INTERNATIONAL PHARMACEUTICAL EXHIBITION-11 MARCH 2009

INTERNATIONAL PHARMA POWER – A REVOLUTION IN PHARMACEUTICAL BY EXHIBITION EXCHANGE THE WORLDS BIGGEST EVER, ONLINE B2B EXHIBITION WHICH WILL BE INTERNATIONAL FOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES OF THE WORLD WILL FIND THEIR COMMON PLATFORM WITH WWW.MADE-FROM-INDIA.COM.

PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES ROUND THE WORLD SHOULD NOT MISS THIS EXHIBITION AS IT WILL HAVE HIGHEST NUMBER OF VISITORS FROM ENTIRE WORLD.

THIS EXHIBITION HAS ALREADY CAUGHT THE FANCY AMONGST AND BIG PLAYERS OF PHARMACEUTICAL BESIDE SME’S .

THIS WILL HAVE FOLLOWING TYPES OF EXHIBITORS :
A) DRUG MANUFACTURERS
B) PHARMACEUTICAL MACHINERY MANUFACTURERS
C) PATHOLOGY LEADERS
D) BIO MOLECULAR AND GENERIC LEADERS
E) WORLD RENOWNED EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS

THIS EXHIBITION WILL BE FROM 11TH MARCH TO 18TH MARCH 2009.VENUE WILL BE WWW.MADE-FROM-INDIA.COM , A B2B PORTAL FOR PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS AND EXHIBITIONS.

MANUFACTURERS, EXPORTERS, IMPORTERS, TRADERS, CONSULTANTS WILLING TO ATTEND THIS EXHIBITION AS EXHIBITOR MAY CONTACT AT exhibition@made-from-india.com AND info@made-from-india.com.

FIRST CUM FIRST BASIS WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR ACCEPTING THE EXHIBITORS .TOTAL STRENGTH OF EXHIBITORS IN PHARMACEUTICAL WILL BE SOMEWHERE AROUND 800 AND MORE.

THIS IS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO BEAT RECESSION AS THIS FIRST AND BIGGEST EVER ONLINE B2B TRADE SHOW AND EXHIBITION IS GOING TO NOT ONLY CREATE HISTORY BUT ALSO CREATE DEMAND OF PRODUCT OF EXHIBITORS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WITH INSTANT BRANDING AT NEGLIGIBLE COST OF $500 FOR THE SAID PERIOD .

IN THIS EXHIBITION , EXHIBITORS WILL BE ABLE TO EXHIBIT THEIR PRODUCT ALONGWITH THEIR DETAILS AND VIDEO AS WELL AS GETTING HIGH NUMBER OF LEADS FROM THE EXHIBITION AND MAXIMUM ROI WITH NEGLIGIBLE COST OF EXHIBITING TO THE WORLD WITHOUT INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY.

GHCL Limited – Summary of Financial Performance for the Quarter Ended June 2008

– Income from Operations for period at Rs. 325.80 Crores as against Rs. 256.57 Crores reported in June 07 is higher by 26.98%.

– Textiles division revenue during the period accounts for 31.73% (Rs.96.36 Crores) of the total business, with a growth of 10.81%.

– Textiles division revenue during the period strengthens its position with a growth of 10.81% over the previous year.

– EBIDTA for the period was at Rs. 85.30 Crores as against Rs. 67.31 Crores reported in June 2007, higher by 26.72%.

– Profit After Tax for the period at Rs. 38.01 Crores as against Rs. 31.55 Crores reported in the quarter ended June 2007 is higher by 20.49%.

Highlights – INDIA OPERATIONS

– The company set to launch its exclusive range home textiles retail chain stores in the country

– Home Textiles Holding Entity of GHCL to be called Fabient. Company in the process of implementing the new look of Fabient across its Home Textile facilities in India.

OVERSEAS OPERATIONS

– The Company restructures its US home textiles business under one Global B2B vehicle to pursue its vision of enhancing B2B operations.

– Creating focused verticals for its US business wherein all its institutional & hospitality businesses (supplies to hotel chains, Restaurants, Laundries, hospitals) to come under one vertical.

– Capital Invest programs covering capacity enhancement, efficiency improvement in the Romanian Soda Ash Operations is progressing as scheduled, to increases overseas production capacity to 3,00,000 TPA

Commenting on the performance, Mr. Sanjay Dalmia, Chairman, GHCL Limited, said:

“The first quarter performance clearly reflects efficacy of our business model wherein the changing market conditions has a minimal affect on the growth. The home textiles business is showing steady growth trends while the soda ash business during the period witnessed a strong growth which we would like to consolidate going forward.

The forthcoming launch of our retail operations in the domestic market augurs well for the company as this would help us fully leverage the business model put in place where in we successfully integrated the Indian and foreign operations in the home textiles businesses.

GHCL would continue to improve overall efficiencies for better productivity and margins to address the emerging situations in the market environment and deliver value to the stakeholders across the categories. We expect to bring in a strong performance in the coming quarters.”
Results overview

Corresponding 3 Months ended June 2008 Vs June 2007:

The Company has posted a strong financial performance for quarter ended June 2008

Net Sales/ Income from operations increased by 26.98 % to Rs. 325.8 Crores from Rs. 256.57 Crores reported during the corresponding quarter of the previous year

The EBITDA in the present quarter increased 26.72 % to Rs. 85.30 Crores from Rs. 67.31 Crores.

The Profit After Tax has increased by 20.49 % in 3 Months period ended June 2008 to Rs.38.01 Crores from Rs. 31.55 Crores reported in the quarter ended June 2007.

EPS for the quarter was at Rs. 3.82(basic)

Business Mix:

– Textiles division revenue during the quarter (June 2008) accounts for 31.73 % (Rs. 96.36 Cr.) of the total business, with a growth of 10.81 % YoY.

– Soda Ash revenue during the quarter (June 2008) accounted for 64.30% (Rs. 195.28 cr.) of the total business

About GHCL:

GHCL is $700 million multi product transnational company based out of India. The company broadly operates under the domain of home textiles & soda ash with a strategic interest in ITES business.

Over the last few years the company has grown inorganically through substantial overseas acquisitions in the arena of home textiles and soda ash businesses.

GHCL at present employs more than 7000 people across various locations in USA, UK and Eastern Europe.

GHCL’s US operations are carried out under focused vertical of institutional & hospitality businesses (supplies to hotel chains, Restaurants, Laundries, hospitals) and is in the process of expanding the same to the Retail Chains in USA.

In UK, GHCL owns the largest home textiles retail chain called Rosebys which has more than 300 stores under its umbrella.

The Home Textiles Holding Entity of GHCL, known as Fabient is focusing upon under-retailed markets of Eastern Europe and will also play a role in sourcing for GHCL’s Retail Foray into India. The company would build upon the combination of its strong sourcing teams and existing vendor base in India, Pakistan and China along with the manufacturing competence in India / Cambodia and Mexico.

The Indian operations of company’s home textiles business include large spinning capacity which makes it the only vertically integrated (spinning to retail) home textiles player in the world.

In the soda ash business, GHCL is one of the top three players in India It acquired a majority stake in S.C. Bega Upsom S.A.- a leading soda ash manufacturer in Romania. The company now is one of the leading soda ash players globally.

Source  :  businesswireindia.com

Lead Interview: Aditya Gupta, International Home Deco Park (IHDP)

International Home Deco Park (IHDP) is India’s only B2B market place for home fashion. IHDP brings together the best available products, design and service from Indian and International manufacturers of home décor articles in one world class facility.

All that a home fashion buyer needs – Creativity, Reliability, Quality, Best Prices and Service – are all available under one roof in an outstanding architectural setting. A business platform like IHDP can greatly enhance the quality and quantity of business between buyers and sellers of home fashion. IHDP showcases the complete range of finest textiles, floor coverings, furniture, handicrafts, and gifts, around the year.

Aditya Gupta and his brother Ashish Gupta are the co-founders of the International Home Deco Park (IHDP). The brothers are professionally qualified visionary entrepreneurs with diverse business interests. They have created corporations worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Aditya Gupta spoke to Webnewswire Editor Pooja Sharma in an exclusive interaction.

How did you come up with the idea of IHDP in India?
Aditya Gupta: IHDP is a Business to Business marketplace made up of Indian manufacturers and International business buyers. It was originally conceived to address the gap of a huge untapped potential in the home deco industry in India. Apart from trade exhibitions, exporters normally use buying houses and business travel for business development. But in this way the exposure is very limited and fast track growth is difficult to achieve. The biggest companies in this segment are still miniscule if compared to world scenario, or china, or even exporters in other segments in India itself.

Also, majority of showrooms of outstation companies are located in residential colonies, which are unauthorized, there is no good branding and corporate image. We need to create a better impression as businesses and as a country. A business park like IHDP can make a big difference to the buying confidence of a visiting international buyer.

From the buyer’s point of view, this kind of park would mean convenience and wider exposure to new possibilities in products as well as suppliers, wherein he can meet different exporters in the same building and he will not have to travel all over the country to see all products. Delhi is the center of home deco business and there are hundreds of buyers in town everyday. All the buying agencies and liaison offices are also in Delhi. There is enough buyer traffic in town to drive good buyer footfall to IHDP. Exporters will also get a legally authorized space and have there showrooms in a presentable complex.

IHDP in India is just beginning to be recognized as Home Fashion. Comment.
Aditya Gupta: Dressing up ones home is very much in vogue and has become a huge business world over. An emerging worldwide trend reflects that home fashion changes all the time just like apparel fashion. People all over the world are looking for individuality, creative designs and style for their homes. As pioneer of international home fashion in India, IHDP is now being recognized as the place where the trade belongs.

What does IHDP offer buyers of Home décor?
Aditya Gupta: IHDP offers convenience to meet the best Home Decor manufacturers from across the country under one roof. Creativity, Reliability, Quality and Service are available at IHDP in an outstanding architectural setting for the visiting buyers. At IHDP one gets the finest Indian & International home décor resources under one roof. Buyers get to explore new products as well as new vendors while saving time and expense in meeting vendors across India. Complete range of finest textiles, floor coverings, furniture, handicrafts & gifts are available round the year; ready for business. IHDP makes it easier to combine different products from different vendors to get colors, materials and designs coordinated to build complete stories – a must for successful product development.

What are your marketing solutions for manufacturers?
Aditya Gupta: Manufacturers who are members of IHDP benefit from a multi-pronged promotional strategy. This includes:

Advertising in leading international trade magazines, such as, LDB and HFN.
Advertising in domestic trade magazines, such as, Elle Décor and Apparel Online.
Leveraging PR based coverage in International and Indian media.

Cross selling amongst participants’ pool of buyers.

Online direct marketing through Pay-per-click campaign on Google, MSN and Yahoo.

Direct marketing through email marketing, direct mailers, telecalling and one on one meeting.How does IHDP attract international manufacturers?
Aditya Gupta: IHDP offers international manufacturers the opportunity of global exposure in addition to India-wide exposure too. In other words, they get the advantage of the visiting international buyer as well as the Indian buyer. We offer them fully furnished office suites to help them set up their sales/sourcing office in India apart from an array of business services that include obtaining necessary licenses and work permits, doing the interiors, hiring of professionals and relocation services.

How are your products and services different from the Indian market?
Aditya Gupta: Our participants manufacture products geared to high design and product specifications given by customers that come from all over the world. In that regard our products are world class. However, in terms of pricing we are very competitive and as a result we recently opened up our doors to the Indian buyer of home décor products. Several of our participants have strong credentials and international accreditations offering competitive advantage beyond pricing, such as, design capabilities, reliable customer service, product quality and product innovation.

What are your expansion plans and sourcing strategies?
Aditya Gupta: Our current focus is to grow this business by driving more exporters and buyers to choose IHDP.

Who are your target audiences? Why?
Aditya Gupta: We have two sets of target audience. On the demand side, we have the entire business to business home décor buying community – retailers, wholesalers, importers, buying houses and those from the hospitality trade amongst several others. They are the people who buy in bulk and thereby supply to the end consumer. On the supply side are the manufacturers and exporters of home décor products to these business buyers.

What are your diverse range of products?
Aditya Gupta: IHDP showcases a wide product range covering textiles from Delhi, natural fibres from the south, handicrafts from Moradabad and rugs from Jaipur and Varanasi among other exotic products. All in all, one can get some of the finest range of home décor products from all over the country under one roof at IHDP.

What are the price range of the products?
Aditya Gupta: All price ranges available with IHDP suppliers under various product categories. Prices vary from economical to premium segment of the industry.

What is the secret of success behind IHDP?
Aditya Gupta: IHDP is one of a kind initiative in Asia and it is too early in its journey to say there are any ‘secrets’. It is an ongoing effort and we continue to learn and grow from it.

Source  :  webnewswire.com

Examine the Contract Electronics Manufacturing UK Market: Providing 188 Company Profiles &

DUBLIN, Ireland, BUSINESS WIRE — Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/58836a/contract_electroni) has announced the addition of the “Contract Electronics Manufacturing (UK) – Portfolio Analysis” report to their offering.

The Plimsoll Analysis – Contract Electronics Manufacturing is an in-depth report analysing the UK contract electronics manufacturing market and the 188 companies operating within it. The report includes over 50 pages of market information including:. Market size- this year compared to last year. Profit Margins- analysed graphically over the last ten years. Sales growth- analysed graphically over the last ten years. Rankings- the best performing companies in a number of categories named and analysed. Each of the 188 companies in the report is analysed individually so at a glance you can assess their financial performance over the last five years. Instantly spot the 13 companies in danger who may not survive 2008. 9 companies are identified as the best acquisition prospects in the market. 102 companies are identified as the best to do business with. Gain market and competitor knowledge before investing in the market. Benchmark your own company performance.

- Individual analysis of the Top 123 companies.

- The very latest accounts from Companies House.

- Every company ranked and rated.

- Easy to identify acquisition prospects.

- Complete industry overview section.

Key Topics Covered:

The report is divided into two colour-coded sections for your ease of use, Sector Analysis and Individual Company Analysis. Sector Analysis: Sales growth, market share and profitability are all analysed over a 10 year period giving you the fullest picture possible of the health of the market. Companies are ranked on these categories so you can see which companies are outshining the rest. Use the industry average tables to benchmark your own company’s performance- how do you compare to the rest of the industry? Industry Analysis: Each company receives a full page of analysis, evaluating their financial performance over the last five years so you get a full picture of the long term prospects of each company. Each company page of analysis is also packed with the following information: Full business name and address, Names and ages of directors, contact details and website address, seven unique Plimsoll charts showing at a glance the performance of each company, averages for the industry are also shown indicating the bare minimum each company should be looking to achieve, and five years of the latest accounts available, New! Written summary on each company highlighting their key strengths and weaknesses.

Source  :  broadcastnewsroom.com

Kathie Ittel Has a Combination of Business Ownership and Corporate Experience

July 31, 2008 – Master Licensee Peter Williamson has named Kathie Ittel as an ActionCOACH in California.

Ittel will be practicing from her home-based office and servicing Northern California, particularly Mendocino County.

In addition to owning and operating three small businesses, Ittel has also worked in the corporate world.

The first business she opened was a franchise, which was ranked in the top 100 out of 4000 for three consecutive years. The loan office she opened gained corporate distinction by being the fastest to profitability in the company’s 80-year history.

“I sold two of the businesses at an appreciated value and am still co-owner of the third. I have also managed a consumer loan office,” she said.

Ittel has also spent 20 years in corporate finance, primarily in the hi-tech industry. Most recently, she was the Accounting Manager for a local manufacturer.

Ittel’s experience as a business owner allows her to empathize with the freedom, pressures and frustrations that come from being self-employed. Years spent in the corporate world have instilled in her an appreciation of the business process that is driven not so much by personalities as it is by responsibilities – somewhat different from small businesses.

She believes that ActionCOACH is the answer to the problems faced by many small and medium sized businesses.

“My new role as an ActionCOACH enables me to blend my corporate and small business experience, education, successes (and failures) as well as goals into a single role that will allow me to help one of the most potent economic forces in our country – small to mid-sized businesses,” she said.

Ittel is actively involved in the local community.

“I just finished a four-year term on the Board of Directors for the Mendocino Music Festival and am currently the volunteer bookkeeper for the Mendocino Coast Humane Society ARK retail store. I am also involved in the Mendocino Film Festival.

Ittel is a member of the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce, the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Professional Picture Framers Association, the National Notary Association, the National Signing Agent Association, the National Association of Credit Management and the Appraisal Institute.

ActionCOACH is the world’s number one business coaching firm, with more than 1,000 offices in 26 countries. To learn more, go to actioncoach.com.

Source  :  franchisewire.com

Suppliers Face Potentially Grave Challenges Dealing With B2B Exchanges

“Caveat Emptor” — let the buyer beware — is a phrase filled with meaning, even after the creation of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the passage of “lemon laws” and “cooling off periods.” The onus has always been on the buyer to check what he is getting. In today’s world, the Internet has changed all that.

When the big companies in each industrial sector start their online exchanges the market has to come to them. All the manufacturers have to do is post a notification of the products they want to buy on the exchange so suppliers can offer them their best price. Buyers can select the lowest price and watch the saved dollars drop straight through to their bottom line. As an added bonus, they get rid of those vendors taking their purchasing managers out to lunch every day.

Everybody’s doing it. The Big Three automakers have joined to form Covisint, a major exchange, as have retailers, airlines, hotels, steel manufacturers and even the poultry industry. The automobile exchange promises to have the most widespread economic impact, buying hundreds of billions of dollars worth of parts every year, forcing more than 60,000 suppliers to drastically change the way they do business.

From the buyer’s viewpoint, price is everything. Getting instant online feedback to their RFQ reduces the cost of transactions, eliminates the middleman and reduces the barriers to entry that have historically kept small, unknown suppliers out of the game. DaimlerChrysler chairman Juergen Schrempp has been quoted as saying that online purchasing could save as much as $1,000 per vehicle.

But how exactly is all this going to help the suppliers? The operative phrase today should be “Caveat Vendor” — let the seller beware!

From the viewpoint of the supplier selling parts to DaimlerChrysler, things are more complex, and more dangerous. Online pricing removes the protective barriers of inefficiency — delays, incomplete information and the costs of finding competing suppliers. Salespeople can no longer “feel around” an opportunity, talking to purchasing and specifying engineers. No matter what they say, buyers will decide on price first, moderated by the supplier’s technical competence, past relationship with the seller, and of course product quality.

But in the final analysis, pricing will still dominate the decision process. Bids will have to be made in hours, not weeks, which means suppliers will have to know every aspect of their costs on an up-to-the-minute basis. Not easy. For example, the automakers have already discovered that tire suppliers are reluctant to participate in their planned exchange. Tire makers are not sure they can accurately price the wide array of products that they provide. Their cost accounting processes are historical records, designed for a pre-Web world, not real-time tools for daily bidding. The old feedback loop is too long — way too long.

Accurate, profitable pricing in any industry depends on feedback and on up-to-date information. Each major reduction in the cost of information shortens feedback loops and makes them more efficient. For example, when banks had tellers, the average transfer between accounts cost $1.27 and was not posted until the next day. With ATMs, the transaction cost dropped to $.27 per transaction. With online banking, transactions take place instantly and cost about a penny.

The same is true for the use of information technology in manufacturing. Time is often more important than materials. But the computer systems installed throughout manufacturing were never intended to provide tire companies with feedback on which is more profitable, a small number of high priced, specialized 17-inch tires for luxury SUVs or a large number of 14-inch tires for compacts. These systems measure tons, not precious time. To price individual products properly, suppliers need to factor in the impact on profit caused by time-driven factors such as difficult set-ups and product time-in-process. This is very complicated. Caveat Vendor.

With online marketplaces, buyers will measure success in reduced prices, better service and shorter transaction cycles. Sellers may well wind up measuring success by their continued existence. Winning will not only require an aggressive acceptance of the online environment, it will also require a complete understanding of what it actually costs to make each product.

As the electronics industry moved to a “virtual manufacturing” model, the number of suppliers dropped dramatically. Only those with a complete understanding of their costs survived. Many of the failed companies could not accurately analyze their profit at the manufacturing level and thus could not strategically, accurately and competitively price their products. And all this was before the new pressures of bidding online.

In the brave new world of online marketplaces, no matter how much the vendors protest, the game will be won or lost on price. Real-time precision bidding will be vital to success…and survival. How many of those 60,000 auto suppliers are prepared to compete in this new game? “Caveat Vendor” indeed.

Source  :  manufacturingnews.com

IPS to Deliver Additional Wireless Solutions to Process Industries

“This partnership is another step in our mission to advance and improve our clients’ business performance by providing services and solutions that address their unique industry challenges,” said Paulett Eberhart, President and Chief Executive Officer of IPS. “Our combined suite of wireless solutions will enable our clients to converge — in real time — their plant operations and enterprise performance, allowing them to make better, more informed business decisions for the benefit of their customers. We look forward to leveraging all our services and solutions to help our clients achieve their long-term business goals.”

IPS serves clients in the chemical, oil and gas, energy and utilities, pharmaceutical, and pulp and paper markets. Through a full portfolio of advanced technology, consulting and implementation services, the company helps process manufacturers maximize return on their assets, and with this partnership, augments its trusted service offerings by providing industry-leading Motorola mobile and wireless technologies such as:

--  Mobile computers for severe and explosive environments, which will run
    IPS' InFusion View enterprise software;
--  Enterprise WLAN portfolio including WiFi access points with Haz-
    location (Haz-Loc) Class 1, Div 2 and ATEX Zone 2 certification, WLAN
    switches and Wireless Intrusion Protection System;
--  The MOTOwi4(TM) wireless portfolio, which includes Canopy, WiMAX, Mesh
    Solutions and backhaul;
--  Motorola's RF Management Suite for network management.

According to Harry Forbes, a Senior Analyst with Boston-based ARC Advisory Group, a top industry analyst firm, wireless for process manufacturing will become a more-than-$1 billion business during the next five years, driven by the increasing use of global standards and by partnerships like this between IPS and Motorola, which simplify the wireless value chain for process manufacturers.

“These two companies are recognized for their process management expertise and provide a vast range of wireless technologies,” Forbes said. “If they can execute their partnership well, it paves the road to a secure wireless enterprise for process manufacturers.”

“Any client application requiring remote access from a handheld device will benefit from Motorola’s proven technology, and as a certified Motorola partner, we are now capable of building complete, customizable and scalable solutions that provide real-time visibility into the entire enterprise,” said Hesh Kagan, Managing Consultant for IPS Wireless Programs.

Source  :  marketwatch.com

Lynn Ihlenfeldt Named Top Industry Leader by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

Lynn, who has over 20 years experience in the development of medical devices, joined Minnetronix ten years ago. One of Lynn’s first accomplishments was building a software engineering group and recruiting employees with the right mix of experience and education to effectively develop software-based medical devices.

Of Lynn’s talents, Rich Nazarian, Minnetronix President and CEO, said, “We’re fortunate to have Lynn on our executive management team. In addition to helping run the business, she provides an even keel for our new product development organization. Lynn has an ability to communicate rationally and reasonably, even in the most strenuous and high-pressure of circumstances. That’s a rare gift.”

Ms. Ihlenfeldt’s countless other achievements include creating a highly talented group of project managers to lead the development of new and challenging medical products. She also played a key role in creating and improving Minnetronix’ design control system, making certain the company adhered to international medical device standards while supporting strong business practices, helping make the company’s current system a much sought-after program.

Currently as Vice President of Product Development, Lynn leads the company’s research and development areas of business, overseeing the employees and processes that result in innovative electronics-based medical devices. The firm’s clients include a wide range of medical device developers from Fortune-500 companies to entrepreneurs.

On her award, Ihlenfeldt said, “This is a neat recognition. I enjoy seeing professional women get recognized for their achievements, so it’s really fun to be one of them. I’m a lucky person–I love what I do. And, I love what Minnetronix does. We’re creating devices that save people’s lives and dramatically improve quality of life for many people. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

About Minnetronix, Inc.

Minnetronix is a medical device company, specializing in the design, manufacturing and support of electronics-based medical products. Minnetronix’ experienced engineers and manufacturing teams provide expertise on a wide range of Class II and Class III medical equipment such as cardiovascular systems, point-of-care diagnostic instruments, therapeutic devices, implantable devices, and monitoring equipment. Minnetronix has completed over 100 development and manufacturing projects for more than 75 different medical device companies that range in size from small start-ups to Fortune 500 firms. Minnetronix is ISO 13485:2003-certified and is an FDA-registered contract manufacturer.

Source  :  marketwatch.com

D-Link Business-Class Networking Keeps Bonnaroo Music Festival Connected

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA, Jul 30, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) — Each year the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival appears to materialize overnight, drawing an instant population of 80,000 fans and transforming a 700-acre farm into the 6th largest city in Tennessee for four days of festivities. One of the key factors to its success is Internet access, crucial not only for administration and production but for concertgoers who increasingly want to stay connected using smart phones and laptops.

For the second year now, D-Link has supplied Bonnaroo organizers with reliable, rugged, and energy-saving networking equipment to meet the demands of concert administrators, performers, and visitors, facilitating a virtual Wi-Fi city in the middle of a rural hayfield.

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is a four-day, multi-stage camping festival held on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tenn. every June. Bonnaroo brings together some of the best musical performers in the world. The festival also features dozens of attractions, activities and performances. The 100-acre entertainment village buzzes around the clock with an arcade, cinema, silent disco, comedy club, theater performers, a beer festival, and a music technology village. Approximately 80,000 art, culture and music fans participate.

“There are a lot of people involved in putting the show on because we are actually building the site and everyone needs Internet access,” said Thomas Porter, head of onsite networking at Superfly Productions, the co-owner and co-producer (with AC Entertainment) of the festival. “The artists also require Internet connections as part of their contracts.”

Porter and his team installed a mix of indoor and outdoor D-Link(R) networking equipment to meet the demands of administrative trailers and the harsh farmland environment. They deployed ruggedized DWL-7700AP Wireless Outdoor Access Points/Bridges outside.

“The 7700 is great,” said Porter. “They’re relatively affordable and they take a beating. When we take them down off the pole you wouldn’t believe that they’d only been up there a week. The end connectors are very robust, very sturdy and stable… much more efficient than any other connector type. The fact that the 7700’s are totally field-ready and totally hardened to the elements is really nice. It saves us a lot of energy because we don’t have to use enclosures. We can just snail the radio off of a telephone pole.”

Inside the trailers, Bonnaroo uses D-Link xStack(R) Managed Access Points (DWL-3200AP) and 24-Port PoE Gigabit Wireless-Ready Switches (DXS-3227P), which include support for Power over Ethernet (PoE). PoE equipment channels power over twisted pair wires in standard Ethernet cabling, rendering electrical wiring obsolete for a variety of applications. The DXS-3227P includes four combo SFP ports, one fixed XFP port and two optional 10-Gig Copper/Fiber Uplinks. Bonnaroo is also using the DES-3010PA Managed 8-Port 10/100 PoE Switch, which includes one Gigabit port and one SFP slot.

Power generators are trucked in to provide power for the festival and infrastructure. “The fact that everything we’re using, with the exception of switching, is all PoE-driven is very convenient, because getting power to a specific location is really a big pain,” explained Porter.

“It’s expensive at this point with fuel prices the way they are. We don’t want to run more generators than we have to. Being able to plug in one device and have it power 20 trailers or 24 trailers is very helpful.”

Networking set-up for the 2008 festival began when Porter arrived on site May 19th. The network is designed for simplicity, since the budget is small and it only has to last for a month. “It’s simple by design and necessity,” said Porter. “I’m a big believer in keeping things simple.” Porter’s team installed 15 bridge links, 70 radios and all the networking gear inside the trailers. The core network was up and running two weeks ahead of the show kick-off on June 13th. The network design includes five different VLANs for different geographies on the site and wireless access for the concertgoers. “The popularity of Apple’s iPhone (and similar devices) makes the public wireless portion of the network even more critical this year. We’ll see a tremendous number of client associations this year just because of all the devices that are now Wi-Fi capable,” said Porter.

The remote environment also presents challenges. “This is essentially a construction site,” said Porter. “It’s harsh, dusty, wet and incredibly dirty. Terms like ‘agri-networking’ or ‘farm networking’ have been used to describe it. This is a hayfield eleven months out of a year.”

Source  :  marketwatch.com

Manufacturing industry applications

Illustrating a business-to-business application of the Adobe technology, Wick points to Mfg.com Inc., which is deploying LiveCycle to exchange CAD diagrams between parts suppliers.

Atlanta-based Mfg.com is an SOA-based online global marketplace for buyers and sellers of parts and components used in manufacturing, explained Grant Williard, vice president of product management for the company. The site currently has more than 50,000 subscribers using it to buy and sell manufacturing components, he said.

Mfg.com is a beta site for the Adobe technology being released today. Now that it is generally available it will provide the RIA-based front-end for SOA applications running on JBoss that allow manufacturers to browse CAD files stored in a MySQL database, Williard explained.

The site matches parts makers with manufacturers in a way that makes it the eHarmony for factory floor engineers, Williard explains.

“We have buyers in Europe purchasing parts in China, and manufacturers in China purchasing parts in the U.S.,” he said in illustrating the global scope of the online marketplace.

The Flash and 3D PDF technology allows the manufacturer to view a detailed diagram of the part to make sure it fits the engineering requirements. However, the transactions are more complex than just providing the CAD files, which is where SOA provides a platform for other companies to integrate the business logic required to close a deal, Williard explained.

Additional functions include applications for project management, logistic support, letters of credit, he said.

“We’re not going to be providing all those applications,” Williard said. “Our focus is providing an open transparent marketplace. Through service-oriented architecture we will allow other people to have that information to create mashups.”

The mashups might include banks providing credit functionality for the transaction, he said as an example.

“Their SOA can connect to our SOA to create a mashup to make the transaction more efficient,” Williard said.

Another aspect of the transactions is rights management, which is a less flashy but crucial feature of the Adobe LiveCycle ES product, the Mfg.com executive added. Parts manufacturers are concerned about providing the engineering specifications for their products without the intellectual property rights being protected, he said.

“With the Adobe LiveCycle product we’ll be putting these PDFs that it generates into an encrypted form and using Adobe’s rights management to protect and control how intellectual property is used,” Williard said.

Source  :  searchsoa.techtarget.com