Impregnation of Calcium Chloride on Activated Carbon Surface

Impregnation of Calcium Chloride on Activated Carbon Surface This performance of solar refrigerator is based on some key parameters like ammonia carrying capacity, adsorption rate, heat transfer mechanism, stability etc., this paper presents the stepwise detailed preparation of consolidated calcium chloride impregnated on the surface on activated carbon. Ammonia was charged into the tube containing blocks under high pressure of 7 bars was applied during initial charging session and total adsorption was noticed in 25 minutes and the process was repeated. The total amount of ammonia adsorbed was 2.4 kg and was capable of taking more ammonia. Agglomeration effect was totally avoided by the even distribution of calcium chloride on the surface of activated carbon. Carbon was activated at elevated temperature of 700 C for optimum properties. 1. Introduction Solar refrigeration and heat pump are machines that work on wide range of temperature, especially when ammoniates or ammonia derivatives are involved as sorbents then temperature can range from -50oC to 300oC [1]. Furthermore it is environmentally benign and it does not contribute to global warming or ozone layer depletion. They do not usually utilize CFCs or HCFCs as refrigerants. This type of refrigeration is based on the phenomena of adsorption which is a surface phenomenon in which one is adsorbent and second is adsorbate or refrigerant. Two main types of adsorbents are used, one is physical adsorbent like activated carbon in which the adsorbate/refrigerant is adsorbed on its surface by week Vander Waals forces. This process  is dependent on the surface area of adsorbent. It is said that one gram of activated carbon has an area equal to the area of a tennis yard. The mass of adsorbate/refrigerant adsorbed in this process is very less because of weak Vander Waal forces. The second type of adsorbent is chemical adsorbent like Calcium chloride. When it comes to sorption capacity we use chemical adsorbents. The mass of refrigerant incorporated here could be as high as 1.05 kg/kg salt [2]. But there are two serious concerns with this, one is granular salts have very low thermal conductivity and second is the agglomeration phenomenon. The salts after some cycle s of adsorption and desorption it undergoes it swells, compacts and agglomerates, which leads to drastic reduction of the surface area and ultimately reduces the adsorption capacity. Wang et al. [3] mixed activated carbon with calcium chloride salt which overcame the phenomenon of agglomeration and observed a constant adsorption capacity. Lu et al. [4] observed specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c cooling power ranging from 111.2 to 865.8 W/kg using adsorption ice maker. Vasiliev et al. [5] used carbon fiber with calcium chloride and reported to have increased heat and mass transfer phenomena and overcome agglomeration. Later Mauran et al. patented a process to make impregnated consolidate blocks of calcium chloride and activated carbon. Han and Lee [6] found the thermal conductivity of different salts impregnated in expanded graphite blocks and measured values close to 50 W m-1 K-1 when the amount of expanded graphite was 70%. Ammonia is used as refrigerant and the process of chemisorption is governed the following two basic equations. 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CaCl2.2NH3+2NH3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CaCl2.4NH3 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CaCl2.4NH3+4NH3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CaCl2.8NH3 This process of impregnation of calcium chloride on the surface of activated carbon not only ensures uniform distribution of calcium chloride on the surface of activated carbon but also avoids agglomeration over many synthesis cycles. Balat and Spinner [7] reported that the texture of expanded graphite favors the mass transfer of the adsorbate/refrigerant which leads to improved kinetics when activated carbon combined with a salt is used in the chemisorption system. Experimental Setup and Results: The following steps were performed during formation of composites blocks of calcium chloride and activated carbon: Heat treatment of calcium chloride and activated carbon, Making solution of water and calcium chloride and mixing it with expanded graphite, Impregnation of calcium chloride in expanded graphite Calcination of hydrated calcium chloride into calcium chloride, Grinding of the dried impregnated mixture of calcium chloride and activated carbon and finally formation of consolidated blocks from powder obtained from grinding. Heat treatment of carbon: In the experiment performed by Wang et al [6] the expanded graphite is heated at the temperature of 300oC. But according to Han et al the temperature of the heat treatment influences the degree of expansion and these authors stressed on the importance of expanded graphite at temperature higher than 600oC to ensure a proper expansion. Han and his co-worker [9] also noted that the graphite expanded at temperatures above 700oC had the lowest densities and at least twice the porosity of expanded graphite treated at 500oC. The expanded graphite used has the chemical composition given in table. The heat treatment of carbon powders was carried out to increase its porosity and to remove the contaminants from the carbon powders. Carbon powders were placed in container and placed in an electric oven at 100oC for 7 hours in order to remove the moisture contents contained in it. 2kg of carbon powders were placed in two separate aluminum vessels in the oven at 100oC for 7 hours. After this it is placed in desiccators to avoid absorption of moisture contents till the start of the second process. In the last step heat the carbon powders obtained from the first step in vacuum at 700oC in a tube furnace for a dwell time of 14 minutes. Procedure: Put small amount of carbon powders in blind stainless steel tube of diameter 1.5 inches and length 15 inches and press them with a rammer so that the tube can hold a maximum amount of carbon powders. After placing the carbon powders in the tube seal the open end of the pipe with wire gauze with †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ mesh and cotton cloth in order to prevent sucking of carbon powder by vacuum pump connected through a plate at the open end, tight the end cap of the tube to avoid infiltration of air into the tube. If air enters the tube in the heating process underway simply oxidation of the powder takes place. Then Place the tube in the tube furnace and connect it with the vacuum pump to remove the air entrapped in the tube and any other residual gases produce during heating of carbon powders. In the experiment by Wang et al. [2] expansion of graphite above 700 C has no significant effect on the reduction of the density of activated carbon also Hans [3] and coworkers shows that carbon expande d at a temperature of 700 C has lowest density and twice the porosity as compared to expansion at 500 C, so the temperature of the furnace is set at 700 oC giving a ramp rate of 10 oC/minute. When the temperature of the furnace reached 700 oC we set the machine at a dwell time of 14 minutes in order for carbon powder to undergo full expansion. After that the furnace was turned off and the tube was allowed to cool down. When the furnace cools down remove the carbon powders from the tube and stored it in a desiccator. The furnace takes one and a half hour to reach 700oC and 2 hours for cooling the tube as a result this process took us a lot of time. About 150 grams of carbon powder were expanded in a single run. This process was repeated until a total mass of 2.4 kilograms of expanded graphite was obtained. Tube used for holding the carbon powder in tube furnace: A tube was designed to hold the carbon powders in the tube furnace. The tube was made of stainless steel which can withstand high temperature of the tube furnace. A metal plate is welded to one end of the pipe to permanently close one side of the pipe and the other end was left open for pouring the powders into the tube. A cap was made to seal the open end of the pipe after filling with the carbon powders. The cap has an extension pipe for connecting the tube with the vacuum pump. A 300 grid mesh was used before the cap and cotton cloth was also applied to avoid the suction of carbon powders into the vacuum pump. The cap itself is made of two metal plates. One plate has a groove of 3 mm depth and a diameter equal to the pipe diameter which holds the tube in place. The two plates were bolted with each other through four nuts and bolts. The specifications of the tube are given below; Total length30 in Diameter of tube1.5 in Volume of tube0.000376m3 Density of carbon450 kg/m3 Mass of carbon0.1693 kg Table.2 dimensions of vacuum tube Heating of calcium chloride: Heat treatment of calcium chlorides was also carried out remove the moisture content and any contaminants in it. 2. Experimental procedure: The following steps are carried out during the heat treatment of the calcium chloride. Since calcium chloride salt is very hygroscopic in nature and it absorb moisture very easily. Put 4kg of calcium chloride salt in stainless steel vessels and covered the mouths of the vessels with aluminum foils. Small holes were made in aluminum foil for the moistures and gases to escape out of the vessels. These vessels were then placed in an oven at a temperature of 100oC for 10 hours to remove the moisture contents out of the calcium chloride salt. After heating calcium chloride salt at 100oC. It is then placed in desiccators to avoid the absorption of moisture by the salt until next step. Preparation of solution of calcium chloride and activated carbon using distilled water: After the heat treatment of calcium chloride and activated carbon 60% salt solution of calcium chloride in distilled water is prepared. 4kg of calcium chloride and about 7 liters of distilled water was used for making solution. Activated carbon is then stirred thoroughly in bottle and poured into the solution of calcium chloride salt and stirred for some time for uniform mixture. Based on the result of Wang et al. [6] best performance is shown when calcium chloride and expanded graphite are mixed in the ratio of 4:1. Figure: 60% solution of calcium chloride and water Figure: mixture of solution of calcium chloride and activated carbon Impregnation of calcium chloride in expanded graphite: The solution is then dried for 10 hour at 110 0C in an electric oven to remove free water and allow Impregnation of calcium chloride in expanded graphite. This figure shows the final shape of uniform mixture of activated carbon and calcium chloride salt when it loses all water in an electric oven. Calcination of hydrated calcium chloride into anhydrous calcium chloride: After impregnation of calcium chloride on the surface of expanded graphite the solution is again heated in an oven at 250oC for 7 hours [] to calcinate the calcium chloride as a result the hydrated calcium chloride become anhydrous. CaCl2.nH2O  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CaCl2 + nH2O Grinding When the solution is dried and dehydrated in the electric oven the mixture is grinded in the grinding machine to make fine powder of the composite materials. The fine powders are then placed in desiccators in order to avoid the absorption of moistures by the powders until the next process. Die used for making consolidated blocks: In order to compress the obtained the powder above under pressure of 10 MPa using UTM it is placed in the mold shown below. The die consists of a cylindrical tube, a piston, a metal plate at the bottom of cylindrical tube and stainless steel rod. The cylindrical tube, metal plate and piston is made of mild steel. Graining of piston and cylindrical tube is done to make the surface smother so that block would not stuck in it after compression under immense pressure. No binder was used in the compaction of powder into consolidate blocks. Specification of cylinder are given below Thickness of cylindrical tube is 5mm and its height is 152.4 mm. Internal diameter is 50 mm. Specification of piston are given below Height is 15 in Diameter of piston is 49mm The piston having a hole at its center is lengthwise whose inner diameter is 15 mm. Figure: Die for making consolidated blocks of calcium chloride and activated carbon Consolidate blocks Formation: To make hollow cylinder of obtained powder under UTM following steps were followed. The resulted powder (impregnated with calcium chloride) are poured into the cylindrical part of the die through funnel, then a piston is placed on the top and a small load is applied manually to make the powder a bit compressed. The die is fitted in a UTM and pressed under 10MPa of load. [10] Figure: composite blocks of calcium chloride and activated carbon The composite blocks are placed inside the test unit, experiments were performed and test results were analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: EPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE FOR CHARGING Charging of ammonia required great care because it is very dangerous and can cause blindness and even death when come in contact with human. Therefore during charging great care should be taken and all the safety rules must be followed. Before charging ammonia make sure that entire setup is leak proof and there is no leakage during charging or after charging. Compressor is connected to the generator line and whole system is evacuated from air and its noted that either vacuum is created or not by taking reading through pressure gauges attached to generator line. By performing these entire tests and conforming that no leakage is present the system is passed through the following steps. s.no.Initial pressure before chargingFinal pressure after chargingTime taken until  Ã‚   0 barMass adsorbed 1st run-1 bar6.0 bar25 min600 grams 2nd 0 bar7.0 bar39 min700 grams 3rd 0.4 bar8.0 bar30 min500 grams 4th 0.5 bar10 bar49 min750 grams 1.First of all generator line is heated for 3 hours at 100oC with the vacuum pump connected to remove the gases adsorbed in the adsorbent. This process is called degasing. 2.Secondly the system is evacuated using vacuum pump and it is placed idle for 30 minutes to find out whether any leakage is occurring or not. 3.   After the system is evacuated the compressor along with all plumbing is detached from generator line and ammonia charging hose is placed in place and tight fit is ensured. 4. Then charging line is connected with ammonia cylinder. The valve pipe connecting the ammonia tank and generator line is supplied with a manual valve. Initially the valve is opened slowly to flood the ammonia into the generator line, the pressure inside the generator line starts increasing. As ammonia starts adsorbing inside the pipe the pressured reduces while the manual valve is opened and closed at the succession of the processes. 5. After charging the system is closed using manual value to stop the further flow of ammonia and wait until the pressure in the system reduces due to adsorption of ammonia in the adsorbent material. 6.When the pressure reaches its minimum level the system is charged with ammonia again and wait until the pressure in the generator line decreases. 7.This process is repeated until 2.4kg of ammonia is charged into the system. The experimental data achieved during charging of the system is given in table given The total amount of ammonia charged into the system was about 2.4 kg. The mass of ammonia was find out using digital scale. The generator line is placed on the scale and mass is noted before and after charging. In this way mass of ammonia adsorbed is find out. CONCLUSIONS: The powders were successfully activated using available research facility. Impregnation of calcium chloride on the surface of activated carbon greatly enhances its ammonia carrying capacity and adsorption rate. The phenomena of agglomeration and swelling as depicted by literature survey was completely overcome and heat and mass transfer was efficiently enhanced. Because no binder was used in the blocks so blocks were made under relatively high compression using UTM. References: [1] E.E. Anyanwu, Environmental pollution: restructuring the refrigeration Industry as a way out, Int. J. Environ. Protect Eng. (2000). [2] Wang LW, Wang RZ, Wu JY, Wang K, Wang SG. Adsorption ice makers for à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ shing boats driven by the exhaust heat from diesel engine: choice of adsorption pair. Energy Convers Manage 2004; 45: 2043-57. [3].R.G. Oliveira*, R.Z. Wang1, C. Wang , Evaluation of the cooling performance of a consolidated expanded graphite calcium chloride reactive bed for chemisorption icemaker, International Journal of Refrigeration 30 (2007) 103e1122 R.G. Oliveira *, R.Z. Wang, A consolidated calcium chloride-expanded graphite compound for use in sorption refrigeration systems: Carbon 45 (2007) 390-3963 [4] Lu ZS, Wang RZ, Wang LW, Chen CJ. Performance analysis of an Adsorption refrigerator using activated carbon in a compound adsorbent. Carbon 2006; 44(4):747-52. [5] Vasiliev LL, Mishkinis DA, Antukh AA, Vasiliev LL. A solar and electrical solid sorption refrigerator. Int J Therm Sci 1999; 38(3):220-7. [6] Composite adsorbent of CaCl2 and expanded graphite for adsorption ice maker on fishing boats K. Wang, J.Y. Wu, R.Z. Wang, L.W. Wang Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China August 2005 [7] M. Balat, B. Spinner, Optimization of a chemical heat pump energetic density and power, Heat Recov. Syst. CHP 13 (3) (1993) 277e285. [8] Spinner B. Ammonia-based thermochemical transformers. Heat Recov Syst CHP 1993; 13(4):301-7. [9] Han JH, Cho KW, Lee KH, Kim H. Porous graphite matrix for chemical heat pumps. Carbon 1998; 36(12):1801-10. [10] A consolidated calcium chloride-expanded graphite compound for use in sorption refrigeration systems R.G. Oliveira, R.Z. Wang. Institute of Refrigeration and Cryogenics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China 2006.

Introduction To The Maruti Suzuki India Limited Commerce Essay

Introduction To The Maruti Suzuki India Limited Commerce Essay Maruti Suzuki India Limited (Formally known as Maruti Udyog Ltd) was established in 1981, February 24th. It was organized as a legal corporation beneath the provision of the Indian Companies ACT, 1956 to converge the rising demand of personal transportation by the lack of an efficient public transport system. It is the largest car manufacturing company in India accruing over 50% domestic car market. Suzuki Motor Corporation is the largest manufacture of mini passenger vehicles in Japan. According to Automotive Intelligence, Suzuki is eleventh largest vehicle manufacturing company in the world and fourth in Japan in terms of worldwide sales. The company offered different range of cars from passenger cars to sports cars. From 1982, Maruti Udyog was a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corporation of Japan. They licensed and joint venture agreement had been made between two companies on October, 2 1982. 1 Maruti was also involved in various businesses like manufacturing, sales and purchasing of motor vehicles and parts of automobiles. Other activities of Maruti were facilitation of pre-owned car sales, fleet management and car financing. They have seven subsidiary companies in India are Insurance Business Agency Ltd, Maruti Insurance Distribution Services Ltd, Maruti Insurance agency Solution Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Network Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency services Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Logistics Ltd.2 all these were affianced with promotion and selling motor insurance policies to motorcycle owners and the seventh one True Value Solution Ltd were in business of sales of certified pre-owned motorcycles under the brand Maruti True Value. They have four manufacturing units in different areas in Haryana state.3 The first commercial car from the joint venture company was launched in 1983 called Maruti 800 which was very popular. In 1984 they launched Maruti Omni which fits one full size family. In 1985 they introduced Maruti Suzuki Gypsy. In 1997 company exposed to foreign market and imported 500 cars to Hungary. In 1990 they launched three box cars with 1000cc engine; this was the major transformation in the company. In 1992 Suzuki Motor Corporation increased its share value to 50% in Maruti. Later year they launched with Maruti Zen and in 1994 they introduced Maruti Esteem into the market.4 Maruti has inaugurated its second plant in 1995. In 1997, Maruti started Maruti Service Master as model workshop to take care of its sales in India. In 2002, Suzuki Motor Corporation increased the share in Maruti to 54.2%. By 2002 they established 10 finance companies in which 8 of them were finance companies and two were joint ventures. They started a new business strategy for its purchase, sales and trade of old cards is Maruti True Value. With the first worlds strategic model with the help of Suzuki Motor Corporation they launched the SWIFT in 2005.5 Maruti started working on new car plant and the diesel engine facility at Manesar plant, Haryana in 2006-07. They opened a new institute of Driving Training and Research (IDTR) in 2006 is a mutual project with Delhi Government for better Research in the field of automobile. They introduced diesel cars like Swift and SX4 luxury sedam in 2007. Maruti launched Multi Utility Vehicle (MUV) called Grand Vitara stylish, muscular and 5 setter car in 2007. Formerly they changed their name from Maturi Udyog Ltd to Maruti Suzuki India Ltd in 2007. After this they made an joint venture agreement with Magneti Marelli Powertrain SpA, both turned into Magneti Marelli Powertrain India Pvt Ltd and they were manufacturing Electric Control Units for cars. They also went into other joint venture agreement with Futaba Industrial Co Ltd and formed FMI Automotive Compoments Ltd for manufacturing Exhaust System Components. In 2008-09, they introduced a new A2 segment car, A-star in India and in Europe as ne w alto. They also raised their production capacity to 1million cars. In 2008, they launched a dual fuel called Maruti 800 Duo which runs on Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as well as petrol. 6 Report submitted by commission of government in 1982 discloses among the major goals with maruti is to modernization of the Indian automobile industry, Fuel efficient vehicles production, to manufacture huge number of vehicles, gain from foreign technology, and the production of peoples car was suitable for Indian people and the climatic conditions which creates possibility of earning foreign exchange by exporting Maruti products and improving employment by starting new industries in the market. By improving the research in the market is determined by manufacturing of better cars would be in demand in Indian market. The main aim of the Maruti Suzuki production is to take help from Japanese company in its working model, working culture and in Indian industry they mainly focus on hierarchical discrimination, inadequate labor, low labor involved, and labor conflict and low recognition with the company. 7 Maruti Suzuki has created history in automobile industry through going keen on production record in 13 months. It is top number of car manufacturer in Asia, outside Japan and Korea having manufactured about 5 million vehicles by may 2005. It also should a remark as most booming automobile company as joint venture and they keep on making profits since inception till 2000-01. Maturi also produced in service profits on an income of Rs 92.5 billion high reduction on new products that have launched resulted in a book loss. 8 Marutis profit increase to 98% rise in its economic second quarter net profits and they are planning to invest $32.3 million. It is going to improve the Gurgaon factory to northern state of Haryana increasing the facilities to improve 79,000 cars in year. They are trying to modernize its factory to produce cars faster. As the quarterly profit is benefited there is a huge demand from local market as well as international market. 9 Enterprise Architecture issues: Implementation of PLM. Lack of Information Technology. Reinforcing management control. Maruti Implemented Turnaround Strategy. Pricing Strategy followed by Maruti. Maruti care for Customers. Maruti commit to Motorizing India. Relationship with the suppliers and management. Different revenue streams. Importance of Vehicle Maintenance Service Market. Implementation of PLM: Marutis product development aims are, necessitate for short cycle times is necessary all times for the company to be at top position. Marutis management desires to launch new models as earlier as possible and try to decrease the time required for small modifications and expansion of different products. Another aim is to co-development. Main goal of Maruti is to get closer through global team and supplies to come up with new products and stand in the market. Other aim is to reform the method of vehicle localization and improvising quality and reliability. All these aims piercing straight to implement Product lifecycle management (PLM) answer with capabilities for information management, knowledge capture, process management and supporting for global collaboration.10 PLM solution will directly verbalize to Marutis business challenges. Information management potential to solve the issues of different platforms, local variants and export destinations. Process management allows simultaneous improvement and quicker change management and offers a platform for other process improvements to process faster. Knowledge capture improves innovation and at the same time condenses prices by growing part re-use.11 Maruti implemented UGS PLM software as UGS leverages the business value by offering a comple PLM solution according to C. V. Raman, General manager, Engineering Division, Maruti Udyog Ltd. PLM execution consists of Teamcenter, NX and Tecnomatix software. Teamcenter offers broad range of practicality for release management which includes statements of material management and change management. NX maintains vehicle design which provides advance tools for styling, product design and digital mockup. System based modeling solution of NX make simpler for creating product variants. It is also used for tool design and the development of machining programs. Tecnomatrix software computerizes develops process planning. Maruti has won the Asia Pacific PLM excellence Award for 2006 by UGS Corp, which is a company for providing worldwide provider of product lifecycle management (PLM) software and solutions.12 Implementation of oracle application in HR department: Workforce of maruti has grown quickly and expanded to 5,000 workers all over the India. Maruti rapidly discovered that by incompatible systems to manage human resources is insufficient. They needed a system that runs and maintains their employee details. Executing Oracle Human Resources in the company reported improved its HR functions as recruitment, compensation management, leave management, payroll, competency assessments and staff development. Each employee particulars are accumulated at a solitary database and from where HR department staff can access from the database for complete personal and history of the employees. For example, if a new position is opened they can search the database and find the best match for the opened position. It also helps to find the employee skill levels and training programs for better service and to have better knowledge.13 Maruti organized Oracle Self-Service HR to free HR staff as of basic duties are changing staff address details and to answer doubts regarding payment details and leave entitlements. HR module is either necessary or compulsory requirement for implementing financials of the company, supply chain, CRM or logistics module. Greater part of oracle applications implementations around the globe doesnt have complete HR implementation than functional areas. Increase in the workforce excellence in last years the complete HR implementations are on the rise. There is a huge difference between implementation of complete Oracle HR applications and implementing other non-HR application is different with other modules. Implementing complete HT potentially might require many changes to the core HR setup compared to implementing non-HR applications. The analysis and implementation would impact areas befor planning complete HR implementation in the above applications. Oracle HR applications helps employ ees to update their details and apply for holiday break, checking their payrolls using the system. HR staff liked the Oracle application because it was focused on performance assessment and staff development.14 Lack of Information Technology: There was no ERP vendor that supports the system in India until they decided to automate their operations until 1990. Lack of information technology effect the company a lot as technology is the major issue for any company development. Maruti considered the relative quality of producing vehicles on a random, daily basis through a quality. To improve the quality of the products they introduced different measures like talking with customers and taking surveys and understand the customer problems and solve them. They planned for long term goals for implementing and giving out the best quality to the customers and study their problems and keep on challenging targets for the company. Maruti decided to build the ERP system by itself with a group of 45 qualified engineers and taking help of Oracle consultants and developed different applications are receipts, production, inventory management, sales, invoicing, financial accounting and payrolls. Applications were developed and upgrading was done internally and maintenance and administration part was given outsourcing.15 Maruti was successful with implementing Oracle implementation commencement of deploying oracle database and oracle real application cluster as a stable foundation for its nationwide dealer management system. Oracle E-business helps the company to improve its applications and faster process in production of the precuts helps in oracle implementations, application support outsourcing, customization enhancements, upgrades migrations, DBA support and testing services. Core HR modules will definitely help employees and use other HR functions as a part of installation. Dealer management system is developed by oracle fusion middleware products. Selecting the ERP system in maruti was chosen by oracle because of its excellent performance. They used to work with external companies to maintain and develop oracle solution. Later they decided to work with the vendors to organize and maintain the ERP system.16 Reinforcing management control: The growing business of Maruti in India in another way proved it to be a tough task to manage, with their existing strategy. The policies they utilized were not scalable with the growing business and they had to look for more reliable options. Main problem with using multiple systems and manage finances with lack of control over processing and information quality in the company. Each company follows different workflows and each division in the company will have different procedures for implementing the workflow. They have different data formats which require consolidation and preventing real time access to the company profile of sales and critical statistics. With the help of oracle application maruti regulated single financial management platform. Maruti took control over accounts payable and accounts revenue and gained complete and assisted in the management of all financial information. The tasks like generating reports for management review proved tedious with employees who had t o do this manually. Also their system was designed to use inputs that were similar but did not possess ability to co-ordinate with the other entities, resulting in a redundancy in tasks being performed.17 For Instance when new business units open up and the company needs to make sure their productivity is not affected and the servers need to be managed manually in order to make sure everything is going as expected. This would definitely involve either a change in system, that is more scalable with the growing business and reduce the manual intervention in to the maintenance task. Otherwise its a way of revising their ways of managing.18 Oracle fitted the slot in an appropriate way, which replaced the till then products used by Maruti. Most of them being internal were not a best option, keeping the current business scenario in view as they lacked co-ordination among them and manual intervention was imminent. Maruti wanted this change to be as smooth as possible and hence played the responsibility with Oracle itself which had a specialized consulting domain. The joint decision was made by oracle considering the requirements of Maruti. The decision was focused on the key factors like design; deploy the software involved in the revision of the technology and also the co-ordination of the teams participating in the task. The after transformation support was also a prime factor to consider during the plan was being designed.19 Maruti Implemented Turnaround Strategy: Maruti was the leading automobile company till 1998, having about 84% of the market share. With the rise in competition from local automobile companies like Hindustan Motors, Telco, Mahindra Mahindra and international automobile companies like Daewoo, Toyota, Ford, PAL, GM, Mitsubishi has changed the structure of whole automobile industry in India from the past seven years and led to decrease in profits and market share for Maruti. The organization learning of Maruti was moderately successful; the cost was relatively inexpensive as Maruti had its strong Japanese practices to fall back upon. With the program of organizational redesign, rationalization of cost and enhanced productivity, Maruti bounced back to competition with 50.8% market share and 40% rise in profit. At the same time investment in automobile sector by foreign car manufacturers was allowed by the Indian government and hold majority stakes.20 With the loss of market share and decline in profits, Maruti pioneered strategic acts to redesign itself to face the competition in the Indian market and also to deal with the Indias liberalization process. During its redesign process Maruti consulted AT Kearney McKinsey which are the consultancy firms, and also an OD consultant Dr.Athreya who is internationally reputed for the development of organization and modes of strategy.21 In its redesign process, the strategies followed are: to launch a new model every year satisfying different segments of the market, to decrease cost of production by accomplishing 85-90% indigenization for new models, increasing the dealer network from 150 to 300 focusing on bulk sales to attain its market share back, to reduce number of vendors and introduce competitive bidding. The mission statement of the organization is to come up with new models like fuel efficient vehicle with latest technology. Leader in domestic market and be among global players in the overseas market. Creating customer delight and shareholders wealth. With the redesign process the total production capacity increased to over 3, 70, 000 vehicles per year with the investment of around Rs. 4000 mn for the expansion project. Along with its redesign process, there has been a change in business focus of Maruti. The business focus of Maruti previously when it controlled the largest market share was to sell what we produce. After it began redesign process business focus of whole organization had a shift from production, production and production to marketing and customer focus. 22 Pricing Strategy followed by Maruti: Maruti has a product offering to all segments at all price levels. It offers a car with the price of Rs.1, 87,000.00 which is the lowest offer on road. The repeat buyers who already owned a Maruti car makes its 70% of business. Completion in the Indian passenger car industry is increasing and price emerged as an important factor affecting the purchasing decisions for customer. Maruti has been in the industry for more than two decades hence as a market lease maruti adopted aggressive pricing strategy.23 Maruti focused on promoting and distribution the products in the high competitive market. Maruti classified different innovative promotional strategies. They came up with some interest rates declining from 12% to as low as 8% in automobile finance. Maruti finances a mjor toll to drive up its car sales. For every customer looking for up gradation in his car their pricing strategy provides an option. Their motive of having different product offering is by considering every set of car cus tomers in India. The following is how every price point is covered.24 Maruti care for Customers: Maruti has successfully incorporated customer-friendly approach in its organization culture by getting rid of public-sector laid back image which made it to win five consecutive J D Power CSI Awards proving that its primary focus is on customer satisfaction. Employees also incorporated customer centric attitude following the organization culture. For each customer complain Maruti dealers and employees are responsible. Based on customer feedback there are cases of cancelling dealerships.25 Maruti has started a number of plans in purpose of well customer service. They have even changed their interior of showroom allowing customers to walk minimum in the showroom and there are schedules for customer service times and delivery of vehicles. The Dealer Sales Executive, who is trained on greeting notes, is the first person to interact with the customer of Maruti when he walks into the Maruti showroom. Under CRM department Maruti has a cell to handle customer complaints. Another effort by Maruti is the call center where Maruti can closely interact with its customer. The Market Research department of Maruti studies varying consumer behavior and needs of market. Marutis claim of being customer friendly further strengthens because of seventy percent of repeat buyers. There is a lot of investment and effort involved in developing customer loyalty schemes.26 Maruti commit to Motorizing India: Maruti is now putting efforts in making Indian consumers to switch from two-wheelers to the car without any tedious effort by the consumers thus showing its commitment of motorizing India. The outcome of this effort is in making small town people to buy Maruti cars for Rs. 2599 scheme because of its association with State Bank of India and its Associate Banks and organized finance plans.27 The compact cars, which currently make up 80% of the market is the root of growth for Maruti in the future. Strong economic growth, affordable finance, up gradation in infrastructure, proper framework favors the growth of car customers. The rise in income levels and low penetration levels at 7 per thousand are the favourable things for development automobile industry. Maruti while researching found that rural people had strange opinions in having a car that EMI (Equated monthly installments) ranges between Rs 4,000 and Rs 5,000 and along with it for the car maintenance it would be Rs 1,500-2,000 per month, plus another Rs 1,000 for fuel. Taking their inputs Maruti started working in developing an innovative idea to counter their apprehension. Controlling the fuel bill is in consumer hands where maintenance need not be. Khattar says What the company is doing now is saying how much you spend on fuel is in your hands anyway. As far as the maintenance cost is concerned, if you want it th at way, we will charge a little extra in the EMI and offer free maintenance. Thus Maruti laid another innovation in the automobile industry.28 Relationship with the suppliers and management Marutis top level direction of purchasing organization began development of a corporate wide Supply Management Strategy. The goal of Supply Management Strategy is to ensure that Maruti to provide with the right product, at the right time, with the best quality, for the lowest possible price. He elaborated the difference between the vendor and suppliers. A Vendor is going to provide a product which is already made and that doesnt include any creativity or innovation. Supplier is an opportunity to extend their business within the organizations that brings the new product with innovation and creativity as required for the developing to meet certain requirements to the product development.29 Supply management strategy goal is to shift the organization from a short-term transaction mentality to a long-term focus on supplier relationship. Position of suppliers with production facilities and there integration into Marutis development process was an important part of long-term relationship development. The long-term transaction would not only achieve by purchasing but also to develop new products for the development. Maruti recognized that engineering and manufacturing plays equal role in achieving the vision of a new role for supply management. Top level management argued that a slow and steady approach was necessary to build the enthusiasm and engagement in supply management system. He also thought that this new ways would bring us new technology improvements and involve good strategic thinking to bring the thing perfect at the first time.30 Different revenue streams: Maruti has successfully developed different financial strategies without making huge investments in the form of MDS, N2N, Maruti Insurance and Maruti Finance. These facilitate in providing the customers a hassle free experience and in turn satisfying the customers.31 Maruti Finance: In a market where car sales of more than 80% are financed, Maruti has successfully entered and created a financial strategy for Maruti. This strategy has become a crucial factor in converting a Maruti car sale in certain cases. Finance plays a key role in making decisions for car purchase. Maruti has grouped up with 8 other finance companies to form a consortium. The eight other companies are Citicorp Maruti, Maruti Countrywide, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra, Sundaram Finance, Bank of Punjab and IndusInd Bank Ltd. (previously-Ashok Leyland Finance).32 Maruti Insurance: The major concern of car owners is the insurance. Maruti has gathered all car insurance needs under one roof. Maruti has grouped up with National Insurance Company, Bajaj Allianz, New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram to make this service available for its customers. From finding out the most suitable car insurance policy and assisting in claiming insurance hassle-free its the complete responsibility of the dealer. Maruti Insurance makes its service easily available for customers at any Maruti dealer workshop in India to have their cars repaired and processing of insurance claims.33 True Value Initiative to capture used car market: Marutis another important development is its entry into the market of used cars in 2001, allowing customers to exchange their old car with the new one by bringing their vehicle to Maruti True Value outlets and paying the difference with loyal discounts. This helps in building satisfaction and retaining the customers. With Maruti True Value, it filled this gap in making customer trust in Indian used car market. In this highly unorganized and deceptive market where biggest concern in making a car sale is trust, Maruti could achieve this based upon its strength in Indian market. Maruti has developed a system where dealers pick up used cars, improve the condition, issue a new warranty and sell them again. Dealers make all investments for True Value. Maruti has established 172 showrooms across the nation building up a strong network. The used car market is 2-3 times as large as new car market in developed markets having a huge potential i n India.34 N2N: Maintenance of car consumes loads of time, especially if you own a group of automobiles. N2N Fleet Management Solutions by Maruti for companies takes the responsibility of A-Z automobile problems. Services comprise complete solutions across life of the vehicle like Leasing, Maintenance, Convenience services and Remarketing.35 Maruti Driving School (MDS): Maruti has started this in order to achieve the market where there is suppression in buying cars due to lack in car driving skills. This strategy brings such customer to the showroom and potentially learns car driving.36 Importance of Vehicle Maintenance Service Market. In the old days, the companys operations could be boiled down to a simple three-box flowchart. Components came from the vendors to the factory where they were assembled and then sent out to the dealers. In this scheme, you know where the companys revenues come from. The new scheme is more complicated. It revolves around the total lifetime value of a car. Work on this began in 1999, when a MUL team, wondering about new revenue streams, traveled across the world. Says R.S. Kalsi, general manager (new business), MUL: While car companies were moving from products to services, trying to capture more of the total lifetime value of a car, MUL was just making and selling cars. If a buyer spends Rs 100 on a car during its entire life, one-third of that is spent on its purchase. Another third went into fuel. And the final third went into maintenance. Earlier, Maruti was getting only the first one-third of the overall stream.37 As the Indian market matured, customers began to change cars faster. Says Kalsi: So the question was, if a car is going to see three users in, say, a life span of 10 years, So Maruti has changed gears to take a big share of this final one-third spent on maintenance. Maintenance market has a huge market potential. Even after having fifty lakh vehicles on road Maruti is only catering to approximately 20000 vehicles through its service stations every day.38 For this they are conducting free service workshops to encourage consumers to come to their service stations. Maruti has increased its authorized service stations to 1567 across 1036 cities. Every regional office is having a separate services and maintenance department which look after the growth of this revenue stream. 39 Conclusion Marutis vision statement is, its goals consist of continue leadership in the Indian automobile industry, enlarging the shareholders, establish customer pleasure. Maruti has highest level of customer satisfaction consistence for six years according to the J.D. Power Asia Pacific 2005 India Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) study. They gave importance for the customers and started many projects for better service. Maruti was ranked top in Indian sales satisfaction study. Maruti Suzuki has a sales network of 307 state-of -the-art showrooms across 189 cities, with a workforce of over 6000 trained sales personnel to guide MUL customers in finding the right car. Maruti Suzuki scored the highest across all 7 parameters: least problems experienced with vehicle serviced, highest service quality, best in-service experience, best service delivery, best service advisor experience, most user-friendly service and best service initiation experience. 92% of Maruti Suzuki owners feel that work gets done right the first time during service. The J.D. Power CSI study 2004 also reveals that 97% of Maruti Suzuki owners would probably recommend the same make of vehicle, while 90% owners would probably repurchase the same make of vehicle. At Maruti Suzuki, customers will find all car related needs met under one roof. Whether it is easy finance, insurance, fleet management services, exchange- Maruti Suzuki is set to provide a single-window solution for all car related needs. The acquisition cost is unfortunately not the only cost customers face when buying a car. Although a car may be affordable to buy, it may not necessarily be affordable to maintain, as some of its regularly used spare parts may be priced quite steeply. Not so in the case of a Maruti Suzuki. It is in the economy segment that the affordability of spares is most competitive, and it is here where Maruti Suzuki shines. The highest satisfaction ratings with regard to cost of ownership among all models are all Maruti Suzuki vehicles: Zen, Wagon R, Esteem, Maruti 800, Alto and Omni. It has introduced the superior 16 * 4 Hypertech engines across the entire Maruti Suzuki range. This new technology harnesses the power of a brainy 16-bit computer to a fuel-efficient 4-valve engine to create optimum engine delivery. This means every Maruti Suzuki owner gets the ideal combination of power and performance from his car. Maruti was also involved in various businesses like manufacturing, sales and purchasing of motor vehicles and parts of automobiles. Other activities of Maruti were facilitation of pre-owned car sales, fleet management and car financing. They have seven subsidiary companies in India are Insurance Business Agency Ltd, Maruti Insurance Distribution Services Ltd, Maruti Insurance agency Solution Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Network Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency services Ltd, Maruti Insurance Agency Logistics Ltd. They also went into other joint venture agreement with Futaba Industrial Co Ltd and formed FMI Automotive Compoments Ltd for manufacturing Exhaust System Components. Marutis profit increase to 98% rise in its economic second quarter net profits and they are planning to invest $32.3 million. Maruti Suzuki has created history in automobile industry through going keen on production record in 13 months. It is top number of car manufacturer in Asia, outside Japan and Korea having manufactured about 5 million vehicles by may 2005. It also should a remark as most booming automobile company as joint venture and they keep on making profits since inception till 2000-01. They are trying to modernize its factory to produce cars faster. As

Physics of a Fire :: physics fire

Fire is a chemical reaction whcih needs three things to be present so it can happen: Oxygen, Fuel, and Heat. If one of these is not present, the fire cannot start. If one of these is taken from a fire it will go out. But how does this all work? Oxygen We all breathe Oxygen (OÂ ²) everyday - in fact, without it we would suffocate. But did you know that fire breathes Oxygen too? And, like us, without Oxygen a fire will also suffocate. When Oxygen in the air combines with flammable vapours given off by Fuels - heat is produced and then ignition can occur. Without enough Oxygen, ignition cannot happen. In the opposite way, if there is too much Oxygen then the vapours won't be concentrated enough to ignite. The ratio of vapour to Oxygen is known as the 'explosive' or 'flammable' limit and is different for each gas or vapour. Heat Combustion occurs when flammable vapours mix with air (Oxygen) and are ignited by a spark or flame. Solids give off flammable vapours by being heated. Certain solids such as paper or flour appear to ignite almost instantly. This is because they give off vapours and reach a flammable temperature almost immediately. In fact, fine dusts dispersed in the air can explode because they give off vapours and ignite so quickly it appear to happen instantly. Other solids like timber take longer to ignite because they are more dense and so don't give off flammable vapours so easily. Fuel So, in our fire triangle we've got Oxygen and Heat, but we also need something that will burn - this is our Fuel. Fuels can take almost any form: Solids like wood, fabric, rubber and plastic. Liquids such as petrol, oil, cooking oil or even nail varnish remover. Gases like propane, butane and 'natural' gas. If a fire broke out in your home today, would you automatically know which fire extinguisher to use? What would happen if you used a Class A fire extinguisher on a fire in the electrical service panel in your basement? Answer: you'd possibly be electrocuted if the extinguishing agent is a liquid! A long time ago, the fire protection industry recognized the need to classify extinguishers according to the many kinds of burning materials encountered in a fire. For example, Class A, water-type fire extinguishers cannot be used on the electrical fires because the extinguisher operator could be seriously injured by the conduction of electricity by the stream of water from their extinguisher.

War in Iraq Essay -- Operation Iraqi Freedom

The war against Iraq began on March 20, 2002, when the U.S lunched â€Å"Operation Iraqi Freedom†. This was after President Bush called Iraq part of an â€Å"axis of evil†, also calling the country dangerous which is threatening U.S with the world’s most destructive weapons. The major phase of the war began when U.S troops marched within 50 miles of Baghdad with heavy aerial attacks on Baghdad and other cities. After the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon which was believed to be the work of Al Qaeda, U.S was concerned about the security of the Untied States which lead to the war in Iraq. Even though U.S officials felt the war in Iraq is the main priority, but many people in U.S opposes the war which brings up a lot of controversial issues. Some people feel that lives of troops are put on risk for unnecessary reason, and people are also concerned about the innocent civilians getting killed in Iraq. Also billions of tax payer’s dollars are spent on the war which could be used for other major issues within our country such as poverty, education and security. I feel that declaring war with Iraq was unnecessary and that there are many other ways to resolve this conflict. As the war progressed many people were questioning President Bush’s decision to declare war in Iraq because U.S intelligence believes Iraq has weapons of mass distraction, I never agreed with the decision, and I always felt that the money and the effort should be used to catch Osama Bin Laden, who was the man, ...

Candide :: essays research papers

Candide is a humorous, far-fetched tale by Voltaire satirizing the optimism accepted by the philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. Candide looks for true happiness, and his ultimate acceptance of life’s disappointments. He grew up in the Castle of Westphalia and was taught by the greatest philosopher of the province and the whole world, Dr. Pangloss. Dr. Pangloss taught Candide that everything that happens is for the best. Candide is exiled from the castle because of his love for the Baron’s daughter, Cunegonde. He then sets out to different places in the hope of finding her and achieving total happiness. Candide knew thought he knew that everything happened for the best because the greatest philosopher taught him that, but everyone around him did not accept that theory. Voltaire refused to believe that what happens is always for the best. Voltaire shows the primary concerns during the period of Enlightenment, but also criticizes certain aspects of the movement. He attacks the idea that good prevails over evil because he believes that human beings perpetrate evil. He laughs at Candide for believing all the corruption that is occurring and religious intolerance. Eldorado a town worshipped by one god, and "all were priests" was not explainable to Candide. The townspeople did not pray because they had all they wanted, but they did sing hymns of thanks. Candide learned that neither law courts nor prisons were needed for these happy, law-abiding people. He was surprised that a society lived by worshipping one god, and everyone abided by the laws. The Eldorado people related to God just by being thankful for everything that they had. A King or leader did not dictate that they must follow a certain religion, or pray to God, but yet they still believed in God. For example, the states of the Holy Roman Empire were always being told by Kings, and leaders which religion they must practice, and tried to ban different religions that they didn’t believe in. Candide was amazed by how generous people were to invite them into there house to eat, and took care of Cacambo, and him. To Voltaire this was an ideal world, but it seemed as if it w as to perfect and he knew that it could never exist. After Candide and Pangloss reunited, and traveled to Lisbon a earthquake occurred.

Food, Inc. Essay

Food, Inc. broadens the consumers prospective on the production of foods such as chicken and cattle. The documentary was convincing in regards to showing the consumer what manufacturers are afraid to show us, consumers. Nowadays, there are approximately 47 thousand products in a grocery store. That of which four producers have 70% of the market. Food, Inc. had many facts and statistics telling the viewers of today’s farmers and other large corporations in the food industry. It used to be that it took three months to produce a chicken from when it hatched to the time it was ready to slaughter, now, it takes only 48 days. Farmers average a borrowing of $500,000 in which they only make $18,000 profit. Large producers are keeping farmers in debt. Rather than letting the plants and animals take the time they need to produce naturally companies are always thinking â€Å"faster, faster, bigger, bigger†. Candy, chips, pop, and hamburgers from McDonald’s are all examples of cheaper food than compared to vegetables or fruit. Although they are higher subsidized, they are low in cost. Food, Inc. could have overlooked the value some Americans have on these cheaper meals. A Hispanic family was shown on the documentary. This family was faced with having to choose between buying medication for their diabetic father or getting groceries. Him, as well as one and a half million other Mexican farmers lost their jobs due to larger corporations and with all the debt that is due, they don’t have a lot of money for the quality of food they may want. Food, Inc. however did overemphasize all the negative larger companies were doing to farmers, as well as animals. Some interesting facts are as follow: at a slaughter house located in Tar Heel, 32,000 pigs are slaughter a day; that’s 2,000 per hour. If a plant is always failing the USDA testing, they are said to be shut down. However, the law never took affect, instead, the plants took USDA to court. In 2008, 90% of soybeans did not have the original seed. Although documentaries are usually biased, there were many times throughout the film where a large corporations were asked to talk, however, they declined. Large corporations could have helped their side of view by taking time to conduct an interview with the Food, Inc. crew. Food, Inc.was very intriguing, although it could have furthered explained through a corporations prospective overall the documentary was successful. The harsh facts with the jaw dropping graphics were just a bonus on the heart touching stories all of the farmers told. The graphics of reality was most bothering. The fact that companies could get away with employing illegal immigrants than do nothing when they were arrested was annoying, as well as knowing that a company could sue anybody for anything even if they knew they would lose. Something that was realized as result from watching this piece, is that to eat well in this country you need money. Questions that could be asked are how can companies like Monsanto have all of one farmer’s bank accounts and check written from the last 10 years. How can this company sue farmers (and win) for the farmer’s crops being contaminated against their knowledge. Why did patenting a seed ever become acceptable when the seed needs to be grown and consumed by millions. And why can the FDA sell food without a GMO label.

Critical Thinking Reflection Paper Essay

The question that I selected is leave alone receiving a college degree improve your life story opportunities? The obvious act to this question is yes. However, I want to be true of my purpose by backing it up with vituperative thinking skills to determine that I commit come up with the correct answer. star step to captious thinking is devising sure that ones answer can be hearty back up by factual instruction. A phantasm is an argument that is based on a weak argument with little to no supportive factual information. To make sure that my answer to the above question is a valid argument, I would need to withdraw research and list all of the information that I find. I may verbalism into statistical information such as the employment rate of those with college degrees as compared to those without a college degree in a incident career field.Another aspect of unfavorable thinking is checking ones answers and find that they are well supported and well researched ideas. I t is important to questions one own ideas and flavor at them from a skeptical blockage of view to find any weaknesses in the argument. This process can be utilize to any area of life where a decision must be made. To realize that I continue to use particular thinking skills throughout my life I can practice using critical thinking for simple situations, therefore making critical thinking a raiment rather than a forced thought.