Are you looking for a new car but are put off by the high prices? Or maybe you just want a good reliable used car but don’t want the hassle of dealing with pushy car salesmen? Fortunately there is another way to get well maintained cars at cheap prices without having to visit your local dealership. Bank repo cars and seized vehicle auctions are great places to find the car you always wanted at a bargain price that will be hard to beat anywhere else.

Let’s face it, the cheaper you can buy a car the better off you are financially because we all know how quickly new cars go down in value the minute you drive them off the lot. This is what makes a seized vehicle repo auction such a great way to buy a new vehicle. Not only can you get nearly new cars in great condition you can get them at bargain prices which means that the car you buy will actually be worth something.

The point to remember is that there are a whole bunch of really nice cars, truck, suvs, boats, and motorcycles available at these vehicle seizure auctions because the banks and governmental agencies simply want to get rid of them. These vehicles have been repossessed by banks or seized under the “seizure and surplus” laws and have no place else to go. There simply isn’t room to store and maintain all these vehicles, not to mention the cost of doing so, so they are auctioned off at extremely low prices.

The really cool thing about these bank repo auctions is the sheer number of vehicles you can choose from. There is a little bit of something for everyone to be had at a auto auction and there is a good chance that you can find the car, truck, or suv that you have always wanted well below market price.

And if you are wondering how to find a seized vehicle auction near you then you are in the right place. Internet auction sites give you the power to quickly locate repo car auctions across the country. This gives you the ability to find locations near you and look through the vehicles being offered for bidding. In some cases you can even place bids online, saving you a trip to the auction site.

Don’t let outrageous new car prices keep you from finding the vehicle you’ve always wanted. Finding bank repo cars and seized vehicle auctions near you can put cash back in your pocket without the hassle of dealing with pushy sales people.



By: Andrew Bicknell

About the Author:

Pet promise dog food is made with real chicken from selective farms. They do not include any animal by products or growth hormones. They are safe and free from any artificial flavor, color or preservative. They do not include any factory farm meat or poultry. They add real chicken only after verifying that they are raised without any antibiotics.

Pet promise dog food includes essential vitamins and minerals and so they will give the highly nutritional and well balanced diet to the dogs. This will increase the longevity of your dog. The nutrition will help improving immunity system and will also provide silky skin and glossy coat.

The taste of pet promise dog food is delicious and your dog will surely love the taste. They use quality and pure ingredients that will prompt the taste buds of your dogs. Pet promise healthy and aging dog food is perfect for adult dogs. This product is fortified with antioxidants and so it will help supporting healthy aging of dogs. It contains vitamins C and E and minerals like selenium and zinc. This will help in proper functioning of growth hormones in dogs. This will also make your dog more active.

The pet promise healthy dog food has super taste formula and so your dogs will love the flavor and taste of the food. Many veterinarians recommend this food product to dogs. This will increase the immunity of your dogs and keep them healthy.

Pet promise dog food contains pure and 100% natural ingredients. As already stated, it does not include any animal by products. It contains separate range of foods for growing puppies. It produces food in small morsels which will be easy to eat for small puppies. It contains extra vitamins and minerals and provides wholesome nutritional diet.

Pet promise nutritional diet for adult dogs contains unique health formula that will fulfill the daily requirement of nutrition. This will help promote the immunity system and will in turn provide healthy skin and coat. This is good for the overall wellness of the dog.

Pet promise dog food for 7+overweight dogs is available. It contains high calories to help maintain healthy lean muscles. It is fortified with anti oxidants, vitamins and minerals. Pet promise wet food is also available for your lovely dogs. They contain highly nutritional values. Bison and brown rice formula contains bison, bison broth, chicken, liver, carrots, brown rice, potatoes, vitamin supplements and mineral supplements. Folic acid is also included in this food product. This will provide an exciting protein source to your dogs. Bison is a smart alternative to beef and hence it has been used as major ingredient.

Chicken and brown rice formula contains chicken, chicken broth, brown rice, potatoes, bean gum, minerals, vitamins, folic acid etc. Natural chicken raised in selective farms is the main ingredient in this. This is specially formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of puppies and adult dogs. These moist foods will give the pure taste of meat to the dogs. They meet the same high quality standards of pet promise dry dog foods.

By: Muna wa Wanjiru

About the Author:

Daily Market Commentary for April 2, 2009

The conclusions on Thursday by the leaders of the Group of 20 (G-20) industrial and developing nations are a “defining moment” for the world’s economy, as stated by the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. (read more at Millennium-Traders.Com)

http://www.millennium-traders.com/news/newscommentary.aspx

Economic data released today:

Jobless Claims:

U.S. Continuing Claims for week of March 21 increased by 161K to 5,728,000; U.S. Jobless Claims for week of March 28  increased by 12K to 669K compared to survey of an increase by 3K; U.S. Jobless Claims for March 21 Revised to 657K from 652K;

U.S. Jobless Claims Highest since October 1982; U.S. Continuing Claims Highest on Record.

Factory Orders:

U.S. Factory Orders rose 1.8% in February as compared to consensus of an increase by 1.9%; U.S. February Factory Orders, Excluding Transportation rose 1.6%; U.S. February Factory Orders, Excluding Defense rose 0.9%; U.S. February Durable Goods Revised to an increase by 3.5% from an increase by 3.4%; U.S. January Factory Orders Revised to a drop by 3.5% from a drop by 1.9%.

At the NYSE closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange, here is how the major world indices and major U.S. stock indices ended the trading session on the world markets as well as the emerging markets including the stock market closing bell price:

DOW (Dow Jones Industrial Average) triple digit gain of 216.48 points to end the trading session at 7,978.08

NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) triple digit gain of 181.34 points to end the trading session at 5,267.10

National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) gain of 51.03 points to end the trading session at 1,602.63

S&P 500 (SPX) gain of 23.30 points to end the trading session at 834.38

BEL 20 (BEL20) gain of 58.29 points to end the trading session at 1,831.13

CAC 40 (CAC40) triple digit gain of 152.45 points to end the trading session at 2,992.06

FTSE100 (UKX100) triple digit gain of 169.36 points to end the trading session at 4,124.97

NIKKEI 225 (NIK/O) triple digit gain of 367.87 points to end the trading session at 8,719.78

New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) stock market indicators for the trading session today:

Advanced stock prices 2,395, declined stock prices 314, unchanged stock prices 483, stock prices hitting new highs 12 and stock prices hitting new lows 6. NYSE quotes for volatile stocks and market trends, as well as stock quotes, stock prices and stock symbols of Day Trading Stock Picks on the New York Stock Exchange stock market for Day Trading online and active Day Trading for those who are or would like to be Day Trading for a living: ProShares Ultrashort S&P 500 (NYSE: SDS) stock price shed 4.38 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $72.83, low on the trading session $69.36, with a closing stock price at $71.56; Excel Maritime Carriers Limited (NYSE: EXM) stock price gained 0.58 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $5.70, low on the trading session $5.30, with a closing stock price at $5.32; FedEx (NYSE: FDX) stock price gained 4.12 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $50.46, low on the trading session $45.81, with a closing stock price at $49.08; UniFirst (NYSE: UNF) stock price gained 5.72 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $35.72, low on the trading session $32.25, with a closing stock price at $34.58; Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) stock price shed 0.33 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $85.75, low on the trading session $78.91, with a closing stock price at $81.41; Potash Saskatchewan (NYSE: POT) stock price gained 2.66 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $86.75, low on the trading session $83.76, with a closing stock price at $85.59; Navistar International (NYSE: NAV) stock price shed 4.62 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $35.62, low on the trading session $27.50, with a closing stock price at $29.21; ProShares Ultrashort Financials (NYSE: SKF) stock price shed 5.79 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $90.79, low on the trading session $85.00, with a closing stock price at $88.33; PNC Financial Services (NYSE: PNC) stock price gained 1.75 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $33.00, low on the trading session $30.82, with a closing stock price at $32.25; CME Group (NYSE: CME) stock price gained 7.96 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $250.89 low on the trading session $242.70, with a closing stock price at $245.36; MasterCard (NYSE: MA) stock price gained 5.58 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $167.56, low on the trading session $162.11, with a closing stock price at $165.66.

National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDAQ) stock market indicators for the trading session today:

Advanced stock prices 2,213, declined stock prices 601, unchanged stock prices 111, stock prices hitting new highs 29 and stock prices hitting new lows 10. NASDAQ quotes, volatile stocks and market trends, as well as stock quotes, stock prices and stock symbols of Day Trading Stock Picks on the NASDAQ stock market for Day Trading online and active Day Trading for those who are or would like to be Day Trading for a living: Research In Motion Limited (NasdaqGS: RIMM) stock price gained 12.63 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $49.45, low on the trading session $47.11, with a closing stock price at $58.25; Manhattan Associates (NasdaqGS: MANH) stock price shed 1.94 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $16.32, low on the trading session $14.00, with a closing stock price at $15.47; Google (NasdaqGS: GOOG) stock price gained 11.46 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $369.76 low on the trading session $360.32, with a closing stock price at $365.55; Schnitzer Steel Industries (NasdaqGS: SCHN) stock price gained 4.82 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $38.91, low on the trading session $33.27, with a closing stock price at $37.77; Baidu (NasdaqGS: BIDU) stock price gained 12.03 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $190.00, low on the trading session $182.21, with a closing stock price at $186.80; First Solar (NasdaqGS: FSLR) stock price gained 2.99 points on the trading session, high on the trading session $142.93, low on the trading session $136.50, with a closing stock price at $138.49.

Market trends on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) and stock market indicators for the trading session today:

Advanced stock prices 369, declined stock prices 158, unchanged stock prices 121, stock prices hitting new highs 11 and stock prices hitting new lows 5.

Chicago Board of Trade Futures Market for the day, at time of this posting:

E-mini S&P 500 (ES) June 09: End of trading session price 835.25; Change for the trading session 26

E-mini NASDAQ-100 (NQ) June 09: End of trading session price 1,296; Change for the trading session 45

E-mini DOW $5 (YM) June 09: End of trading session price 7,891; Change for the trading session 173

E-mini S&P MidCap 400 (MF) June 09: End of trading session price 512; Change for the trading session 19.40

World Currencies for the Forex Market, for Forex Trading by active Forex Traders, at time of this posting:

Euro 0.7431 to U.S. Dollars 1.3458

Japanese Yen 99.41 to U.S. Dollars 0.0101

British Pound 0.6793 to U.S. Dollars 1.4722

Canadian Dollar 1.2383 to U.S. Dollars 0.8076

Swiss Franc 1.1341 to U.S. Dollars 0.8818

COMMODITY MARKETS:

Energy Sector – Nymex:

Light Crude (May 09) gained $4.25 on the trading session for a closing price of $52.64 per barrel ($US per barrel)

Heating Oil (May 09) gained $0.09 on the trading session for a closing price of $1.44 a gallon ($US per gallon)

Natural Gas (May 09) gained $0.09 on the trading session for a closing price of $3.75 per million BTU ($US per mmbtu.)

Unleaded Gas (April 09) gained $0.10 on the trading session for a closing price of $1.47 a gallon ($US per gallon)

Metals Markets – Comex:

Gold (June 09) shed $18.80 on the trading session for a closing price of $908.90 ($US per Troy ounce)

Silver (May 09) gained $0.05 on the trading session for a closing price of $13.03 ($US per Troy ounce)

Platinum (July 09) gained $22.00 on the trading session for a closing price of $1,165.80($US per Troy ounce)

Copper (May 09) gained $0.04 on the trading session for a closing price of $1.89 ($US per pound)

Livestock and Meat Markets – Chicago Mercantile Exchange (cents per lb.):

Lean Hogs (June 09) gained 0.65 on the trading session for a closing price of 72.10

Pork Bellies (May 09) gained 0.80 on the trading session for a closing price of 87.80

Live Cattle (June 09) gained 1.63 on the trading session for a closing price of 83.00

Feeder Cattle (May 09) gained 1.65 on the trading session for a closing price of 95.65

Other Commodities – Chicago Board of Trade (cents per bushel):

Corn (May 09) gained 6.50 on the trading session for a closing price of 402.50

Soybeans (May 09) gained 25.00 on the trading session for a closing price of 977.00

BOND MARKET:

2 year Bond Closing price 99 31/32, change -5/32, Yield 0.88, Yield change 0.07

5 year Bond closing price of 100 1/32, change -14/32, Yield 1.73, Yield change 0.08

10 year Bond closing price 99 28/32, change -29/32, Yield 2.76, Yield change 0.11

30 year Bond closing price 98 18/32, change -1 13/32, Yield 3.57, Yield change 0.07

Thanks for reading

Millennium-Traders.Com

http://www.millennium-traders.com



By: MTnews

About the Author:

With the rising cost of fuel, and increased environmental concerns from all sides, more and more people are seeing public transportation as an important means of getting around. To embrace increased use of the system, it is becoming increasingly important to provide much better infrastructure systems to make using the service more pleasant. One of the main concerns that users often have is the lack of protection from the weather that they face while waiting for a bus, and this can largely be circumvented through the provision of bus stop shelters for the use of passengers while they are waiting.

There are many things to consider when choosing the right bus stop shelters, and while many of these factors will be determined by the prevailing weather conditions in your area, others will necessarily come down to the budget available to you for providing the service.

In order to encourage as many people as possible to take advantage of a public transport network, making the system as user friendly as possible is important. You need to consider the amount of time between services on a particular route, and make special consideration to other factors such as the way in which the service is presented.

While a simple bus stop shelter that keeps the wind and rain off passengers while they are waiting is generally sufficient to ensure that passengers are not inconvenienced by the service, adding little extra features to the shelters will ensure that their overall experience of waiting for a bus is a positive one that does not put them off continuing to use the facility in the future.

It is a sad fact of life that bus stop shelters are frequently abused by users, and are prone to vandalism, so choosing a model that is resistant to damage is essential. Shatterproof glass and a minimum amount of furniture will reduce costs through damage, while simply giving people a shelter that they can take some pride in will also reduce the amount of vandalism that is tolerated by the community.

In terms of the seating provided within the shelter, it is important for this to be convenient and low maintenance. Bus stop shelter benches made of corrosion resistant aluminum are preferable to plastic, as they last longer, and despite the higher initial cost, offer a better long term solution to keeping passengers comfortable while they wait.

One of the latest innovations in bus stop shelter technology is the inclusion of solar power. During the day, batteries are charged up from the power of the sun, and then at night, this power is discharged through the lighting. It is a cost effective solution to providing light and making users feel more secure. Also, using solar powered lights in the bus shelter means that there is no need to include connections to the local power service within the plan, and this reduces the cost of construction.

Bust stop shelters come in either fully enclosed or open versions. While a shelter with a single side fully open to allow users easy access is friendlier, it does not provide complete protection from the weather, and if this is a concern in your area, then choose a model that has a small doorway style entrance as this gives better protection.

As more and more people choose to use the bus, thanks to fuel costs and environmental concerns, making their journey more pleasant will encourage them to continue to do so, and will positively impact on the long term stability and sustainability of the system and its benefits.



By: Camille Howe

About the Author:

You might believe that this is not a good time to start a business venture. You would be wrong to think this. Necessity breeds opportunity, and now is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor and start making money.

You might be wondering if there is a system that you personally can use to start making money online. The answer of course is yes, The Max Pro System but just having the system in front of you won’t work, you will need to implement it.

Darren Salkeld was in a lot worse position than many of us are in today. He had to work long hard hours in a chicken factory to try to make ends meet and catch up all his bills. Even after all of his hard work, he found himself 50k in debt. It was then that he realized there had to be a better way. There is an old saying that states “Don’t work harder, work smarter.” I don’t think any truer statement has ever been spoken. Darren did just that, and he now wants to pass on all of his hard earned knowledge to you.

In just 90 days, Darren went from being 50k in the hole to being 200k in the black! Try doing that by working overtime in a poultry factory.

Darren saved all of his notes and tips and put them together in a systematic system called the MaxPro System. Soon, others were following these techniques and using them to get rich. 

You aren’t going to get rich working for someone else. This is just the way things have always been and always will be. Many of us have dreamed of being our own bosses and having the type of life that we have always dreamed of. Now, thanks to Max Pro System we really can.

Don’t let life pass you by without reaching for your dreams. You owe it to yourself and your family to live the type of life that you have always dreamed about.

 

 



By: Michelle Heron

About the Author:

There are so many Slot 1 homebrew devices for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DS lite that it’s hard to know exactly which one you should buy. The current favorite, and I say this only based on the OUT OF STOCK notices on online stores pages, is the M3 DS. The M3 DS was not the first slot 1 solution, but it’s sure become the favorite of the pack. More than likely because of the huge popularity of the original M3 Adapter / movie player for the Gameboy Advance console.

In my research however, I found the R4 DS. While this in and of itself is not very interesting, what IS interesting is that both the M3 DS and the R4 DS Slot 1 solution are manufactured by the same people – or at the very least – the same factory. What this means for gamers and homebrew enthusiasts is that they can get their hands on the R4 DS and know that they’re getting the exact same product they’d be getting if they bought the M3 DS Simply at another shop.

You see, the R4 DS and M3 DS Simply are EXACTLY the same. The only difference between the two units is the packaging and the logo that is displayed on the main screen when you boot up your Nintendo DS or DS Lite. Functionality, features, even firmware upgrades and updates are released at the same time, and it seems all of the features and functions in each update are identical to the other. Whether you get the M3 DS Simply, or the R4 DS Slot 1 Solution, you’re going to essentially get exactly the same things – everything you need to load games, homebrew and applications is included in the box.

The R4 DS Slot 1 Solution Package

It’s almost a dead giveaway here, except for the fact that the R4 DS comes in it’s own R4 DS Box. But you’ll notice that once you open the box, the contents of the box are identical to the M3 DS Simply, you even get the same light blue colored keychain / carry case that comes with the M3 DS simply. You get everything you need, right out of the box. This includes the R4 DS slot 1 cartridge, a USB microSD Reader / writer (and this actually allows you to use your microSD as a USB Drive) as well as the keychain carrying case and the software CD.

Setting up the R4 DS is easy

Setup is as simple as can be. The included instruction manual (which is located on the CD itself) details exactly what you need to do in order to get your R4 DS working. The first thing you’ll have to do, is insert the microSD Card (not included – but you can buy this anywhere) into the micrSD reader / writer and plug it into any free USB port on your computer. It will instantly come up as a portable drive / flash drive. Here, you can do one of two things. You can either copy the software from the CD, as stated in the manual to the microSD card to put all of the system files on it. I would recommend though that you go to the R4 DS firmware page, and download the latest drivers, as they are often updated there.

Once you’ve copied your system files to the micro SD Card, it’s time to load the games and homebrew applications you’d like to play. Again, this works the exact same way with the M3 DS simply, no difference between the two units at all. Simply copy and paste the files from your PC that you want on the microSD card. A simply drag and drop is all that is needed. The games and homebrew applications work without any patching or fixing or compression. They work as they are, right out of the box so to speak.

Now that you’ve copied your system files, and the files you’d like to use and play, it’s time to put your microSD card into the slot on the top of the R4 DS cartridge. The R4 DS Cartidge is the same size as any standard Nintendo DS or DS Lite game cartirge, so there’s no bulging or sticking out once it’s inserted into the cartridge slot on your NDS. The micro SD slot is located on the top of the R4 DS and it is actually spring loaded. The microSD card inserts into the slot with the SD label on the opposite side of the actual R4 DS Cartidge label. You’ll hear a CLICK sound once you’ve inserted the microSD Card into the slot, this is to let you know that it is in place, and you’re set to turn on your Nintendo DS console. The microSD card fits perfectly flush against the R4 casing.

Once you’ve turned on your Nintendo DS or Nintendo DS lite, the system files will load from the R4 DS cartridge, exactly the same way they do when using the M3 DS Simply. It takes about 2 seconds for the main menu to appear, with the R4 DS logo on the top screen, and the menu on the bottom. On the bottom screen you can select one of 3 options.

1. GAME MENU – When you select this menu, you’ll be instantly taken to a list of all of the game files, homebrew applications, etc.. that you’ve stored on your microSD card. You can use the controller pad on the NDS to select the file you want to load. If you’re loading a game for the first time, you’ll be prompted, after selecting the game, to confirm that you want to create a save file for the game. This is needed if you want to save you game. Your game saves are stored on the same microSD card as the game files themselves – this is fantastic if you want to delete those games later, to replace with other files, as you can copy your save game files back to your PC, for future use when you’re ready to continue playing that game again.

2. MULTIMEDIA MENU – When you select this second option, you’ll launch the multi media player / moonshell. Within this menu, you’re able to look at digital photos stored on the microSD Card, listen to your favorite MP3 Songs, watch movies that you’ve converted from DVD with the included software, as well as read ebooks in TXT format. This essentially turns your Nintendo DS or DS Lite into a full blown multi media entertainment unit.

3. BOOT SLOT 2 – This menu option allows the R4 DS, just like the M3 DS, to boot the GBA Slot, or Slot 2, in your Nintendo DS / DS Lite console. This is for those of us that also want to get our hands on a GBA Flash card, and want to run GBA Homebrew games and applications as well as Nintendo DS. It also adds extra storage for NDS Homebrew, because you can actually use a GBA Flash card to boot NDS files, as long as you use the R4 DS as a PASSME / PASSCARD solution.

All in all, no matter which one you get, both the R4 DS Slot 1 Solution as well as the M3 DS Simply are excellent accessories for the Nintendo DS / DS Lite. Which one you get should only depend on which model is in stock. As stated earlier in this article, the two units are identical in every way. The only difference being the box packaging and the logo that appears when you first boot up your Nintendo DS console.



By: Steven Fields

About the Author:

The “it” handbag has long been a high-priced, high fashion staple. For style mavens on a budget, look-alike designer replica handbags (and cheaper imitation knockoff purses) are also nothing new. In recent years, however, prices for designer arm candy have reached all-new heights.

Last year, Louis Vuitton’s Tribute Patchwork Bag made headlines as the world’s costliest handbag. The numbered, limited edition bag was priced at over $45,000, and featured swaths from earlier purse designs. Many companies have cashed in on nostalgia by reissuing replica copies of classic handbags, which fetch consistently high prices at auction.

Experts trace the rise of the “it” bag to a 1960s Life Magazine cover, which featured Princess Grace sporting a “Kelly” purse. With fashion elites clamoring for this and subsequent must-have handbags, cheap knockoff purses and replica designer handbags found a loyal following among less extravagant shoppers.

In the 1980s, the Hermès Birkin bag—inspired by British starlet Jane Birkin—was the choice of the day, setting fashion-conscious shoppers back thousands of dollars. Fast forward to 2005, when a Birkin in black crocodile sold at auction for over $64,800.

These days, in fact, it’s not uncommon for luxury brands like Fendi, Hermes, and Yves Saint Laurent come with five-digit price tags. And at these astronomical prices, it’s not surprising that the demand for low-cost fake designer purses has also reached soaring heights. In addition, the increased ease and security of online shopping in recent years has further fueled the market in replica handbags.

As the long tradition of fake designer purses testifies, early “it” bags were hardly affordable for the average consumer. However, the early 21st century saw a significant increase in prices—along with a corresponding rise in the replica handbags market.

This shift came with the popularization of what financial analysts call “signature items”. For the price of a car or even a small home, a luxury fashion item came to be seen as an investment and a worthwhile collector’s item. With consumers willing to pay more to won a piece of fashion history, prices have been increasing accordingly.

Meanwhile, the replica market offers designer handbags for hundreds, instead of tens of thousands, of dollars. Designer replica handbags can be purchased on the street or online, and often feature the same quality and design as costly “it” bags.



By: Terry

About the Author:

McDonalds India Supply Chain:

Supply Chain is one of the critical factors for the smooth functioning of any business. And when we are talking about fast food business with McDonald’s as the subject of the study it can expected a Supply Chain model of one of the highest precisions. It is this unmatched Supply Chain Structure, which not just ensures on time delivery of raw materials and supplies to McDonalds but also enables it to cut down on its cost and maximize profitability along with maintaining highest quality standards of its products. The level of commitment of McDonalds can be gauged from the fact that even before it set up its first restaurant in the country it infused Rs 400 Crore to set up its delivery mechanism. McDonald’s initiative to set up an efficient supply chain and deploy state-of-art technology changed the entire Indian fast food industry and raised the standards of performance to international levels.

As already mentioned, McDonalds had been working on its supply chain even before it opened its first joint in the country. McDonalds, an international brand which was trying to make inroads into the country, developed its Indian partners in such a manner that they stayed with the company from the beginning. The success of McDonalds India was achieved by sourcing all its required products from within the country. To ensure this, McDonalds developed local businesses, which can supply it highest quality products. Today, McDonalds India works with 38 different suppliers on a long term basis and several other stand alone restaurants for its various other requirements. McDonald’s distribution centres in India came in the following order: Noida and Kalamboli (Mumbai) in 1996, Bangalore in 2004, and the latest one in Kolkata (2007). McDonald’s entered its first distribution partnership agreement with Radha Krishna Foodland, a part of the Radha Krishna Group engaged in food-related service businesses. The association goes back to July 1993, when it studied the nuances of McDonald’s operations and requirements for the Indian market. As distribution centres, the company was responsible for procurement, the quality inspection programme, storage, inventory management, deliveries to the restaurants and data collection, recording and reporting. Value-added services like shredding of lettuce, re-packing of promotional items continued since then at the centres playing a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the products throughout the entire ‘cold chain’.

Cold Chain was one of the unique concepts of McDonalds supply chain in India, on which it had spent more than six years to get the system into place. This system brought about a veritable revolution, immensely benefiting the farmers at one end and enabling customers at retail counters get the highest quality food products, absolutely fresh and at great value. Through its unique cold chain, McDonalds has been able to both cut down on its operational wastage, as well as maintain the freshness and nutritional value of raw and processed food products. This has involved procurement, warehousing, transportation and retailing of perishable food products, all under controlled temperatures. The following list of suppliers, who build up the major supply chain of McDonalds, reveal how this ‘Cold Chain’ works and contributes towards the efficiency of McDonalds.

Dynamix Dairy Industries (Supplier of Cheese):

Dynamix has brought immense benefits to farmers in Baramati, Maharashtra by setting up a network of milk collection centres equipped with bulk coolers. Easy accessibility has enabled farmers augment their income by finding a new market for surplus milk. The factory has:

Fully automatic international standard processing facility.

Capability to convert milk into cheese, butter/ghee, skimmed milk powder, lactose, casein & whey protein and humanized baby food.

Stringent quality control measures and continuous Research & Development

From farm two degrees Celsius in 90 minutes is the first step to quality. For example, the Rs 262-crore Dynamix Dairy Industries, located in Baramati in Pune district of Maharashtra, manufactures cheese slices for McDonald’s at 10 metric tonnes per month. Dynamix has helped set up 15 bulk cooling centres throughout the district from which it purchases milk. Each cooling centre, which is equipped with modern measuring and testing equipment and a large cooling tank, is not more than a few kilometers away from local dairy farms. A farmer can deliver milk even twice a day on his bicycle and get a printed receipt on the spot, which also lists the quality of the milk supplied by him as per fat content, colour and solids content. If the milk is sub-standard or adulterated, it is rejected on the spot. A batch of milk can vary from one litre to 10 litres, or more. Each batch is mixed in one large stainless steel cooler and chilled immediately to two degrees Celsius to stop bacterial growth and preserve freshness. From this point onwards, until just before the burger is actually served in a McDonald’s restaurant hundreds of kilometers away, the temperature is never allowed to increase. When the refrigerated milk arrives at the Dynamix plant at Baramati, the milk in every single tanker is thoroughly tested and rejected if found sub-standard, adulterated or contaminated. The sophisticated testing lab can check fat content with an accuracy of 0.1 per cent. It can even detect minute traces of pesticides or antibiotics administered to cows. This instant feedback and the rejection of the entire tanker-load forces farmers to follow the best practices in terms of animal husbandry, use proper feeds, cut down on the indiscriminate use of pesticides and animal medicines and completely stop even the slightest attempts at adulteration.

Trikaya Agriculture (Supplier of Iceberg Lettuce):

Implementation of advanced agricultural practices has enabled Trikaya to successfully grow specialty crops like iceberg lettuce, special herbs and many oriental vegetables. Farm infrastructure features:

A specialized nursery with a team of agricultural experts.

Drip and sprinkler irrigation in raised farm beds with fertilizer mixing plant.

Pre-cooling room and a large cold room for post harvest handling.

Refrigerated truck for transportation.

Trikaya Agriculture, a major supplier of iceberg lettuce to McDonald’s India, is one such enterprise that is an intrinsic part of the cold chain. Exposure to better agricultural management practices and sharing of advanced agricultural technology by McDonald’s has made Trikaya Agriculture extremely conscious of delivering its products with utmost care and quality. Initially lettuce could only be grown during the winter months but with McDonald’s expertise in the area of agriculture, Trikaya Farms in Talegaon, Maharashtra, is now able to grow this crop all the year round. McDonald’s has provided assistance in the selection of high quality seeds, exposed the farms to advanced drip-irrigation technology, and helped develop a refrigerated transportation system allowing a small agri-business in Maharashtra to provide fresh, high-quality lettuce to McDonald’s urban restaurant locations thousands of kilometers away. Post harvest facilities at Trikaya include a cold chain consisting of a pre-cooling room to remove field heat, a large cold room and a refrigerated van for transportation where the temperature and the relative humidity of the crop is maintained between 1º C and 4º C and 95% respectively. Vegetables are moved into the pre-cooling room within half an hour of harvesting. The pre-cooling room ensures rapid vacuum cooling to 2º C within 90 minutes. The pack house, pre-cooling and cold room are located at the farms itself, ensuring no delay between harvesting, pre-cooling, packaging and cold storage. With this cold chain infrastructure in place, Trikaya Agriculture has also a plan to export this high value product to other international markets, especially to McDonald’s Middle East and Asia Pacific operations. McDonald’s expertise in packaging, handling and long-distance transportation has helped Trikaya to do trial shipments to the Gulf successfully. In addition to export, McDonald’s assistance has enabled Trikaya Agriculture to supply this crop to a number of star-rated hotels, clubs, flight kitchens and offshore catering companies all over India.

Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd. (Supplier of Chicken and Vegetable range of products including Fruit Pies)

A joint venture with OSI Industries Inc., USA, McDonald’s India Pvt. Ltd. and Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd., produces a range of frozen chicken and vegetable foods. A world class infrastructure at their plant at Taloja, Maharashtra, has:

Separate processing lines for chicken and vegetable foods.

Capability to produce frozen foods at temperature as low as -35 Degree Cel. to retain total freshness.

International standards, procedures and support services.

Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd., McDonald’s suppliers for the chicken and vegetable range of products, is another important player in this cold chain. Technical and financial support extended by OSI Industries Inc., USA and McDonald’s India Private Limited have enabled Vista to set up world-class infrastructure and support services. This includes hi-tech refrigeration plants for manufacture of frozen food at temperatures as low as – 35° C. This is vital to ensure that the frozen food retains it freshness for a long time and the ‘cold chain’ is maintained. The frozen product is immediately moved to cold storage rooms. With continued assistance from its international partners, Vista has installed hi-tech equipment for both the chicken and vegetable processing lines, which reflect the latest food processing technology (de-boning, blending, forming, coating, frying and freezing). For the vegetable range, the latest vegetable mixers and blenders are in operation. Also, keeping cultural sensitivities in mind, both processing lines are absolutely segregated and utmost care is taken to ensure that the vegetable products do not mix with the non-vegetarian products. Now, at Vista, a very wide range of frozen and nutritious chicken and vegetable products is available. Ongoing R&D, both locally and in the parent companies, work towards innovation in taste, nutritional value and convenience. These products, besides being supplied to McDonald’s, are also offered to institutions like star-rated hotels, hospitals, project sites, caterers, corporate canteens, schools and colleges, restaurants, food service establishments and coffee shops. Today, production of better quality frozen foods that are both nutritious and fresh has made Vista Processed Foods Pvt. Ltd. a name to reckon within the industry.

Radhakrishna Foodland (Distribution Centres for Delhi and Mumbai)

An integral part of the Radhakrishna Group, Foodland specializes in handling large volumes, providing the entire range of services including procurement, quality inspection, storage, inventory management, deliveries, data collection, recording and reporting. Salient strengths are :

A one-stop shop for all distribution management services.

Dry and cold storage facility to store and transport perishable products at temperatures upto -22 Degree Cel.

Effective process control for minimum distribution cost.

McDonald’s local supply networks through Radhakrishna Foodland, which operates distribution centres (DCs) for McDonald’s restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi. The DCs have focused all their resources to meet McDonald’s expectation of ‘Cold, Clean, and On-Time Delivery’ and plays a very vital role in maintaining the integrity of the products throughout the entire ‘cold chain’. Ranging from liquid products coming from Punjab to lettuce from Pune, the DC receives items from different parts of the country. These items are stored in rooms with different temperature zones and are finally dispatched to the McDonald’s restaurants on the basis of their requirements. The company has both cold and dry storage facilities with capability to store products up to -22º C as well as delivery trucks to transport products at temperatures ranging from room temperature to frozen state.

Amrit Food (Supplier of long life UHT Milk and Milk Products for Frozen Desserts)

Amrit Food, an ISO 9000 company, manufactures widely popular brands –

Gagan Milk and Nandan Ghee at its factory at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

The factory has:

State-of-the-art fully automatic machinery requiring no human contact with product, for total hygiene.

Installed capacity of 6000 ltrs/hr for producing homogenized UHT (Ultra High Temperature) processed milk and milk products.

Strict quality control supported by a fully equipped quality control laboratory.

All suppliers adhere to Indian government regulations on food, health and hygiene while continuously maintaining McDonald’s recognized standards. As the ingredients move from farms to processing plants to the restaurant, McDonald’s Quality Inspection Programme (QIP) carries out quality checks at over 20 different points in the Cold Chain system. Setting up of the Cold Chain has also enabled it to cut down on operational wastage

Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a systematic approach to food safety that emphasizes prevention within its suppliers’ facility and restaurants rather than detection through inspection of illness or presence of microbiological data. Based on HACCP guidelines, control points and critical control points for all McDonald’s major food processing plants and restaurants in India have been identified. The limits have been established for those followed by monitoring, recording and correcting any deviations. The HACCP verification is done at least twice in a year and certified.

The relationship between McDonald’s and its Indian suppliers is mutually beneficial. As McDonald’s expands in India, the supplier gets the opportunity to expand his business, have access to the latest in food technology, exposure to advanced agricultural practices and the ability to grow or to export. There are many cases of local suppliers operating out of small towns who have benefited from their association with McDonald’s India.

 

 



By: Amit Singh Bisht

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In the face of manpower cutbacks and a greater need to keep an eye on the bottom line, how do manufacturers improve flexibility and profitability? By embracing real-time performance management-at least that’s the consensus at Plant Engineering Live, an online portal that provides strategic manufacturing knowledge to help the plant manager operate efficiently, effectively and safely.

And if you happen to be a factory floor manager, then a real-time data collection system that provides job tracking and factory floor control might be just the ticket to a roll-with-the-punches attitude and higher profits. In the face of a global recession, both of these benefits are welcome side effects on every shop floor.

The article went on to point out, “This [necessity of keeping tabs on their personnel and profits] is intensifying the need for companies to make key performance indicators (KPIs) visible across all levels of the operation to help provide that processes are operating correctly and assets are being effectively utilized.”

When it comes to the factory floor, an Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS) and finite scheduling system provides the underlying data for metrics and key performance indicators such as labor efficiency, bottleneck analysis, operation time standard analysis and OEE. Through a PC-based system that is completely interfaced with most ERP and MRP systems, it also:

1. Visually improves the sequencing of production (and raw materials)

2. Is a Time and Attendance System with online supervisor approval and rules to match a manufacturer’s way of paying its employees

3. Can monitor machine cycle counts with a customizable human machine interface (HMI) that provides a real-time view of the factory floor for more accurate and timely asset analysis

4. Provides visible feedback and floor-level management

“While many companies have enormous potential for improving plant performance, they’re challenged with collecting, organizing and analyzing the data needed to identify areas for improvement. By applying performance management solutions, organizations can simplify the information-gathering process, while providing the role-based visibility and in-depth analysis needed to make intelligent business decisions,” the article continues.

Thanks to its touchscreen capabilities, a real-time data collection system simplifies factory floor managers’ jobs with better scheduling, WIP tracking, data collection and time and attendance labor management. In sum, it provides them with a visual factory that is easy to see and, therefore, easy to control so that they can focus their attention on their bottom lines.

The article concluded, “Those companies that capitalize on these technologies will be the ones best positioned to reap continuous performance improvements and gain a substantial competitive advantage now and into the future.”

Indeed, a shop floor management system not only allows manufacturers to take their manufacturing to new levels and improve the efficiency on their factory floors, it also enables them to compete on speed rather than cost. In addition, it delivers real-time, continuous improvement for greater profitability and faster delivery to customers.

In tangible metrics, implementation of a real-time factory floor data collection system can result in:

• 25% increase in productivity

• 50% reduction in inventory

• 50% reduction in work-in process

• 80% improvement in on-time delivery performance



By: Carmen Fontana

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Quad band T929 TV mobile phone -Dual cards  Wholesale from china

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By: agoodic

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