Conducting Business Hong Kong

Continuing on from Part II, we talk about some of the vertical markets in which RFID can be utilised.

The Economic Sectors

It is believed that the fastest growing top three economic sectors in order of importance will be: retail services, health care services and commercial services.

The commercial and industrial applications of RFID are among the largest, with inventory management, safety and security being most prominent. Severe environmental conditions are typical of manufacturing environments where RFID can be advantageous over other technologies.

Examples of Applications – product identification, raw material inventory control, product handshaking, work-in- process and asset management – particularly where reusable containers are used to transport hazardous substances. Here, rewritable tags can be used to record the container contents in order to facilitate the required processing.

Retail and FMCG

Traditionally RFID usage within retail systems has had minimal usage but is quickly on the verge of change, with large supermarkets leading the way. The retail and FMCG industry is largely responsible for the RFID piloting projects currently underway and view RFID adoption as a means of limiting out-of-stocks, allowing supply chain visibility in real or “near-real” time, and reducing costs.

Examples of applications – automated checkouts, product identification, inventory management, asset management, theft prevention, promotion and customer service, returns and recall management.

Libraries/Bookshops/DVD rental

Libraries and bookshops are heavy users of electronic article surveillance systems (EAS), which strictly speaking are not RFID systems because they can only be used to detect the presence or absence of an item and not its identification. EAS systems are beginning to be replaced by RFID, which can achieve the combined anti theft function and remote capturing of inventory data in one. This is similarly applicable in the DVD rental market.

Examples of applications – automated borrowing and return, theft control, item identification, inventory management.

Life Sciences – human, animal, medical Life sciences is one of the longest establish and currently fastest growing markets for RFID systems. Traditional applications such as, animal tagging, has helped develop this area. Also, more recently prisoner and baby tagging is a growing segment. However, medical and pharmaceutical applications are set to surpass these more traditional usages as regulation requirements for traceability increase and pharmaceutical manufacturers seek to improve means of protecting their investments.

Examples of applications – patient identification (wrist band labels), item identification, product authenticity verification, inventory management, asset management, returns and recall management.

Military

The US military is currently one of the largest users and biggest markets for RFID systems although the majority of their systems require/use expensive active RFID tags, some with sensing capabilities. There is an obvious need for low cost RFID, particularly for the use of managing food and medical supplies.

Examples of applications – item identification, inventory management

The Air industry

The airport and airline industry are piloting and using RFID for a multitude of applications. For example, Boeing is using RFID to track and manage serviceable parts on their aircrafts, whilst others such as Hong Kong International Airport are using an automated in-flight catering system for the routing of in-flight meals and the management of returnable containers. The application with the most potential within the industry is for baggage tagging. The airlines are reported to handle approximately 3 billion bags each year and due to limitations of barcode technology it is estimated that about 2 % of bags get lost each year, representing 60 million missing bags. Each missing bag cost the airlines as much as $200 to replace, costing the industry around $12 billion per year plus the additional problem of dissatisfied customers.

Examples of applications – baggage tagging/management, parts identification/management and asset management.

Automotive industry

RFID is a mature technology within the automotive industry and has established itself as an integral part of flexible manufacturing systems for those at the forefront of technological development, with greater penetration within vehicle security systems (immobilisers) being adopted. The industry is investigating additional usages of the technology such as supply chain management similar to other industries.

Examples of applications – item/parts identification, product handshaking, inventory management, asset management, work-in- process, returns and recall management. Logistics industry The logistics industry consists of warehousing and postal services, road haulage, fleet management and more. Worldwide the independent logistic industry is a late adopter of RFID although this is currently being addressed. Postal services are paying an active interest in RFID particularly for item management (auto-routing etc.), as are logistics service providers.

Examples of applications – item identification, inventory management, asset management, returns and recall management.

Business Innovation

RFID can provide the foundation for product developers to create new products, which have the ability to process and communicate information to other objects or devices, described as ‘silent commerce’ or ‘ambient commerce’. With the added functionality of sensor technology, these objects/devices will be able to sense and respond to their environment, demonstrating a degree of intelligence, thus providing greater returns on investment.

Conclusion

It is evident that RFID is a flexible technology and has potential for applications across all industry sectors. Common to all industries is its usage for item identification and management, which highlights interest in the technology for supply chain applications. It does seem that the technology is moving beyond traditional application niches such as baggage handling, rental item tagging, point of sales, Real Time Location Systems (RTLS) and Supply Chain Management. This last application is seen as the ‘killer’ application, since this segment presents the strongest opportunities for achieving long-term revenues, supporting applications such as; work-in-progress tracking, container tracking, cradle-to-grave tracking, pallet tracking and item management, which will drive growth.

Find out more about POS systems.

Andrea Percival

Global Textile Industry

With the invention of the spinning and weaving machines in Britain, the world textile industry witnessed a remarkable development, culminating in the Industrial Revolution that would once again change old customs of manufacturing. The high production of wool, cotton and silk, registered all over the world for the past few years, brought its undeniable contributed to the development of economy all over the world.

From the UK, where it was formerly launched, the textile industry and textile production was soon after that passed over to Europe and also North America, in the 19th century, the manufacturing processed was mechanized in these areas. As time passed, other countries especially those of Asia, gradually began investing more in this sector, especially in the industrialization of their economies and nevertheless textile industry, which gradually started to gain more and more ground. So the textile industry also moved to Japan, India, Hong Kong and China, which eventually found their way to being leading textile manufacturers, especially due to the cheap labor force.

The incentive came soon after, with the Industrial Revolution from the 18th century and so the textile industry witnessed a tremendous growth, and the production of clothing was to be changed to mainstream industry. However, the 20th century textile industry acquired a rather bad reputation, since now the workforce was mainly that of immigrants who worked in illegal “sweat shops”, and paid less than minimum wages.

Gobalisation, which would later take over, would help outsource the whole manufacturing process, particularly in areas where trade with textile was common. Leaders in this business changed their focus to the whiter collars, and it was that that the industry of fashion design emerged together with fashion modeling, which also started to flourish and t become in our days a million-dollar industry.

The textile industry, also called the “rag trade” in the United Kingdom and Australia, deals with the design and manufacturing of clothing items, and takes care of the distribution process, using textiles. Based on current statistics, the global textile market is at the moment worth a little more than $400 billion, in spite of the fierce competition textile industry had to face, from other industries.
Between 2002 and 2010 it is estimated that the global textile production will increase be a staggering 25 percent, with Asia being the region that is going to bring its major contribution to this tremendous growth.
Further reading in EconomyWatch.com:
The Global Textile Industry

The Indian Textile Industry
The US Textile Industry

Vladimir Gonzalez

Explore New Business Opportunities with Shoe Industry

Facing the global economic environment, it becomes urgent for China’s footwear industry to transform and upgrade strategically.  The premier footwear sourcing fair – The 8th Dongguan China Shoes . China Shoetec (Autumn 2008) has its grand opening today (October 30) at GD Modern International Exhibition Center, Houjie, Dongguan. The 3-day show will open until November 1, highlighting new market & business opportunities and break-through in design, fashion and technologies, serving as the one-stop sourcing platform for middle-to-high footwear, materials and machinery to international buyers & visitors.

Officials from Dongguan Government, Deputy Mayor of Putian, Deputy Consul General of Consulate General of The S.R. of Vietnam in Hong Kong & Macau, guests and leaders from local & overseas associations including Federcalzature (Italian Shoe Trade Federation), Malaysia Footwear Manufacturers Association, The Federation of Thai Industries The Footwear Industry, Vietnam Leather & Footwear Association, Hong Kong Footwear Association, Guangdong (Dongguan) Shoe-Making Machinery Association, Taiwan Shoemaking Machinery Committee, Dongguan Leather & Footwear Association, etc, have attended the opening ceremony.

Exhibition area of this edition reaches 22,000sqm, 500 exhibitors from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan Province, USA, UK, Australia, Spain, Malaysia, Brazil, etc., gather under one-roof, displaying their latest products to worldwide buyers.  The exhibition has also gained enormous support from industry associations for organizing pavilions, including CCCLA pavilion, Hong Kong Footwear Association pavilion, Dongguan Leather & Footwear Association pavilion, Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry pavilion, Dongguan Shoe-making Machinery Association pavilion, and Putian Footwear Association pavilion who made their debut at Dongguan China Shoes.

Explore New Market Opportunities with Shoe Industry

As a premier sourcing & trading platform and to match with market needs, organizers of Dongguan China Shoes . China Shoetec have arranged series of concurrent activities for exploring future development direction of shoe industry.  Newly launched “Brand & Design Galaxy” let visitors get in touch with the latest design & updated market elements.  Various brand shoes from Italy including De Fonseca (Slippers / Indoor Shoes), SIC (Children, Young Fashion Men & Women), Campanile (High Quality Men & Women), Vic Matie’ (Women Fashion), Bruno Magli (High Quality Men & Women), etc, have been displaying to showcase the fashionable style & design of renowned Italian brands.  Besides, Hong Kong shoes designers’ manuscripts are displayed to unveil the concepts & ideas in the creation of fashionable products.

Numerous seminars are being held concurrently to explore shoe industry development: “How Design can Help to Build up a Brand”, by president of Federcalzature (Italian Shoe Trade Federation) to share with industry players on the success of Italian brands; “Design Changes China Shoes”, spoke by representative of Hong Kong Shoes & Bags Designers Association, designer from famous Chinese brand AoKang, design director of DHD London Ltd., to discuss how “design” can affect the development of Chinese shoe industry.

Exploring new markets is another pursuit of many shoemakers / traders.  According to statistics, 220 million pairs of shoes are consumed in Russian market per year, while China is one of the major shoe exporting countries to Russia.  To provide more knowledge on this emerging market, organizers have specially invited Russian market expert to speak on “The Secret Code of Russian Footwear Market”, to analyse the existing situation of China’s shoes in Russian market, and to provide practical information and tips on developing Russian market.  Moreover, market information of footwear industry in Asian countries & areas will be displayed, including Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Taiwan and China.

To enhance shoes & materials making skills & quality, Vice-chairman of China Leather & Footwear Industrial Research Institute will speak on “Leather Shoes Standard and New Leather Materials Research Results”.

Concurrently held with The 8th Dongguan China Shoes, World Footwear Industry Development Forum will gather representatives of worldwide footwear industry to discuss and explore on “Development, Transition, Upgrading – Footwear Industry Breakthrough and Win-win Path”.

Support from Local & Overseas Buyers

To maximize the exhibiting results to exhibitors & to provide an effective trading and communicating platform for industry players, organizers have spent great effort in conducting series of extensive buyers promotion activities to invite buyers from all over the world.  Buyers & visitors from various countries and regions including USA, Japan, India, Australia, UK, Korea, Singapore, etc, have pre-registered to visit the show, including international shoes buyers, department stores & retailers such as Agnes.b, Payless ShoeSource, Nike, New Balance, Coles Group, H&M, OTTO, JC Penny, Adidas, Swire, Li & Fung, Sears Holding, Gap, etc.  International buyer delegations from Netherlands, Russia, Vietnam, etc, have also registered to visit.

Different enterprises will react differently to the transformation & upgrading of industry.  Based on partial statistics, 80% exhibitors express their intention to develop domestic market besides focusing on export sales.  To cater the needs of exhibitors & market changes, organizers have been putting effort on developing domestic market on top of overseas buyers’ invitation.  Promotion has been carrying out in the major sales & distribution hubs of China, in order to attract buyers, distributors, retailers, traders from all around China to source at the show.

Dongguan China Shoes · China Shoetec is jointly organized by China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Light Industrial Products and Arts-Crafts (CCCLA), Messe Düsseldorf China Ltd., Adsale Exhibition Services Ltd. and Guangdong Modern Convention and Exhibition Management Co., Ltd.  It is the only professional shoes exhibition in Dongguan as well as the UFI-approved event that offers the best one-stop sourcing platform for middle-to-high end footwear, materials and machineries in Asia.
 

1) Cut the ribbon at opening ceremony
 

2) VIP Tour
 

3) Fashion show display fine collections and lead the trend

 for more information, please visit www.cantonfootwear.org

alexda

Fast-food restaurants are the most popular place where people can get their food on the go. Because of this thought, many have come to love these kinds of restaurants, especially in the Philippines.

Did you know that Philippines aren’t only known for their unique cuisine, but also because of a fast-food restaurant? Jollibee is now the most popular and the biggest fast food chain in the Philippines. Jollibee Philippine is currently the biggest fast-food chain in the country; it also has locations in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia, Dubai and Brunei.

As far as we can remember, Jollibee provides us with the most delectable fast-food foods, but did you know that Jollibee did not start on selling hamburgers or chickens, it started as an ice cream parlor at Cubao in 1975 with Jolibe as the original name. Visit a Jollibee web site to learn how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

But after sometime, they decided on getting the services of a management consultant in the person of Manuel C. Lumba. Lumba suggested that to shift their business of ice cream parlor to hamburgers after his studies showed that a much larger market was waiting to get tapped.

And sure enough, their hamburgers became a hit for a lot of Filipinos. After this success, Lumba next reformed the name Jolibe to Jolly Bee and made the two words form a single name Jollibee. Then Lumba next created the product name “Yumburger” as well as the name “Chickenjoy”. Visit a Jollibee <a href=”http://www.expressregalo.com/category.aspx?scid=67&cid=14″>web site to learn</a> how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

The stores were re-designed, the service transformed into a full self-service, fast food operation with drive thrus. Not long after, Tony Tan and Manny Lumba went on an observation tour in the United States, attended food service and equipment conventions. Tony Tan put Manny Lumba on center stage by putting him in charge of franchise development.

Jollibee have gotten so big that they have decided on incorporating some expansions and acquisitions on other fast-food restaurants. On 2000, Jollibee acquired Chowking, allowing Jollibee to be part of the oriental quick service restaurant segment.

Similarly, Jollibee also acquired Red Ribbon Bakeshop on 2005, another popular fast-food restaurant in the Philippines. In 2006, Jollibee acquired the Délifrance which further expanded its penetration in the food service industry particularly in the French cafe-bakery, a growing segment of the Philippine food market.

Now, Jollibee has become the biggest fast-food chains in the world with an overall count of 1,466 stores in the Philippines namely Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich Pizza, Red Ribbon Bakeshop, Délifrance and Mang Pepe. It had 191 stores overseas. Visit a Jol<a href=”http://www.expressregalo.com/category.aspx?scid=67&cid=14″>libee web site to</a> learn how to send Jollibee Food products to your loved ones back home.

That’s all about the history and present state of Jollibee Philippine. But if you are ever wondering about sending some Jollibee food products your loved ones back home with the stress of going through all that calling and waiting, then visit Express Regalo a

Christine Layug

Teaching Jobs in Shanghai

Whether you are already a professional or an inexperienced first-timer, there is something for everyone in Shanghai. Kindergartens, universities, language institutes, and private students are all looking for both general English and business English teachers.

Many local and international schools cater to a variety of ages and levels. Saturday children’s programs, adult evening classes, or daytime university courses may all make up a Shanghai teacher’s week. Full-time work consists of about 20 contract hours. The time is spent teaching classes, leading English corners, and performing other duties at the school. 

In many cases, class preparation time is not included, but planning classes and organizing your materials may only take a few extra hours a week. Most schools have all kinds of materials available, including books, tapes or CDs, DVDs, and other supplementary tools. Computers and Internet service are also readily available. 

Shanghai is the center of the world right now, and businesspeople, students, and tourists flock here in order to take advantage of the opportunities and to discover a culture that has been only recently been opened to us. 

Teaching is not only a way to have a good time, but it is also a valuable experience that builds personal skills, develops careers, and opens minds. There are also plenty of jobs in education, as the Chinese see English as a key to high-paying jobs both in China and abroad. 

History of Shanghai

Built on the banks of the Huangpu river, Shanghai is China’s largest city and its most important economic, commercial, financial and communications centre.

 Shanghai was a sleepy fishing town until the start of the 20th century, when it experienced a period of unprecedented development which transformed it into China’s most important city.

 After WW II Shanghai languished under the communist rule until 1992, when the Chinese government started implementing free market policies. Currently Shanghai is growing at a very rapid pace, with new buildings and skyscrapers continuosly being built. It’s skyline on the Huangpu river now rivals that of Hong Kong.

 The most dynamic city in the world’s fastest- changing nation, Shanghai is an exhilarating, ever-morphing metropolis that isn’t just living China’s dream, but is setting the pace for the rest of the world. Once a playground for foreign adventurers and socialites, the one-time whore of the Orient is now where home-grown tycoons build soaring monuments to capitalism and the locals party all night.

But despite a past as evocative as it is notorious, Shanghai has dispensed with the rear-view mirror, pushed the pedal to the floor and is roaring towards its imagined future so fast that keeping up is almost impossible. New developments spring up weekly, while the rapidly growing middle classes work seven days a week in the hope of graduating to the big-time.

 Shanghai is a city of stunning contrasts, where visitors can go from sipping a cocktail in a designer bar overlooking the Bund, to eating dumplings at a street stall, or gazing at a 10th-century Buddhist monastery, in the space of a few hours. Summer is hot and humid, winter can get cold, but Shanghai never stops.

Places of Interest in Shanghai

Although often viewed as a modern metropolis, Shanghai still contains some picturesque rural suburban areas (as seen in the picture above). A wonderful area to visit during the day and night is the Bund, which is home to many cosmopolitan restaurants and modern day shops. Shanghai boasts several museums of regional and national importance.

The Shanghai Museum of art and history has one of the best collections of Chinese historical artifacts in the world, including important archaeological finds since 1949. The Shanghai Art Museum, located near People’s Square, is a major art museum holding both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Shanghai Natural History Museum is a large scale natural history museum.

In addition, there is a variety of smaller, specialist museums, some housed in important historical sites such as the site of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea and the site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

Register and Upload your CV

Register your details today and upload you CV and details and we will start to work with you to find a great international teaching job.

Kevin McLaren
http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/teaching-jobs-in-shanghai-752886.html

Sekonda was founded in 1931, now it is part of Time Products (U.K). It remains the same privately owned business that it started as, but has evolved to cater to 6.5% of the British watch market (GFK data 2006). With a market share like that it is no surprise that Sekonda is presently the U.K.’s best selling watch brand. More amazing is the fact that it has remained the U.K.’s favorite watch brand since 1988 and in 2006 became the best seller by both volume and value. Showing that it is firmly established in its position at the top of this industry. The reasons for their success are many and perhaps can be best summed up by their own slogan “beware of expensive imitations.”

The History

Sekonda used to import Soviet watches for sale in the Western markets. They are associated with the original production of both digital and quartz watches. Firstly sourcing Russian mechanical watches and then moving their production to Hong Kong as quartz technology became the highly desired watch mechanism. This flair for utilising innovations has been a crucial element of their success. In the 1980′s a host of fashion houses such as DKNY, Gucci and Guess began producing their own fashion watches. This marked the beginning of a new era of competition within the watch industry and questions began to be raised about how to combat the new influx of competitors; the main problem was that the size of the market had not increased at the same rate as those after market share.

Sekonda’s Solution

The key values that have driven Sekonda’s success are price, quality and service. RRP’s are chosen before product development is complete. This places the emphasis on the buyers to reduce material costs, rather than on the retailers to sell at a higher price. The core lines retail between £20 and £80, eminently more affordable than their fashion house counterparts. Strict quality controls have remained firmly in place since the start. Each watch is checked by hand for any faults which has resulted in a return rate of less than 1%, even though they sell in excess of 1.6 million watches a year. Admirable. Additionally both end customers and retailers continually express their satisfaction with the sales process and the after sales care.

Brand Revolution

Sekonda have managed to retain their market status not only by providing a high quality of product and service but by constantly evolving to satisfy the desires of their key target market, 25-35 year olds. In the last twenty years this has meant a change of strategy as fashion now dictates that style must be fast and disposable. The notion of impulse buying has become not just a bonus for the retailer but a staple diet. Sekonda decided to develop ranges that fed into this market and, in 2004 and 2005 respectively, the Seksy and One ranges were born.

These two identities now account for 20% of Sekonda’s overall sales. Both ranges consist of watches that are individually named, most famously the Seksy Eclipse, which both emulates high fashion’s penchant for naming items and creates a tag that is significantly more likely to lodge in the mind of the consumer than just an image or traditional product code. Image conscious women and men were suddenly provided with high fashion style for high street prices from a reliable brand. This sales strategy has been one of the most successful of recent years. Essentially the model that they have created is eminently effective marketing actually backed up by a good quality product at a good price. They are ticking all the boxes and this constantly creates a substantial amount of work but allows for continual reassessment and innovation.

Practical Management

One of the essential elements of a fashion brand is a quick turn around on products. The lead time for a new Sekonda watch is only 3 months, so their ‘cool hunters’ can capitalise on a trend within a relatively short time. They also have product launches every six months to facilitate this. This is a logistic nightmare. But thanks to a precise stock system, based upon perceptive use of market research and advertising strategies Sekonda have one of the lower waiting times for delivery in the watch sector. This has come to be essential in a market based upon rapidly changing fashions. At any time they have approximately 1 million watches in stock, yet aim to sell 600,000-700,000 of this stock within a short period. In addition to this they will also label products for individual retailers based on their systems rather than Sekonda’s. This further enables a speedy transition to the shop shelf.

Brand Management

The most visible and therefore the most important element of their sales is brand representation. In 2006 they had a marketing budget of £1.6 million, this increased to £1.9 million in 2007. A significant outlay which has yielded impressive results. This budget is in part spent on traditional magazine advertising including features in Heat, OK, Closer, Nuts and Zoo. But they have embraced new advertising realms. Noting the prevalence of media celebrity culture they have aligned their brand with a number of high profile celebrities; most recently Girls Aloud, Take That and Jack Osbourne. They have also sponsored television shows with anticipated high viewing figures such as the 2008 X-Factor. One of the most notable forms this has taken is the distinctive idents placed in advertising breaks, which include a number to text for your nearest Sekonda retailer. During the program “An Audience with Take That’ they received 1500 texts, the highest number ever recorded for this type of advertising. Putting aside for one moment the valuable brand exposure the ads provide, Sekonda have managed to turn TV advertising into actual sales. The effect of their campaign has filtered down right through the sales network. It is rarely that a customer asks for a specific watch that they have encountered through any advertising campaign. The retailer that I work for has received unprecedented numbers of enquiries about Seksy and One watches solely based on the effects of the TV campaigns.

The Future

Sekonda have entered into the travel retail market which as well as direct sales opportunities has the added benefit of brand exposure. Customers with enough capital to travel are a captive audience for the duration of flights. They are highly likely to browse the in-flight magazine the products are featured in even if they do not purchase anything. Other businesses have been keen to capitalize on Sekonda’s success. Virgin flights had Sekonda advertising running on the back cover of the summer edition of their magazine. Sekonda now sell their watches on a number of airlines, have flagship stores at major airports and are completing a number of deals to place shops in popular U.K. tourist destinations and in ex-pat communities located in Dubai, Spain, Sharm el Sheikh and South Africa. At present U.K. consumers account for approximately half of all Sekonda’s sales.

Amy – Find Watches
http://www.articlesbase.com/advertising-articles/sekonda-to-one-seksy-brand-how-to-sell-lots-of-watches-745886.html

MAKING GRAND BAHAMA YOUR SECOND HOME

Whether you fall in love with Grand Bahama at first sight, or quietly grow to love it after a few vacation dates, there is a certain magnetic quality about this island that keeps people coming back again and again. A big part of the attraction is that Grand Bahama represents the best of both worlds. It has all the basic ingredients of a tropical paradise: year-round sun, 25 miles of sandy white beaches, swaying palms, championship golf courses, and some of the prettiest crystal clear aqua waters in the world. The island is also ideally located just off Florida’s fast paced fun-coast, only about 70 miles from Miami, Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Finding everything you want in a relaxed, charming, get-away-from-it-all island, so close to the United States, is a combination that’s hard to beat. And a combination that has lots of well-traveled people from all over the world choosing Grand Bahama Island as their second home.

A MODERN PARADISE

The wide paved boulevards, manicured roadways, miles of well-planned waterways that are part of Freeport / Lucaya’s modern infrastructure, got its start back in the mid 1950s when an American entrepreneur named Wallace Groves laid the strong foundation for today’s residential and business boom. Wallace’s original vision of a professionally designed and planned community, complete with clean water, state-of-the-art power and utilities, cutting-edge technology and communications, all carefully nestled within the abundant natural beauty of Grand Bahama, is alive and well today, clearly visible in an island infrastructure that is second to none in the region.

A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE

Freeport / Lucaya is unique in the entire Caribbean. In Grand Bahama, the enjoyment of relaxed island living is reliably supported by a clean, well-planned, up-to-date infrastructure that lets you truly relax, knowing the basics are already taken care of. It is also remarkable in this day and age to find an unspoiled place with no pollution or traffic congestion, only a 30 minute plane ride from South Florida.

Grand Bahama offers an unparalleled lifestyle, and the chance to get in on the ground floor of some tremendous growth. The island is just beginning to be discovered—it often reminds people of the opportunities they saw 40 years ago in Florida.

WORLDWIDE ATTENTION

Grand Bahama Island has attracted worldwide attention lately due to the recent investments of Hong Kong based Hutchison Whampoa. In a short span of less than three years, their port division, Hutchison Port Holdings, the global leader in port development and operation, has built one of the largest transshipment container ports in the world at Freeport Harbour in a joint venture with The Grand Bahama Development Company. Together, they are also developing a Sea/Air Business Centre that is uniquely situated on 786 acres in a tax-tree trade zone. The Sea/Air Business Centre will provide millions of square feet of warehouse and office space, linking the Freeport Container Port with Grand Bahama International Airport, allowing companies to take advantage of a container port that can handle the largest ships in the world and an airport that can handle the largest planes in the world, all in a tax-free, duty-free environment. The Sea/Air Business Centre already has generated tremendous interest by worldwide corporations interested in doing business in Freeport.

Grand Bahama will also find itself in the world spotlight as plans for The Bahamas Film Studios, a $76 million state-of-the-art film production and entertainment complex, currently under development, takes shape. The master plan includes a film and television production and post-production facility, a music-recording studio, movie theme park, waterpark, restaurants, retail shops, and an historic Bahamian Village when all phases are complete.

James Sarles

SHOOTING ABROAD

General
Shooting abroad can be a serious hassle if you don’t prepare properly. But if you follow a few guidelines, traveling with a kit is far more likely to go smoothly. Prepare and be prepared. The tips below address the most frequent problems we see.

Carnets
The countries listed below require carnets if you’re traveling with location production equipment. A carnet is essentially proof that a bond is held in your home country on the equipment and it will not be released until the equipment is returned to your home country. It is meant to stop people from taking goods from a country where they are relatively cheap and selling them in a country where they cost far more because of duties, taxes or other reasons.

The easiest way to get a carnet is to phone a company that processes them and they will post the bond for a fee. If you don’t know a company that offers this service, ask for a recommendation from someone who does and who can vouch for speed, reliability and efficiency. The charge varies depending on how quickly you need the carnet and on which country you’re visiting. Typically the charge will include:

Administration fee charged by the company processing the carnet
Local Chamber of Commerce fee
Charge for posting the bond

The bond required varies from country to country and is a percentage of the stated value of the equipment. The charge for posting the bond depends on the declared value of the equipment. Different people take different approaches to the declared value. Some use the new value of the equipment. Some list the used value. Some use an artificially low value to save on the charge for the bond. I recommend you seek advice on what value to declare. The values declared on a carnet have no bearing on the insured value of the equipment.

Once you have a carnet, make sure you have it signed and stamped every time you enter and leave a country. If you fail to do this, you will have to present all the equipment on the carnet to a Customs inspector once you’re back in the UK there is a fee for this and you risk a fine. If you’ve hired the equipment, you’ll need to hire the identical equipment to show Customs and this could incur hire charges and arranging for the exact kit with the serial numbers listed on the carnet to show the Customs inspector can be a major hassle. This can so easily be avoided by ensuring the right forms are signed and stamped on every entry into and departure from a given country.

Also extremely important is returning the carnet documents to the issuer immediately. If you send them by post, send them registered and phone to make sure they have been received. I know of a couple of cases of carnets apparently being returned to the issuer and apparently not received. The result was a hefty fine and a lot of trouble trying to reassemble the equipment on the carnet for a Customs inspection so the bond would be released.

The bottom line is the bond is only released once the equipment has returned to your home country and the carnet has been returned to whoever processed it with all the paperwork correctly done. This is essential.

Countries Requiring Carnets
Below is a list of countries that require carnets for camera kits. The list excludes EU countries because if you’re traveling from the UK and staying within the EU a carnet is not necessary.

Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Canary Islands, China, Croatia, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, China, Iceland, India, Israel, Japan, Korea (Republic of), Lebanon, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United States.

Countries That Do Not Require Carnets
If you’re traveling to a country or countries that do not require a carnet you should take a pro-forma equipment list. This is a list of all the equipment you are traveling with and should include the manufacturer and model number, the serial number, the country of manufacture and the value. Once again the value can be replacement value, used value or an artificially low value at your discretion. This list should be on company letterhead. Take several copies of it with you, ideally with a company stamp on it.

In addition to the pro-forma, there is one other piece of paperwork you’ll need – an HM Customs and Excise C & E 1246 form. The heading on this form is “Returned Goods Relief: declarations to be made when using duplicate lists.” These can be downloaded from the HM Customs and Excise, now part of HM Revenue and Customs, web site www.hmce.gov.uk. On the home page, click onto Forms, leaflets and booklets. Once there, go to “Forms published in respect of matters formerly dealt with by HM Customs & Excise.” Follow the list down to C & E 1246 and print it out.

Complete the form and take it and several copies of the equipment list with you when you check in at the airport you’re leaving from in the UK. When you check in, let the airline attendant know you have a “Returned Good Relief” list and need to have Customs stamp it. Customs will generally only want to see the highest priced items such as the camera, which you should hand carry, and you will need to take these items through the boarding pass checkpoint and to the Customs counter on the other side to get this stamped. If Customs wants to see everything you may have to hire an airport porter to take the equipment around. The stamped form and list prove you left the UK with the listed equipment so that when you return to the UK you can show it to Customs and you won’t have any problem getting the equipment back into the UK.

Excess Baggage
Excess baggage charges can make a production manager shake violently and look like the terrified victim of a maniac in a horror film. They can be outrageous. For example, BA charges £30.89 per kilo for all baggage above 20 kilos if you’re flying economy class to Sydney. That’s each way. So if you’re travelling with 150 kilos of kit and personal luggage and there are two of you with 20 kilos of baggage allowance each, that’s 110 kilos of excess baggage at £3397.90 each way. Sometimes you can negotiate but often the person you’ll be talking to will apparently take great delight in the pain these charges can cause.

So how do you beat these charges? First, travel light. If it won’t compromise your shoot, consider taking an LCD monitor instead of a Sony 9-inch monitor. If you can, keep your lighting kit portable. If possible, carry on the camera with the wide angle lens attached and wrap the standard lens in something protective so that it can be carried on with the camera and wide angle as well. Then send the case for the wide angle empty this also reduces the chance of losing your wide angle lens to theft or mishandling. If possible, try to carry one or two camera batteries onto the plane as well. And make sure there is one tape in the camera and at least one spare in the carry bag. This means if your luggage gets lost, you’ll at least have a camera with lenses and some batteries.

Before you fly, ring the airline and tell them you will have excess baggage and would like to prepay. Try to negotiate a better rate, particularly if you fly with that airline frequently. At the very least this prevents another problem I’ve seen many times. The crew arrives to check in and no provision has been made for excess baggage costs so they’re faced with putting significant charges on their credit cards. A few times I’ve seen this happen and no one in the crew had a credit card that could handle the charge so they missed their flight.

Another option is to use a specialist company that guarantees to save you serious amounts on excess baggage charges. One such company that’s been brought to our attention recently is Media Onboard. We haven’t used them yet so I can’t vouch for them. However, they claim to be able to save as much as 70 percent on excess baggage charges. The company has arranged “huge discounts” with several Star Alliance airlines for anyone travelling with the “tools of their trade.” These airlines include Lufthansa, Austrian and United Airlines. Anthony Miller of Media Onboard’s business development team says “current users have found the savings to be so significant that it has altered the way that they plan and budget for overseas productions.” My suggestion is to visit their website, www.mediaonboard.com, and call them to check out their service. If they do what they say they can, their service will be extremely worthwhile. If anyone does try Media Onboard, please let me know how it went.

Transport to and from Airports
If your crew is flying, make sure you budget for the cost of getting them to and from all the airports they’ll be using. These costs can be high in some places, especially if the crew is travelling to several airports on the same trip. Some hotels will provide complementary transport to and from the nearest airport just make sure you confirm this service and book it in advance. If you’re lucky enough to fly business class, some airlines include a limo to and from your hotel. Again, book in advance. If you need to use a taxi, make sure you check what the fare should be from the airport to your destination and make sure the crew knows this before they fly. Ideally, provide the crew with some local currency so changing money doesn’t become a last minute hassle.

Local Equipment Hire Facilities
It’s a sad fact but equipment does break down or get lost in transport or stolen. When this happens, it helps a lot if your crew has a list of local equipment hire companies ideally with maps on how to get to them and a list of kit they offer. Before the crew flies, check with others you know for references of companies operating in the places the crew is visiting or go on the internet to find them. For a quick check, go to www.mandy.com. Phone or e-mail these companies before the crew leaves to confirm what they have, what they charge and how you can pay them. The easiest option is to deal with companies that accept credit cards. Also, have your crew take photocopies of your insurance policy pages that outline the equipment hire coverage you have and some business cards of whoever will be processing payment in the UK if it’s not done by the crew on location.

Summary
I’m sure much of this is obvious, especially to anyone who’s travelled, but we still see things go wrong or budgets unexpectedly increase because some of these tips weren’t followed. The main points are:

get a carnet if you’re flying to a country that requires it
make sure the carnet is stamped and signed by customs every time the equipment is taken into and out of a country
if the country or countries you’re visiting do not require a carnet take several pro-forma equipment lists and a C & E 1246 form (except within the EU)
sort out excess baggage arrangements before the crew gets to the airport and try to get the best deal possible
travel as lightly as you can
don’t forget about transport costs to and from airports
identify equipment hire companies operating in the places the crew is visiting
An Addition to Last Month’s E-Zine
Mark Holmes of Prokit in London distributes the Wally Dolly and he advised me that the units sold in the UK include four metres of track and a hi hat, rather than just the standard three metres of track.

Last Month’s Lyrics
No one got the answer to last month’s lyrics question: who wrote: “I’ve never seen a night so long, as time goes crawling by.” The answer is Hank Williams and the song is “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.” Two people guessed Johnny Cash. He sang the song on one of his last CDs but he didn’t write it.

This Month’s Question
Moving away from lyrics to fiction, who wrote this line: “From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something to look at from thirty feet away.” The first person to e-mail me with the correct answer gets a bottle of champagne. It won’t be Dom Perignon but it will be a decent bottle.

And if you have any questions or comments please e-mail cal@procamtv.com.

Until next time, happy shooting.

Cal Barton,
Procam Television

www.procamtv.com

Cal Barton
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/camera-shooting-abroad-73677.html

from the press release
Hong Kong and Cincinnati, Ohio – Dec.7, 2010 – It’s the most wonderful time of the year: The highly-anticipated Hello Kitty Seasons is available in North America. Brought to you by Sanrio Digital and video game publisher Zoo Entertainment, Inc, Hello Kitty Seasons is the first-ever Hello Kitty title for Nintendo Wii™, featuring fun and innovative gameplay that changes with the turning of the seasons. Whether diving into spring cleaning, dishing up ice cream to friends in hot summer weather, picking pumpkins during the brisk fall harvest or keeping friends warm with hot cocoa in the chilly winter, each new season brings a unique look and fresh challenges to Hello Kitty fans.

“Hello Kitty Seasons brings Sanrio Digital into the next phase of Hello Kitty’s video gaming legacy,” said Robert Ferrari, vice president of publishing and business development, Sanrio Digital. “We’re continuing to move into new gaming territories, and as the first Hello Kitty game for the Nintendo Wii, this is an exciting step in a new direction for us and our fans.”

Hello Kitty Seasons is the latest adventure for Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters. Players take part in an adventure through which they help develop a whimsical, colorful village while participating in exciting quests while the seasons change right before their eyes. Hello Kitty fans of all ages can unlock items to customize their avatar, upgrade their town and collect in-game items including clothing and accessories as they progress through the game. Players will be guided on missions and minigames by beloved Sanrio characters including Hello Kitty , My Melody , Keroppi , Badtz-Maru , Little Twin Stars , Chococat® and others.

“As many of Hello Kitty’s fans love to play games on the Nintendo Wii, we’re proud to play a part in bringing this unparalleled interactive experience to consumers in partnership with Sanrio Digital,” said Mark Seremet, CEO, Zoo Games. “Hello Kitty Seasons puts fans into the magical realm of Sanrio to play a number of beloved outdoor activities. The creative mini-games featured in Hello Kitty Seasons may even inspire new seasonal traditions for families and friends.”

Rated “E” for Everyone, Hello Kitty Seasons is available at retailers across the U.S. and Canada for Nintendo Wii with a MSRP of $29.99. For more information and press assets, please visit the Sanrio Digital GamesPress page.

# # #

About SANRIO®
SANRIO, best known for global icon Hello Kitty and home to many more endearing characters including Chococat, My Melody, and Keroppi, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. August 2010 marks the golden anniversary for the worldwide lifestyle brand that was founded on the “Small Gift, Big Smile® philosophy — that a small gift can bring a big smile to people of all ages. Today, over 50,000 Sanrio-branded items are sold in over 70 countries around the world. In the Western Hemisphere SANRIO character-branded products are sold in upwards of 12,000 locations including department, specialty, national chain stores and over 95 Sanrio boutiques. For more information, please visit www.sanrio.com.

About Sanrio Digital
Sanrio Digital is a joint venture between Typhoon Games (HK) Ltd. and Sanrio Wave Hong Kong Co., Ltd. Sanrio Digital is responsible for the expansion of Sanrio intellectual property assets into various digital and online media, leveraging an extensive library of original material that includes world-famous brands such as Hello Kitty, Badtz Maru, My Melody and others. Sanrio Digital is the developer and global publisher of Hello Kitty Online and SanrioTown. For more information please visit www.sanriodigital.com, www.hellokittyonline.com, and www.sanriotown.com.

About Zoo Entertainment, Inc.
Zoo Entertainment is a developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment software targeted to family-oriented mass-market consumers. With a strong network of leading national mass market retailers, its casual and value-focused titles span categories including sports, family, racing, game-show, strategy and action-adventure, among others.

Zoo’s software is developed for all major consoles, handheld gaming devices, PCs, and mobile and smart-phone devices as well as the emerging connected services. Rather than depending on a relatively limited number of “blockbuster” titles, Zoo publishes a broad stream of titles at compelling values. The Company has a library of approximately 100 games, and targets publishing approximately 50 new games in 2010.

Duration : 0:0:55

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Technorati Tags: game, spiel, teaser, trailer

Electric cars, taxis motorbikes and buses were the stars of the 5th edition of Eco Expo Asia, which opened 3 November in Hong Kong. A record 260 exhibitors attended the event held under the theme Business Solutions to Climate Change, and with the support of the United States as expo partner.

Related Links:
Eco Expo Asia: http://www.hktdc.com/fair/ecoexpoasia-en/
Eco Expo Asia Opens with US as Partner Country: http://www.hktdc.com/info/mi/a/tdcnews/en/1X076HK1/1/
US Foreign Commercial Service and HKTDC Sign Trade Promotion Deal: http://www.hktdc.com/info/mi/a/tdcnews/en/1X0777B4/1/

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Technorati Tags: Bridge, Council, Development, HKTDC, Hong, Initiative, Kong, Pacific, PBI, trade