Custom Components Company recently completed a project to supply custom stainless steel and glass railing and handrails for the newly constructed Sunrise Public Safety Building in Sunrise, FL.  The project was a $30 million, 109,000 square foot facility for the city of Sunrise.  The building houses the city's police and fire service headquarters.  The project also includes a 17,850 square foot fire station and 4,900 square foot central energy plant adjacent to the new Public Safety Building.  The public safety complex unites police and fire rescue administration in a facility that meets their unique needs.  It will serve as the city's emergency operations center.  The new building replaces  a former city facility that was demolished several years ago.  Since then, the police and fire departments have been operating from temporary offices in the city's utility headquarters.  The architect for the project was Architects Design Group of Winter Park, FL and the general contractor was Stiles Construction of Fort Lauderdale, FL.  Custom Components supplied and installed nearly 200 linear feet of monumental glass bridge in the main lobby consisting of stainless steel point mounted glass railing and hand rail.  This also included an exterior glass railing system at the main water feature at the entrance to the building.  This is one of several projects that Custom Components has collaborated with Stiles Construction.  Others include interior office front projects with the AL Tech™ line.

The ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index was broadly covered in the media with most sources mentioning manufacturing's key role in helping the U.S. regain its economic footing.  It was also noted that April's expansion marked a slight decline from March, due in part to higher input costs, but that overall the results, and the outlook for the sector, are very good.  The impact of a weak dollar was also noted. 

  

The AP (5/3) reports, "The nation's manufacturing sector has expanded this year at the fastest pace in a quarter-century, boosted by a weak dollar that has made US goods cheap overseas."  The strong manufacturing sector "could help the economy rebound after experiencing weak growth in the first three months of the year," although other industries such as construction are still struggling, and raw materials prices remain a concern.  "The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that manufacturing activity expanded in April for the 21st straight month."  Although the reading of 60.4 represents a decline from 61.2 in March, it still indicates manufacturing growth. 

  

  

With revenues shrinking and costs rising, it's easy to get upside-down in the profit column,  With credit markets just starting to thaw, it may be difficult to get the cash needed to continue operations.  And tight-fisted customers aren't going to let you sell your way back to profitability.  How is it possible to boost profits without increasing sales?  The easiest way is to downsize your costs.

  

Ever notice how some companies seem to thrive in economic downturns and blow past their competitors?  Wouldn't you like to be one of them? 

  

You can! There are hidden gold mines in your day-to-day business operations that you've been unable to tap using common sense, gut feel and trial-and-error.  Across the ordering, billing, purchasing, payments and fulfillment processes, your customers may experience 6-12-18% error rate - an error rate that is devouring your profits.

  

In a recession, you can't market or sell your way out, because customers are tightening their purse strings.  You can't innovate your way out, because customers want proven solutions, not new, untried ones.

  

You can, however, systematically improve your mission-critical operations - eliminating defects, delay and waste that translate into immediate profits.  No waiting!  And best of all, your processes are totally within your control - you don't have to rely on anyone else to achieve your goals.

  

  

  

Article source:  ezinearticles.com

  

One of the toughest business decisions you can have is choosing the right (or best supplier) for a product or service.  There are literally hundreds, or more, potential suppliers out there,  no matter what it is you are looking for. That number also seems to increase markedly during tough economic times.  The answer is quite a bit more complicated than who has the lowest price.  In fact, it is a very bad business decision to make your selection based on price alone, even during good economic times.  As the old saying goes, " The stench of poor quality lingers long after the allure of low price fades."

 

Here's a better way:  Evaluate your potential suppliers on the total value proposition they provide.  From recent surveys we have conducted, here are the most important characteristics of a good supplier (in order of importance):

 

*  Meeting design intent/project requirements

*  Quality

*  Responsiveness

*  On time delivery

*  Problem resolution

*  Price

 

The message, keep all of these in mind when searching for the best supplier and don't be fooled by low prices.  Search, ask , get references and you will end up with the best supplier for your specific requirements.

Custom Components Company recently completed a project to supply custom glass railing  and stainless steel hand rail for Care First - Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance in Cumberland, MD for their new two story office building. The architect for the project was VOA Associates and the general contractor was Carl Belt, Inc.  The client was looking for something that was simple and functional, yet elegant.  Custom Components worked closely with the design, construction and installation teams to achieve those goals.

We supplied our Series 700 glass balustrade railing with custom stainless steel hand rail, utilizing 1/2" clear tempered glass.  The design features custom stainless steel glass clips for the glass returns at the top of the stairs.  The base shoe was wrapped in architectural wood.  Glass Services of Cumberland did an excellent job on the project.

The latest federal government figures on construction spending have been released showing March 2011 construction spending estimated at a seasonally adjusted $768.9 billion annual rate, 1.4% (+ or - 1.6%) above the revised February estimate of $758.6 billion.  The March figure is 6.7% (+ or - 1.8%) below the March 2010 estimate of $824.0 billion.  During the first 3 months of this year, construction spending amounted to $161.2 billion, 7.8 percent (+ or - 1.4%) below the $174.8 billion for same period in 2010.

  

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Or put it another way, if you don't do any of these, you have a chance to earn a sale based on the pricing, quality and reliability of your service.  Keep these in mind during your next visit with a customer!

10) Show up late for your initial appointment or walk-thru.

  9) Answer your customer's questions with made up answers, hoping they will never check on you.

   8) Forget to put your phone on vibrate or answering your phone while talking to a potential client.

   7) Walk into a client meeting with a cigarette lit, or eating something.

   6) Tell a potential client they "are wrong" instead of suggesting alternatives positively.

Click here to read all 10

 

Originally posted by Paul Bieber at http://usglasspaul.blogspot.com/