China: What You May Not Know About It Will Surprise You

Beijing on a clear day.

We have all seen the pictures of the urban smog in many cities in China. In fact, the country is home to 20 of the world’s 30 most polluted cities. Key among the factors involved is that coal produces 70% of China’s energy. The country burns nearly half of the world’s supply.

And it’s not just the air that is of concern. It has been estimated that 90% of China’s urban groundwater is contaminated. Over one third of the fish species native to the Yellow River are now extinct and millions of people in rural areas rely on unsafe water supplies.

Is The Tide Finally Turning For The North American Manufacturing Industry?

An article on television recently featured an interview with the owner of a company that manufactured brass fittings in the Northeastern United States. He had seen his business erode over the past number of years at an alarming rate as he was, in his own words, out-gunned by products manufactured in low cost centres in Asia.

But rather than give up in frustration or give in and have his production moved offshore, like many other North American manufacturers have done, he decided to tighten his belt and stick to his guns. His decision was prompted to some extent by stories that he was hearing of failed products made offshore and he believed that, in the long run, the quality of the “Made in America” products that his company produced would prevail.

Steel…The True Superman of Metals

You might be surprised to learn that steel is the most widely used and most recycled metal on the planet. To give you some idea of the scope, more steel is recycled in the U.S. each year than paper, plastic, aluminum and glass combined.

Within our economy, the steel industry clearly plays a significant role.  Statistics for 2010 indicate that, in Canada, we produced 13 million tons of steel and sold more than 12 billion dollars of product of which more than 6 billion dollars worth was exported. The industry also directly employs 25,000 people and has made capital investments of 2 billion dollars since 2005.

Electronics…The Newest Frontier For Recycling

As we have intensified our efforts to collect end-of-life electronics, we have marveled at the vast array of equipment that has been packed away in basements, warehouses and storage facilities all over the GTA. Word processors, typewriters, black and white televisions, stereo and high fidelity equipment, computers, beepers, telecommunications equipment, printers and other peripherals, clunky portable phones that weren’t very smart and the list goes on.

The amazing thing about all this ‘stuff’ is that when they were introduced to the world they were all applauded and widely accepted as true cutting edge technologies.

End-of-life electronics sorting and dismantling at our Oakville warehouse.

The Good Old Penny..RIP Come This Fall

As anticipated in a post we did about a year ago, the federal government announced the demise of the penny in its March 2012 budget. In about six months from now, the Royal Canadian Mint will stop distributing the coin and they will be removed from circulation over time. There is no end date to the process so we can continue to use them and they will retain their value as long as they are around.

We are not alone in this exercise. There are quite a number of countries who have already stopped using their low value coins.

Weighing In On Regulations

When we started our business in 1990, the work was more physical and the regulatory environment was less intrusive. Today, we have more equipment to handle the physical load but we are surrounded by a sea of regulations involving such policy areas as human resources, occupational health and safety, the environment, taxation and so on. While perhaps well intended for the most part, they are difficult to navigate and often questionable in their language, intent and execution.

Sustainability – The New Mother of Innovation

Welcome to 2012!

Writers commonly suffer from a condition which is often referred to as “writer’s block”. According to Wikipedia, this is a condition in which the author loses the ability to produce new work.

We find the same type of thing is often in play in business. A great number of companies can tend to get ‘blocked’ by continuing to employ many of the same formulas which have allowed them to prosper in the past. At their peril, they often fail to take into account that conditions around them have changed.

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