Remember that if you intend to import from China, the logistics can be somewhat complex, especially when compared to doing business with a UK based supplier.

One thing to bear in mind is the lead time – not only the time taken between ordering and despatch, but also the time taken between despatch of the order and its arrival in the UK. Lead time is affected by quantity, specifically when dealing directly with a manufacturer, rather than through an export agent. This is because manufacturers make to order; in other words, they do not carry stocks of finished goods. They also work on the premise of “first come, first served”, as they will have an order book and previous orders will have to be finished before they can start work on fulfilling your order.

If you plan to import from China for Christmas or some other seasonal event, it is essential to allow as much time as possible for production. Imagine the disaster of receiving your order for ten thousand artificial Christmas trees in mid-January!

Importing from China and the Far East can be a very lucrative business, as long as you do your research and use a reputable import/export agent. Importing “blind” over the Internet can be asking for trouble, especially if a cash advance is called for. Also watch out for hijacked email accounts, using free email addresses.

Payment by letter of credit is standard when it comes to importing from China and so cash demanded in advance (unless this is in payment of samples) should automatically set alarm bells ringing. A letter of credit is not perfect; for example, an exporter could fill up boxes with paper and you might not realise the goods are not there until after your bank has honoured the letter of credit. However, most scammers do not go to such lengths to hoodwink suppliers in this way, as the paper trail left by this method could be traced by the authorities.

Scientists at Imperial College London are working with car manufacturer Volvo on a $4.6 million project to develop a new material that could store and discharge electricity in future hybrid vehicles.

“The car of the future could be drawing power from its roof, its bonnet or even the door, thanks to our composite material,” said Dr. Emile Greenhalgh, project coordinator from Imperial College London’s Department of Aeronautics.

The prototype consists of carbon fibres and a glass fibre which allows the material to store and discharge large amounts of energy. When the device is plugged into a power supply, it creates a current like a normal battery would. Essentially the car acts as its own battery.

The material is a supercapacitor, similar to those used in electrical circuits — and only takes 10 to 15 seconds for it to be fully charged, according to the scientists.

“We are aiming to produce a 15 percent weight reduction,” said Dr. Alexander Bismarck who works alongside Greenhalgh. “The structure would be lighter so that would mean you could drive further.”

He predicted the weight reduction could improve the performance of future hybrid cars. “If we are able to reduce the overall weight of a car, it should be possible to increase its top speed and accelerate faster,” said Bismarck.

He added that the material could, in future, be used in other objects.”You might have a mobile phone that is as thin as a credit card because it no longer needs a bulky battery, or a laptop that can draw energy from its casing.”

During the three-year project, researchers hope to develop material that will replace the metal flooring in the car boot. They say making a wheel well out of the composite material could allow Volvo to reduce the number of batteries needed to power the electric motor.

Current hybrid cars need a large number of batteries to power the electric motor which means it uses up more energy and batteries often need regular recharging.

This breakthrough invention is also good news for the environment. A lighter vehicles means “cutting down fuel which reduces our carbon footprint,” said Bismarck.

He added that the U.S. and British military are “interested” in how the material could be applied to high power weapons and reactive armor.

The University also has plans to take the project further — by looking into how the material could apply to airplanes.

Electric motor repairs usually need to be done by qualified repairmen or companies that specialize in electric motor repair. If you have an electric motor that is especially large and heavy, you will need to verify with the repair shop that they have the necessary equipment, like cranes, to be able to move your motor.

When your pool pump motor runs dry and burns up you know you can call your pool technician and he will repair the problem for you or if you need an electric motor repaired on any of your woodworking machines, you generally call in a repairman who works on small machines. When larger more powerful motors develop problems and need parts and repair work it often entails a larger scaled motor repair division found in companies that special in industrial and commercial machine motors.

These companies tend to have repairmen and technicians who are skilled in working on both A/C motors and D/C motors as well as motors that have a higher horse power. They will also have all the necessary tools and equipment needed to repair your motor back to a pristine state. Many of the large scale electric motor repair shops will have the ability to put a high build epoxy varnish treatment on repaired items as well as to do a Core Loss test, and equipment that can do vibrations testing on the electric motors and parts repaired.

At times your motor will have become so damaged, often because of too much heat that damages the insulation or because the winding has been cut, that it will need to be rewound. Almost all electric motor repair shops have the equipment required to test for this and can offer you motor rewinding services. Most shops should be experienced enough to be able to rewind all types and sizes of motors, such as for both A/C and D/C motors. With any electric motor repair work done, make sure to check is the shop is a certified warranty repair facility for your type engine manufacturer. If your machine is still under warranty, it is going to be very important that you use a shop that can do certified repair work on your engine.

Thermal oxidizers work on the principle of combustion and use the high temperatures produced by combustion to break down the hazardous gases into clean air for discharge. Based on their heat recovery system, oxidizers are essentially of two types – the recuperative thermal oxidizer and regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO).

The recuperative-type uses an integrated conventional heat exchanger, known as the primary heat exchanger, as its heat recovery system and the recovered heat is used to preheat the incoming exhaust gas stream. In some cases, an additional heat exchanger, called the secondary exchanger, is also included in the flow after the primary exchanger to heat another fluid used in the process.

The regenerative-type uses a set of ceramic heat transfer beds for its heat recovery purposes. Besides being more durable and offering a longer usage life as compared to the heat exchangers used in the recuperative-type, the ceramic beds also provide improved thermal efficiency. The thermal efficiency of the regenerative thermal oxidizer is around 90% to 95%, as compared to the 50% to 75% offered by recuperative thermal oxidizers. This increased thermal efficiency leads to energy savings and reduced operational costs.

A specialized version of the RTO, known as the regenerative catalytic oxidizer or the RCO, uses ceramic media coated with precious-metal catalysts that help in the oxidation of the gas stream at comparably lower temperatures. This type of oxidizer, with its lowered operational temperatures, offers even greater reductions in operating costs.

Another type of thermal oxidizer used in some cases is the direct-fired thermal oxidizer, which lacks heat recovery system of any kind, making this oxidizer least capital-intensive. However, the lack of a heat recovery system makes this type of oxidizer expensive to operate. The catalytic oxidizer works by utilizing catalyst beds of precious-metal coated ceramic honeycombs or beads to enhance the rate of reaction of the exhaust gas stream.

Take an industrial supply company that services the warehousing industry, for instance. Clearly, if retail sales are down, warehouse activity will be down as well. Orders for packaging products will be down; companies will not be expanding, so they will not be ordering large ticket products like pallet racks and forklifts, etc. Slowdown in one sector means slowdown in all sectors. What proactive measures can a warehouse supplies company take?

While contraction is one option, a forward thinking company always looks for ways to expand. An industrial supply company that has always enjoyed success in its home state, can expand its online presence and offer its expertise to a much larger customer base. With its years of experience in the materials handling industry, it will already have the infrastructure and contacts in place. It is just a matter of offering its services to a larger market.

While the company may have enjoyed buoyant new forklift sales throughout most of its history, in this tight economy, new vehicle sales are down, while used equipment sales are up. They can offer reconditioned forklifts with as good as or better than factory warranties. This is a win-win situation for both the warehouse supply company and the buyer, who can purchase a used forklift cheaply and still have the confidence that it will perform like new.

An industrial supply company like this to know the value of cooperation over competition in a difficult economic environment. Of course, they will keep an eye on their competitors and keep prices low as possible. However, they will not sacrifice customer service or selling inferior products just to have the lowest price. This company knows the importance of keeping their current loyal customer base at the same time they expand their customer network. In the long run, only first rate service combined with quality products and low prices will ensure survival and growth in a tight economy.

Companies they serve those who abide by the same principles of competitive quality, price and service are always the first company that comes out on top. This wheat is separated from the chaff in difficult economic times. No one knows this better than a company that provides industry and the companies it serves.