text:
Survey: Customer Acquisition Top Priority for Manufacturing Marketers in 2017
Krystle Vermes
As manufacturing marketers shift their objectives in the new year, research now shows that they were heavily focused on customer acquisition in 2017.
The "2017 Trends in Industrial Marketing: How Manufacturers are Marketing Today" from IEEE GlobalSpec recently took a look at which objectives marketing executives in the manufacturing industry focused on last year. The research showed that customer acquisition was still the top priority for 42 percent of respondents in 2017. This was the sixth year in a row that "customer acquisition" took the number one spot.
Other key objectives for manufacturing marketers in 2017 included demand generation (23 percent), brand awareness (18 percent) and customer retention (12 percent).
When it came to separating themselves from the competition, 54 percent of marketers said that the quality of their products/services offered separated them from the pack. This was followed by their variety of products/services (16 percent), customer service/experience (15 percent) and price (6 percent).
In terms of challenges, the majority of manufacturing marketers were still struggling with too few marketing resources (36 percent). Thirty-four percent said that last year, they were not generating enough high-quality leads for sales.
Manufacturing Marketers and Content Marketing
Manufacturing marketers had several objectives in 2017, but previous research indicates that they were starting to turn to content marketing more frequently.
IEEE GlobalSpec teamed up with Marketing Profs to conduct the "Manufacturing Content Marketing: 2018 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America" report and discovered that the vast majority of marketers (86 percent) utilize content marketing. About 57 percent have a small or one-person content marketing team that serves their organization.
Approximately 46 percent of respondents are still in the "young/first steps" phase of content marketing maturity.
KoMarketing B2B Marketing Industry News
KoMarketing industry news provides the latest information, news, and trends in online marketing for B2B marketers. We emphasize all facets of B2B demand generation including search, social media, content marketing, email, and marketing technology among other key categories and topics.
Mobile Device Adoption
6 Key Takeaways: Migrating to GA4 for B2B Marketers
GA4 and Google Ads: What B2B Marketers Need to Know
GA4 Conversion Tracking: What A B2B Marketer Needs to Know
A B2B Marketers' Guide to GA4 Reporting & Measurement
How to Drive Engagement on Social Media for B2B Marketers
How to Use B2B Google Ads for Lead Generation: A 6-Step Guide
B2B Content Marketing Metrics: Tracking What Matters
Twitter Advertising for B2B Marketers: Twitter Ads Campaign Types
How to Run Paid Ads on LinkedIn: A 7-Step Guide
"Working with KoMarketing was more like a partnership as supposed to just another consulting project. We learned a lot from KoMarketing, while excelling in all aspects of SEO for our website. If your looking for a hard working, dedicated team, KoMarketing is a partnership you won't regret."
— Alexis Karlin, Digital Marketing Specialist, Neolane (Acquired by Adobe)


text: Q: Cannot resolve symbol/method on everything but the app still builds? While i was working i just restarted android studio and after the restart basically started showing "Cannot resolve symbol/method". Every single class. I already tried clean and rebuild even PC restart and nothing helps. The strange thing is that there is absolutely no problem building/running the app.activity

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


When I realized that my post Skinny Conifers for Tight Spaces has been read over 40,000 times, it inspired me to create a free booklet for my newsletter subscribers; Top 10 Skinny Trees for Tight Spaces, which expanded that selection to include deciduous and flowering trees as well as conifers. That too has been well received, so here is the next installment: Skinny Shrubs for Tight Spaces.
There are times when you need a vertical element to break up a river of mounding shapes. Or to stand sentry at an entrance point. Or to create a living dividing wall between garden areas. Perhaps you have a narrow side garden and need screening from the neighbors' yet do not want to erect a fence? Or you are just looking for a centerpiece for a container that doesn't get too wide. Basically skinny shrubs are useful where you only have a small footprint to work with yet need some height.
I've used Fine Line buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula 'Fine Line') in containers, to create a deciduous hedge, and also to establish a living wall adjacent to a pathway.
This versatile shrub retains is columnar shape without pruning, is deer resistant, drought tolerant, will grow in part shade or full sun and is sterile – so none of the invasive concerns of older varieties of buckthorn. The finely textured green leaves turn bright yellow in fall and the brown woody stems are speckled with white spots, so even after the leaves have fallen there is a sculptural quality and beauty to this shrub.
Not for everyone, as barberries (Berberis) are invasive in some states, but where these can be grown, consider Sunjoy Gold Pillar (gold) and Helmond's Pillar (burgundy). I've used these in the impossibly small planting beds in front of garages, in containers, to mark the entrance to a woodland path, to create a living fence between neighbors, and as exclamation points in the landscape. They can be planted singly or in groups to great effect. Fall color and berries add to the display.
Incidentally I have seen Helmond's Pillar 6 feet tall and 2 feet wide so the size cited here is rather conservative. Conversely, I have found the golden form to be smaller and slower growing.
A semi-transparent screen between neighbors using Helmond's Pillar, clematis, standard roses and columnar evergreens, rising from a carpet of Profusion fleabane. Design by Le jardinet.
You'll find more design ideas using both of these in my latest book Gardening with Foliage First.
Barberries are hardy in zones 4-8.
Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia cvs.) and Washington state – especially colder regions of the state – are not usually considered compatible as it rarely gets warm enough for the shrubs to bloom. That becomes irrelevant when you have a variety such as Moonlight Magic, with dark chocolate colored foliage in a much narrower form than the better known Californian street trees.
Moonlight Magic grows just 4-6 feet wide yet still gets 8-12 feet tall, so more slender and well-toned rather than truly skinny – but worth your consideration for sure.
I've had success with this in a container for several years now. In landscape designs I could see using Moonlight Magic as a focal point within a vignette or where I might otherwise reach for a purple smoke bush but don't have the space.
Hibiscus are those shrubs with tropical-looking flowers that are so eye catching in late summer, yet many are too large for the average garden. Purple Pillar is the answer at just 2-3 feet wide. If you plant them 2 feet apart they quickly form a dense summer screen as shown in the photo above.
Don't let lack of a garden spoil the fun. Purple Pillar will grow happily in large containers. These can be placed together to create a privacy screen from the neighbors or hide ugly utilities.
Columnar Japanese holly (Ilex crenata 'Mariesii') which is more sculptural than Sky Pencil but can be harder to find.


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TUCKER CARLSON: El Salvador Is Now Safer Than Many American Cities Like Baltimore [VIDEO]
By Patty McMurray | Jun 10, 2021
During a recent monologue on his show, Tucker Carlson pointed out that the country of El Salvador, previously known for horrific violence, is now safer than American cities like Chicago and Baltimore.
Carlson began his monologue by roasting Kamala Harris for her recent trip to South America, where she talked about the need to fix problems in countries like Guatemala. What about the problems we have right here in the United States?
Violent crime is on the rise in many Democrat-controlled cities. How much longer can we go on like this?
Here's a partial transcript of Tucker's monologue via Breitbart News:
People like Kamala Harris have a demonstrated record of dramatically improving everything they touch. Take a trip on Bay Area Rapid Transit sometime and you'll see what we mean, which is not to say that transforming Honduras into Monaco will be effortless. A project like that could take weeks.
But no matter how long it takes, we have a moral responsibility to do it, because as Sandy Cortez learned during her recent undergraduate days at Boston University, we are the ones who made Central America crappy in the first place. It's our fault. Everything is our fault, and especially this…
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But in the meantime, here's an idea, kind of a random one: why don't we fix the United States first? With a conversation with, all of the people, the President of El Salvador not so long ago and he made that point.
We were in his country shooting a documentary on MS-13 and immigration. During that interview, the President pointed out that actually, it might make more sense for people on say, the South Side of Chicago to apply for refugee status in El Salvador, not the other way around because it is less dangerous in El Salvador…
In 2018, Baltimore had 51 murders per 100,000 people; the same year, San Salvador had a smaller number, 50 per 100,000. San Salvador was long, the most dangerous city in the hemisphere. Baltimore, by the way, also has a higher murder rate than Guatemala, Honduras, and Afghanistan.
So, why don't people who live in Baltimore have a right to apply for asylum in Central America? Thanks to good leadership, El Salvador is getting safer. Meanwhile, thanks to people like Kamala Harris, our country is becoming far more dangerous.
Watch the whole thing below:
Tucker is an expert at asking questions the liberal media deliberately ignores.
Why are we concerned with the well-being of countries in South America that are safer than some cities in our own country?
h/t American Lookout

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Super Mario Odyssey's Two-Moon Levels Are A Wonderful Design Touch
Stephen Totilo
PublishedAugust 8, 2018
In many areas of Nintendo's crowd-pleasing Super Mario Odyssey, there's a main goal and a side goal that provides the same amount of reward but presents a greater challenge. It's my favorite design aspect of the game.
It's a simple but wonderful thing, and I've come to think of it as Nintendo's designers operating under a rule of twos. That's surely not the technical term, but it works for me and contrasts with the obsession I've seen Nintendo and other game designers have with a rule of threes.
The threes thing usually involves boss battles, including those in Odyssey. A typical three-part boss battle gives the player an easy hit the first time, so the player can learn the boss' vulnerability. After that, the boss can attack harder in what is now a challenge for the player to score a couple more hits. It's a good system for establishing escalating difficulty, if one that's cliche.
Kotaku Game Diary
Daily thoughts from a Kotaku staffer about a game we're playing.
The twos thing is more about rewarding exploration and curiosity, and works like this. I go into a sub-area in any of Odyssey's many kingdoms with the ostensible goal of jumping and hat-throwing my way toward a prize moon.
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Here I am doing that with Mario in a sub-area in the game's Luncheon Kingdom:
But I also know, having encountered it enough in the game, that if I'm in a sub-area that has a moon in it, there probably is a second moon hidden just off the main path.
Here I am in that same Luncheon Kingdom spot, exploring a suspicious tower right near the sub-area's entrance.
Odyssey is far from the first game to include optional side-treasure. Nor is it even one to telegraph that it has such things to offer. Some of Nintendo's own best games have done this over the years. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds on 3DS, for example, tucked an optional item in each of its dungeons in the land of Lorule. Super Mario World, way back on the Super Nintendo, indicated that any level marked with a red dot on its world map would have a second, secret exit.
All of Odyssey is designed to provoke a player's curiosity and reward them when they start poking around, but there's something additionally satisfying when the constant buzz of suspicion that leads a player to poke around is supported by the subtle establishment of the promise that there'll always be a second moon. In the many sub-areas I've explored in the game, I haven't seen this hinted promise broken. I love it.


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More than 'Generation Me'
Bryfman David
Source: Sh'ma
How can it be that the most narcissistic, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, materialistic generation that the world has ever known is also capable of causing social revolutions in any number of countries and mobilizing the masses in countless political campaigns — perhaps even saving the planet from environmental disaster?
This ambiguity plagues any organization that has young people on its radar. And, at a time when institutions are clamoring for relevance if not survival, this complexity should be front and center for discussion in the Jewish community….
I am not suggesting that any one of these four major characteristics of young people today is particularly radical. But when you combine them — and many other traits of these generations — one begins to see that the very fabric of what we understand as Jewish community is being challenged: Our current leadership structures, foundational basis in Jewish texts and values, raison d'être, and inability to relate to complex personal identity are all indicators of a community rapidly losing touch with its younger population.
Many of these characteristics have a connection to technology, but they are not about technology per se. But it would be a mistake not to understand that today's technology is changing the way people think, behave, and interact with one another at a magnitude the like of which we have never seen before.
These radical changes demand that we all adapt and innovate. Perhaps that prophecy may be more palatable when combined with suggested remedies:
Include young people at your board meetings and on your task forces. They should be invited not as informants, consultants, or focus groups, but rather as authentic voices with the same decision-making authority as anyone else around the table.
For young people who want to know that their contributions in life will make a meaningful difference, it is essential to ensure that your financial models are transparent and based on value propositions that resonate on both an
individual and collective level.
The value of being Jewish today must be expressed in a way that conflates a better sense of self, a stronger sense of community, and a better world in which all humanity can flourish….
Engrained in every Jewish educator must be the deeply held belief that education is about transforming lives in order to make the world a better place. By unleashing that individual personal spark in each of our learners, we will come closer to fully recognizing the potential of these generations. To underestimate their power is to suppress their creativity. To challenge and inspire them is our key to ensuring a vibrant Jewish world for the next generations to inherit.
Read the entire article at Sh'ma.
Administration | Innovation | Millenials | Technology | Young adults


The SRKG trails are for day hiking only. Overnight camping is not permitted. Camping on landowners' property may result in the SRKG Coalition losing permission to pass through that landowner's property.
Parking is at the Newbury Post Office. Walk west on NH 103, left at Newbury Heights at 0.1 mi., take second right at Lakeview Ave; after 80 yds. see the eastern trailhead where the Newbury Trail in Sunapee State Park goes right at 0.2 mi.
The eastern trailhead is at the east end of Old Province Road, which is the first left turn off Brook Rd., 1.3 mi. from NH 103. Parking is on the road, at the end of Old Province Road. Brook Road runs from NH 103 to Goshen.
The southern trailhead is at the Sunapee Town Office, on NH 103B just off NH 11 in the town of Sunapee. It is opposite the playing fields and the cemetery. There is a parking lot at the Town Office.
The western trailhead is at the intersection of Stoney Brook Road (Baptist Pond Road) and Deer Hill Road. Parking is at the trailhead. From Exit 12A off I-89 go south and take the first right onto Stoney Brook. Go 1.4 mi. to the intersection. The eastern trailhead is on the west side of NH 114, 1.5 mi. north of the road to Georges Mills.
The western trailhead is on the east side of the Springfield-New London Road (NH 114), 1.25 mi. north of the road to Georges Mills. Park 0.25 mi. to the north on the right, nearly opposite where the Protectworth Trail from Sunapee emerges.
The southern trailhead is on Pleasant Street, which leaves New London's Main St. (NH 114) opposite the Tracy Memorial Library. Go northeast on Pleasant Street and park just after crossing Great Brook, 2.0 mi. from Main Street.
The western trailhead is just off NH 4A, 0.25 mi. east and across the road from where Trail 6 intersects NH 4A at School House Rd. (where you park), 2.4 mi. west of North Wilmot Rd. The eastern trailhead is 0.3 mi. up Pinnacle Road, just north of the Wilmot Public Library.
The western trailhead parking is at the Wilmot Public Library. From NH 11 go 3 miles west on NH 4A, and turn right onto North Wilmot Road. The library is on the left. The trail starts on the east side of the road, about 200 yards up the North Wilmot Road.
Limited parking is available at the northern trailhead on New Canada Road, which leaves US 4 two miles north of its junction with NH 11. The trailhead is 0.9 mi. from US 4. The southern trailhead is at Proctor Academy in Andover on NH 11 adjacent to the tennis courts. Parking is next to the Field House.
The northern trailhead is on the south side of NH 11 opposite Proctor Academy in Andover where a dirt road passes between the playing fields and the town cemetery. There is parking in front of or behind the Farrell Field House.
The northern trailhead is at Winslow State Park off Kearsarge Valley Road. Parking is at the park; the trailhead is near the northeast corner. Kearsarge Valley Road runs from NH 11 in Wilmot Flat to North Road in Sutton near Exit 10 from I-89.
The eastern trailhead is on Kearsarge Valley Road 3.6 mi. S of NH11 and 0.5 mi. north of North Road in Sutton near Exit 10 from I-89. Parking is in a sandy area on the east side of the road. The Kearsarge Valley Trail is on the west side of the road, 20 yards south of parking.
The eastern trailhead is in Wadleigh State Park, off NH 114 in North Sutton. Parking is in the park and the trailhead is about 100 feet west of the parking lot entrance on the south side of the road. From late spring to October, there is an entrance fee. The western trailhead is at the Stoney Brook Sanctuary on Chalk Pond Road, 1.8 mi. east of NH 103A.
The eastern trailhead is at the Stoney Brook Sanctuary on Chalk Pond Rd., 1.8 mi. east of NH 103A. and 2.8 mi. north of Newbury Harbor and NH 103. The western trailhead is near the intersection of NH 103 and NH 103A. Parking is at the Newbury Post Office.
Send your comments and questions to srkgc@srkg.com about this web site.


An organization with a doom-and-gloom culture knows perfectly well it didn't get that way by accident. But it doesn't have to stay that way.
Author and happiness expert Michelle Gielan recently told me that when it comes to creating an uplifting environment, it helps to start every interaction you have on a positive note. Not-so positive news might come next, but upon entering a room filled with brightly colored balloons, by all means, keep your shiny sewing needle in your pocket, purse or wallet.
And if you can't be the silver lining, be a gray one. If you aren't a glass-half-full type, remember that you have a glass to begin with, and so on. We all have the power to positively change circumstances around us. In the workplace, that's particularly true for leaders, who are among the biggest influencers of workforce happiness.
Happiness, as many of you have likely heard time and time again, increases productivity — by at least by 12 percent, the Social Market Foundation and the University of Warwick's Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy reported last year.
I won't dismiss the stories that poke holes in the role of positive psychology in the workplace: Too much happiness is exhausting, unrealistic, sets people up for a more severe let down in the face of inevitable disappointments, etc. I get all those things. But let's look at striving for happiness less as a self-help intervention and more as a high-value company value that can affect results.
Culture is all about people. So I ask you now, is your company's culture people-friendly? Because in the face of all the doom and gloom doled out from every direction on a regular basis — world issues, work issues, home issues, life issues — everyone deserves a psychologically safe and healthy place in which to work.
Leadership consultant Chris Edmonds told me that many people who are putting in their three, four, eight, 10, or 12 hours of work aren't doing so in such a place. According to a TINYhr survey, a whopping 79 percent of employees feel marginally valued or extremely undervalued at work, and leadership has a great deal to do with it.
Employees are treated as cogs in a wheel, Edmonds said, worker bees who are praised for late nights at the office but not for the unique ideas and answers contributed therein. That draining culture — what he calls the '3 Ds': dismissing, demeaning and discounting employees' worth — is taking a toll and giving work a bad rep.
Why? Edmonds said some leaders don't think culture is their responsibility. They don't know how to change it, they aren't privy to many culture changes that worked well, nor have they led one. Yet culture is probably their primary responsibility.
Edmonds, founder and CEO for The Purposeful Culture Group, said organizations have incredible systems to monitor results and profits; they should pay more attention to the people making them happen.
Gielan, a former journalist, is no stranger to bad news. A lot of her work revolved around depressing news items and ultimately drove her away from the field and on a journey to understand how the messages we're continuously sharing with one another are shaping our world.
Our brains are incredible processors, but our noggins are being bombarded by 11 million bits of information a daily basis, she said. Like everything in life, choices have to be made. Walk into a meeting with a crummy attitude focused on customer complaints, dipping sales, disruption and other stressors, and there's little steam left to focus on the good things happening and what resources can be used to turn the ship around. Ruminate on how hopeless a situation looks, and there's little room left for the hope needed to change it.
"Optimists believe that in the face of challenge, negative events are temporary and local, and that their behavior matters," Gielan said.
Mind you, this doesn't mean be detached from reality; nobody wins there. When it comes to creating a positive organizational culture, it's about how we process things and what that processing looks like at the top, because leadership style influences as much as 70 percent of an organization's climate.
Some research claims that happiness is at least partially heritable. Whether a leader believes that, some small yet strategic changes can help them retrain their brains to be less Negative Nia or Nathaniel and more Realistic Ricara or Raymond. The two latter characters have a knack for seeing opportunity instead of being preoccupied with lack.
Consider what Gielan described as the "power lead." She told me about a tech manager she worked with during her research who sent bug reports out to his team. Then he'd go over all the fires everybody had to put out, stressing everyone out before meetings really got going. To improve the atmosphere, he began leading these meetings with something I'll call his "gratefuls," one thing he was grateful for about life, one thing he was grateful for about the team in general and one thing he was grateful for about someone in specific on the team. Then he got to the business challenges. Gielan said that small step changed the tone of the meetings, and team cohesiveness and productivity improved.
Now, the gratefuls aren't everyone's style, but Gielan said when a manager takes the time to deliver one piece of new and different praise to one person on their team each day, they're making waves.
Edmonds said learning leaders can play a pivotal role in socializing these behaviors across their organizations to help drive culture change from the top. He said learning leaders have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the organization that can be used to start that shift.
Learning leaders are well positioned to lay out what a civil workplace looks like, developing an organizational constitution where valued behaviors aren't just preferences but also expectations. Further, CLOs can hold leaders accountable for how they treat employees by helping extant performance management systems accommodate these values.
Bravetta Hassell is an associate editor for Chief Learning Officer. Comment below or email editor@CLOmedia.com.


The magic of the Yorkshire countryside awaits you at Jollydays. Luxurious, vintage style tents, complete with four-posters, log burners and even roll-top baths, stand amid lush woodland thick with birds. Delicious breakfast baskets and supper hampers are delivered to your tent for the ultimate camping indulgence. Summer rates from £655 per week. For more details, see the Jollydays website.
you can dine alfresco while watching the antics of the local possums.
From £219.47 through Mr & Mrs Smith.
You'll capture the spirit of Edwardian safaris at the magnificent Gorah Elephant Camp. The lavish safari tents, which look out on the savannah, are beautifully decorated and feature canopied beds. Dinner is in the romantic setting of Gorah house, or alfresco in the verandah that overlooks the watering hole?so you can take in the vast, starry African sky as you enjoy delicious barbecued food. From £415.50 through Mr & Mrs Smith.
For a glamping experience with a difference, nothing beats the Chewton Glen Treehouses. As you'd expect from one of Britain's most luxurious hotels, the treehouses ooze chic and luxe. Scrumptious hampers are delivered to your ?suite on stilts' through a secret hatch and you won't even need to climb done for a fabulous spa treatment?the beauty therapist will come to you instead. You can book a treehouse suite or a whole treehouse, with prices starting from £750. For more details, see the Chewton Glen website.
Fancy a safari experience without legging it to Africa? Try the Livingstone lodge instead. After an afternoon safari across 100 acres of land where lions, cheetahs, elephants and gorillas roam free, you'll dine in an atmospheric Laapa, sampling piri piri chicken or seasoned slices of fillet cooked on an open fire, the head to your authentic, luxurious safari lodge for the night. Go for the premium Rhino, Cheetah or Lion tents, which have either a four-poster or a double sledge bed. The following morning you'll have a chance to enjoy a second, shorter safari. Summer rates from £120 per person. For more details, see the Livingstone Lodge website.
Many of the domes at this unusual glamping site look like something out of Blade Runner, encased as they are in striking stainless steel frames. All have comfy beds, luxurious linen and wood burning stoves, but for a unique experience, try the gigantic SuperDome, where the swinging double bed dangles from the roof. You can try your hand at cooking dinner on the outdoor stove, or, on a lucky day, enjoy the Best Beef Ever cooked on the rocket stove (yes, really) by your hosts. All around you stretches the Forest of Dean in its breathtaking beauty. Prices start from £345 for a simple dome. For more details, see the Dome Garden website.
An elegant decor, luxurious linen and squashy sofas await you inside the yurts of the Priory Bay Hotel. Two candlelit lanterns guard the stable door entrance and, outside, the private terrace opens onto the leafy trees, the beach and the sea beyond. You can enjoy barbecued lobster alfresco, spy owls as they come out in the evening and, if you can bear to wake up at down, take in a breathtaking island sunrise. From £200 per night through Canopy & Stars.


Major shareholders reaffirm support in interim report for the trans-Tasman printer as it battles increasingly challenging business conditions.
Dismissing suggestion that Blue Star is in trouble, Chris Mitchell, (pictured) managing director, says the actions the company is taking, "are what a prudent company should be doing in today's challenging environment.
"Blue Star is in a sound financial position. It is profitable; it has positive cash flow. Moreover, our major shareholders have committed capital to the company. This equity support not only underpins our financial position, it also aims to ensure the continued excellent relationship Blue Star enjoys with its lenders is maintained," he said.
In his report, he notes that the sheetfed business has suffered the most from the current downturn, while the web, particularly Webstar Australia, and the Australian mailing businesses continue to perform strongly. In response the company has begun to optimize its sheetfed cost base, in such recent moves as closing the McMillan Printing business in Sydney and restructuring the Pirion Printing operations in Canberra.
The company anticipates a continuation of the current economic conditions for at least the next 12 months with consequent impacts on ongoing print spend and margin. However, it claims to be well positioned to continue expansion of its Australasian print management business without having to commit further major capital on print equipment.
Customer communications group, Salmat, flies high in face of economic downturn.
In its half-year results, the company achieved sales revenue of $454.6 million, up by 22.4 per cent. According to a statement, a full six months' revenue during the HPA acquisition, compared with only two months' contribution in the prior corresponding period was a key factor.
It was HPA that contributed to Salmat branch BusinessForce's $68.2 million profit. Peter Mattick said that the company is very pleased with the progress of HPA's integration. "The integration program is proceeding very well and we are on target to achieve our projected synergy savings," he said.
Within BusinessForce, revenue was up for both the Australian and Asian operations, offset by smaller revenue drops in data solutions, direct marketing and print-on-demand businesses.
Mattick expects that Salmat will achieve a similar level of performance for its second-half results, predicting a full-year figure to be around $75-80 million. He believes the economic situation will have a minimal effect on the company.
"Our experience over the past 30 years shows that a market downturn generally provides opportunities for Salmat," he said.
Leading Salmat into the future is new chief executive officer, Grant Harrod, who takes over at the beginning of April.
Your article and its inference is simply incorrect. Our interim accounts to be published tomorrow to the NZX will make this obvious. There is no truth at all in your unfounded assertion that this matter puts our company at risk. On the contrary we have commitment for continued support from our key equity sponsors and enjoy continued support of our lenders.
There's no shortage of letters this week; from the passing of Ron Hoolahan to Blue Star news.
Your article and its inference is simply incorrect. Our interim accounts published to the NZX will make this obvious. There is no truth at all in your unfounded assertion that this matter puts our company at risk. On the contrary we have commitment for continued support from our key equity sponsors and enjoy continued support of our lenders.
It's about time the Foreign Review Board and the ACCC looked at the national interest when overseas companies choose to raid Australian-owned companies.
With an economy that has 73 per cent of its imports consisting of manufactured goods, we are extremely vulnerable to any loss of employment.
The power wielded by multi nationals and large corporations is a recipe for disaster as evidenced by Woolworths and the decline of competition.
If the company turned over 490 million and made a 2.3 per cent profit that shows that they are doing lots of unprofitable work.
These big guys are cutting there own throats by continually doing things cheaper and believing that price is the only sellable point.
It was a lot more than 40 staff made redundant.
A lot of them were long time and loyal employees of J S McMillan.
Management & Staff of Standard Publishing House (Aust) Pty. Ltd were saddened to hear of Ron Hoolahan's passing.
Last Thursday the Sydney printing industry looked more like an extended family mourning the loss of one of its own, as suppliers, former employees and even competitors gathered to show their respects for a gentleman of the industry.
Ron was not the most outgoing or extroverted type you were ever likely to meet. A rather quiet, even shy man, he was probably the one they had in mind when someone wrote that "still waters run deep", or that he "hid his light under a bushell".
Cliches aside, Ron was obviously a warm-hearted and caring individual – "a quiet achiever" (sorry, no more cliches).
As someone said on the day, for a man who shunned the limelight, he became the center of attention last week. And in some ways his passing marks a watershed as our industry transitions from "family-style" owner/operator businesses to larger, more impersonal "corporatised" models.
But even in death, Ron speaks to us about certain lessons of life that we only fail to grasp at our peril.
4) That if you see a geontosaurus lumbering up the bank and into the meadow, do not be afraid, just charge them for all you're worth – they're really quite harmless!
My commisserations and regards to his family.
As well as GBC film division being a producer of laminating films, it promoted re-branded GMP Korean machines in the USA & Australia.
GMP is a competitor of GBC outside of the USA by past agreement and definitely a competitor of Cosmo. Most GBC clients in the USA thought that GBC made a lot of the laminators, when in fact they were produced in Korea by GMP who kept out of the States.
Cosmo only have a limited machine range. So the question is now, how do the GBC outlets of film get on with sourcing machines in future? Their strength was selling systems that included GMP/GBC laminators. I doubt that GMP will entertain increasing Cosmo's presence worldwide. Will be an interesting battle.
I enjoyed the article on the EBM that Mitchell wrote.
Fogra's colour expert, Andreas Kraushaar, spreads the word to Australians.
On his recent Australian tour, Kraushaar addressed printers in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to promote the benefits of adopting and embracing ISO standards.
Kraushaar believes that its not-for-profit nature makes ISO a more compelling option for printers. "ISO doesn't promote anything, it just offers rules and a framework for an industry to participate in," he said.
Pictured: Robert Gatto (left) with Andreas Kraushaar (right) at Old Parliament House, Sydney.
Kraushaar's advice to audiences was to understand ISO's history and the technical requirements of the process.
"I recommend considering the implementation and knowledge of standards before clients force you into doing it," he said.
He also believes that there is a strong need to make a dedicated standard for digital printing.
"If we get all the major digital manufacturers on board and participating in ISO we might get a first draft in one to two years but it requires a lot of momentum," Kraushaar said.
According to Robert Gatto of Kayell, whose company sponsored the event in conjunction with Epson, it was encouraging to see such support from printers around the country.
This was reiterated Kraushaar, who was optimistic of ISO's local take up.
"I was mesmerised and astonished by the response from Australians," he said.
Held one week after DES' ISO seminars in Sydney and Melbourne, the events from both companies drew very strong crowds, proving that printers are very aware of the need to implement colour standards into their businesses.
Cost-cutting measures may not be enough to cushion the impact of current trading conditions.
The printing company's parent, Sirius NZ Finance, is in danger of breeching interest payments on $105 million bonds attracting 9.1 per cent interest. If this happens Blue Star is faced with guaranteeing a higher rate of interest, 13.1 per cent, to 3700 New Zealand investors.
Last year the company reported a net profit after tax of $11.3 million on sales of $490 million. Blue Star is the larger of the two trans-Tasman PE-backed printing giants – GEON is the other. Under its new CEO, Chris Mitchell, it recently closed down McMillan Printing costing over 40 jobs as part of on ongoing rationalisation. It operates in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne, Australia; Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, New Zealand, and last year employed 2,000 staff.
According to the company, a program of stringent cost cutting is "well advanced" to deal with the threat posed by the economic down turn, but it says that its future is uncertain. In a statement reported on the National Business Review in New Zealand, Blue Star warns: It is not certain, however, that these initiatives will be sufficient to fully offset, in the short term, the current trading conditions.
Blue Star is owned by private equity firm, Champ, which bought it three years ago for NZ$385 million. Champ has recently allowed another one of its properties, discount chain, 'Go-Lo' to fail.
The region's largest print management company, Stream Solutions, is helping to drive the push towards standards-based printing by launching its own compliance program. Print21 spoke to the man in charge of making sure that the ink on paper makes the grade.
As expected, the move to introduce a common standard for offset print in Australia – AS/ISO 12647-2 – has generated a lot of interest and debate within the industry. So much so that, at times, the 'how' of achieving compliance has tended to obscure the reasons as to 'why' it should be done. While there are differing opinions as to the best way to implement standards-based printing, in the end the reason for doing so is all about giving customers what they want.
This is the approach taken by Stream Solutions which, in dealing with many of the largest print media customers in the country, recognised early on that what was needed was a reliable, consistent and predictable means of achieving a quality print result. The company first introduced the concept of a colour compliance program for its suppliers at its annual conference two years ago, and since the beginning of this year it has begun auditing its top 60 offset suppliers to assess their compliance with ISO 12647-2.
Dave Mann, design studio manager at Stream Solutions, is in charge of overseeing the compliance program and with ensuring that, over the coming year, Stream's major suppliers achieve conformity with the standard. As part of this program, every three months, each printer will have to supply a number of printed sheets taken from any job (it doesn't have to be a Stream job) which carry a colour bar supplied by Stream. These sheets, taken from the beginning, middle and end of the print run, will then be analysed at Stream's head office to determine how the individual supplier measures up.
While some printers might baulk at the idea of having to submit their work for scrutiny on a regular basis, Dave Mann says they should have nothing to worry about. The compliance program is not about telling printers how to do their job or forcing them to do things differently.
In fact, Mann says a lot of printers contacted to date have shown interest in having their work assessed to find out how well they are printing, even among printers who are already compliant with ISO 12647-2.
Originally from the UK, Mann travelled back there last year to inspect a number of printing sites where the implementation of standards-based printing is much more advanced than in Australia and where print management companies began their own compliance programs four or five years ago.
As part of his role as program manager, Dave Mann also sits on the TC130 committee which has worked so tirelessly to formulate and promote the Australian standard. His role there, he says, is not to act as another technical expert but rather to represent the interests of the consumer. Having worked in publishing and production environments, as well as managing Stream's in-house design studios with major clients, he understands the print buyer's desire for consistent, repeatable offset print results.
From his involvement in the technical aspects of the standard, Mann also has first-hand experience of the different processes involved in achieving compliance and an understanding of the various vendor systems available on the market to help printers reach that goal. And although he says he has a personal preference as to which system he considers the most appropriate, he is scrupulous in not favouring one over another and, in response to requests for information, strives to act as an 'honest broker'.
So is it possible for a printer to achieve compliance with the ISO standard and Stream's requirements without investing in a vendor-specific process?
"Yes and no," he states carefully after a pause, pointing out that there are indeed a lot of very well qualified prepress staff in the industry capable of driving compliance, but what the vendors bring to the table is a ready-made expertise and the necessary technology. There are other considerations too, he says. ISO implementation is a top-down process, he claims, and requires high level management support. It is also a 'whole business' process and depends on everybody's commitment and involvement, not just prepress.
With the Stream compliance program still in its early days, Mann says there have already been a dozen or so suppliers who have undergone and passed the auditing process to demonstrate that they can print to ISO 12647-2. By the end of the year, he hopes to have the top 60 suppliers compliant and says that if that target can be achieved then it will go a long way towards ensuring that Stream's customers receive the highest quality, consistent product from the industry.
Low margins lead to drop in earnings for McPherson's printing business.
In its first-half results, McPherson's made $13.5 million for the six months to 31 December 2008, a 13.5 per cent drop on the previous figures which were $15.6 million.
Earnings for printing were also down, at $1.7 million, a drop from $1.9 million in the previous corresponding period. Changes in the revenue mix and cost increases resulting from the lower Australian dollar were attributed to this drop.
McPherson's managing director, David Allman said that second-half trading had been "reasonably solid" and he expects the company's earnings per share for the full-year to be between 25-30 cents, compared with 25 cents predicted at the annual general meeting last November.
"Looking forward, the strength of our brands and our high proportion of non-discretionary products are expected to provide resilience in the current difficult trading environment," he said.
Decline in newspaper volumes results in a 6.4 per cent drop of printing revenue for Fairfax Media.
Print revenue was $50.8 million for Fairfax Media's first half of the financial year results, compared to $54.3 million in the previous year. Over the last year, Fairfax Media has commissioned a new plant in Ormiston while closing down its Burnie plant and consolidating work in Launceston, Tasmania. Volume declines in external printing work were described as responsible for the loss of profit.
All up, the company lost $365.3 million for the first half of 2009. Revenues were down by 5 per cent for Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan newspapers and magazines. In New Zealand, total revenues were down by 11 per cent.
It has been a rocky few months for the company after it announced plans to cut 550 jobs in August last year, prompting a workers strike. Not long after, David Kirk – former rugby star and PMP boss – stepped down as CEO and was later replaced by Brian McCarthy, who attempted to put on a brave face over the poor financial figures.
"Fairfax Media has reported a credible first-half trading result in the face of a significant deterioration in economic conditions," he said.
Death of 18-year-old Victorian employee sparks a call for safer workplaces in the printing industry.
The youth, whose name has been surpressed, had recently commenced employment at Advance Cartons in Thomastown, Victoria. He was reportedly pulled head-first into a printing press last week and died in hospital the next day.
WorkSafe has issued Advance Cartons with two prohibition notices and one improvement notice.
John Merritt, WorkSafe Victoria's executive director, has urged all employers – especially those in the printing industry – to ensure that all machinery is guarded effectively.
"If machines are unguarded, if people don't have appropriate training, licensing or supervision, and workers do not have the equipment needed to do their job safely, those issues must be dealt with," he said.
Birt said that an inquest is likely and WorkSafe will produce a brief for the Coroner.
Running and mantainance of the printing press.
Delegating to and supervising staff – assistants,reelhands,casuals,apprentices and fellow machine minders. Configuring and sending settings to the press,opening of job cards,load and unload jobs,check on and respond to e-mail requests and make sure dispatch knows what is coming and is ready for it. Collection and loading of plates. Ensuring that assistants keep ink levels topped up, web up the press, keep work area's neat and tidy,wash blankets. Start up press and run continuosly checking on qaulity and quantity of papers printed – setting register,bussel wheels and heads, inking according to colour proof if supplied.Setting side lay,web and in-feed tensions,cut-off and lap. Regulation of press speed,start up and run down. Set folder's – nips, jaws,diameter,belts,trolleys,slitter/s and ironing roller's. Replace and set folder – nip-rollers,belts,tucker blades ,grippers,knives rubbers, pins,trolleys,slitters and fingers if nessesary.
Selction of type of fold,broadsheet,tabloid,qauter fold,reel-to-sheet. Changing or setting of inking and dampening roller's,Changing blankets and packing. Selection of printing units.Set technotrance(water system) – PH,conductivity,tempreture as well as cleaning.Set and/or clean web break and qi (automatic register) devices. Preventitive mantainance. Report back and update foreman/manager's on progress. Calling of engineers or electricians as protocol,if the need be.Help wherever need be from reels stand to despatch. Ensuring high levels of quality print work at all times, and working exactly to the work ticket. Deciding when to let good copies go or to throw out spoils whilst monitoring and keeping waste minimal.Sticking to deadlines as far as humanly and mechanicaly possible,and keeping customers and fellow staff happy as far as my job permits me to.I am responsible for whatever I am asked to do that day and answer to my line foreman.
Delegating to and supervising staff – assistants,reelhands,casuals,apprentices. Collection and loading of plates. Ensuring that assistants – keep ink levels topped up, web up the press,keep work area's neat and tidy,wash blankets.Start up press and run – continuosly checking on qaulity and quantity of paper printed,setting register,bussel wheels and heads, inking according to colour proof if supplied. Setting side lay ,web and in-feed tensions,tilt-boxes,cut-off and lap. Regulation of press speed.Set folder's – nips, jaws,diameter,belts,trolley's,slitter/s and ironing roller's. Replace and set folder – nip-rollers,belts,tucker blades,grippers,knives,rubbers,pins and fingers if nessesary. Selction of type of fold,broadsheet,tabloid,qauter fold,reel-to-sheet. Changing or setting of inking and dampening roller's,Changing blankets and packing. Selection of printing units.Set technotrance(water system) – PH,conductivity,tempreture,alcohol levels as well as cleaning. Preventitive mantainance. Report back and update foreman/manager's on progress. Calling of engineers or electricians as protocol, if the need be. Help wherever need be from reels stand to despatch to designated ares. Ensuring high levels of quality print work at all times, and working exactly to the work ticket. Deciding when to let good copies go or to throw out spoils whilst monitoring and keeping waste minimal. Sticking to deadlines as far as humanly and mechanicaly possible,and keeping customers and fellow staff happy as far as my job permits me to. I was responsible for everything to do with my machine and staff as well as what I was helping out with on other machines and answered to the department manager or his boss.
Delegating to and supervising staff – assistants, reelhands, casuals, apprentices and fellow machine minders. Configuring and sending settings to the press, opening of job cards, load and unload jobs, check on and respond to e-mail requests and make sure dispatch knows what is coming and is ready for it. Collection and loading of plates. Ensuring that assistants keep ink levels topped up, web up the press, keep work area's neat and tidy, washing of blankets. Start up press and run continuously checking on quality and quantity of papers printed – setting register, bussel wheels and heads, inking according to color proof if supplied. Setting side lay, web and in-feed tensions, cut-off and lap. Regulation of press speed, start up and run down. Set folders – nips, jaws, diameter, belts, trolleys, slitter/s and ironing rollers. Replace and set folder – nip-rollers, belts, tucker blades, grippers, knives rubbers, pins, trolleys, slitters and fingers if necessary. Selection of fold type – broadsheet, tabloid, quarter fold, reel-to-sheet. Changing or setting of inking and dampening roller's. Changing blankets and packing.
Configuring and sending settings to the press, opening of job cards, load and unload jobs, check on and respond to e-mail requests and make sure dispatch knows what is coming and is ready for it. Collection and loading of plates. Ensuring that assistants keep ink levels topped up, web up the press, keep work area's neat and tidy, washing of blankets. Start up press and run continuously checking on quality and quantity of papers printed – setting register, bussel wheels and heads, inking according to color proof if supplied. Setting side lay, web and in-feed tensions, cut-off and lap. Regulation of press speed, start up and run down. Set folders – nips, jaws, diameter, belts, trolleys, slitter/s and ironing rollers. Replace and set folder – nip-rollers, belts, tucker blades, grippers, knives rubbers, pins, trolleys, slitters and fingers if necessary. Selection of fold type – broadsheet, tabloid, quarter fold, reel-to-sheet. Changing or setting of ink and dampening roller's. Changing blankets and packing.
I am a hardworking team player, capable of working independently if need be.
I am self motivated, responsive to my colleague, and eager to help wherever possible.
I have the ability to consider and analyze different options & opinions, and take the lead when necessary.
I am a leader, relying on the good relationships I have created based on Mutual trust & understanding. I have a good eye for detail, and regard myself as somewhat of a perfectionist. I am a creative thinker, always on the lookout for new opportunities and ways to contribute to my surroundings.
I believe that I will be an asset to any company willing to employ me, and will reward any given opportunity to the best of my abilities, which considering my age and experience. I believe to be significant.
Citing hard times and the prospect of further deterioration by October the industry's premier technical body pulls the plug on its Sydney get together.
Bob Lamont, the LIA's NSW Executive Officer, said the decision was the only viable alternative. "Before taking this decision, we looked at every possible option to make it happen, but each model we created told us that the forces stacked against us, made staging a successful conference highly problematical.
"The economic downturn has affected all players in the industry including the supply companies, almost all of whom are heavily committed to the Pacprint show and understandably, some have indicated difficulty in allocating additional dollars to support the LIA in this period of extreme uncertainty.
The Japanese technology company is geared up to fight for a place in the growing and lucrative digital production printing market.
Its late arrival is compensated for by its initial digital colour engine, the C900, a machine that prints at 90 pages per minute. This is a sweet spot in the market where most of its rivals – Fuji Xerox, Konica Minolta and Canon – have marginally slower or much faster, heavier and more expensive offerings.
The so-called 'digital lite' sector is often regarded as the first entry point for commercial printers into the digital market. At 90ppm Ricoh's C900 is top of its class with a price point somewhere above $200k.
Ricoh officially launched its contender at a series of presentations around the country. Perth, where there are already two machines installed will greet the road show this week.
In the highly competitive sector it is essential to back up any promises of quality and commercial advantage with service and support. Ricoh has assembled a power team led by Kathy Wilson, a high-profile industry identity recently returned from a long stint at EFI's HQ in the US – pictured above with Les Richardson, managing director, Ricoh, at the Sydney launch. Other notables include Mark Katrakisnational business development manager and Franca Balsamo, national colour specialist as well as state and territory managers.
At the Sydney launch at Luna Park, Wilson made the point that the industry has moved on from the debate as to whether the future will be offset or digital. "It's offset and digital, integration not displacement. We are seeing many more hybrid jobs out there where part will be printed on an offset press and then on digital machines," she said.
She point out that though run lengths are getting shorter, the numbers of jobs are increasing. She believes the production speed advantage of the C900 and its undoubted comparable quality – 1200dpi – combined with the level of support will make Ricoh a serious contender in what is shaping up to be the battle of the digital production printing market.
Operate 4 Col Komori and Heidelberg Cylinder. Co-ordinate and supervise casual labour and printers assistant, production planning, Job costing/quotes, Client liaison and ordering consumables/printing supplies.
To secure a position with a stable printing company which will enable me to fully utilize my printing skills and experience. I am constantly seeking new challenges and opportunities to further enhance my knowledge and skills in this dynamic industry. I am a quick and eager learner who embraces change and makes every effort to keep up to date with the latest printing technology.
A list of Referees is available upon request.
To obtain a position with a reputable organisation that values reliability, effort and employee wellbeing. Where I will have the opportunity to work amongst a team to perform excellent quality work. To further my training to develop my leadership, communication and technical skills.
Reason for leaving: Redundancy due to the sale of the Cylinder Making operation section of the business.
New Sydney homes for K.W. Doggett and Vilensky Paper.
K.W. Doggett brings its three Sydney warehouses together into one central location at 1 Cleveland Street, Enfield.
Nathan Doggett, national sales manager, said that the project has been going on for the past year with the move commencing six weeks ago. The new Enfield site will officially open next week on 2 March.
uncoated paper, and Color Copy, a digital sheet, along with increasing its stocks on Sovereign A2 coated.
believes that combining the three warehouses will lead to greater efficiencies.
"All the staff are really looking forward to moving over," he said.
Fellow Sydney paper supplier, Vilensky Paper, is also relocating to a new headquarters at 7/2 Southridge Street, Eastern Creek after also running its operations from three different sites. Manager, Grant Shortland, believes that new Eastern Creek premises offers the company some much-needed space to move.
I'm a seasoned professional with excellent communication and extensive technical skills. My focus of expertise is in computer applications with a wealth of practical experience both selling and installing solutions for digital colour graphics users. With an excellent track record of achievement I possess specialized knowledge of pre-press and colour managed workflows. Having good analytical and time management skills together with a real world in-depth experience I enjoy a professional reputation of working effectively in many business areas both in the UK and aboard.
Sales of Macintosh Computer Systems and value added solutions.
Responsible for the installation and support for ISO12647 colour management workflows.
Consultancy for sales of future customer solutions and on going installations.
Increased sales of hardware and support services for this Macintosh Value Added Reseller by widening the portfolio of clients from small business users to home users through support operations for the John Lewis Partnership. For colour graphics users configered a new low cost ISO 12647 colour management workflow and certified proofing system for the design and publishing market.
Duties; Sales and demonstration of Kodak software products for ICC colour management.
Responsible for the presentation of workflow solutions to end users with the construction of training and support programs for its effective implementation.
The solution offered the ability to colour manage wide format plotters colour monitors and printing presses. Creating very accurate ICC (International Colour Consortium) profiles with custom software and synchronising colour accuracy across the workflow.
On invitation from Kodak I played an active part in forming the colour management company Color Q Ltd. Distributors for Kodak ICC Colour Management products. Set-up dealer channels as well as established the product with leading Gateway Reprographic houses for the Newspaper industry. The workflow offered complete control of the colour workflow from monitor to the press which I sold and installed the leading organisations in the UK.
Preparing quotations and the negotiation of job specification.
The work required extensive knowledge of print and software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, QuarkXpress and Microsoft office.
Organising design, prepress and print processes to meet tight budget and delivery times.
Brought in-house low cost reprographic solutions for the company Marketing, Advertising and Design Ltd. This allowed the design team to totally by-pass conventional expensive outsourcing of reprographics, as well as avoid purchacing expensive high end capital equipment. I also perfected some of the first colour accurate digital proofing techniques without using proprietary proofing systems. In 1996 M.A.D became the official beta site for Kodak ICC colorflow software.
Introduced Apple Macintosh DTP training programs into Mirror Group Newspapers, constructing special Photoshop courses for the Pre-press and Journalist staff.
The role included the preparation of fault diagnostic charts and prioritising system change requests.
Installed over 100 colour scanner and high-end electronic page composition systems into Printers and Reprographic houses in the UK and in Europe for Dr Hell Ltd (now Heidelberg) and Crosfield Electronics.The work involved analyzing pre-press and printing specifications for the creation of colour separations.
5 year Apprenticeship for Colour Retouching in the Gravure Process Dept. Sun Printers, Watford, Herts.
These days I'm selling and supporting two main products both of which bring ease of use, speed, and accuracy to handling colour files for certified proofing. The first product supported is a low cost colour proofing or printing solution with the latest colour laser technologies. Offering certified proofing for as little as thirty five pence for an A3 proof sheet. This solution can be up to 10 times more cost effective than using current inkjet technologies.
The second product is a digital photographers system, offering a complete solution for handling digital photographic work. With a professional rip running on a portable PC tablet the raw capture data from the photo-shoot is converted into the colour-space and file format required for final image processing. This high-end application offers all the necessary controls to produce certified proofs to any ISO 12647 standard consistently and accurately.
The system provides every thing required to create extremely accurate ICC profiles and device link profiles used to simulate an ISO specification on the output device. The application then processes all the files for a contact sheet or low-resolution upload to a client's ftp site. Once selected, the high-resolution pictures can be loaded into a "container" for colour processing to the correct proofing standard complete with all the photographic Meta data and Fogra control bar readings.
From from accurate monitor calibration to proofing solutions and press profiling. I am able to offer customers low cost high performance products for ISO 12647 colour management implementation ready for Fogra certification. Closing the loop in the Press room has involved on going development work to control and stabilize the variations from press to press during the operation of the computer to plate system. Using simple software allows the next logical step of ink zone control for precision make ready and ink key presetting.
2008 Fiery Rip, laser copier technology and Print Networks.
2008 No Fear Cold Calling @ BiteSize Seminars London.
From my early experience of installing highend scanning equipment in the Graphic Arts Industry. Controlling colour accuracy had always been of the most challenging parts of the printing process. In those days colour management was treated as more like a "black art" than a science. Leaving a large gap in the market for a system that offered a more imperical method of control.
Colour proofing was still in its infancy as many repro-graphics houses were adopting Wet proofing" techniques to maintain colour quality. What must be said, is that this solution bore little or no relation to what was required for the press run as inaccurate colour separations gave large colour shifts on the final printed job.
Gradually proprietary proofing systems came into play from the likes of 3M, Agfa and Dupont which gave more consistent results, but varied considerably in establishing an achievable standard when colour matching in the press-room. Another problem with these systems is they would only work in their own closed loop environment. This required a specific set of calibrated devices, the scanner reproducing a facsimile of the original only when compared on the proofing system it was calibrated for.
By the end of the eighties Apple Macintosh postscript equipment started to replace expensive high-end closed loop pagination systems. Taking full advantage of my experience with the Mac' Marketing Advertising & Design employed me to run their new design department.
Allowed to make executive decisions regarding reprographic equipment, I developed a low cost device independent colour proofing system using Apples ColorSync. So impressed with the accuracy of the MAD's colour proofing, Kodak offered us the opportunity to take sole distribution of their ColorFlow ICC profiling software. Initially set up with one director of M.A.D, Color Q Ltd launched its ICC Color Corner colour management solution at the end of 1998 which would generate around £85,000 of turnover in the first year.
With considerable trade interest I sold the colour management solution into highend reprographic houses and newpapers and raised the turnover to £110,000 in year two. Primarily selling consultancey and ColorFlow profiling software but latter widening the portfolio of products to cover colour measurement instrumentation and colour viewing equipment.
Accumulating an impressive database the business continued to grow until 2003 when the Color Corner workfow no longer remained competitive against the more efficient high end Rip based solutions The calibration, training and consultancy part of the business still remained lucrative and was eventually sold to To the MACs at the end of 2003.


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BIRD, RABBIT, KITTENS
Not a lot of note been happening recently so here are a few photos with brief explanations.
I took a couple of bunnies up to Tracy's at Burnhope as she thought she knew someone who'd take them. Last year I brought a cockerel through which for some reason couldn't be left with the others so instead it lives in a stable and is best friends with a rabbit.
A friend of Carole's has been taking excess mothers and kittens to foster. Needless to say she he has several cats of her own including a gorgeous but disabled persian.
A few weeks ago I picked up a stray three-legged cat and took it straight to Wendy the vet. She liked it so much she kept it as the practice cat. What she didn't realise was that it was pregnant and a week ago gave birth to four ginger kittens and a tortoiseshell. She has it set up so that there's a video camera which relays the image to a small screen on the counter. But I got in to see them.
The Saturday before last, our local Asda kindly allowed us to have a tombola stall in the foyer and we raised over three hundred pounds. I was there to help set up but after that I was off, though Susan had no shortage of people to help so I wasn't needed. Well, that's my excuse.
THE CRUEL CLAWS OF THE CAT
Don't pay too much attention to the title, it's in part semi-ironic and in part to get your attention. This is a catch up piece again containing several items which I'll relate in more or less reverse chronological order.
We took these cats in on successive days and for the same reason -we were told they had attacked or threatened a baby. The black one, who's about 2, came from somewhere in Durham and was brought to my house. From there I took her our fosterer Elizabeth at Dalton le Dale. The cat seemed nervous and, when she retreated behind a chair, hissed and spat when I tried to touch her. Elizabeth will be letting me know soon how well she's settling in and what her nature's like.
I found out about the other when Carole called me. Apparently she'd been handed in at the PDSA just round the corner from Heworth Metro and her owner wanted her put to sleep despite being only 8 months old. Lisa the local pet taxi person got involved and contacted Carole who asked me if I'd get her. Which I did. It was rush hour but the traffic wasn't too bad. You can't tell from the photo but she's really pretty. The staff told me she'd been quite aggressive during her brief stay but, as they said, we didn't know how she'd been treated. Once in the cat carrier she settle down and seemed quite happy for me to touch her. Back at Carole's though and with other cats sniffing around she started spitting. She's currently staying at the local vets while Carole gets something sorted out.
The tortoiseshell is another from the PDSA at Heworth who was rescued from certain death by me and Carole. She's a stray who'd been handed in and had been there a week and would shortly be put down because no-one had claimed her. Carole had been contacted about her and you know the rest of the story.
This lovely ginger cat came from a lady who couldn't look after him -she had another two but this was one cat too many for her resources. Her friend had contacted Animal Krackers who passed her on to me. Luckily Carole had a space. He's a lovely friendly young boy.
This is a case where I was called out on a consultation. The mother (above) had given birth to the litter a few days earlier. She's another sweet-natured cat and a good mother and she wasn't the problem. That was the black and white kitten. It was born without a tail and its hind legs are splayed abnormally apart. What the owner wanted was my advice on what to do. As the kitten was nursing, moving around as much as his litter-mates, and his mother hadn't rejected him, all I could say was just to leave things as they are and see how he developed over the next 2-3 weeks and then get back in touch. He wasn't in any distress. I did check with Carole who confirmed what I thought. So I should update this story in the next post.
What follows next is just a few recent cat photos. The first is of another stray which had recently decided to live in the house in the story above.
Wendy the vet with a kitten who turned out to have an ulcer in his eye.
Labels: cat photos, cat rescue sunderland, cat rescuing, kitten photos


Those Butias are incredible!I I love how silvery the coloration is. The yard is absolutely beautiful too. If it weren't for the long shadows it would be impossible to tell it was winter. Thanks for sharing those great shots. Hopefully this winter will be mild. Those butias will be flying in the spring if it is!


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Energiopdatering – tilbagebetalingstid på bare 20 mdr.
Løsninger i denne situation
The Belgian company Niko NV delivers more than 5000 products and solutions for switching materials, door communication systems, lighting control and home automation systems. It has branch offices in Europe and a wide network of agent and distributors. At Niko's Belgium manufacturing plant attention is paid to control and minimize environmental impact and reduce energy consumption. Munters MDS1500 desiccant dehumidifier was installed in the 90's to provide dry air to a galvanized plate drying process after they are treated in a zinc bath. The MDS unit has an airflow of 15,000m³ and is running 12 hours a day, 5 days a week.
Refurbishment paying off
A recent performance check-up of the MDS unit determined that a refurbishment of the unit would lead to improved dehumidification capacity and significant energy savings. Munters Belgium presented a plan to refurbish the MDS unit, which has been implemented.
As the capacity of the rotor (desiccant drying wheel) had dropped significantly over the years of daily use, galvanized plate drying time was no longer optimal. By replacing the rotor, plate drying time has been significantly shortened. Restoring the original unit performance grants annual savings of € 25,000/year.
Range of energy saving measures implemented
Niko NV has access to 50°C warm water from cooling compressors, water that had been treated as waste water. The MDS dehumidifier is now equipped with a coil for air stream pre-heating, which is used for regeneration of the desiccant rotor. Utilizing the warm wastewater for the heating coil will ensure a reduction in cost of approximately € 10,400/yr. An internal heat recovery purge sector (Energy Recovery Purge) has been added and works by recirculating the air into the regeneration cycle after the heater. This energy saving feature will save an additional € 2,200/year.
Stable future operations secured
The refurbishment also includes a complete update of vital components, such as fan bearings, drive motor, belts and sealings, ensuring that the operation will remain reliable and trouble-free for years to come.
Continuously working on optimizing both dehumidification capacity and energy efficiency, Munters is also very much focused on using the best possible control systems to easily control and monitor the dehumidifiers and other air treatment solutions.
The MDS at Niko's manufacturing facility has now been updated to a new Climatix control that´s integrated with the BMS (Building Management System). The upgrade offers control system performance improvements, which make it possible to handle additional energy saving components like the purge and the pre heater. Furthermore, the electrical cabinet was updated to include modern components for optimal control of the airflow and BMS communication.
ROI in only 20 months
The improved energy efficiency and higher rotor capacity will ensure annual savings that gives Niko a ROI (Return of Investment) in only 20 months. Besides the quick ROI, Niko also benefits from the significantly higher production capacity - an amount NOT included in the ROI calculation.
Following the refurbishment, the MDS unit's vital parts are all new and the unit is expected to deliver the required climate conditions in the production area for many years to come.
Munters Belgium is a trusted service partner with Niko. During annual service visits the performance and operation of the MDS unit will be closely monitored.
Regular replacement of consumable parts, such as filters, will be taken care of by Munters' service engineers, which will perform the scheduled maintenance on site.
Hurtige fakta
Shorter drying times, increasing production capacity
Utilizing warm wastewater to reduce rotor regeneration costs
Internal Rotor Energy Purge for further heating cost savings red
Control system update enables communication with BMS system


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Select the analysis options for Power and Sample Size for 2 Proportions
Stat > Power and Sample Size > 2 Proportions > Options
Select the alternative hypothesis or specify the significance level for the test.
From Alternative Hypothesis, select the hypothesis that you want to test:
Less than (p1 < p2): Use this one-sided test to determine whether one population proportion is less than another population proportion. This one-sided test has greater power than a two-sided test, but it cannot detect whether one population proportion is greater than another population proportion. If you select this option, the value you enter for Comparison proportions (p1) must be less than the value you enter for Baseline proportion (p2) on the Power and Sample Size for 2 Proportions dialog box.
For example, an engineer uses this one-sided test to determine whether the difference between the proportions of defective parts from two grades of material is less than 0. This one-sided test has greater power to detect whether the difference in proportions of defective parts is less than 0, but it cannot detect whether the difference is greater than 0.
Not equal (p1 ≠ p2): Use this two-sided test to determine whether two population proportions are not equal. This two-sided test can detect whether one population proportion is less than or greater than another population proportion, but it has less power than a one-sided test.
For example, a bank manager tests whether the proportion of customers who have savings accounts differs at two locations. Because any difference in the proportions is important, the manager uses this two-sided test to determine whether the proportion at one location is greater than or less than the other location.
Greater than (p1 > p2): Use this one-sided test to determine whether one population proportion is greater than another population proportion. This one-sided test has greater power than a two-sided test, but it cannot detect whether one population proportion is less than another population proportion. If you select this option, the value you enter for Comparison proportions (p1) must be greater than the value you enter for Baseline proportion (p2) on the Power and Sample Size for 2 Proportions dialog box.
For example, a logistics analyst uses a one-sided test to determine whether the difference in the proportions of on-time packages for two locations is greater than 0. This one-sided test has greater power to detect whether the difference in on-time deliveries is greater than 0, but it cannot detect whether the difference is less than 0.
For more information on selecting a one-sided or two-sided alternative hypothesis, go to About the null and alternative hypotheses.
Use the significance level to minimize the power value of the test when the null hypothesis (H0) is true. Higher values for the significance level give the test more power, but also increase the chance of making a type I error, which is rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true.
Usually, a significance level (denoted as α or alpha) of 0.05 works well. A significance level of 0.05 indicates that the risk of concluding that a difference exists—when, actually, no difference exists—is 5%. It also indicates that the power of the test is 0.05 when there is no difference.
Choose a higher significance level, such as 0.10, to be more certain that you detect any difference that possibly exists. For example, a quality engineer compares the stability of new ball bearings with the stability of current bearings. The engineer must be highly certain that the new ball bearings are stable because unstable ball bearings could cause a disaster. Therefore, the engineer chooses a significance level of 0.10 to be more certain of detecting any possible difference in the stability of the ball bearings.
Choose a lower significance level, such as 0.01, to be more certain that you detect only a difference that actually exists. For example, a scientist at a pharmaceutical company must be very certain that a claim that the company's new drug significantly reduces symptoms is true. The scientist chooses a significance level of 0.01 to be more certain that any significant difference in symptoms does exist.


This is a list of articles on this Wiki related to the RSNA MIRC Clinical Trials Processor (CTP).
MIRC CTP is the top-level article. It describes the installation and configuration of the program.
The CTP Launcher Configuration Editor describes how to configure CTP.
Running CTP as a Windows Service describes how to install and configure CTP as a Windows service.
Running CTP as a Linux Service describes how to install and configure CTP as a Linux service.
CTP Authentication and Privileges describes how CTP authenticates users and provides access to protected functions.
CTP Authentication Using LDAP describes how to configure CTP to use an LDAP server for user authentication.
CTP Authentication Using OpenAM describes how to configure CTP to use an OpenAM server for user authentication.
Java Advanced Imaging ImageIO Tools provides links to the ImageIO Tools on various platforms.
The CTP XmlObject describes the placement of identifiers in an XmlObject.
The CTP ZipObject describes the structure of a ZipObject, including the schema of the manifest.
The CTP DICOM Filter describes the script language for the DicomFilter pipeline stage.
The CTP XML and Zip Filters describes the script language for the XmlFilter and ZipFilter pipeline stages.
The CTP DICOM Anonymizer describes the script language and the functions available for anonymization of DICOM objects.
The CTP DICOM Anonymizer Configurator describes anonymization profiles and how to use the configurator to edit anonymization scripts.
The DICOM Anonymizer Keep Safe Private Elements Feature describes how to extend the index of private elements.
The CTP DICOM Pixel Anonymizer describes the script language for modifying the pixels in DICOM objects.
Using the CTP DicomPixelAnonymizer explains how to use the stage most effectively.
The CTP XML Anonymizer describes the script language and the functions available for anonymization of XML objects and the manifests of Zip objects.
DICOM Anonymizer Configuration for Assigning Subject IDs describes the special considerations involved in using the DICOM Anonymizer to create subject IDs.
The CTP Lookup Table Editor describes how to add subject IDs to the DICOM Anonymizer lookup table.
The dcm4che Library Documentation provides links to tables of DICOM elements and UIDs useful in writing anonymizer and filter scripts.
The_DicomAnonymizerTool describes how to use the command-line anonymizer program.
The CTP FileStorageService Web Server describes the web access features of the FileStorageService pipeline stage.
The CTP FileStorageService Access Mechanism describes the how access to stored objects can be controlled in the FileStorageService pipeline stage.
CTP Configuration for Study Distribution describes how to use CTP to distribute studies to patients and referring physicians.
CTP Configuration for NBIA describes how to configure CTP to serve as the front-end of the NBIA system.
CTP Configuration for the Image Sharing Project describes how to configure CTP to interface to the Edge Server.
Configuring the HttpExportService for Connection to XNAT Servers describes special features for transfers to XNAT servers.
Using the CTP Application Server describes how to launch Java Web Start programs from the CTP Server.
Configuring the CTPClient Application for Clinical Trials describes how to configure and launch the CTPClient application.
Using CTPClient describes how to use CTPClient to submit studies to clinical trials.
Using the DicomAnonymizer dateinterval Function describes special considerations in using the dateinterval function.
Extending the CTP Server Content Type Associations describes how to add content type definitions to the CTP Server.
Using the CTP EmailService Pipeline Stage describes how to send email notifications of received studies.
Using the CTP AuditLog Plugin describes how to use the AuditLog plugin to build tables of element values.
Setting Up a MIRC Development Environment describes the development environment that was used to develop all the MIRC software, including CTP.
Extending CTP describes how to add new pipeline stages or DatabaseAdapters to CTP.
CTP Plugins describes how to develop new plugins.
Developing DICOM Anonymizer Extensions describes how to use plugins to extend the DICOM Anonymizer.
Developing a DicomDifferenceLogger LogAdapter describes how to interface the DicomDifferenceLogger to an external database.
The Lookup Table Modification API describes how an external application can modify the DICOM Anonymizer Lookup Table.
The CTP Module describes the contents and theory of operation of the CTP application.
The Util Module describes the contents and theory of operation of the utilities used in CTP.
The CTP JarClassLoader describes the mechanism that CTP used to load classes before it was changed to allow it to dynamically modify the classpath.
This page was last modified on 2 December 2018, at 01:39.