WELCOME:

Welcome to the October 2006 issue of the e-Newsletter from PowderHandling.com.au. It has been an eventful month with the web site continuing to grow and gain acceptance throughout the industry. It’s unfortunate though that this acceptance has not quite been universal.

Up until the recent launch of PowderHandling.com.au, media and resources for the Powder and Bulk Materials Handling Industry in Australia and NZ has been dominated for 10 years by one magazine and its partner exhibition. Suppliers have had little choice where they market their products and services and end users have had little choice where to look.

As Henry Ford said, “Competition is the keen cutting edge of business, always shaving away at costs”. Don't you just love competition? Apparently though, the old school doesn’t feel the same way.

We wanted to be part of the Industry Exhibition, but they refused to sell us exhibition space because their "practice of sharing exhibitor details among all exhibitors would be inappropriate in this case". However, it’s funny how it wasn't "inappropriate" to share this information with the European based bulk-online web site. So much for supporting the local industry!

But the icing on the cake came when they actually refused us entry to the exhibition because apparently, we would be "grazing on their customers". Once again, I find it strange that other suppliers to the industry weren't refused entry for "grazing on their customers".

It is apparently their right and prerogative to both refuse to sell us exhibition space and to refuse us entry to the exhibition and I respect that. But while I am disappointed, I am also truly flattered. They are obviously threatened by our presence and they have sent this message to the market. They are literally saying to you, the suppliers and end users out there "Hey look, there's now someone else offering a quality resource and marketing service to the Powder and Bulk Materials Handling Industry in Australia and NZ and we don’t want you to see it”. It's strange how people react when they've had things all there own way for so long, then all of a sudden there’s competition.

So to all the exhibitors who took the time to come and see us at our impromptu office in the coffee shop of the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, thanks for your time and your support. Your business is appreciated!

The local industry needs local support. Together we can make the PowderHandling.com.au web site grow into the local resource your industry needs.

OCTOBERS FEATURED COMPANY:

Continuous manufacturing and process developments and the associated increasing demands placed on product quality and testing programs, now require either manual or automatic sampling procedures operated in accordance with a defined and validated quality control program. This is essential throughout the manufacturing process, beginning with raw materials intake, through to the finished product.

As every manufacturer knows, having to discard, rework or release a finished product that does not comply with the end users quality standards, can result in product recalls and potential litigation, both of which can place considerable financial burden on a company.
Click Here to read the full article.

SUPPLIER UPDATES:

I would like to introduce our newest GOLD Members, both key players in the local industry. We are very pleased to welcome such leading industry names as elite GOLD Members.

If you would like to get the benefits of one of our GOLD, SILVER or BRONZE enhanced memberships, email us at sales@powderhandling.com.au and we will forward a Membership Upgrade Order Form to you.

The community of suppliers on PowderHandling.com.au continues to grow. I would like to welcome the latest companies to list:

CalAir Piping Systems
Alcan Engineering
DSH Systems (Australia)
JC Steel and Sons Australia
Allied Industries

If you are a supplier and wish to list your company on the PowderHandling.com.au Suppliers Directory, click here to read the listing criterea. Then complete the form and submit your details for consideration.

THIS MONTHS FEATURE ARTICLE:

Sleaford Quality Foods, a family-owned UK supplier of dehydrated fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices has grown substantially in recent years. This growth has been due to Sleaford’s ability to react quickly to customers needs. However, a combination of fixed mixing and packing equipment coupled with strict cleaning procedures was limiting production capacity.

Sleaford selected Matcon as their partner in a complete refurbishment of their UK facility. A key goal of the project was to increase production capacity by 400% without reducing delivery lead times or the need to employ more operators.


Click Here to read the full article.

TOP 10 MOST VISITED SUPPLIERS:

The current 10 most popular equipment companies on the Suppliers Directory are:-
Kinder & Co Pty Ltd
FiltaireProducts Pty Ltd
CAS Enterprises Ltd
Matcon Pacific Pty Ltd
Downer MBL
Fresco Systems Australasia
Klausen Process Machinery Pty Ltd
DSH Systems Ltd
ISD Mechanical Services
Bulk Handling Global

OCTOBERS PRODUCT OF THE MONTH:

The October Product of the Month is the Dust Suppression Hopper from DSH Systems Limited in New Zealand. This feature position coincides with the announcement that the company was joint winner of the "Innovative Technology Award" at the recent BulkEx 2006 Exhibition in Melbourne. "To be recognized by the experts in the bulk materials handling industry was a great honour" said Judi Schwass of DSH. Commenting further, she added, "It is very gratifying and will go a long way to dispelling the myth that the hopper is a product of trick photography!"

Click Here to read the full article.

TOP 10 MOST POPULAR EQUIPMENT SEARCHES:

The current 10 most popular equipment searches on the Equipment Directory are:-
Screw Conveyors
Pneumatic Conveying Systems
IBC’s
Mixers & Blenders
Conveyor Systems
Fluid Bed Dryers
Diverter Valves
Samplers
Abrasion Resistant Products
Hoppers

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING:

If you have equipment that is surplus to requirements and wish to sell it, or have vacant positions to fill, why not consider using our Classified Advertising section. Current classified listings include:

Sales of obsolete stock of conveyors rollers

Australian agents required for IBC Technology company

Materials Handling Project Engineer required for Melbourne based company

To advertise, click here and complete the form on the Classified Advertising page.

NEW SERVICE - WEB SITE EVALUATION:

The corporate website can often be a disorganized place and it is usually no fault of the company who own it. More often than not, the problem is caused by "over creativity" of web designers.

The fact that designers can usually do anything they want does not mean that they should. Often, a designer with lack of experience will talk a client into a flashy animation for the entire website, or add music without an on/off button. These "features" prevent a user from downloading a page quickly and often, scares them away altogether - more than likely off to visit your competitors web site!!

So many companies are not getting the full benefit of their website because of poor design, poor functionality or lack of skills in the backend process. But we can help!

In conjunction with Internet Informant, PowderHandling.com.au are now offering a Web Site Evaluation service. For a one off fee, we will evaluate your web site and make recommendations in areas such as:

• Getting customers there - search engine optimisation
• Creating an image - your web site is your companies virtual shopfront
• Keeping customers interested - how to make your site easy and enjoyable to use.
• Getting their business - how to help customers find the information you want them to know

Contact us now for a no obligation discussion on how to make the most of the valuable asset you already have. If you don’t yet have a web site, we are also offering a full design and hosting service, tailored to your needs and budget.

OTHER INDUSTRY NEWS AND ARTICLES:

Regular articles and news items are always being added to the PowderHandling.com.au web site. Click on the links below to read some of the recent additions.

Cement Sampling
Affordable Product Inspection
BudPak is back!
Clean, Green Australian Pipe System
Fonterra Develops New Milk Powder Quality Test
Bulk Bag Unloader Enhanced By Design
Snap-Loc Dust Seal System

NEWSLETTER CONTRIBUTIONS:

If you have any newsworthy items such as new product announcements, recently received orders, completed projects, new appointments etc., please email your contributions to sales@powderhandling.com.au. Relevant items may also be included in the “News & Events” section of the web site. Please note that inclusion of any contribution is solely at the editors’ discretion and editorial content may be modified without notification.

Featured Article, Featured Product & Featured Company positions are also available, but these are sponsored positions, as they not only appear in the e-newsletter, but also feature in prominent relevant positions on the web site for one month. Please contact us if you would like to take up any of these promotional opportunities.

SUGGESTIONS AND COMMENTS:

If you have any comments on the web site or the e-Newsletter, or suggestions that you feel would further enhance the resource, I would love to here from you. Please email me personally at paul@powderhandling.com.au

NEWSLETTER SPONSORSHIP:

Sponsorship of the PowderHandling.com.au Monthly E-Newsletter is now available. If you would like to sponsor the November 2006 issue and get your message out with ours, email us at sales@powderhandling.com.au for further details.

FINAL THOUGHT:

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose."

Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th US President


Paul Nutter
PowderHandling.com.au
paul@powderhandling.com.au