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EMKA hardware for specialist high-speed water shuttle
INFLATION
Enough is Enough!
primarily on the weight carried by the water. Therefore, reducing this drag is key to greater efficiency. The AV2 site combines its design office and shipyard in one place, which allows engineers and designers to work side by side and optimise the ships’ details. This has enabled EMKA to be up close and personal with this process over a four-year development period. When thinking of French luxury brands, Chanel or Louis Vuitton come to mind. But what about EMKA? Well, yes, when it comes to its partnership with Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels, a manufacturer of catamarans for passenger transport. EMKA hardware components reliably close the entrance doors, flaps and entrances to the engine compartment, among other things, in a prestigious project in which VIP shuttles transport passengers through the port of Monaco. Advanced Aerodynamic Vessels (AV2) is a boat manufacturer designing catamarans for “high speed” passenger transport. Its team developed a new generation of transport vessels that use aerodynamics for improved energy efficiency, safely lifting the vessel, so reducing hydrodynamic drag. The propulsion power required depends
In search for locking systems to suit the engine compartment and entrance doors, AV2 contacted the hardware experts at EMKA in 2017 with an order for prototypes. The sales representative in charge, looked at the design directly on-site and suggested various solutions from the range. Since then, EMKA has supplied three projects from the boat manufacturer with stainless steel quarter turns, compression latches, escutcheons and keys, and ramps. In addition, vibration-proof products control access to the engine and maintenance compartments. One of these projects is the unique shuttle service operating at the Monaco marina, for which EMKA supplied the closure technology for a transport boat – which can carry up to twelve passengers – for a shuttle service that connects the marina of Monaco and its extension in Ventimiglia, Italy. For more information visit www.emka.com.
Accountants discuss the brutal truth about cryptocurrencies Accountants at a Midlands practice have urged caution about the volatile nature and unpredictability around the growing phenomenon of cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While digital tokens, cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based business models are here to stay, Glen Callow, managing director of Prime Wealth – the financial planning arm of Prime Accountants Group – said it was vital to consider the risks surrounding this emerging market before investing. Bitcoin, the original cryptocurrency, has seen both astronomical growth over the last decade and major sell-offs at various points in between. The value of other cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin have also risen and fallen even more sharply, often based just on Elon Musk’s tweets. Similarly, NFTs are assets in the digital world that can be bought and sold, but which have no tangible form of their own. These digital tokens, which emerged in 2014, can be thought of as certificates of ownership for virtual or physical assets.
www.cw-chamber.co.uk
By Graham Freakes hg technology ltd
I
nflation is coming back to haunt us for a while and everyone is becoming more price conscious. In your business you are seeing costs rise and need to save costs wherever possible without affecting your customer experience. Attacking waste can have a profound effect on your cost base and help your profits.
Over processing is unnecessary embellishment of a product or service that is not in the customers specification. Back in the bar, putting a cherry on a stick in a cocktail doesn't enhance the flavour it is merely a decorative frippery! Producing a mirror finish on a cars' bodywork doesn't improve performance even on an F1 car! Why do it? Does going the extra mile actually make sense when fuel is £1.70 per litre?
I am concluding my march through the 7 wastes in a relentless battle to eliminate it from your businesses.
Back to the bakery and the 13th loaf – in case of a defect in the other 12. This has increased the cost of the 12 loaves by almost 8% - about the current rate of inflation. Better to ensure defects don't occur by improved service or product design and process improvement. This was the basis of the 6 Sigma philosophy – much vaunted and for good reason!
To remind you the 7 wastes are just as relevant to your business whichever sector it's in – it's all about eliminating anything that doesn't add value from the client perspective. Glen Callow, managing director of Prime Wealth – the financial planning arm of Prime Accountants Group
They have a unique digital signature which means they cannot be copied or replicated. Glen said this volatility, coupled with the lack of intervention of a trusted third party like a central bank or financial institution, means Prime could not presently recommend them as a viable investment in good conscience. He added that the unpredictability of these markets indicate why curious investors should pause before investment. Glen said: “Financial planners in the UK tend to avoid these assets due to the fact it is highly speculative in its nature with zero investor protections. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) itself has said those who invest in cryptocurrency should be prepared to lose all of their money.
I've dealt with Transportation, Inventory Motion and Waiting – now for Over Production, Over Processing and Defects. These all superficially relate to manufacturing but in fact have much earlier origins – a Bakers Dozen gets it in one! The baker makes a batch of 12 loaves and adds an extra one in case one is defective. Why does the baker have a batch of 12? Is it to make economic sense of firing up the oven? This is the old 'minimum batch size' saw and results in making too many loaves/widgets/ posters which are then discarded without their cost being added to the number of products which were actually needed. Better to 'make to order' and be realistic about the costs and margins.
I can assist you identify and eliminate these wastes in your business to help you improve productivity, profitability and customer value - just contact me.
❛❛Over processing is unnecessary embellishment of a product or service that is not in the customers specification. ❜❜
“In reality, the recent craze around NFTs have created potential asset bubbles which are yet to prove if they have any intrinsic worth.”
email: graham.freakes@handgtechnology.co.uk
For more information visit www.primeaccountants.co.uk
www.handgtechnology.co.uk
call: 07774 200321
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