Words that work…with examples that prove it!
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Feature article in Business Strategy magazine, Asia edition
(excerpt) Success in the U.S. Many European and Asian companies have relocated to the U.S. But what is the key to success in this market? Avoiding common mistakes is the key, writes Susanna McShea. As global competition, increasing tax loads and union demands shrink profit margins, more and more companies see the benefits of establishing a United States subsidiary. Unfortunately, most companies fail at least once in trying to accomplish this. "Many European companies have lost a lot of money starting out in the United States," says Uli Kern, Managing Director of Kern AG, a manufacturer of document processing equipment headquartered near Bern, Switzerland. "They go in in a big way, hiring lots of people, having their own warehouse and headquarters office." "Entering the U.S. market seems deceptively easy," explains Dr. Hugo Tschudin, President of Tschudin, Inc., a U.S. consulting firm in River Vale, New Jersey that has helped Kern AG and other European companies establish themselves in the U.S. "After all, a company need overcome just one set of market barriers, compared with dozens of barriers in Europe and Asia. Because it seems easy, companies start up without a detailed plan, which leads to management by trial and error. Subsidiaries managed this way usually fail." A U.S. partner can pave the way One way to avoid these pitfalls is to rely on a U.S.-based partner to pave the way. "We understand how business is done in the U.S. and are familiar with mistakes made by companies new to the market," says Richard Danoff, Vice President of Tschudin, Inc. The first step is market research. "By providing a clear picture of the U.S. market at the beginning," says Danoff, "we determine whether a company’s product is suitable for the U.S. market and, if it is, where and how to sell it."
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Article (excerpt) Innovating for Growth Online Doctor Visits eliminate phone tag and help patients receive answers quickly on non-urgent problems. Wouldn’t it be nice to obtain health care information instantly … to schedule a doctor’s appointment … view lab test results … get a referral … refill prescriptions … receive answers to medical and billing questions .. and be treated for minor ailments – all without leaving your home or office? Thousands of patients are enjoying these conveniences, thanks to the Internet-based communications tool provided by MyDocOnlineTM, a Sanofi-Aventis subsidiary based on Austin, Texas. |
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News release AHA names CYPHERTM Stent Among Top 10 Medical Advancements The American Heart Association has named the CYPHER Stent one of the top medical advancements, citing the strong real-world patient data that demonstrates the drug-eluting stent is living up it to its promise. Since its FDA approval in April, Cordis’ CYPHER Sirolimus-eluting Coronary Stent has become the “stent of choice” in the United States. Nearly 500,000 patients have been treated with the CYPHER Stent in more than 80 countries around with world, with more than 350,000 of them treated in the United States. The new stent is the first and only commercially available drug-device combination in the U.S. to significantly reduce the likelihood of patients requiring treatment for restenosis in the coronary arteries. |
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Advertisement for photonics instrumentation
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Advertorial insert in Fortune magazine featuring e-business service provider (excerpt)Front Cover: Your greatest business asset is Intelligence. Leverage that asset with Intelligence Portals. Interior: Intelligence Portals push productivity and compress cycle time. Your greatest asset isn’t on your balance sheet – it’s inside people’s heads. The asset of knowledge – knowledge within your organization, within your business partners, and throughout your marketplace. Today everyone is a "knowledge worker," moving data one way or another. Yesterday’s definition of Knowledge Management – locating, transferring and using expertise within the organization – is old hat. Knowledge Management has evolved to the concept of Intelligence Portals, gateways that locate, process, and distribute data, providing tangible returns. Harness the power of knowledge. Intelligence Portals harness the power of knowledge to improve competency, efficiency, responsiveness and the rate of innovation. Entre Solutions implements Intelligence Portals that gather information internally and externally… organize that information… and distribute it. These Intelligence Portals enable collaboration inside and outside your enterprise. And they allow you to refine, synthesize and trend information, so you can make better judgments more quickly. |
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Article featuring corporate announcement BASF named "most admired" and "best" chemical company BASF has been named the "most admired" and "best" among global chemical producers and German companies, according to Fortune and Global Finance magazines. BASF earned top honors in two categories in Fortune magazine’s annual list of the world’s most admired corporations, appearing in an October edition. BASF was named "most admired" in the worldwide chemical industry and also topped the list of Germany’s most admired companies. According to Fortune, the rankings are compiled by executives and analysts who grade companies according to nine attributes: quality of management; quality of products and services; innovativeness; long-term investment value; financial soundness; ability to attract, develop and retain talent; community responsibility; use of corporate assets; and global business acumen. BASF was also named to Global Finance magazine’s list of "the World’s Best Global Companies" in the chemicals category. This is the second consecutive year that BASF has been cited by Global Finance, a monthly magazine with more than 50,000 subscribers in more than 160 countries. "We are delighted to be recognized by our peers, our customers, industry analysts and many other observers of global commerce," says BASF Corporation Chairman Peter Oakley. "BASF is investing more than a billion dollars a year in new plants and equipment to serve customers in North America," Oakley adds. "Likewise, we invest in our site communities and in the professional development of our employees. Indeed, all of our stakeholders share in these honors." |
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News release for National Starch and Chemical Company (excerpt) News Release New Mobile Intensive Care Unit Brings Emergency Department Into the Community Bridgewater, NJ — As area rescue squads experience difficulty staffing their ambulances, the need for advanced life support with emergency transport capability is greater than ever. Somerset Medical Center is responding to that need by purchasing a new Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU) with transport capability. Funding for the $90,000 vehicle is being provided by the National Starch and Chemical Foundation, which recently issued a check for the first of three $30,000 donations."Last year, the hospital’s MICU personnel responded to over 5,500 calls for medical assistance to community members in crisis," said David Flood, vice president and executive director of the Somerset Health Care Foundation of Somerset Medical Center. "We send the paramedics out but then have to wait for rescue squads because we can’t transport patients." Andrew Harris, manager of emergency medical services, explained that first-responding police officers, emergency response teams and volunteer rescue squads provide basic life support and transportation. "But only hospitals are authorized to provide advanced life support," he said. Until now, Somerset Medical Center has had advanced life support (ALS) capability in its vehicles – but not patient transport capability. "This vehicle will be dually licensed," said Harris, "both as an ALS unit and as an emergency ambulance." According to Harris, the vehicle will include advanced airway equipment, defibrillators, external cardiac pacemakers, intravenous access supplies and approximately 40 medications. "We will bring the emergency department right to the patient," he said. "By funding this purchase," said Flood, "National is making a vital contribution to the well-being of the entire community. This is the fastest growing county in the state, and Somerset Medical Center is the only hospital. Plus, we serve patients in Union, Hunterdon and Morris Counties. Sometimes people like to say, ‘I go to Columbia Presbyterian’ or whatever. But if you’re having chest pains, you’re not going to wait outside the Lincoln Tunnel. You’re going to come here. And this new vehicle might just help save your life."
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Brochure (excerpt) Because you deserve the best in renal dialysis… Hackensack University Medical Center is here to help. Today, more patients with End-Stage Renal Disease are undergoing dialysis. Remarkable advances in technology and treatment have made renal dialysis treatments effective and more comfortable. As a result, renal dialysis has become a secure bridge to a full and productive life for tens of thousands of Americans. Still, the prospect of renal dialysis can be overwhelming at first to patients and their families. So Hackensack University Medical Center is here to help. Our Renal Dialysis Center combines the world’s most sophisticated technology with matchless personal attention in a clean, comfortable, therapeutic setting. It is the right choice for renal dialysis – a place you can truly rely on. Hackensack University Medical Center is a 614-bed, regional-care teaching hospital. Serving as a health care hub for northern New Jersey, the Medical Center has more than 4,000 staff members and provides the largest number of admissions of any hospital in the state. Hackensack University Medical Center is a recognized leader for specialized services, including cardiac, trauma, oncology, pediatrics and breast care. We are also proud to serve New Jersey residents as an advanced regional center for renal dialysis. At Hackensack University Medical Center, patients come first. And the Renal Dialysis Center exemplifies this commitment. Dedicated solely to chronic outpatients, the Renal Dialysis Center delivers the best medical treatment in a supportive, caring environment.
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Technical article (excerpt) Heat-coil replacement with Ceramic PTC thermistors
Heat-coil operation The heat-coil is based on a thermally operated fuse. Current
flowing through a winding The simplified construction of a heat-coil is shown in 1. The coil (1) wound onto a bobbin (2) is mounted onto the shaft (3) and soldered (4). Force is applied to the bobbin through the spring (5). When excessive current passes through the coil, heat is generated according to I2R, causing the solder to melt. The force applied through the spring pushes the bobbin onto the earth contact (6). In this way, the external telecom line is shorted to ground protecting the Central Office (CO) or Customer Premises (CP). Normal operation can resume only by manual replacement of the module, a procedure that is both time-consuming and expensive. ApplicationsTwo resistance values are typically used: the 4W
and 20W Heat-coil. The 4W
has a 350mA rated current (the current in which the heat-coil does not operate)
and the 20W
Exactly the same effect can be achieved using a Ceramic PTC Thermistor with the added benefit that the protection is reversible - without replacing the module. 3 shows the switching characteristics of two 10W PTCs, (Ć 6.4mm and Ć 8.0mm) with a rated current of 150mA. In the critical low current range, PTCs are actually faster than both heat-coils and result in dissipation in the load of 230 Ws (Ć 8.0mm) and 110 Ws (Ć 6.4mm).
A ceramic PTC is made of doped polycrystalline ceramic on a barium titanate substrate. In its pure form this material has high impedance, semi-conduction and low resistance achieved through doping with materials of a higher valence. Free ions form part of the crystal lattice, which makes the ceramic conductive. The operation of the PTC can best be described through 4, which shows the characteristics of an unloaded PTC when the electrical load is kept as low as possible to limit change in the resistance through thermal accumulation. With an increase in temperature, the resistance slightly decreases (so-called Varistor Effect) until the reference temperature (Tref) is reached and the PTC trips dramatically, increasing its resistance.
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of pre-defined resistance develops heat, which causes
a mechanical and permanent short circuit.
150mA. The 4W
/350mA heat-coil is the most widely used. However, the increased susceptibility
of telecom equipment has increased the need for faster operation to prevent
damage, prompting the introduction of the 20W /150mA
heat-coil. The 20W has the disadvantage that in some
cases the resistance value may be too high and lead to an undesirable reduction
in the range of the network. 2 shows response curves – current vs. time
– for these heat-coils. It is clear that with the 4W
heat-coil the response time at 0.5A is 100s, and with the 20W
it is approximately 20s. Taking into account a resistance of only 100W
in the equipment to be protected, we can calculate the dissipation in the load:
2500 Ws at 4W and 500 Ws at 20W
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When the disturbance subsides, the reverse process occurs:
the PTC cools and again attains a low impedance state. However, for this to
occur, the system operating current must be disabled because this current, less
than 50mA, is sufficient to generate enough heat within the PTC to keep it warm.
(A resistance of approximately 300W is typical.) For
obvious reasons, this time should be as short as possible to limit the period of
service suspension. Two minutes is generally considered acceptable.