The following typical defects of ductile iron castings are based on the experiences of process engineers from Dandong Foundry in China. We hope these information could be helpful for other iron foundries and casting buyers.

1. abnormal and degraded nodularizing

If the ductile iron castings have defects of abnormal and degraded nodularizing, the fracture surfaces will show the grey color with the small black particles. There will be large amount of flaky graphite in the microstructure.
It is mainly because the too much sulphur in melted iron, or other anti-nodularizing elements. So, we suggest to use the low sulphur coal, or use the desulphite treatment. If necessary, please try to add more nodularizing agents.

2. shrinkage holes and porosity

Shrinkage holes show the concaved surfaces, and the inside surfaces of shrinkage holes are very rough. Shrinkage porosity shows many dendritic small holes.
These defects are because of low content of carbon and silicon, too much sulphur.
Using hard molding, such as resin sand casting process. Increasing the content of Si and C.

3. graphite floatation

This defect is usually happen at the end of castings, especially at the gating head. You could see many graphite balls gathering together.
This defect is because of high content of carbon and silicon, and too much residues of nodularzing agents.
The solving method is reducing the content of C and Si, and control the nodularzing agents.

4. inverse chill

This defect will show the clear white blocks on the surfaces of fractures. Some are just like the white shiny needles.
The reason is the too quick cooling for some positions, or insufficient nodularizing.
So, the foundries need to control the usage of nodularizing agents, not too much. At the same time, enhance the temperature of pouring.

5. slag inclusion

Slag inclusion will show the inclusion with dark color and different shapes on the surfaces of fractures. From macrostructures, you could see the obvious inclusion.
One reason is because of too much sulphur in the melted iron. Another reason is too much magnesium residues.
So, iron foundry needs to reduce the content of sulphur in the pig iron, and try to reduce the residues of magnesium, and set the more gating heads at the positions of easy slag inclusion.

6. deformation and cracks

When the shrinkage stress becomes higher than resistance to deformation, then there will be deformation or even cracks to ductile iron castings. The hot cracks are brown, and cold cracks are light yellow.
The main reasons are low content of carbon, insufficient nodularizing and too quick cooling.
So, you need to increase the content of carbon and silicon, reduce the content of sulphur and improve the nodularizing.

This article was from Dandong Foundry. For the whole article, please check Dandong Foundry Blog.

Once we step back into fall the serious networking begins again! Networking is one of your 3 ‘Must Do’ marketing strategies if you really want to grow your business quickly.

The way to make the most of attending a networking event is to come well prepared. Most networking events expect at the least, that you will introduce yourself through your ‘elevator speech’ (aka your ‘infomercial or commercial’) and give others your business card. If you are a member of a networking group you may also be able to create a table display which gives you more visibility.

Before I go to any networking event I always like to set my intention so I know what results I expect to ‘get and give’ at a particular event. Networking does take work and it takes time. You need to attend often and follow up with people you meet. People need to KNOW YOU, LIKE YOU & TRUST YOU before they will buy from you. And they can’t do this from just one quick introduction!

To make the most of your time, it is best to have your website up and running even if it is not 100% completed. Most networkers will go directly to your website to learn more about you. Just like home staging you only get 1 chance to make a great first impression – so make the most of it!

CREATE A LONGER AND SHORTER VERSION OF YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH

Typically you have anywhere from a few seconds to give your elevator speech to several minutes. You might use it quite literally when you are in an elevator and someone asks you what you do. In some more structured groups like BNIs (Business Networking International) you have 60 seconds to talk about yourself and let the other members know what type of ideal client/referral you are looking for.

If you are new to the world of networking and nervous, there is nothing that says you can’t type it up and have it on a piece of paper to read from. Or try writing just your few key points on index cards or in your blackberry to refer to if you need to. Most experienced networkers realize that we all started just like you! Go with a friend if you are really nervous or join a Toastmaster’s group to gain your confidence.

If you follow this simple proven 7 Steps to Creating Your FANTASTIC Elevator Speech Formula you can adjust it like an accordion. Write up 2 versions so that you have your ‘short version’ and your ‘expanded version’.

I’ll share mine with you here as if I was introducing myself as a Home Staging Instructor to a networking group. Script it so it is fairly conversational.

A. Longer Version Elevator Speech

1. Your NAME & Your BUSINESS NAME -Hello my name is Dana Smithers. I am a Home Staging Expert, founder and instructor of the PRES Staging School.

2. Who your IDEAL CLIENTS are -I teach aspiring home stagers how to become successful and confident business owners.

3. What your ideal clients STRUGGLE with -Many students are new entrepreneurs and have no idea even where to start to build their business. They struggle with lack of confidence to do the physical staging and to charge what they are really worth.

If you’re actively pursuing buying a gas station, excellent idea! But should you invest in a franchise or an independent station? To be as sure as possible that you’re making the right choice, take a bit of time studying detailed answers to questions similar to these:

Question #1: Who is responsible for environmental issues?

Environmental compliance issues are the biggest difficulty in buying a station. If you run afoul of environmental laws, and have to pay for costly clean-ups or new equipment, it could be the end of your enterprise. I’m not exaggerating! Here are a few instances that you may not have considered . . .

* Underground leaks. If one of your tanks leaks, who pays for the clean-up – you, or the gas company who sold you the franchise?

* New equipment. If every station in your state is suddenly required by law to install a new kind of vent for underground tanks, you will have to pay for that equipment if you’re an independent.

* Site remediation. If you sell your station, who pays for removing the underground tanks, cleaning up the soil and getting the certification that states your property’s remediation (clean up) has been approved by the state?

Question #2: If you buy a franchise, can you stop worrying about environmental problems?

In general, the answer to this question is yes. Your parent company (Exxon, Mobil, etc.) will install any new equipment that the state requires, and will step in to do the clean-up if one of your tanks suddenly develops a leak underground.

However, you should never make any assumptions in this area. You and your attorney have to comb through your franchising agreement to understand exactly what’s covered, and what’s not!

Question #3: If I’m buying an independent, what do I really own?

If you buy a small independent station with no ties to a major brand of gasoline, the answer to that question is relatively straightforward. You’re probably buying the business as an entity, as well as the real estate where the business is located, along with the tanks, pumps and other equipment that you’ll need to sell gasoline. However, the picture can become complicated somewhat if you are buying the business, but not the real estate (land, buildings). You and your attorney need to pin everything down.

Question #4: If I am buying a franchise station, what do I really own?

The answers to this question can be more complicated than you’d expect. After you purchase, for instance, you may end up owning the building – but not the land and equipment, which are owned by the parent company. Or you could lease the building and the land, but have the canopies, pumps and other equipment owned by the parent company.

Remember, different franchising organizations set up their ownership packages in entirely different ways. To find out if the deal is right for you, you’ll need to go over all franchise plans and documents closely with your attorney.

Question #5: If it’s a franchise, who pays for what?

If you buy a franchise, you’ll probably be surprised to find out about all the things that your parent company expects you to pay for. Some or all of these items might not be covered, so be sure to ask ahead of time:

1. Insurance and Repairs – You may have to pay to insure and maintain the parent company’s pumps, signs and canopies.

2. Rent Increases – If the parent company leases you the grounds and buildings, be prepared to get hit with significant rent increases every two to three years. Make sure you get these terms clearly spelled out in the franchise agreement.

3. Promotional Items – When the parent company decides to sell a new kind of coffee in your convenience store, or to offer special gas discounts on Tuesdays, and decides to advertise those offerings with special signs – will you be responsible for paying for them?

4. Payroll and Benefits – Don’t expect the parent company to pay salaries or provide benefits for your employees. It’s the one area where you’ll find that you’re suddenly operating like an independent business.

Copyright (c) 2009 Richard K Parker

For a variety of organizations the notion of growing into other international regions is a highly attractive proposition. Alas, for most it also feels like an insurmountable challenge that is just too difficult to contemplate seriously. But franchising can provide the remedy. In comparison to to the large financial commitment required to open up wholly owned subsidiaries in the selected marketplaces, it is relatively low cost, low risk and critically it uses the local abilities of individuals accustomed to doing commerce in that country. There are lots of organisations that will not franchise in their domestic market yet have decided to develop internationally making use of a franchise strategy, which includes some significant, well known companies.

The initial thing to say is that international franchising must only be attempted together with the support of first rate, experienced franchise experts. It really is a complex subject and a small outlay in specialist advice at the start might make the entire undertaking simpler and more successful.

It is an obvious point to make, but international markets tend not to operate in the same way as the market does in your region. Apparent though it is, many organisations have learnt this the hard way. Local legislation and legal systems are going to be different, ways of undertaking business might be different, regional culture will be different and customer behaviour will be different. In truth all of these things are extremely appealing motives to franchise. Having a high-quality franchisee who is a business person used to working in the local market is critical and will assist you enormously.

So who is this franchisee and what do they do? Well there are several solutions to structure an international franchise system. Starting at the bottom you could decide on direct franchisees – that’s people whose function is to open and run the business units themselves. Or you might decide on regional developers whose function it is to take on and manage the franchisees who run the business units. Then again you could decide to hand over the development of a entire country or region to your master licensee who effectively becomes the franchisor for that territory. They then may either recruit regional developers or franchisees.

Each of these methods has its merits and the solution is to do with the kind of business that you’re in, the role you wish to adopt in the franchising structure and the regions you wish to enter. The critical thing is to have high-quality assistance ahead of making the choice, because once made it is hard to undo.

Having done the analysis and formulated the applicable strategy for each international territory being focused on the correct documentation has to be developed. Each layer of the franchising structure needs guidance on the way to operate along with a legal framework in which to operate. Once more a top quality franchise consultant will have the ability to help you with this.

Finally, the task of locating the best companies to work with starts. Master licensee and franchisee recruitment may take time, but the critical thing is to make certain you locate the correct companies to work with. When utilising the services of high-quality international franchise consultants it is a mixture of marketing and networking that achieves the best results.

In Demand Children Clothing Franchise

If you are looking for a good business enterprise, children clothing franchise is amongst the most in demand in the business industry. Some opt for branded kids clothing because the demand is higher compared to the mass produced non-branded clothes. Usually, branded clothes do not just carry well-known logos but they are also known for the quality of their products. When you purchase branded clothes, you need not look for any flaws, but just look at the design of your choice. This is because you are confident that they always maintain their quality to protect the name.

What is beneficial with children clothing franchise is that there is no need to worry over the marketing side. This is because most of the businesses that go into franchising are already established. Instead of expanding and opening branches, they opt for franchise instead. In this way, they need not have to worry about hiring another set of employees, training, and most of all, needing to find another trusted manager to manage the branch. Franchising is a little bit relaxing because you only need to monitor the branch and get the royalty fee. However, it is important that you often check the branch for any anomalous transactions that will mar the name of your own company.

Children clothing franchise online is easier to handle and does not require you to rent display centers. You can easily photograph the items and post it on your website. In this way, you only need to spend on the franchising fee. Just make sure though that before you sign franchise contract you have read the agreement and that your rights are protected. For ideas on kids clothing shops and other business models on this type of business, you can visit other children clothing stores online. You can get ideas on how you can start the business. What is the best way to organize your website pages and what you can do to make it popular in the industry.

When you decide on how you can compete with other children clothing franchise stores, look closely on the pricing, display method and most especially the perks and discount strategies. Learn from other successful stores. What usually works is the privilege and discounts being offered. Your edge over other competitors will always depend on your marketing strategies. Come up with a brighter idea by examining other online stores. You can formulate out of the ideas you gathered and come up with an effective one you can use on your soon to be children clothing franchise business.

Before you make a decision, always be wise and make a thorough research. Effective business venture starts with feasibility studies. Do you work and be informed. Make hypothetical questions and get factual answers from the children clothing storeowners online. Learn from their experience. Often, the mistakes of others will be to your advantage. If you know what causes others to fail, you are sure to prevent that by equipping yourself with the necessary weapon.