Monday, September 28, 2015

Modi US Visit: An Eminent Journalist Writes

Shekhar Gupta very well known journalist and TV anchor write on Modi's visit to US on UN Annual General Assembly Meet. 

In my own words..... 

The crux of the visit for the first time has shifted to business rather then petty issues. The euphoria created by his visit should be tempered stating the fact the globally stronger country leaders get more attention...as was the case with the Chinese and Russian heads of states.  Hence we have to be an economic powerhouse in order to come closer to them. Though highly successful, his achievement were much appreciated by Indian diaspora and those with interest in the country economically.       

Further Mr.Gupta states that we declare ourselves victorious in haste.  We are inclined to lay too much stress on few failures and suffer from depression as well as get elated by little bit of success. 

Since Indira Gandhi he is our globally best leader. Albeit India is growing fast the economy is minuscule compared to major power and on per capita basis it is dismal. 

The greatest threat that India is facing now is not the tilt to the left but more so because messy politics and the emergence of right wing. Both are antithesis for the goals which we wish to achieve. All the best India big brand, modern technology, education and entrepreneurship.      

I would further add that for US we have become a major arm purchase which is not the make in India campaign aims for.

But remember with the rising popularity as Mr.Gupta states, the warts gets publicity too, corruption of sickening level, crime against women, pollution, caste based discrimination, poor hygiene and yes our ban culture.

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Modi: Business and Trade

Since the time he was elected, the premier and his team are making a sincere effort to bring about a paradigm shift as to how India conducts business. The decadent era  of absolute stillness well almost needs a magnanimous effort in the right direction if the country has to move in tandem with the developed World.  

No easy task this, the first signal of intent was brought to notice whence the government decided to bring around a change in the stagnating labor laws. These laws have not seen the daylight since the days of the Raj. Albeit heavily in favor of the work force they did not provide even an iota of encouragement to the business fraternity.         

It is not easy to go about rectifying stagnancy in the governance but nevertheless the Damocles sword that hanged over business practice in India hindered growth out of  draconian penal fear and uncertainty.  However much the developed World pressurizes for level playing field, keeping the ground situation is mind the turn about should come in a reasonable time...after all pros and cons have been taken into consideration.

The emergence of a right lobby is looming over the head and challenging secular and liberal promises made in our constitution. This is detrimental to our image abroad. Investors not only keep business propositions in mind but also the atmosphere prevailing in the country. Hence the direction the Nation is moving towards is of utmost importance for those willing to invest large sum of money and secure the future of their enterprise.      

Most of the policies and systems are based with heavy flavors of socialism shaped during the cold war. The CEO fraternity belonging to major corporate views with much reservation the opening up of India. This was evident in the recent visit of the Prime Minister and subsequent meetings with them in USA.

The red tape, bureaucratic arrogance and lethargy, inherent corruption, inexplicable delays and abeyance of futuristic imperatives  have discouraged direct foreign investment in the country. This is further acerbated by frequent strikes, irrational political opposition and the skewered attitude prevailing in the arena towards  governance.          

No party is unaffected by the populist measures required to please various aspects that keep a party in power. To really stem the rot the Government has to look askance and take step amenable to conduct business in India .     

Albeit labor welfare cannot be neglected, but at least the atmosphere should create a malleable ambiance. This is imperative for a fast growing economy if it has to stay that way. I hope the present Government at least does away with the paralysis that historically evolved since independence...without pointing a finger at any element.    

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Designer Jewelry and Trends

Jewelry is an object of body adornment, popular since the beginning of civilization.  The goldsmiths or metalworkers belonging to ancient cultures created fine jewelry. They were master craftsmen who gave shapes to metals, bones and wood to create the fine specimen of body adornment.  

Today jewelry industry runs into billions of dollars all over the world not counting the priceless items which are more of an antique. The jewelry designers are professional who render metal into fine jewelry and embed gems and diamonds into them. Hence the designers are masters in creating fine jewelry as well as metallurgist who understand the properties of noble metals and gems. 

In current scenario delicately hand crafted designer jewelry is in vogue. The jewelry designers are expert in creating fine jewelry out of white and yellow Gold, Silver and Platinum. The creation is mush different from traditional jewelry that represented objects of nature and oriental designs.

Modern jewelry stands apart from traditional jewelries. It is a fusion of tradition and contemporary art or stand alone creation of the artist. Modern jewelry incorporates contemporary designs that are in vogue. The objects most preferred in present times are necklaces, bracelets, rings for various occasions, pendants and ear rings.  

Wooden, bone and bead jewelry are not popular today. With discovery of gem stones the popular form of jewelry shifted to gem or diamond studded metal jewelry. The jewelry making turned into art form making shift from traditional jewelry making profession.

Major jewelry designers created jewelry items that differed from prevailing concepts. The art jewelry was propagated by the rich and the glitterati and many top rung artists in all fields.  The top rung buyers prefer delicate handcrafted designer jewelry to mass produced jewelry.

In order to qualify as handmade jewelry the object should not be created using machines or casting. If any machine tools are used they should be hand guided. The art jewelry comprises of buyers who are mainly collectors or museums. The art jewelry industry is not very popular as compared contemporary fashion jewelry trade.

Handicraft Business

Handicraft is popularly referred to as craft work or craft its purpose is to create home decorative or products that are worn. They are created hand using simple rustic tools by creative artisans. The people who make handicrafts are usually craftsmen from rural or tribal background. Hence most of the handicraft items have a traditional or ethnic touch. Most of the handicraft products especially statues have cultural or religious significance. This is more evident in case of Indian handicrafts, which comes from a country with strong ethnicity and diverse cultural backgrounds.

The handicrafts are created for sustenance by local communities in India and elsewhere. They have a hall mark of local communities which create unique styles and trendy items. The product design and style often marks the origin of the crafts work.

In current scenario the demand for Indian handicraft is increasing day by day. The designer jewelry and dresses are in vogue as well. This is  due to their diversity and ethnic stamp that attracts buyers especially from western countries. The developed seeks exotic products from various Asian countries for their decorative value as well as items of fashion to be adorned with.  

The handicraft industry favors the local artisan who makes handicraft items for survival on daily basis. With the demand increasing for genuine exotic items they are able to market their products easily. The India handicrafts exporters are a channel that tribal and other ethnic communities seek to sell their products through.  

The handicraft industry in India is thousand of years old whence the Kings and local landlords created a demand. The genuine crafts work are used as investment items too as their worth rises with passage of time.

Unlike arts and crafts which can be a creation of hobbyists handicrafts are more serious output meant for sustenance.  It is for this reason that NGOs government and businesses help create a market for the products. They help in providing outlet for products made by local artisans often poor. But Indian handicrafts are a source of generating foreign exchange as well as creating wealth for some traders in India.

Latest Mobile Phones from Samsung

Samsung has launched new basic level mobile phone - T109 with limited features. A dual-band feature - 850 to 1900 Mega hertz GSM/EDGE radio can reach through the browser. The new phone has text messaging and a built-in speakerphone.

The good thing about Samsung company's new mobile phone - SGH-T219 is less priced  model in the company's range targeting business men.  It can store five hundred contacts and support multimedia messages implying good memory. The red color is appealing and accords aesthetic look to the phone model

As the latest Samsung mobile phone it's targeted audience are business professionals the model does not have a camera in its features. the general view on the screen is clear although at certain angles under sunlight vision is difficult. There is though some echo and distortion in voice quality at times when ear phone is used. 

The T-Mobiles have generally a good aesthetic designs. The T mobile is sleek stylish with silver bezel. It has many connectivity options as Bluetooth 2.0 and WiFi and offers  Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone OS with lacking in some MS office features as Word and  Excel. There is problem with PDF documents as well for business professionals.

In T mobile the 1.3 megapixel camera is not as effective and produces low quality images. Anyway it is a great offer to modern businessmen from the company. The model is designed for productive use as well as entrainment with and integrated WiFi the integrated WiFi receiver.

Another model the T-Mobile Wing a quad-band handset with next level productivity and a full QWERTY keyboard boasts Window mobile 6 professional smartphone OS. Main features are two mega pixel camera and full office mobile suite. The set is on bulkier side and multiple application really stress the battery power.

Nokia - World's Leading Mobile Company

Nokia The worlds leading mobile phone company is from Finland. It was established in the year 1865. Beginning as a wood pulp mill company in township of Tampere in SW Finland . It foraged into wireless communication technology. The company later moved to the Nokia town and hence the name.     

Today the Finnish conglomerate is completely focused on wireless communication devices with a wide series and models of mobile phones that have captured the World by the storm. It has spread far and wide into more than one hundred fifty Nations and is the largest manufacturer of mobile phones with CDMA, GSM and W-CDMA protocol device market share of more than forty percent.  

The arrival of 3 G compatible phones have made a world of difference in case of user experience.    

Nokia has offices and manufacturing basis in many countries along with strong research end development wings in ten countries.

Nokia phones was a fusion of three Finnish companies with electronic segment incorporated as section the merged cable division in nineteen sixty. Later on the section was made independent and manufactures telecommunication equipment. In this field the company has many first to its credit.

Nokia mobile phones first launched a GSM phone in 1991.In May 2007 the company produced 1100 handset series and shipped more than  200 million units. It has been the all time best selling mobile phone in the World.

With induction of MP3 capabilities and digital camera on mobile devices Nokia became the largest seller of these featured products in the World as well. Nokia may have overtaken Kodak in camera production and sold 15 million units of MP3 enabled units.

Cell Phone Industry

The cell phone industry has grown a thousand times since it all started twenty years back. The mobile phone has become in separable and it is difficult to imagine life without this hand held device. With the emergence of 3 G compatible Android phones the industry has changed rapidly. 

The cell phone has managed to create a need and a necessity in the modern world and to great extent correctly. But to some extent it has caused addiction and habitual usage that at times is not warranted. It is a great device and in emergency very useful.

The face of mobile technology has changed radically from simple mobile phones that were just for simple communication to modern mobile phones with plethora of features of which some are very useful. Hence in modern times the utility of cell phones cannot be challenged. Today these devices have taken shape of personal assistant, music player incorporated and global positioning system. One also has to consider the ability to capture images and short movies with sound recording that many costlier phones incorporate.       

To fight the stiff competition many mobile manufacturers are inducting newer and appealing features day by day. The transformation in these hand held devices has been so extensive and fast that the models have also become life style adaptable so it not the latest features but the type of features as well that count these days.

The technology is state of art be it simple device or a mind boggling expensive gizmo. Buy what you want or buy the latest and the costliest cellular phone if you can afford. The latter approach will save that mind boggling decision making exercise.    

It is better to buy reliable, stable and quality mobile phones although they may cost a bit. Do not buy cheap unreliable phones which may not last long enough and may not function in optimum manner during their usage.

Affiliate Marketing

In the field of affiliate marketing you earn commission by selling someones  product, service or forward an Ad, this is known as affiliate program. Having a website of your own is a must for most affiliate programs but in any case you should have a website for Internet home business. 

The website you make or order a web designer to make should be suitably designed according to the product or service you are selling online. It should be theme based that means you can market only related products or services. The website should be designed using best principles and guides. Many network marketers or those into affiliate marketing take their website for granted and the product is mostly a hasty assemblage of technology just fit enough to be termed as a website.

But affiliate marketing is a tough task and if your website is not professionally designed keeping the product in mind then you chances of success online are going be very dim. Apart from the aesthetics of the design the website should contain excellent contents and internal architecture to be classified as user friendly.

Website optimization is must both the on page elements and off page elements. The site should not be designed using technologies that are not search engine friendly or the user find it difficult to use. If you do have the optimization skills then you should hire professional search engine optimization service. This will keep the visibility of your website very high and generate lots of traffic.      

Host your website with a good hosting service provider who has good server and offers required bandwidth. The service should be every good so that the site is online 24/7. One should avoid free hosting services and own a good keyword rich domain name.  

Under no circumstances can you neglect the above set of principles and guidelines in order to succeed in affiliate marketing.

Promotional Marketing

Gradual increase in trade promotions in the consumer goods industry is sign of a power shift in balance toward retailers and away from manufacturers.

Companies are increasingly resorting towards promotional marketing and advertising solutions. The usage of creative techniques and novel ideas of selling and promoting brands using specialized promotional items.  The promotional marketing companies offer items, custom promotional products and advertising for promoting businesses. The methodology involves improving traffic at trade shows or commemorate an event. Others are to train, guide and motivate employees, increase awareness and customer follow ups.  

Some companies offer environmentally friendly promotional products as their duty towards having a positive impact on climatic change. Unlike petroleum-based plastics the plant fiber based biodegradable plastic do not produce greenhouse gases. 

Business imprinting advertisement is the best method for advertising and the larger the amount used the lower is the cost. There is an endless list of product that can be used for imprint advertising. Examples are pens, erasers, crockery, stadium cups, dresses, bags, the list is endless. The clients need to see what imprinted promotional product will suit their product lines and services fo better utilization of this marketing technique.  

Online availability of promotional specialties is a boon that has come about with the advent of the Internet. The specialized companies have websites that effectively inform the visitors about the services they offer. The companies have a privilege to choose one among many companies online. Stay assured that your business stays ahead in the marketing game without hurting its pocket.

Family Cruise Options

For a family planning to spend their holidays is a tough task. There can be many options for a family to choose from and of course a cruise holiday is one of them. But a cruise holiday could be a costly preposition if they are not able to find an all inclusive cheap cruise. The all inclusive cruise that comes cheap is a cost effective option the best families can have.

In spite of all the credit crunch and inflation hitting the US, the annual family holiday cannot be put on the hold. To find the right cruise line with a discount offers it takes time and lot of finding out on the Internet.

The all inclusive cheap and discount cruise includes all activities for the children and of course the parents. Some packages includes beverages and alcoholic drinks also. Some all inclusive packages could be a breeze and make amends for all the hard work you put in to get into this cruise line.

The activities inside the cruise could include casino for gambling enthusiasts and indoor movie and fine bar. The banquet could be a gastronomical delight starting right from the breakfast time. There can be many restaurants on board that serve mouth watering savories from different countries. On deck activities could be exciting games and sports for the fitness lovers.

Many cruise offer exciting destinations, on board activities and amenities designed to appeal to everyone's like and for all ages. Some give the guests to create their own activities to make their vacation at fun ships more exciting. The added advantage for holiday makers is visiting exotic locales and off shore activities like beach bathing, surfing, fishing and snorkeling.

In addition you enjoy the hospitality of the cruise personnel a service that can be very friendly and efficient.

Major Mobile Phone Manufacturers

Since the introduction of wireless communications and hence mobile phones the World is a different. The phenomenal use of sell phones all over the World is a well known fact in present times. To cater to the demand for mobile handsets a number of companies have entered the mobile phone manufacturing business:

Nokia Mobile Phones
Among the mobile phone manufacturers Nokia mobile phones are the most popular and most sold mobiles all over the World and so in UK. Nokia has come out with large number of models incorporating optimum technology keeping up with times. Most popular series are as follows:

Nokia N series: - Nokia N95 - Nokia N83 - Nokia N81 & latest Nokia N98
E series: Nokia E65 - Nokia E61 or Nokia E90.

Samsung Mobile Phones

Samsung is a Korean company and makes the trendiest handsets. Samsung has impressive market share and keeps growing. The company is famous for making slimmest cell phones in the World.

Models:
Samsung G600 - Ultra Edition 6.9 - Samsung E950 - Samsung U600 & Samsung E840

Sony Ericsson Mobile phones

The company is joint venture of Sony and Ericsson. The mobile phones are popular for its music centered 'W' Walkman series : W960i - Sony Ericsson W850i & 'K' cyber shot series. Sony Ericsson cellular phones incorporate state of art technology with latest features which has megapixel cameras, multimedia and advance connectivity. They are very popular among the young set and ladies for their attractive colors and music.

Motorola Mobile Phones

Motorola makes simple to advance mobile phones handset for all segment of s. But some popular models are known for clam shells, candy bars or being touch-sensitive smart phones. Motorola mobile phones are available wide range of models. Latest Models: W180 - Jewel - ROKR E8 - Z10 to name a few.

LG Mobile Phones

LG is a large Korean company and has considerable share in the mobile industry. Its trendy models are: Lg Viewty - LG KG800 Chocolate - LG KS20 &LG Shine . Some LG mobile phones incorporate high-end digital cameras with Schneider Kreuznach lens, color and mirror effect screen. LG models are their innovative best.

Mobile Phones Future


The massive growth in sales of mobile phones in last decade will touch one billion soon. But the growth will subsequently slow down and this will place greater impetus on manufacturers to come up with latest technology models. The thrust will be on companies to induce buyers to switch on to latest models.

New introduction will be on TV on latest mobile phones in order to compete with present generation of phone with camera, added memory and 3G speed. The slimmer version of mobile phones is already in vogue with Motorola and Samsung taking a lead. For all mobile phone models looks colors and newer features such as software enabling will dominate among next gen users. Easy to use MMS services will also be in thing. As of now 3g mobiles are being pushed to turn into hot selling commodity.

South Asia, Asia pacific, South Americas and Africa is where the focus of mobile manufacturers is targeted. these areas will see large growth of handset acquisition but not necessary the high priced models.

Jewelry Trade


Always in demand right from the start of civilization jewelry industry is booming in the modern society. The primitive form of jewelry was that made of bones, beads, wood and other natural objects. These body adornments were prized by men and women in order to beautify themselves or as object of faith or  as good luck charms.  

With the discovery of mining process and extraction of of ores metal jewelry came into the picture. Eventually gold, silver ornaments studded with gems and precious stones became popular. New design patterns other than those based on natural objects in surroundings became popular.

Jewelry making became a livelihood for traditional craftsmen all over the World. With the craftsmanship emerged talents that made jewelry making into an art form. All aspect of jewelry designing and manufacturing survive today. The design patterns of old still exists within traditional craftsmen but the trendy society has taken to contemporary and abstract designs as well.    

Most popular form of jewelry is one that is handmade or handcrafted often sold online in shops. The  quality designer hand made jewelry ornaments are most popular. These jewelries have special touch, bold and aesthetic design that depends upon the designers. There are big names in the business with special brands and  patented custom designs. The presence of online stores selling gold and silver gem studded ornaments is very high. One can buy all types of jewelries online on the Net.

The demand for all types of jewelries is contently increasing. The ornament business contributes significantly to export and manufacturing sectors of many countries. The trade is in billions of dollars all over the World.

Resort Business in India

The hospitality business in India has experienced a sea change in recent times. The economic developments and positive growth has stirred many industries including the resort business. For catering to inbound luxury class tourists the facilities have been upgraded to star class. Although expensive the  companies offer various holiday packages and off season package deals which makes the stay affordable.There are budget resorts as well for budgeted travel and tours. 

India is a diverse country with amazing terrain that contains many salubrious and picturesque settings. There is no shortage of places that offer cool retreat to holiday makers. The traditional hotel industry has increased its  presence rapidly all over the country. As trends change new concept entertainment and accommodations are being set up. Most recent addition is wellness and Ayurveda massage spas in the country. 

The resorts have spread out from hill stations and ski slopes to National Parks and vicinity of urban localities. Most of the resorts have fully contained spas for wellness and beauty care. They are getting greater  attention especially one's near major urban centers in the country.

Most of the spa resorts in India are of five star class while many are three star class. These  entertainment  and holiday places are very popular among the upper class. The picturesque location act as venues for royal weddings in India. The resorts are hired by the wealthy industrialists and celebrities for marriage ceremonies. These are preferred venues for business conference and seminars as well A fast growing economy has given boost to business travel in the country.              

With increase in ecotourism a number of wildlife safari resorts have been set up in National Parks.The accommodation is between luxury class and economy class. These accommodation are fully equipped to conduct wildlife safaris in the parks. 

Many holiday clubs in the country offer the benefit of membership and  lodging facilities. There are chains of resorts operated by multinationals. They are high popular and offer membership  and holiday packages at various rates depending upon facilities offered.   

Ready Made Garments - A thousand Jeans

Recently I accompanied a garment manufacturer from Ahmedabad in India. He had come to my home town in quest of buyers. Diwali is the peak time whence people buy cloths for tthe whole season. The Hindu festivals of lights is full of religious fervor, fun and gaeity. Garments play a vital role on the occasion especially during the family or social gathering.

Ready made garment manufacturing is a big industry in India worth millions of dollars. The different segments have level of volume as per their share.  The industry is highly dependent upon the purchasing power of the people. India in spite of all technological development, the country is very much dependent upon the monsoon rains. Every thing is related to agricultural output in the country. With a good yield the purchasing power of the public increase according buoyancy to the manufacturing segment.

The most popular garment in the country is Jean especially among the younger crowd. Almost all ready  made garment makers churn out jeans in massive scale. These are than shipped to the wholesalers all over the country. Of course the design is first approved mostly on personal visit.

The variety of fabric used is mind boggling from cotton to denim have various attributes. Stretch denim is most popular among the teens and collegians. Ahmadabad is one of the major center of manufacturing and job work in India. Though the industry is localized but major companies rule the roost.  The major markets are not based on size but on buying power and habits of the people. In some parts of India people buy more garments due personal choice or customs.

The wholesale business is of very large scale investment. Many wholesalers in India invest in millions to keep enough stock ready for small time retailers and distributors. On good sales impressive profitability is assured. The industry is divided into many segments depending upon the type of clothing they manufacture. Most of the manufacturing is done by the job work sector with fabric supplied by the makers. They done conduct the finishing work and brand it before presenting it to the market.  

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Tea Consumption in USA

With innovation in how we consume beverages especially tea the consumption patterns have showed remarkable trend upwards. This is quiet evident with the rise of this beverage consumption in USA. With the introduction of iced tea in ready to drink packaging the upward trend has been a recent phenomenon.

Most of the Americans drink black tea albeit green, Oolong and white leaf are also quite popular. Specialty outlets use most of the loose tea along with coffee. Thanks to its health benefit green leaf is growing much faster than black leaf in popularity.

Apart from health benefits, new flavors and styles are the leading factors in the rise of consumption. Specialty tea segment is experiencing an exponential growth in USA.   As more and more research is being done day by day the health benefits are becoming quiet evident
Flavored Tea

Lemin Iced tea

Iced tea





and widespread. 

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Used Cars: Online Deal

Like all online shopping wonders used cars are also to be auctioned or sold on the e-commerce portal. Beepi Cars based on the Internet is a US start up in the process of acquiring venture capital to the tune of 300 million dollars.

The idea may seem bit strange since a test drive is necessary before purchasing second hand cars. Nevertheless company justifies sales quoting product like shoes which are sold without any trial. To safe guard consumer interest and deliver accordingly there will some norms in place. Transparency is going to be crucial factor in case of the used car dealer online. The online venture will remove the big hassle of finding vehicles in the first place. The other aspect is that the inventory would be limited to vehicles that have not met with an accident or undergone major repairs and are driven not more than sixty thousand miles. .   

Though there is a steady growth in demand for used cars the takeoff is from recessionary level. But as the economy picks up the market is expected to rise substantially. The demand is perceived more in car friendly areas with substantial population density. However the chain weakens in remote rural areas. How online endeavor is going to circumvent hurdles in land based used car network is something that has to be seen.   

At present Beepi is conducting business in three North American States but it plans to bring more regions under its purview.  The company plans to take advantage of rising faith in second hand cars thanks to longer life and better quality. 

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Junk Removal Business - A Paradigm Shift




Long way is what that can be said about junk removal business. From a single vehicle technology it has furthered it to a more complex and efficient system. By junk we mean household items consumer durables and non durables. We draw separate line between junk, waste and or garbage.   

The removals are subject to green practice where in recycling,disposal and donation is included into the cycle.  

In USA both the independent business and franchisee model is popular. The induction of new technology and transportation systems has attracted a large number of young entrepreneurs.  Special licensing and procedures apply for hazardous materials. 

The ever growing industry is highly competitive as well. The big ones are one stop shops which have heavy equipments with greater capacity and expert man power. The need for junk removal is obvious as American population grows with acquisition of  house hold and office products that would eventually be discarded in time to come. 

Many larger companies are providing allied services as garbage and snow removal. The specialized ones also offer service for violation removal in USA These company provide active service as well as offer equipment rental for do it yourself small jobs.   

There are many exceptions as well. There are those who offer opportunity for service personnel in America. These are the bright ones that stand out. J Dog Junk Removal company offers franchisee only to war veterans, active soldiers all those who serve or have served the country. In this way they are providing relief to returning war veterans who have no other means of survival. One crucial factor is funding for military personnel who are not cash rich. The company assists them in finding adequate funds. 

J Dog Junk Removal is offering military relief opportunity in a highly competitive atmosphere were operating margins are extremely thin. There is stiff competition from independent small business, charities and free cycle.     

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Construction in US & Structural Steel Industry

Major aspect of economical health in North America has been the construction industry. But in the recent slow down the economy has suffered such that there has been a rapid down slide in the industry. Nevertheless with ever growing population the residential construction has been gradual but still significant. The negative impact has been furthered by the credit squeeze.

About six million tons steel was made use of in USA. With the total production of more than seven million tons USA is a net exporter of structural steel. This augurs that the industry is alive and kicking. The worker strength of the industry is  more that one hundred  fifty thousand. There are  more than two thousand local fabrication concerns spread all across America. They are servicing more than eight thousand projects.     

As more and more buildings are being framed in structural steel the future is bright.

Friday, May 22, 2015

Structural Steel Fabrication What it is?

Third in line after the producers and service centers are the fabricators.   There are more than two thousand five hundred steel fabricators in USA. There job to fabricate hot rolled structural steel into desired parts and supply them to building projects.  

Most of the fabricators are family owned enterprises with a long line of staff. Both skilled and semi skilled employees are required. Depending upon the scale of business up to hundred employees may be in the place. The projects handled may be for small store to large building projects like colonies, high rise skyscrapers and malls.

The detailed drawings or plan are always executed by licensed engineers or technicians. The structural components are based on design by experienced architects. The approved drawings are then set to work by steel detailers who refine the design to get the end product. These detailers may work directly with the staff or on sub contract where cutting drilling and welding leads to perfectly designed and accurate product.

Many fabricators provide in house erector or installation services. These vendors are more preferred since services obtained are under one roof.  The article makes structural steel fabricators tasks seem very simple but the complexities are enormous. Also rigid safety standard have to be pursued in US.           

Structural Steel Fabrication Industry in USA

Fabrication is a process which accords shape and size to an element made of metal. This involves a number of process and technology. With regular advancements in technology there is a paradigm shift taking place as to how the industry surface.

Steel fabrication is a large industry in USA is most active in construction work. The raw steel produces many parts of building like windows, gates, staircase grills and what not. Hence no building is complete without the involvement of structural steel fabrication and its installation. The process is not limited to building parts it plays a major role in large projects like bridges, railways and industry in USA.

The process envisages the following steps.

Hot rolled steel smelted using an electric arc furnace. The use if ferrous scrap results in recycled content of more than eighty percent. The produces is in shape of hot rolled structural shape - beams, angles and plates.
Hollow structural sections are also manufactured the producers.   

The service centers act as warehouse and are instrumental in initial processing before actual fabrication takes place.    

The fabrication by major companies involves detailed drawings, cutting, shearing, welding and bolting. The complex process is guided by drawing by structural steel fabrication engineers.
Installation on spot fitting, welding, bolting on the construction site is the last stage of action.

The production of hot rolled structural steel exceeds way beyond eight million tons in USA and is constantly increasing.  At present there are three major manufacturers in United States that account for more than ninety percent of the produce.  A large percentage of the produces is utilized in building work.