Author: Manager (Page 1 of 3)

The arrival of the Internet signalled a change that would revolutionise our way of life, and while the World Wide Web has been around for 50 years, it has certainly seen some major developments. You can post and share hi-res video, allowing it to go viral within minutes, with millions of views, plus you have a real-time video call from any location to any other location on the planet.

What is the Internet of Things?

You will no doubt have heard the term ‘the Internet of things’ but you might not fully understand its meaning. The Internet of things (IoT) refers to a global platform, much like the Internet we all know and love, the only difference being that devices, as well as human users, will be connected to the network. This enables digital devices to communicate with each other without the need for a human user, and the types of devices that will be connected together include the following:

• Driverless Vehicles
• Automated Aircraft
• Domestic Appliances/Systems
• Commercial Traffic
• Digital Devices – PCs, tablets, smartphones
• Railway Systems

This technology combines with AI (Artificial Intelligence) and wireless tech to provide a global network that will be the foundation for future innovations.

Online Solutions

If, for example, you need some ink cartridges for your printer, a site like https://www.tonerbee.com.au/ can supply you with anything you need, and with the IoT, the supplier would deliver the product via drone or automatic vehicle and can be tracked all the way. Global logistics will all be connected and that will revolutionise the industry, empowering super-fast deliveries using a range of transportation.

The Smart Home

The dwelling of the future will be connected to the IoT, which will manage climate control, security and other aspects of home management, and this will do most of the things we would normally do. As the property owner, you would have an app that allows you to remotely manage your home in every way, and when you want to view the perimeter, you can do so from any of the CCTV cameras, allowing you to zoom in and move the camera at will.

Care of the Elderly

The IoT can really help when it comes to caring for the elderly, with voice-activated commands to help those with mobility issues, plus state-of-the-art sensors can monitor for emergency situations and that could be life-saving. Click here for tips on how to make your business more resilient.

Transportation

According to may tech experts, when all vehicles are connected to the IoT, there will be zero accidents! Yes, zero, as in none! The reasons for this is that each vehicle is programmed never to be closer than a specific distance to any other vehicle and that would be built into all vehicles. There would be no speeding, or indeed any traffic violations, allowing the police to use their resources to catch criminals, and city traffic grids would be run by AI Software.

The Internet of Things is waiting for the coming global coverage of 5G, which will enable super-fast data transfer, which is essential for the IoT.

The aviation industry has enjoyed ongoing expansion since the 1960s, and while they have had an enforced lay-off due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the aviation sector is ready to roll out their services to the world once again. As you can imagine, the logistics of a major airport are considerable and offer a challenge to make the best use of all available resources, which is where airport automated process comes into play.

• Capacity Planning – An integral part of airport management, capacity planning is a module that brings you accurate workload demand forecasts, enabling you to manage your workforce effectively. This is applied to both flight and maintenance schedules and the control centre would always be informed and ready for busy periods. A workload requirement profile according to skill and role can be automatically generated, allowing you to better manage your workforce, keeping your running costs down. The software module would have many powerful features that empower airport management, and by talking to the industry professionals at https://www.tambla.com.au/industries/aviation/, you can learn more about the many benefits that this state-of-the-art software offers.
• Scheduling – This module balances the work requirement with the available resources, and that takes the headache out of workforce scheduling, as you can rest assured that work schedules are optimised for the expected workload. The software takes into account employee contracts, preferences, availability, competency and union issues when allocating tasks, thus ensuring that staff are doing work that is best suited. Alternative forward-looking schedules can be generated, just in case of unexpected changes in schedules, which is a very valuable tool for an airport manager to have, as you always need to stay one step ahead. Aside from this, the module has extensive ‘what if?’ forecast abilities, allowing you to cover every scenario in this ever-changing world we live in.
• Attendance & Time – You can seamlessly record time staff are working, while merging your payroll for easy accounting, also automating work rules and award interpretation. This allows you to control labour costs, minimise compliance risk and improve productivity, and this also helps to manage time and attendance.
• Employee Leave Management – This is not something you can do without, a system that tracks staff leave, ensuring you receive adequate notification, and the system takes into account staff training, absence for family reasons, sickness and annual holidays. Once the data is entered, the system monitors employee absence and makes sure that you are always covered, especially with specialist aircraft maintenance.
• Employee Self-Service – Using kiosks or the cloud, your employees can apply for leave, and by assigning colours such as, green = available, amber = pending authorisation and finally red = no leave availability on these dates. The cloud-based system allows all staff to apply for leave and manages the availability to ensure that you always have minimum staff available at all skill levels.

If you would like to learn more about the latest airport management software packages, search online for a developer and they would be happy to run a demo to show you exactly what their system can do to help streamline your airport logistics.

If you run a tech company and business is booming and you are going to need to relocate to larger premises, you will need to arrange suitable transportation at some point. Transporting valuable equipment is not something to leave to a domestic removal company, who would lack the skill and experience to handle delicate and expensive technical equipment, rather you would need a removalist that specialises in commercial operations.

Packing

This is a vital component for a safe journey and the removal company would have their own tailor-made packing materials that protect delicate equipment, with trained removal teams who know what they are doing. If your company is based in the Sydney area, check out the services offered at https://proremovalssydney.com.au/, who happen to be one of the leading commercial removal companies that can handle tech equipment relocations.

Installation & Configuration

Once your tech equipment has safely arrived at the new venue, arrange for the technicians to be on-site and they can install, setup and configure the equipment, ready for use. The same technicians might be required to dismantle the equipment at the original site, depending on what it is, and with the packing and transportation taken care of by your trusted removal contractor, everything should be fine. It is important liaise with both the technicians and the removalist, to ensure that everything moves along smoothly, and the bases need to be set up prior to the equipment’s arrival.

Fully Insured

The company you use to relocate your equipment must be fully insured, and they should have details of their insurance on their website, which should be adequate for the equipment. One mistake could be very costly and without insurance, the move would present a significant risk.

Sourcing a Qualified Removal Contractor

Moving house is one thing, relocating tech equipment is something else entirely, so you will have to search for a company with adequate resources and experience with handling delicate equipment, and most removalists would post customer reviews on their website, which are always worth reading. If the company is registered with an independent review organisation, even better, as the number of stars would denote their rating, so look for at least 4.5 on a scale of 1-5.

Preparing the New Premises

Whether you are moving a large bank of servers, or some laser technology equipment, it is essential to send in a team to prepare for the arrival, making sure to check that the dimensions will, in fact, fit through apertures. The base needs to be level and you might require special rubber pads to sit between the machinery and the flooring, which is something for the technicians to provide, as they are ultimately responsible for the final positioning.

Assessing the Project

If it is a large system to be relocated, you might need a team of specialists to plan the relocation, and things to take into account are:

• Accessibility
• Weather conditions
• Distance & route
• Specialist transportation

It might be wise to talk to the equipment manufacturer, who may be able to advise you regarding a relocation, and only when you are sure that the move is feasible, should you go ahead.

Everyone uses the Internet nowadays, from companies to people, and it allows us to have easy access to the data that we want to know about. However, the Internet has also brought shady people out of the woodwork, who hope to gain monetarily by illegal means. There are so many viruses and root kits being created all across the world right now by unscrupulous people, and so we need to take the necessary cautions like using an antivirus, to protect ourselves and our businesses.

Security is the key.

Businesses have to put their trust in the Internet, and they store a lot of confidential and personal information on their computers, which includes important banking details, and accounts. If you are an IT company, for example, and it is your wish to move your specialised equipment from one location to another, then you need to be able to call on a logistics provider that can not only move your equipment for you, but also protect it and its contents, from outside interests. If you have such a company, and are not quite sure about who to call for such a complex move, then have a look here at  https://www.rhenus-hightech.co.uk/ for all your logistical needs.

System protection.

Cyber risk and cyber security are a concern of all the top companies, because their equipment contains information that needs to be kept in the right hands, in order to protect the interests of their company. Specialist IT, logistics providers, now have to follow a number of rules and restrictions, to protect the interests of their clients, and to do this, they must have the necessary security in place to protect their end users. If the right security is not put into place, then systems will be very easily compromised, and livelihoods will be threatened.

Meeting security needs.

It is important that the logistics supplier can meet every company’s basic security requirements, because if they don’t, it can lead to a huge disruption, and the loss of many thousands of pounds. There have been many incidences where large companies have lost millions of dollars, because hackers were able to gain access to the customer base. This meant that credit card numbers were compromised, as well as names and addresses. Having the right antivirus in place is just one of the many things that organisations can do, to avoid cyber crime. Simple things, like not opening emails that look suspicious, and making your IT department aware, can help to stop this.

It is crucial that you hire specialist logistics partners who can guarantee, and provide advanced tools to safeguard your logistical move. They can use network firewall security, mobile device management, and the user defined accessibility. You need to be using a company that does regular testing and security of the system, and to look for any weak points that will affect the supply chain from point A to point B. Any breach in their security, can affect your company directly, and can also harm your customers as well.

In the past, trading floors were a popular way for brokers to make transactions, with regards to equities, futures and foreign exchange. It was the way things were done back then, but now, thanks to technology, trading floors are not needed, and now trading takes place electronically over the world’s financial markets. This has led to the creation of online trading platforms that are incredibly secure, and so allow the initiation and completion of many financial transactions. People can now use them to trade in cryptocurrencies, various commodities, and foreign exchange transactions.

The benefits.

There is a vast number of trading platforms currently available online, and in order to be successful, these platforms use knowledge gained from Australian forex brokers, to help the users make smart trading decisions, and come out the other end, making lots of money. If you are a little unsure about the benefits to using a trading platform, then let me try to inform you.

• Access to training programs – When you use these platforms, you get access to virtual training programs that will teach you how to trade, and gain a better understanding about how the trading works. This is not the time to be risking real money in these markets, so you can set up a demonstration account, which allows you to open positions and also close them, and you can also learn about how to use stop loss and profit functionalities. Once you get an understanding of these, then you can consider moving on to the real thing.

• Automated trading platform – The financial market of today is moving quickly all the time, and things can happen in the blink of an eye. At any point in the day, there is a stock market open somewhere in the world, and if there is some kind of currency crisis happening on the other side of the world, you need to be able to react to that quickly to make money, or to remove yourself, so that you don’t lose a significant amount of money. Trading platforms give you access to real-time financial trading.

• See what everyone else is doing – The fantastic thing about these trading platforms is that you get to watch the leaders being successful in the financial markets. You can learn a lot from these people, and you can also learn from their mistakes. Online trading platforms allow you to look at the activities of these traders, and if you trust them, you can even copy what they do. The wonderful thing about this, is that you can automate this process, and so while you sleep, you can still make money.

It is all about understanding the market and knowing how to create a high reward from a low risk strategy. These trading platforms can offer you some of the best tutorials out there, from very experienced market traders. The tutorials are very up-to-date, and the are a good reflection of the market conditions at the current time.

Digital marketing has become of utmost importance to businesses of all sizes. Small businesses have to be far more creative than larger businesses with bigger budget. Throwing money at a marketing problem simply is not an option for many small businesses. Putting too much into marketing without a decent return on investment can cripple a startup’s cash flow which might be required to operate. Creation of the right digital marketing strategy will depend on quite a few factors. The type of business will be most important as SEO for contractors and law firms are going to be immensely different. The following are tips to use digital marketing to help take sales at your company to the next level.

Enlist the Help of an Agency

A small business might not be able to handle digital marketing in-house due to all that is involved. There are digital marketing agencies that vary vastly and some of these agencies specialize in certain companies. You want to work with a specialty agency as they likely have established connections to leverage almost immediately. Budget will impact how much you can have an agency do. Freelancers are another option but can be difficult to manage as you likely will have to hire multiple to put together a decent digital marketing campaign.

Keep Sales and Marketing in Communication

Sales is going to be the main focus of a digital marketing campaign even those campaigns can have multiple goals simultaneously. The last thing that any company wants is a bunch of unqualified leads coming in and the sales team wasting time trying to close them. The quality of lead is going to be of paramount importance but the sales team has to communicate this to marketing. There might be a need for adaptation of a strategy depending on the results that are garnered.

Content Should Always be Superb

Content is going to be a reflection of a company and creating low-quality content simply doesn’t deliver. The common consumer has been flooded with content that might have an attractive headline but only give generic advice or tips. Content does not always have to be written as there are chances to be a part of podcasts, videos, and animations. Enlisting the help of freelance writers and content creators can be helpful. The importance focus should be to create consistent brand messaging and content that aligns with the goals of a campaign across freelancers.

Social Media Ads

Social media can be the perfect way for HVAC professionals or electricians to find customers in a local area. Facebook can be the best platform in many cases for a local business. Creation of a page is free and attracting followers should be easy with an established customer base. There are experts at creation of these ads which is something to look into. Ask about PPC campaigns if working with an agency as these can yield great results as they show up before organic results on platforms like Google.

Digital marketing is going to be an integral part of growing sales at a smaller or large company. Take the time to create a strategy that addresses all of the weaknesses from previous campaigns that is based on data collected.

If you are looking for the ultimate in energy-saving climate control, Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems offer the perfect climate control, providing both warm and cool air as it is required. There are two main types of HVAC system; commercial and domestic, and for the purposes of this article, we will look at domestic climate control systems, which are basically designed around the home.

Heat Transfer

The core principle of HVAC systems is the transfer of heat, which is achieved using thermal heat exchanger units that turn cool air into warm or vice-versa. Hot air is fed through special coils, which cools the air that is them pumped through the building via galvanised ducting, or in a cold climate, the cool exterior air is warmed up then fed through the ducting to maintain the desired temperature.

Air-Conditioning

Single state air-conditioning systems only provide either heating or air-conditioning, depending on your needs – if you wanted to cool the interior, you would visit an A/C shop in Bangkok, whereas if you wanted heating in London, you could use a single state HVAC system to provide heat. When looking for cost-effective climate control, you should ask the engineer to pay you a home visit, where he can take a look at your living space and make a recommendation for an energy saving HVAC system that is designed around the property and your needs.

Special Components

The average HVAC system incorporates the following components:

• Compressor – The powerhouse of the system.
• Evaporator – This device removes air from a warm space by exchanging it with a refrigerant.
• Condenser – This device pushes the heated air to the exterior.
• Expansion Valve – This creates a pressure drop.
• Heat Pumps – Can be used to either heat or cool a space.

Cost-Effective Climate Control

If you install a state-of-the-art HVAC system in your home, the interior will always be comfortable, and when compared to a regular A/C system, HVAC is more economical and therefore is the preferred solution. If you would like a quote to replace your old A/C with a top-rated HVAC system, a Google search will help you to locate a local supplier, and they would be happy to pay you a home visit and quote for the project.

Improving the Air Quality

It isn’t only the temperature you can control with HVAC, as there are special filters that remove contaminants from the air, leaving your interior smelling clean and fresh. Of course, these filters do need to be cleaned regularly, which is one of the tasks that the engineer would perform when carrying out essential maintenance, including the following:

• Air filter replacement or cleaning.
• Cleaning the transfer coils, compressors and heat pumps.
• Inspect fan motors – Repairing when necessary.
• Looking for leaks or signs of corrosion.

Whether you are looking to have an HVAC system designed for your new build, or would simply like to replace your aging A/C system, talk to an HVAC engineer and see what he can do for you.

Technology continues to develop at a very rapid pace and as you would expect, automation now plays a major role in order processing, with bespoke systems that are designed to maximise productivity, which really does make all the difference in a busy warehouse where orders need to be processed at high speed.

Automated Store and Retrieval Systems

When goods come into a warehouse, they can be automatically identified and stored, and when they are required, an automated system would retrieve the items for picking. Of course, the system would need to be designed around the products and the workspace, and that’s where the leading automated warehouse system supplier comes in. If you are looking for a conveyor system in Thailand, for example, a Google search will help you locate a leading supplier who can design a system that maximises productivity, and within a few years, you get a return on your investment.

Order Picking

This is one area of your logistics where you can really make a difference, with systems that effectively pick items ready for order processing, cutting down the time and labour required to fulfil orders. There are fully automated order picking systems that are designed around the client’s needs, and this not only improves productivity, it also dramatically reduces labour costs. Of course, it isn’t always possible to make the picking process fully automated, but there are semi-automated systems that incorporate technology into the manual picking process, although it very much depends on the items to be picked.

Barcodes & Scanning

Barcodes have been around for a while and they enable items to be identified ready for picking and storing, and with multi-angle cameras, codes are easily recognised, making the process much faster. If you would like to know how automated systems can help your warehouse operations, search online for a leading supplier of automated systems, who can design a system and supply you with an all-inclusive quote.

Boost Efficiency

If your picking and packing leaves a lot to be desired, a tailor-made automated picking system is the obvious solution, and with an expert in your corner, they can design the optimum system that reduces your order processing times and cut costs by removing the need for staff. The following systems can make your picking faster and more reliable:

• Paperless Picking
• Semi-Automated Picking
• Automated Picking

Long-Term Investment

Of course, having a made to measure automated storage and picking system installed is going to be a considerable investment, yet in 4-5 years, you can expect to see a return on your investment, and with 24/7 support from the supplier, your system will always be online and ready to go to work. You have absolutely nothing to lose by taking a look at what automated systems can do for your business and plenty to gain, as order processing is much faster and it no longer requires staff.

If you would like to streamline your warehouse operations, take a look at the latest automated picking systems that can save you both time and money.