. To build an effective strategy in these areas, you will want to coordinate product movement within the warehouse as well as the movements into the warehouse. This can be achieved through the use of computer systems that monitor package label numbers.
You will also want to establish a working system of moving the products from the trucks into your warehouse – without damaging anything along the way. Try to envision how the shipments will come in to determine where you will need to set up inventory lists for double checking the incoming products as well as areas for products to be packed and sent to customers.
And since money is truly everything in business, you will want to establish yourself as a competitive wholesaler by offering something that your competitors do not: easy payment terms for buyers. By allowing your customers the ability to extend their payments or have higher credit limits, you will show how your services might be the better choice for their needs.
If you’re able, you might want to consider looking at other wholesaler businesses to see if there are any tips that you might want to consider along the way. Talk with the owners to see if you can meet with them to ask about setting up and maintaining your business. If you find another wholesaler that distributes different products than you do, you may be able to help each other successful as well.
Importer Security Filing ISF Bond Requirements
Most importers know about the new US Import Security Policy that went into effect January 26, 2009. It requires importers and vessel operating ocean carriers to provide US Customs and Border Protection CBP with advance notification for all ocean vessel shipments inbound to the United States. The U.S. Import Security Policy is commonly known as the 10+2 ISF Importer Security Filing.
The new US Import Security Policy places the burden of compliance to the new security filing on the U.S. importer. Generally most importers do not clear their own goods directly with US Customs and know little about customs bond requirements. In many cases, customs bonds are arranged by the customs broker when the importer provides a signed Power of Attorney to the customs broker authorizing them to interface with US Customs on their behalf.
The new US Import Security Policy requires an Importer Security Filing ISF bond. The bonding requirement has created confusion with small importers. Recently US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued some clarification regarding the Importer Security Filing ISF bond. Below is clarification that US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) provided:
When will the bonds, including the stand alone ISF bonds be required? January 26, 2009 or January 26, 2010? Can we file ISFs during the delayed compliance period without obtaining a bond first? CBP Answer: Due to the structured review and flexible enforcement period, bonds will not be required until January 26, 2010. Therefore, ISFs may be filed during this period without obtaining a bond first. However, CBP is prepared to accept bond information in the ISF filing starting on January 26, 2009.
If an ISF agent allows his bond to be obligated, is he considered the ISF Importer with all of the liabilities associated with the ISF filing? CBP Answer:
If an agent is submitting an ISF on behalf of another party and the agent posts its bond, the agent agrees to have its bond charged if there are breaches of obligations regarding the filing. However, the ISF Importer remains ultimately liable for the complete, accurate, and timely ISF filing.
If the importer does not have a bond, can the ISF filer obligate its own bond? CBP Answer: Yes, the filer can obligate its own bond. See 19 CFR 149.5(b)
Will an import bond rider be required to fulfill the regulatory changes required in the ISF rule? CBP Answer: No. The Rule amends the terms and conditions of the activity code 1 (basic importation), 2 (custodial), 3 (international carrier) and 4 (foreign trade zone operator) bonds to include the obligation to meet ISF filing requirements. No rider is necessary for any of these bonds.
What is the process of notifying CBP that a bond is actually on file? CBP Answer: Use of single transaction bonds may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. CBP is currently in discussions with trade groups regarding the process for the use of a single transaction bond for an ISF filing.
Can a single transaction bond be utilized for the ISF filing? If a broker does not have a continuous bond and the importer does not have a continuous bond how will a bond for ISF be filed? Will CBP allow the use of a single transaction bond? If so, how will this actually work? Will there be paperless single transaction bonds for ISF purposes? CBP Answer: Use of single transaction bonds may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. CBP is currently in discussions with trade groups regarding the process for the use of a single transaction bond for an ISF filing.
As single transaction bonds for entry require a paper submission to CBP, how will an ISF single transaction bond be matched to an electronic ISF filing? CBP Answer: Use of single transaction bonds may be allowed on a case-by-case basis. CBP is currently in discussions with trade groups regarding the process for the use of a single transaction bond for an ISF filing.
Will CBP accept one bond for the ISF filing and a second bond for entry? Is this true for a continuous bond as well as Single Transaction Bonds? CBP Answer: Yes, if the ISF Importer and the importer of record on the entry are not the same party. And that is true for continuous and single transaction bonds. However, if the ISF Importer and the Importer of Record are the same party and the ISF and entry are submitted to CBP via the same electronic transmission (“unified filing option”), that party must submit one bond for both ISF and entry purposes.
How will ISF bonding requirements be determined when the value of the cargo is unknown? CBP Answer: The liquidated damages amounts are not based on the value of the cargo. That was changed from the proposed to the interim final rule.
How does the agent agree in writing to allow its bond to be used for an importer who doesn’t have a bond and why is this necessary? Is there draft language for such “agreement”? Will the agreement be acceptable on a per-ISF basis, a blanket basis, or either (at the filer’s option)? CBP Answer: The written agreement could be a power of attorney or other similar document. It is necessary to make clear the authority to use the bond. CBP will not intervene in how this agreement is to be drawn up.
The Interim Final Regulations provide that every ISF Filer/Importer must have a Basic Importation Bond under which the principal agrees to comply with the new provisions of part 149. To the extent that many ISF Filers/Importers have existing bonds, how does CBP intend to enforce this provision when the existing bonds do not contain this language? Is CBP suggesting that ISF Filers/Importers will need to obtain bond riders to reflect this change? How will CBP monitor compliance with this new bond requirement? CBP Answer: All existing activity 1, 2, 3, and 4 bonds now contain this language. Riders are unnecessary.
Will the Bond tie to the entry or will they have to have a Bond for Security Filing and a Bond for entry? CBP Answer: The same bond can guarantee the ISF and the entry if the ISF Importer and the importer of record on the entry are the same party.
For additional information about ISF bond requirements, talk with CBP or your customs broker.
What Does Inland Marine Insurance Cover?
If you are in the business of transporting high dollar goods on land, either by car or truck, you will be wise to take out an inland marine insurance policy. An inland policy will cover those goods as they’re being transported. If something happens to your valuables during the shipment, your insurance policy will cover part or all of the shipment so that your business can operate as normally once more.
It should be noted that inland marine policies don’t just cover things like expensive shipments and merchandise. You will find that most insurance providers list inland marine policies as also covering:
• Golf equipment
• Exhibitions
• Builder’s Risk
• Camera and photographic equipment
• Computer coverage
• Commercial floaters
• Contractor equipment
• Fine arts
• Museums
• Motor truck cargo
• Trip transit
• And much more…
Before you take out a policy to cover your business, make sure your provider’s definition of inland marine insurance fits with yours. After all, you would hate to be in a situation where you assume that your merchandise or property is covered only to find that it’s not covered at all.
The Origins of Inland Marine Policies
Inland marine insurance has been around since the 17th century. Back then, insurance companies would only cover the cargo on ships as they were transported across the ocean. Once the shipment was taken off the ships, however, the merchandise was no longer covered. You can imagine how angry policy holders would be if something happened to their shipment after transport when it was no longer covered. To help remedy this, insurance providers began offering inland marine policies so that the shipments would be covered even while on dry land.
It Must be Cost-Effective
When you are shopping for inland marine insurance policies, you should always pay attention to the deductibles that your insurance company offers. If your merchandise is damaged or stolen while en route, your deductible should be an amount that’s cost-effective for you. That’s why you will want to sit down with your insurance provider to go over various scenarios to make sure you’re never in a position where your insurance policy isn’t sufficient enough to cover your losses in case an incident occurs.
The Perfect Policy
Your insurance provider should explain to you what is and what isn’t covered under an inland marine insurance policy. You may even find that your provider recommends this type of policy to cover those things that your normal policy doesn’t. In cases like these, you would be using this policy to fill in the gaps of your other policies so that your business is fully protected against any unfortunate events. But the only way to be sure if an inland marine insurance policy will help your business is to discuss the matters with your provider to make sure you’re securing the perfect policy for your company’s needs.
Warehouse Management Guide
Warehouse management is the art of movement and storage of materials throughout the warehouse. Warehouse management monitors the progress of products through the warehouse. It involves the physical warehouse infrastructure, tracking systems, and communication between product stations. Warehouse management deals with receipt, storage and movement of goods usually finished goods and includes functions like warehouse master record, item/ warehouse cross-reference lists and such things as on hand, allocated, transfers in process, transfer in process, transfer lead time, safety stock, fields for accumulating statistics by location.
A warehouse manager needs to perform several crucial functions such as overseeing and recording deliveries and pickups, loading and unloading materials and supplies, maintaining inventory records and tracking system, determining appropriate places for storage, rotating stock as needed and adjusting inventory levels to reflect receipts and disbursements. An individual handling the warehouse management needs to have knowledge about inventory control and warehousing systems, loading and unloading procedures, risky and materials storage and mathematical knowledge.
A warehouse management system is a critical component of an effective overall supply chain management systems solution. Warehouse management system began as a system to control movement and storage of materials within a warehouse. Today it even incorporates tasks such as light manufacturing, transportation management, order management, and entire accounting systems.
Implementation of Warehouse Management System (WMS) will provide you an increase in accuracy, reduction in labor costs if the labor employed to maintain the system is less than the labor saved on the warehouse floor and a greater ability to service the customer by reducing cycle times. WMS may not serve you with inventory reduction and greater storage capacity. An increase in accuracy and efficiency receiving process might lead to reduction in level of safety stock required. But the consequence of this reduction will hardly be visible to the overall inventory levels. WMS might just not affect the factors (lot sizing, lead times and demand variability) controlling the inventory levels. However WMS is instrumental in more efficient and organized that leads to increased storage capacity.
Lately in the field of warehouse management, Infor, the largest global enterprise software provider is developing solutions for the manufacturing and distribution industries. Infor’s management technology is meant for enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Infor technology can be used for single as well as multiple warehouses. It allows manufacturers and distributors to perceive and monitor the location of particular items within the facility. The technology is also extremely beneficial in ascertaining the size and weight of incoming shipments to set up the perfect way to transport and place them in the warehouse. The professional experts at Infor are planning to integrate it into Infor’s Microsoft.Net based ERP system for manufacturers.
Steps Involved In Order Fulfillment
Sales are the key to all successful businesses. Customer satisfaction is the most important aspect of all business activities. Selling a product is not just confined to the stage when it reaches the customer it also involves fulfilling their orders successfully as the customers’ desire. Likewise, in case of a large organization where specialized items are manufactured, the order fulfillment depends upon the specifications made by the customers. For example, now flying cars are made by an American company to fulfill the order requirements of selective customers.
The primary step in this is that any product starts with product enquiry. So the most important marketing strategy to achieve it for any product must concentrate on product awareness. The place where the customers find the product is as important as the product itself and the price of the product.
As far as sales and distribution and order fulfillment is concerned, there are many steps which start from product enquiry. The next important step in any order is preparing the sales quotations, ie, informing the customers of the price of the product. Once the customers are satisfied with your price, they place the order or book the order.
Order processing comes after invoices are made. Sometimes payments are made on delivery of the product. Order sourcing or deciding from where the product is to be delivered is to be made in advance. Most of the times order processing for the this purpose starts from the warehouse. In order to have an effective system, a considerable stock of inventory and warehousing facility is required for distribution of all tangible items.
For large organizations dealing with limited number of products, it can be achieved through direct shipment from vendors. But for a retail store that deals with multiple products, fulfillment of its orders can be made through only stocking the items in the warehouse. In the case of retail shops where customers come and pick the items directly after making the payment, it is not a big issue. But for items which have to be transported through shipments and consignments, transportation is an important aspect in every order fulfillment strategy.
In the modern world of business, speed is the most important aspect; customers prefer to get fulfilled in priority. Now it is the age of e-commerce and people do their shopping through websites and shipment is done within days. In order to compete with these facilities, transportation and mode of choosing the consignment process is very important while considering order fulfillment aspects. There are various courier services that perform these tasks as fast as possible in cases of certain items. However most of the items having high commercial importance are still transported through shipments. Besides, effective delivery of the products is assured by the banks. So order fulfillment is a cycle of various activities starting from manufacturing to delivering the product to the end user.