Toyota in Guangzhou
"I visited the district of Nansha in an eastern area of Guangdong that was primarily agricultural only five years ago. Now there has been extensive development, with the population going from 40,000 to 260,000 in just a few years.
One of the largest parts of the development in Nansha District is a large Toyota factory, opened in 2006 and now producing 360,000 cars a year. This plant is a joint venture with Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC). The factory employs about 7,000 workers in two shifts, and it embodies one of the most recent examples of the Toyota production system. A vehicle passes by every 68 seconds, so a new Toyota exits to the test track every 68 seconds as well..."
>> Continue Reading
Shanghai Shares a "Mindful" Vision for Sustainable Living Urban Living
 |
| Pavilion of the Future, Agriculture |
"Thinking back to when I first heard of the expo event, it was the theme “Better city, Better life” that attracted me to the event....The magnitude of the Chinese industrial revolution coupled with the challenging demographics and the birth of a new Chinese consumer market was the other key reason for the visit. I admit that upon embarking on the journey I was a skeptic about China’s sincerity about a “Better city Better life” given all the press I have read here in the U.S.
....China’s urban reality will explode within the next forty years, thus requiring China to balance its economic with that of the population growth in order to sustain it’s overall development momentum. So it should really be of no surprise to find China being so proactive, engaged and at the forefront of efforts to improve the possibilities in sustainable urban living...."
>> Continue Reading
>> Continue Reading
Department of Commerce Assigns Preliminary Duties on Two Asian Innerspring Makers
November 11, 2010, Furniture Today
Foshan Jingxin, Top One Mfg, get duty of 234.51% for not responding to review questionnaires.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Commerce has assigned preliminary duty rates of 234.51% to two companies that had been named in an annual administrative review in the Uncovered Innerspring Units antidumping case.
The two companies are Foshan Jingxin Steel Wire & Spring Co. Ltd. and Top One Manufacturing Factory, both Chinese producers.
The review, the first in the innerspring case, began on March 30. The review affects shipments of Chinese made innersprings between Aug. 6, 2008 to Jan. 31, 2010.
The two companies were the only ones named in the review.
The DOC said it assigned the all- China rate of 234.51% to these companies because they did not respond to questionnaires it issued during the annual review process. Foshan Jingxin had previously been assigned this rate in early 2009. It was unclear what rate had previously been assigned to Top One.
The DOC is expected to assign final rates to these companies within 120 days of the publication of the preliminary rates, which would be in early March.
The rates assigned to these factories are paid by importers of record of the subject merchandise. This merchandise includes uncovered innerspring units used in adult, youth and crib mattresses. For a full description of the scope of the order, visit this link.
November 11, 2010 by Larry Thomas in Furniture Today
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Hooker Furniture said it will shut down one of two manufacturing sites for its Bradington-Young upholstery unit and consolidate finished goods production into the upholstery producer's Hickory, N.C., plant by mid-January.
Hooker said the 140,000-square-foot Cherryville, N.C. plant will be closed because it is older and not as efficient as the 100,000-square-foot Hickory facility.
Alan Cole, president of Hooker Upholstery, said a majority of the 121 Cherryville employees will be offered transfers to Hickory, as will an undetermined number of additional employees at Bradington-Young's corporate office in Cherryville.
About 75 people now work at the Hickory site.
"Because of the greater efficiencies in our existing Hickory plant, the availability of highly skilled and productive labor in the area and the lower costs and fewer complexities of operating one finished goods manufacturing facility, we see this as a very positive move for Hooker and Bradington-Young," said Cole.
He said the company's domestic leather upholstery sales declined from 2005 to 2009, but have increased at a double-digit rate over the last four quarters.
"In the short-term, we expect the move will enable us to reduce redundancies and significantly lower our break-even point with the goal of achieving profitability at current sales levels," Cole said. "In the long-term, this can be a great launch pad for growth."
Once the consolidation is finalized, the Hickory plant should be operating at near capacity, he said.
Cole said approximately 80 employees will remain at Bradington-Young's leather cutting and sewing operation in a separate, existing facility in Cherryville. It will continue to supply covers to the Hickory plant.
This is a great article with actionable points as well as wonderful insights that will help you and your business in 2011.
November 4, 2010 by Robert Passikoff The Branding Strategy Insider Blog
1) Value is What the Consumer Says It Is...
2) Brand, Meet Value....
3) Zappos-ification...
