State Minister for Science, Technology, Energy and Mining, Hon. Julian Robinson, has re-emphasised the Government’s commitment to energy diversification and conservation, noting that money saved on energy can be injected into the economy.
Speaking at a stakeholder workshop, hosted by the Ministry, in collaboration with Worldwatch Institute, at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston on November 27, the State Minister told participants that, “we are committed to having 30 per cent of our energy mix from renewable sources by the year 2030."
“We are also examining other fuel sources…the LNG project is on the way; the government’s role has changed, but we are committed to having LNG in the country hopefully by 2015, and the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) is building a 360 megawatt plant in Old Harbour.”
He further informed that the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) on November 26, issued a request for proposal for 115 megawatts of renewable energy, and that the first net billing customer has been connected.
Net billing allows JPS customers who own renewable energy generators, such as wind turbines and photovoltaic (solar) systems, to generate electricity for personal use, as well as sell excess energy to the light and power company at wholesale prices set by the OUR.
“We are also committed to conservation, and we have a project where we hope to achieve a 30 per cent cost savings in public sector energy conservation over a three-year period,” he stated, pointing out that as part of the project, there is an affirmative action policy in place for procurement, whereby any local company which has a bid that is within 15 per cent of an overseas company, will be awarded these contracts.
“We believe we must develop local capacity and we must develop the expertise to solve our own challenges here,” Mr. Robinson said, adding that, “if we are able to successfully adopt these strategies, we can bring the cost of electricity down significantly.”
Worldwatch is designing a low carbon energy roadmap for the Ministry, which will allow for better harnessing of renewable energy sources; provide solid socio-economic data; and provide recommendations that decision makers can execute to bring about a more sustainable energy future for the country.
A Washington DC-based globally focused environmental research organisation, Worldwatch helps to inform policymakers and the public about the complex links between the world economy and its environmental support systems. One of its main objectives is universal access to renewable energy.
Loyd showed that by flying a tethered wing back and forth across the wind, you could get considerably more power than you could from a kite that just hovered in one spot. According to Loyd’s calculations, if you used a wing as big as the one on a Lockheed C-5A military transport (68 meters long), you could, at least in principle, extract a few megawatts from a 10-meter-per-second wind. That’s comparable to what you might get from the biggest of modern wind turbines.
Loyd considered two ways to get electrical energy out of a tethered wing. One is to outfit the wing itself with propeller-like turbine blades that generate power as it zooms through the air. That power would then be sent down an electrically conductive tether. This is now known as the flying-generator, or “flygen,” approach. The other technique he considered was to exploit the force that the wing exerts on its tether to generate electricity using equipment on the ground.
Loyd’s analysis didn’t examine yet another possibility: to generate electricity using turbine blades that serve as both lifting surfaces and energy-harvesting devices. That’s the technique Australian engineer Bryan Roberts began experimenting with in 1979—something he calls a gyromill, which he continues to work on with California-based Sky Windpower.
2012年11月28日 星期三
2012年11月27日 星期二
GET Group Opens Washington, D.C. Office
Global Enterprise Technologies Corp., a provider of cutting-edge passport and ID systems globally, today announced the opening of its new office in Washington, D.C. The new location will support GET Group's growing passport and ID business with the federal government, as well as provide technical support and sales contact convenience for government agencies and their contractors. GET Group is the worldwide exclusive distributor of Toppan Printing Co. Ltd.'s cutting-edge security passport printing technology.
For nearly two decades, the United States' Department of State Passport Services has utilized GET/Toppan passport printing solutions. This experience complements GET Group's record of delivering highly-secure government IDs and passports worldwide. To more easily support GET Group's rapidly expanding business, the new Washington, D.C. office will provide opportunities for local printing demonstrations and enable on-demand delivery and maintenance for federal agencies with mission-critical identification and access control requirements that must be implemented with extremely quick turnaround times.
"For years, governments around the world have trusted GET Group to deliver the highest-quality, most secure identification printing technology available," said Alex Kambanis, president and CEO of Global Enterprise Technologies Corp. "Our new office in Washington, D.C. will make it easier to deliver the same level of service and support at an increased volume as demand for highly secure card printing solutions for government agency applications increases."
GET Group's printing technology is ideal for highly secure government environments, with security features that include a tamper-evident seal to protect against image or data alteration, as well as the ability to incorporate holograms, barcodes, micro-text, and other features to enhance security. The company's solutions are also trusted for mission-critical identification challenges in other high-security commercial environments, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, transportation, travel and leisure, higher education and campus security, and more.
Attendees of the 11th Annual Smart Card Alliance Government Conference in Washington, D.C. can learn more about the new office and also view GET Group's CP500 card printer, the eP600 passport printer, and the CLM-20 laser engraver by visiting booth 506.
Applied Laser Engineering delivered the 4.5m laser system to the company’s Dukinfield, Cheshire plant earlier in the month.
The anilox roller manufacturer brought in the 450,000 system to boost productivity in response to increased demand. Cheshire Anilox Technology mainly produces anilox rollers for use in flexographic presses but demand from Heidelberg and KBA litho machines has increased orders recently.
Cheshire Anilox Technology technical sales director Sonia Arcos said: "Litho presses used to use anilox rollers only for priming and varnishing but the release of the Anicolour, which uses eight anilox rollers, and the KBA 74 has meant that we have had higher demand from the offset market."
She expects that the manufacturers have opted for anilox rollers in the mentioned machines as it is easier to control the amount of ink being used and hence proves to be a cost effective method of printing.
Arcos predicted that the new system will boost capacity by 30% and enable the company to create "limitless" bespoke cell designs on the ceramic rollers.
For nearly two decades, the United States' Department of State Passport Services has utilized GET/Toppan passport printing solutions. This experience complements GET Group's record of delivering highly-secure government IDs and passports worldwide. To more easily support GET Group's rapidly expanding business, the new Washington, D.C. office will provide opportunities for local printing demonstrations and enable on-demand delivery and maintenance for federal agencies with mission-critical identification and access control requirements that must be implemented with extremely quick turnaround times.
"For years, governments around the world have trusted GET Group to deliver the highest-quality, most secure identification printing technology available," said Alex Kambanis, president and CEO of Global Enterprise Technologies Corp. "Our new office in Washington, D.C. will make it easier to deliver the same level of service and support at an increased volume as demand for highly secure card printing solutions for government agency applications increases."
GET Group's printing technology is ideal for highly secure government environments, with security features that include a tamper-evident seal to protect against image or data alteration, as well as the ability to incorporate holograms, barcodes, micro-text, and other features to enhance security. The company's solutions are also trusted for mission-critical identification challenges in other high-security commercial environments, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, transportation, travel and leisure, higher education and campus security, and more.
Attendees of the 11th Annual Smart Card Alliance Government Conference in Washington, D.C. can learn more about the new office and also view GET Group's CP500 card printer, the eP600 passport printer, and the CLM-20 laser engraver by visiting booth 506.
Applied Laser Engineering delivered the 4.5m laser system to the company’s Dukinfield, Cheshire plant earlier in the month.
The anilox roller manufacturer brought in the 450,000 system to boost productivity in response to increased demand. Cheshire Anilox Technology mainly produces anilox rollers for use in flexographic presses but demand from Heidelberg and KBA litho machines has increased orders recently.
Cheshire Anilox Technology technical sales director Sonia Arcos said: "Litho presses used to use anilox rollers only for priming and varnishing but the release of the Anicolour, which uses eight anilox rollers, and the KBA 74 has meant that we have had higher demand from the offset market."
She expects that the manufacturers have opted for anilox rollers in the mentioned machines as it is easier to control the amount of ink being used and hence proves to be a cost effective method of printing.
Arcos predicted that the new system will boost capacity by 30% and enable the company to create "limitless" bespoke cell designs on the ceramic rollers.
2012年11月26日 星期一
New firearms maker opens high-tech facility
When it comes to high-end weapons, there's a new company in town that's changing the way people think about rifles.
Founded in 2010, Proof Research of Kalispell specializes in creating lightweight, accurate weapons using carbon-fiber barrels and stocks unlike anything else on the market.
“Large gun manufacturers know we have the technology and we're being courted by some big names,” said Pat Rainey, chief executive officer of Proof Research. “We've changed the gun industry, just like the polymer pistol did. The cool factor of our weapons is off the page.”
While Proof Research may only be two years old, it is made up of four companies that have years of rifle-making experience, according to Rainey. Proof is actually a merger of Lone Wolf Riflestocks of Kalispell, Jense Fabrication of Missoula, ABS out of Lincoln, Neb., and Lawrence Rifle Barrels of Lewistown.
“Lots of people have tried to do this for many years,” Rainey said. “The idea of a carbon-fiber barrel has been around for 20 years. We're just the first to crack the code.”
Although only one of the core companies was from the Kalispell area, lead investor Mike Goguen said it made sense to locate Proof in the Flathead Valley.
“The Montana work ethic and quality is outstanding,” Goguen said. “When you look at firearms, so many of the parts in the best ones, the ones I really admire, come from Montana, from small, mom-and-pop places that maybe don't have the capital to go big. So it made sense to take advantage of that. There are a lot of really amazing craftsmen here, and we have the opportunity to bring them together.”
Goguen said he became involved in Proof while looking for a lightweight hunting rifle, and got more than he bargained for when his custom rifle was finished.
“I love Montana, I love hunting and guns, and I love technology and small businesses, and this checked all the boxes,” he said. “I was skeptical at first, but they built me a gun, and I fell in love with it and just had to be a part of what they were building.”
In addition to folding several manufacturers under the Proof umbrella, Goguen said the company still contracts out certain parts, such as trigger assembly and receivers, to local companies such as Defiance Machine.
Although the company had been producing weapons and courting larger contracts for the two years since its founding, Rainey said the owners and investors were very careful about making sure the business was strong before opening its doors to the public.
“We wanted to build a strong foundation first,” Rainey said. “We wanted to have everything in place, so when we opened, we could have that strong start we wanted. We're in it for the long haul, and we don't have to race to target our market. The market is coming to us, so we could take the time to do it right, right from the beginning.”
Currently Proof employs 29 employees, and Rainey said the company still is hiring. Goguen said there is great potential for job growth.
“One of the things we're doing is partnering with Flathead Valley Community College to get some of those trade skills we need, like CNC [computer numerical control] machinists,” Rainey said. “We've got ads in the paper now, and we are getting people from all over.”
“It's a slow, measured growth that we're aiming for; we've got a tight budget and we have faced challenges every single day, but we're overcoming them,” Rainey said.
The barrels Proof manufactures are not completely made of carbon fiber, rather they are traditional steel cores, machined down and wrapped with carbon fibers. According to Rainey, this results in a lighter-weight, more effective barrel of the same or similar overall dimensions and strength as more traditional all-steel barrels.
Although the technology for carbon-fiber barrels may have been around for the last 20 years, the big problem to overcome was failure due to heat.
In a typical rifle, the heat of extended firing will cause the barrel to warp slightly, and this can lead to a “fairly large” dispersion pattern. This means that what started out as shots in a dime-sized grouping on a target can expand to shots that could completely miss the point of aim. In some weapons, like the fully automatic M249 squad automatic weapon used by the military, the heat is so detrimental that multiple barrels are carried to prevent jams and increase accuracy.
Founded in 2010, Proof Research of Kalispell specializes in creating lightweight, accurate weapons using carbon-fiber barrels and stocks unlike anything else on the market.
“Large gun manufacturers know we have the technology and we're being courted by some big names,” said Pat Rainey, chief executive officer of Proof Research. “We've changed the gun industry, just like the polymer pistol did. The cool factor of our weapons is off the page.”
While Proof Research may only be two years old, it is made up of four companies that have years of rifle-making experience, according to Rainey. Proof is actually a merger of Lone Wolf Riflestocks of Kalispell, Jense Fabrication of Missoula, ABS out of Lincoln, Neb., and Lawrence Rifle Barrels of Lewistown.
“Lots of people have tried to do this for many years,” Rainey said. “The idea of a carbon-fiber barrel has been around for 20 years. We're just the first to crack the code.”
Although only one of the core companies was from the Kalispell area, lead investor Mike Goguen said it made sense to locate Proof in the Flathead Valley.
“The Montana work ethic and quality is outstanding,” Goguen said. “When you look at firearms, so many of the parts in the best ones, the ones I really admire, come from Montana, from small, mom-and-pop places that maybe don't have the capital to go big. So it made sense to take advantage of that. There are a lot of really amazing craftsmen here, and we have the opportunity to bring them together.”
Goguen said he became involved in Proof while looking for a lightweight hunting rifle, and got more than he bargained for when his custom rifle was finished.
“I love Montana, I love hunting and guns, and I love technology and small businesses, and this checked all the boxes,” he said. “I was skeptical at first, but they built me a gun, and I fell in love with it and just had to be a part of what they were building.”
In addition to folding several manufacturers under the Proof umbrella, Goguen said the company still contracts out certain parts, such as trigger assembly and receivers, to local companies such as Defiance Machine.
Although the company had been producing weapons and courting larger contracts for the two years since its founding, Rainey said the owners and investors were very careful about making sure the business was strong before opening its doors to the public.
“We wanted to build a strong foundation first,” Rainey said. “We wanted to have everything in place, so when we opened, we could have that strong start we wanted. We're in it for the long haul, and we don't have to race to target our market. The market is coming to us, so we could take the time to do it right, right from the beginning.”
Currently Proof employs 29 employees, and Rainey said the company still is hiring. Goguen said there is great potential for job growth.
“One of the things we're doing is partnering with Flathead Valley Community College to get some of those trade skills we need, like CNC [computer numerical control] machinists,” Rainey said. “We've got ads in the paper now, and we are getting people from all over.”
“It's a slow, measured growth that we're aiming for; we've got a tight budget and we have faced challenges every single day, but we're overcoming them,” Rainey said.
The barrels Proof manufactures are not completely made of carbon fiber, rather they are traditional steel cores, machined down and wrapped with carbon fibers. According to Rainey, this results in a lighter-weight, more effective barrel of the same or similar overall dimensions and strength as more traditional all-steel barrels.
Although the technology for carbon-fiber barrels may have been around for the last 20 years, the big problem to overcome was failure due to heat.
In a typical rifle, the heat of extended firing will cause the barrel to warp slightly, and this can lead to a “fairly large” dispersion pattern. This means that what started out as shots in a dime-sized grouping on a target can expand to shots that could completely miss the point of aim. In some weapons, like the fully automatic M249 squad automatic weapon used by the military, the heat is so detrimental that multiple barrels are carried to prevent jams and increase accuracy.
2012年11月20日 星期二
Thieves go on coffee-machine binge at Nanaimo Starbucks outlets
Six coffee machines were stolen from three different Nanaimo-area Starbucks locations on Friday, highlighting how thefts increase as the holidays draw near.
The thefts happened at the Terminal Park, University Mall and Country Club locations and in two of the cases a man was seen picking up the machines and walking out with them.
RCMP Media spokesman Gary O'Brien said that he estimates the items were likely sold on the street at a reduced value for drug money.
Incidents of shoplifting and theft begin to increase following Thanksgiving and go up from there, said O'Brien, who actively works with stores on their theft-prevention strategies.
He spoke with Starbucks management on Monday and said that they will be using a demo model for public display from now on.
Theft risks to the public are also on the rise at this time of year, said O'Brien.
Starbucks representatives were unavailable for comment on the thefts.
"There's a lot of pressure," said O'Brien about people's increased financial strain during the holidays.
"People involved in criminal activity also want to provide for their families."
There's "absolutely" more theft at this time of year, said Dave Paulgaard, who provides security services for the Country Club and Woodgrove shopping centres.
He said they encourage people to notify store managers or mall security if they see a person shoplifting, because for any charges to be laid, there has to be eyewitnesses.
"If they're noted shoplifters, I just go shopping with them," he said with a chuckle.
The items in the Starbucks locations were on public display. This is a factor both store theft and in theft of personal items, which also increase at this time of year, said O'Brien
"You get a lot of theft from parking lots because people are just flocking to the malls," said O'Brien.
It's "very common" for thieves work the parking lots by sitting in their cars and watching people entering and exiting stores.
Items commonly stolen from cars are purses and more expensive "high-ticket" items, said O'Brien.
Advice from the RCMP to shoppers is to hide items in the car and make sure the trunk latch is securely locked.
No arrests have been made in the coffee-machine thefts and each incident remains under investigation.
GE Appliances is investing $60 million in new high-efficiency washing machine facility and product, creating 150 new jobs and supporting about 40 domestic suppliers.
The popularity of the high efficiency washing technology has driven more innovation and investment in top load washing machine category.
"There is 150 people on this line that wouldn't have had a job if this product didn't come to GE," said Anitra Wiggins.
The new machine uses an impeller instead of an agitator which allows then to use less water and energy than a traditional washer.
For many of the employees at Appliance Park, the new washing machine means job security.
"Anything coming back to Louisville coming back to appliance park means jobs means jobs for the city," said GE employee Nathan Hall.
Production on the new washer began six weeks ago and they started shipping them out last week. The jobs surrounding the new product have already been filled.
Production also began this year on a new hybrid water heater facility, with plans to upgrade all product lines and facilities including the bottom freezer refrigerator and front load washing machines.
The thefts happened at the Terminal Park, University Mall and Country Club locations and in two of the cases a man was seen picking up the machines and walking out with them.
RCMP Media spokesman Gary O'Brien said that he estimates the items were likely sold on the street at a reduced value for drug money.
Incidents of shoplifting and theft begin to increase following Thanksgiving and go up from there, said O'Brien, who actively works with stores on their theft-prevention strategies.
He spoke with Starbucks management on Monday and said that they will be using a demo model for public display from now on.
Theft risks to the public are also on the rise at this time of year, said O'Brien.
Starbucks representatives were unavailable for comment on the thefts.
"There's a lot of pressure," said O'Brien about people's increased financial strain during the holidays.
"People involved in criminal activity also want to provide for their families."
There's "absolutely" more theft at this time of year, said Dave Paulgaard, who provides security services for the Country Club and Woodgrove shopping centres.
He said they encourage people to notify store managers or mall security if they see a person shoplifting, because for any charges to be laid, there has to be eyewitnesses.
"If they're noted shoplifters, I just go shopping with them," he said with a chuckle.
The items in the Starbucks locations were on public display. This is a factor both store theft and in theft of personal items, which also increase at this time of year, said O'Brien
"You get a lot of theft from parking lots because people are just flocking to the malls," said O'Brien.
It's "very common" for thieves work the parking lots by sitting in their cars and watching people entering and exiting stores.
Items commonly stolen from cars are purses and more expensive "high-ticket" items, said O'Brien.
Advice from the RCMP to shoppers is to hide items in the car and make sure the trunk latch is securely locked.
No arrests have been made in the coffee-machine thefts and each incident remains under investigation.
GE Appliances is investing $60 million in new high-efficiency washing machine facility and product, creating 150 new jobs and supporting about 40 domestic suppliers.
The popularity of the high efficiency washing technology has driven more innovation and investment in top load washing machine category.
"There is 150 people on this line that wouldn't have had a job if this product didn't come to GE," said Anitra Wiggins.
The new machine uses an impeller instead of an agitator which allows then to use less water and energy than a traditional washer.
For many of the employees at Appliance Park, the new washing machine means job security.
"Anything coming back to Louisville coming back to appliance park means jobs means jobs for the city," said GE employee Nathan Hall.
Production on the new washer began six weeks ago and they started shipping them out last week. The jobs surrounding the new product have already been filled.
Production also began this year on a new hybrid water heater facility, with plans to upgrade all product lines and facilities including the bottom freezer refrigerator and front load washing machines.
2012年11月19日 星期一
BTM Cuts Offshore Wind Forecast on German Grid
Global offshore wind turbine installations are expected to grow more slowly than previously expected because of grid delays in Germany and the price of wind power in Sweden, according to Navigant Consulting Inc.
Navigant’s BTM Consult ApS unit cut its cumulative forecast for the five years through to 2016 by 11.6 percent to 23.9 gigawatts of offshore turbines, the company said in an e-mailed report. The largest downgrade of 1,700 megawatts was in Germany.
“Germany has been downgraded despite a huge pipeline of offshore projects in German waters as there is concern in the wind industry over grid availability and grid delays,” Aris Karcanias, an analyst at BTM Consult.
Developers of offshore wind including Dong Energy A/S and EnbW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG suspended projects in Germany on a lack of grid connection agreements, hampering the nation’s goal to build 25 gigawatts of turbines by 2030. The German government endorsed draft legislation in August designed to end delays and provide investor security by making grid operators accountable for financial damage.
Those penalties and high upfront costs will impact future developments, Karcanias said. He also reduced his forecast because Sweden’s incentive program for offshore wind doesn’t deliver a power price “sufficiently attractive to lure investors” when the cost of cable connections paid for by the project owner in Sweden are factored in.
BTM Consult also said the cost of some new European projects increased to more than 4 million euros a megawatt, “which is 1.5 times to more than double the cost of early large scale European and Chinese offshore projects.”
The costs, pushed up as turbines are built further from shore in deep water and more difficult conditions, will begin to fall as new technologies and installation methods are introduced, according to Karcanias.
Europe will lead in offshore turbines to 2016 with Asia accounting for 25 percent, BTM Consult said. It predicts China, the U.K. and Germany will be the three largest offshore wind markets by the end of 2021.
“We congratulate GE on this impressive achievement,” said Jim Shield, Invenergy’s executive vice president and chief development officer. “Our longstanding association has resulted in the installation of more than 2,000 GE wind turbines at Invenergy projects across the United States. As America’s largest independent wind power generation company, we look forward to a continued, successful relationship with GE in the years to come.”
“Congratulations to GE on reaching this milestone. From our vantage point, it appears to be the culmination of working with customers, driving down prices, continuously advancing technology and then backing it all up with responsive service,” said David Boyce, chief executive officer of Wind Capital Group. “I would expect that winning combination to serve them well into the future.”
There does not appear to be any mention of just where the 20,000th turbine was installed, but given that “more than 70 percent of GE’s wind turbine deals so far this year have been overseas” (GE General Manager Matt Guyette in a recent interview), it could very literally be anywhere throughout Europe, Asia, or North America.
Navigant’s BTM Consult ApS unit cut its cumulative forecast for the five years through to 2016 by 11.6 percent to 23.9 gigawatts of offshore turbines, the company said in an e-mailed report. The largest downgrade of 1,700 megawatts was in Germany.
“Germany has been downgraded despite a huge pipeline of offshore projects in German waters as there is concern in the wind industry over grid availability and grid delays,” Aris Karcanias, an analyst at BTM Consult.
Developers of offshore wind including Dong Energy A/S and EnbW Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg AG suspended projects in Germany on a lack of grid connection agreements, hampering the nation’s goal to build 25 gigawatts of turbines by 2030. The German government endorsed draft legislation in August designed to end delays and provide investor security by making grid operators accountable for financial damage.
Those penalties and high upfront costs will impact future developments, Karcanias said. He also reduced his forecast because Sweden’s incentive program for offshore wind doesn’t deliver a power price “sufficiently attractive to lure investors” when the cost of cable connections paid for by the project owner in Sweden are factored in.
BTM Consult also said the cost of some new European projects increased to more than 4 million euros a megawatt, “which is 1.5 times to more than double the cost of early large scale European and Chinese offshore projects.”
The costs, pushed up as turbines are built further from shore in deep water and more difficult conditions, will begin to fall as new technologies and installation methods are introduced, according to Karcanias.
Europe will lead in offshore turbines to 2016 with Asia accounting for 25 percent, BTM Consult said. It predicts China, the U.K. and Germany will be the three largest offshore wind markets by the end of 2021.
“We congratulate GE on this impressive achievement,” said Jim Shield, Invenergy’s executive vice president and chief development officer. “Our longstanding association has resulted in the installation of more than 2,000 GE wind turbines at Invenergy projects across the United States. As America’s largest independent wind power generation company, we look forward to a continued, successful relationship with GE in the years to come.”
“Congratulations to GE on reaching this milestone. From our vantage point, it appears to be the culmination of working with customers, driving down prices, continuously advancing technology and then backing it all up with responsive service,” said David Boyce, chief executive officer of Wind Capital Group. “I would expect that winning combination to serve them well into the future.”
There does not appear to be any mention of just where the 20,000th turbine was installed, but given that “more than 70 percent of GE’s wind turbine deals so far this year have been overseas” (GE General Manager Matt Guyette in a recent interview), it could very literally be anywhere throughout Europe, Asia, or North America.
2012年11月18日 星期日
Keep your shoulder to the wheel and keep on trucking
'We definitely have to fight harder than ever. There's a greater emphasis on quality and people are rightfully looking for value for money.'
According to former American baseball player, Sam Ewing: "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."
Fred Clarke is one man who has never been afraid to roll up his sleeves. His is an inspiring story that demonstrates what can be achieved through hard work, resilience and an enterprising mindset. This week I travelled to Bailieborough, in Co Cavan, to meet Fred and to learn about Agrigear, the company he set up 32 years ago.
Agrigear is one of the largest wholesale suppliers of tyres and wheels in Ireland. As Fred gives me a tour of the place, I am amazed to see the sheer volume of tyres and wheels that fill the company's premises and the expansive concrete yards that surround it.
There are tyres to suit every type of car and truck as well as for every sort of farm, construction and grass-cutting machine imaginable.
"Even when I was at school, I was always more interested in making or fixing things than doing homework," laughs Fred.
He went straight into farming after school and, in order to expand, he began to rent additional land. At one stage he had more than 1,000 acres rented on which he grew barley and wheat as well as milling grain for himself and others.
While still farming, he set up a contract building company erecting silage pits and grain stores for other farmers. It was the mid-Seventies and Fred was employing about 30 people.
He then decided to diversify even further and, along with two other business partners, built a 600-unit piggery. During 1978 and 1980, economic conditions worsened. Diesel prices rose dramatically and interest rates soared a staggering 23 per cent.
To add further to his troubles, bad weather meant that Fred experienced a poor yield from his crops during those years, culminating in serious financial losses.
In the summer of 1980 he went to Holland to visit a business contact who shared his interest in machinery. While there, the two men visited a local car-dismantling business and before he knew it, Fred had bought 1,200 good quality second-hand wheels and tyres.
It was an act of kindness Fred never forgot. Word spread and, when his stock sold out, he began travelling to Holland every month to buy more. His tyre business had taken off.
Some of the tyres he imported did not readily fit standard European-sized wheels and so he began to manufacture new wheels.
"That was the start of the manufacturing end of our business," says Fred. "And it represents almost one-third of our business today."
During the mid Eighties, the weather was so bad that turf contractors were struggling to get their cutting machines to travel on waterlogged bogs. Fred discovered that, if he bolted two wheels together on each side of the machine, this would spread the weight of the machine and thereby make it less inclined to sink in the wet ground.
According to former American baseball player, Sam Ewing: "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."
Fred Clarke is one man who has never been afraid to roll up his sleeves. His is an inspiring story that demonstrates what can be achieved through hard work, resilience and an enterprising mindset. This week I travelled to Bailieborough, in Co Cavan, to meet Fred and to learn about Agrigear, the company he set up 32 years ago.
Agrigear is one of the largest wholesale suppliers of tyres and wheels in Ireland. As Fred gives me a tour of the place, I am amazed to see the sheer volume of tyres and wheels that fill the company's premises and the expansive concrete yards that surround it.
There are tyres to suit every type of car and truck as well as for every sort of farm, construction and grass-cutting machine imaginable.
"Even when I was at school, I was always more interested in making or fixing things than doing homework," laughs Fred.
He went straight into farming after school and, in order to expand, he began to rent additional land. At one stage he had more than 1,000 acres rented on which he grew barley and wheat as well as milling grain for himself and others.
While still farming, he set up a contract building company erecting silage pits and grain stores for other farmers. It was the mid-Seventies and Fred was employing about 30 people.
He then decided to diversify even further and, along with two other business partners, built a 600-unit piggery. During 1978 and 1980, economic conditions worsened. Diesel prices rose dramatically and interest rates soared a staggering 23 per cent.
To add further to his troubles, bad weather meant that Fred experienced a poor yield from his crops during those years, culminating in serious financial losses.
In the summer of 1980 he went to Holland to visit a business contact who shared his interest in machinery. While there, the two men visited a local car-dismantling business and before he knew it, Fred had bought 1,200 good quality second-hand wheels and tyres.
It was an act of kindness Fred never forgot. Word spread and, when his stock sold out, he began travelling to Holland every month to buy more. His tyre business had taken off.
Some of the tyres he imported did not readily fit standard European-sized wheels and so he began to manufacture new wheels.
"That was the start of the manufacturing end of our business," says Fred. "And it represents almost one-third of our business today."
During the mid Eighties, the weather was so bad that turf contractors were struggling to get their cutting machines to travel on waterlogged bogs. Fred discovered that, if he bolted two wheels together on each side of the machine, this would spread the weight of the machine and thereby make it less inclined to sink in the wet ground.
2012年11月15日 星期四
Hope for a dying empire?
Because to write about “non-ferrous metals equities” means you're writing about silver, gold, copper, lead and zinc miners, and they are the best. Whether they are hustling money at the annual investment conferences in Zurich, London, Toronto or Beijing I attend, standing their ground against the continued assault by the EPA on property rights in Kellogg, or drilling a heading a mile underground, they are the most unusual and most decent people I have ever met. For every charlatan who works this trade there are 1,000 others doing decent, honourable labour, and in their toils to make a living or get rich, they enrich our lives.
Do I really need to tell the silver story here in Shoshone County, the self-proclaimed silver capital of the world? (Well, maybe excluding Mexico and Bolivia, but what does a chamber of commerce care for such nuances?) We have a silver mining industry here because hustlers 120 years ago were able to raise capital to build the first mines, and we have a silver industry now because good people continue to produce silver for a wage, and promoters continue to hustle money to keep the mines going.
I find what miners do here, and what miners in Canada, China, Africa, and Central and South America do, fascinating and honourable. The purveyors of products and services, indeed our very economies stand on the shoulders of miners. It's too bad this simple fact of life, that if it can't be grown it's got to be mined, is not taught in our local schools.
You couldn't start your car without the labour of a silver miner; your fridge wouldn't run, your washing machine would quit and your computers and cell phones would be so much detritus. When the late Hank SiJohn of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe did his best ticked-off Indian routine up at the Star Mine dump to pump up support for our EPA/Superfund hegemony two decades ago, I wondered if he had ever wondered where the zinc for the bumpers on his gigantic Buick had come from. Most likely out of that mine portal he was standing below.
But this rant will not be about mining, at least not always. Nor will it always be about the EPA bumpkins who have squatted in our neck of the woods like a deranged and disagreeable relative who won't ever leave your guest room, despite numerous broad hints, and demands regular meals served in bed.
We'll leave local politics out of this conversation as well — for the most part. If you want my opinions, read the Letters to the Editor column. But I do miss our old politicians: Fred Cantamessa. George Gieser. Bill Noyen. Lou Horvath. Bill Lytle. Vern Lannen. God rest their souls. As a young reporter-slash-editor I could walk in to the county commissioners' den and get honest answers, and a lively dialogue would ensue. I remember the weekly phone hook-up at the Kellogg Chamber meeting, engineered by Ray Chapman, when Lou, Bill and Vern would fill us in on the shenanigans in Boise. I remember driving to Wallace from “up the river” and maybe killing a grouse along the way, gutting it, stuffing into a bread-sack, and keeping it cool in the county's pop machine while I walked my rounds.
I remember when there was a cigarette machine at the bottom of the county courthouse steps, instead of a signed scolding not to get near that marble facade with a fag lit within 20 paces. Heck, I'm even old enough to remember when the airlines gave you a little pack of Winston cigarettes to smoke after your in-flight meal and let every curious kid up to the cockpit to help drive those great, beastly DC-6Bs and Lockheed Connies, fueled-up with 130-octane avgas stored right underneath all those cigarette smokers, and even if you were just seven years old, you wore a tie to fly. Back then, the airlines might not let a slob onto one of their mighty liners, but they certainly wouldn't balk at a nail-clipper or a personal handgun.
Do I really need to tell the silver story here in Shoshone County, the self-proclaimed silver capital of the world? (Well, maybe excluding Mexico and Bolivia, but what does a chamber of commerce care for such nuances?) We have a silver mining industry here because hustlers 120 years ago were able to raise capital to build the first mines, and we have a silver industry now because good people continue to produce silver for a wage, and promoters continue to hustle money to keep the mines going.
I find what miners do here, and what miners in Canada, China, Africa, and Central and South America do, fascinating and honourable. The purveyors of products and services, indeed our very economies stand on the shoulders of miners. It's too bad this simple fact of life, that if it can't be grown it's got to be mined, is not taught in our local schools.
You couldn't start your car without the labour of a silver miner; your fridge wouldn't run, your washing machine would quit and your computers and cell phones would be so much detritus. When the late Hank SiJohn of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe did his best ticked-off Indian routine up at the Star Mine dump to pump up support for our EPA/Superfund hegemony two decades ago, I wondered if he had ever wondered where the zinc for the bumpers on his gigantic Buick had come from. Most likely out of that mine portal he was standing below.
But this rant will not be about mining, at least not always. Nor will it always be about the EPA bumpkins who have squatted in our neck of the woods like a deranged and disagreeable relative who won't ever leave your guest room, despite numerous broad hints, and demands regular meals served in bed.
We'll leave local politics out of this conversation as well — for the most part. If you want my opinions, read the Letters to the Editor column. But I do miss our old politicians: Fred Cantamessa. George Gieser. Bill Noyen. Lou Horvath. Bill Lytle. Vern Lannen. God rest their souls. As a young reporter-slash-editor I could walk in to the county commissioners' den and get honest answers, and a lively dialogue would ensue. I remember the weekly phone hook-up at the Kellogg Chamber meeting, engineered by Ray Chapman, when Lou, Bill and Vern would fill us in on the shenanigans in Boise. I remember driving to Wallace from “up the river” and maybe killing a grouse along the way, gutting it, stuffing into a bread-sack, and keeping it cool in the county's pop machine while I walked my rounds.
I remember when there was a cigarette machine at the bottom of the county courthouse steps, instead of a signed scolding not to get near that marble facade with a fag lit within 20 paces. Heck, I'm even old enough to remember when the airlines gave you a little pack of Winston cigarettes to smoke after your in-flight meal and let every curious kid up to the cockpit to help drive those great, beastly DC-6Bs and Lockheed Connies, fueled-up with 130-octane avgas stored right underneath all those cigarette smokers, and even if you were just seven years old, you wore a tie to fly. Back then, the airlines might not let a slob onto one of their mighty liners, but they certainly wouldn't balk at a nail-clipper or a personal handgun.
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