Telematics: Getting the Most Out of Your Machinery

If you are particular about the quality and maintenance of your field machinery, then you should consider incorporating telematics into your fleet operations. Telematics has begun to make its way into the farming industry as a method of improving overall efficiency and production.

In general, telematics involves sending, receiving and storing information via telecommunication devices. Information is sent from the field via cellular network to a computer with special software that reads and processes the data.

This technology offers many possible uses and benefits for farmers that go way beyond simple vehicle location. Farmers can track fuel levels, vehicle performance, engine temperature, and hours worked in the field. Special sensors placed throughout the machine can also alert farmers about the breakdown of parts and components, even before it happens. Some systems further allow for the remote setup and control of machinery. All this monitoring is conducted in real-time from a remote location, such as a home office.

Aside from the obvious benefits, telematics technology is also becoming more affordable for the average farmer. The necessary hardware, including devices, wiring, and antennas, will run about $400-$600. There is also a small daily service charge. Equipment can be purchased directly from equipment dealers or retrofitted by third party companies.

Agrievolution Conference Reveals World-Wide Trends in Agricultural Machinery

According to presentations made at the first Agrievolution summit that was held last month in Rome, evolving and growing economies are increasing the global demand for agricultural equipment. As a result, equipment manufacturers and dealers are experiencing a world-wide shortage in farm machinery supplies.

The summit included several major farm machinery manufacturers from around the world who convened to address the issue of producing more food for thriving world populations by analyzing economic and industry trends as well as new technologies.

The summit focused on six regions that are significantly effecting the world market: Europe, Brazil, China, India, Russia, and the US. A common theme among these regions is that farmers are looking for bigger, more powerful machinery. There was also a unified call for open trade and the exchange of ideas across boarders.

In short, there seems to be a bright future ahead for the global agricultural industry.

Small Businesses Are Relying on Their Smartphones

Against the backdrop of a slowing economy, skyrocketing gas prices, and a general drop in consumer confidence, small businesses have a lot to worry about these days. In response, many small business owners are training their eyes on anything that will help them to maintain their competitive edge, increase efficiency and productivity, and reduce costs.

Perhaps this is part of the impetus underlying the increasing demand for smartphones among American small businesses. According to a recent study conducted by AMI, 31% of small businesses are regularly using smartphones to access e-mail, contact information, and their mobile calenders. The study further revealed that many small businesses are already are looking into more advanced applications such as, location-based services, CRM, field force automation, and sales force automation.

According to AMI-Partners Research Analyst Yedda Chew, “…[With] the ease of smartphones like Palm Centro or the BlackBerry Pearl/Curve, these low-cost solutions are providing [small businesses] a seamless connection between business owners and their customers and employees anytime and from anywhere. What’s more, with 13% of the SB workforce being mobile, staying connected is crucial for the owner to stay abreast of his/her everyday work activities.”

In short, mobile applications allow employees to access a powerful combination of inventory data, customer relationship information, and other company-wide knowledge. It is no stretch to say that mobile technology is changing the way small businesses do business.

The Case for Investing in GPS for Your Small Business

If you manage a fleet of vehicles or have employees who do a lot of field work for your business, then you should consider investing GPS devices. There are many benefits of using GPS devices to manage your employees and equipment. You can increase fuel efficiency, productivity, and quality control by locating the quickest route to a given destination, and by keeping tabs on your employees, you are in the best position to maximize your business’ resources.

But even with all the benefits, according to a survey conducted by In-Stat as reported in a recent USA Today article, many employers are reluctant to invest in GPS devices. It seems that in an effort to reduce costs, many businesses (especially the smaller ones) are are being cautious when it comes to investing in technology. Only 8% of those surveyed had their GPS devices provided to them by their employers. Over 70% purchased the equipment themselves.

But as gas prices continue to rise, the case for investing in GPS technology is getting stronger. The reduction in fuel consumption and idle time alone may be enough to justify the investment.

Today’s GPS units come with many added features such as traffic alerts, voice prompts that include street names, and the ability to wirelessly link a mobile phone to an in-car unit in order to get hands-free usage. Another important feature that may be of considerable value for a small business is multi-destination routing. This feature allows you to enter multiple routes into your GPS at one time so as to calculate the best route that includes all of your destinations.

Click here for a thorough review of the top in-car GPS units.

Happy traveling!

What to Do When Going Green Gets Confusing

History attests to countless social movements that took off with exuberant momentum only to create a collective backlash years later. This is the natural flow of human psychology and desire.

In recent years the public has been inundated with the concepts of green conscious, sustainability, and the necessity of protecting the environment. This was closely followed by a virtual flood of environmentally friendly products and services that was bolstered by strong consumer demand. Even at the beginning of this year numerous industry trend forecasts predicted that eco-friendly business would be a major money maker.

But according to recent studies, the call for all things green has turned into a “green noise” that many consumers are quick to shut out. Though these studies suggest that the state of the economy is partly to blame for this reduction in consumer demand, much of the consumer apathy is due to the overload of information and conflicting messages promoted by eco-marketers and environmentalists.

For those consumers and businesses that committed to protecting the environment, yet are either confused or jaded (or both), check out these helpful links:

Blog Post: Five Suggestions for Businesses Confronted with Green Fatigue and Green Noise

Simplesteps.org: Get practical advice on green living depending on if you want to spend a minute, a morning, or a month on the project.

George Carlin: A deep and humorous look at “saving” the planet

Fixing the Housing Crisis: Small Businesses Should Take Note

The current housing crisis has sent a shockwave to the economy that has reverberated across several sectors and industries. Though homebuilders and mortgage lenders have been singled out as the sole bearers of this economic burden, the truth is that numerous businesses and service providers are feeling the strain. Think carpenters, landscapers, and house painters as well as the retail outlets for home repair and supplies, such as Home Depot.

A large number of these goods and services are provided by local small businesses who have limited resources to weather the economic storm. So any action taken (or lack thereof) to fix the housing situation will impact the nation’s economy on both a macro and micro level. Since most small businesses are in some way effected by how the housing crisis is handled, they would do well to keep an eye on the issue.

If you are a little clueless about the details of recent housing legislation, CNN has a general primer on some of the different housing proposals to grace the Capitol. Small business owners should also follow the (sometimes evolving) proposals of McCain and Obama.

Being successful in today’s economy means staying informed.

The Housing Stimulus Bill: Good for the Housing Industry; May Leave Homeowners in the Cold

Last month, the US House of Representatives passed a Housing Stimulus Bill addressing the foreclosure crisis that is currently gripping the nation. While the bill includes several items aimed at helping the housing industry, some are quick to point out there is little direct help for families facing a foreclosure.The bill, which is awaiting Congressional approval, has three major provisions that could provide a significant boost to homebuilders and other businesses involved with the housing industry:

Tax Exempt Mortgage Revenue Bonds

The housing bill includes a $10 billion increase in state revenue bonds to help refinance existing mortgages and prevent foreclosures. The money will also be used to provide mortgages for first-time home buyers. The housing bill will further provide another $4 billion in grants to states and local governments in order to buy and renovate abandoned and foreclosed homes.

 

Net Operating Loss Carry Back Expansion

This provision allows any housing-related business that loses money in 2008 and 2009 to use those losses to offset the taxes they paid in the previous four years, as opposed to the two years currently allowed by law. By allowing operating losses to be claimed now, homebuilders and other businesses that are suffering will be given instant financial resources to help them get through the economic downturn.

 

Tax Credit for Purchase of Homes

To encourage the purchase of foreclosed or newly built homes, a tax credit of $7,000 would be available to new home buyers which could be claimed over two years.

While the powers-that-be debate the provisions of the housing bill and the extent to which it will actually help families facing foreclosure versus the housing industry itself, one thing is for certain: any intervention on the part of the government will bring some measure of welcomed relief to an ailing industry.

Scalable Storage Solutions for Small Businesses

One of the biggest issues facing many small businesses these days is Data Storage (that’s capital “D,” capital “S”). An emphasis on data storage really involves several factors, such as managing a large data capacity and intense data flows, setting up proper data security systems and reliable data backup solutions, and making sure all the data is organized and usable. So when we say scalable storage we don’t just mean a solution that can be easily expanded and upgraded to handle newer technologies and increased data flow, but also one that provides data reliability, security, and usability.

What are your Options?

• Upgrade your existing equipment. If you have used up much of your available hard disk space, you can purchase a new internal drive to increase your processing power and storage capacity.

• Add external enclosure or external USB hard drive. An external enclosure for an internal hard drive offers a good combination of performance, reliability, and scalability and can be used with one or more servers. External USB hard drives usually come with back-up software, and most have a one-touch back-up button.

• Get an NAS server. A network-attached storage device (NAS) is by far the most practical (but expensive) storage solution for many small businesses in terms of versatility, scalability, and management. A NAS is a dedicated server that can store software to be used by multiple computers on a network and also back-up files. Look for units that have two or more SATA, SATA II, or SCSI RAID-configured hard drives.There are several leading NAS manufacturers that offer comprehensive customer support. Check out HP StorageWorks 9100 Extreme Data Storage System, Dell’s PowerVault MD3000i, and Sun’s open source storage server that supports the Zettabyte File System and the OpenSolaris operating system on its Thumper hardware.

• Look into Online Storage. There are many companies offering online backup and security solutions. Small businesses may opt for this method to avoid purchasing costly equipment and having to manage the data. But do your research before choosing this solution. Data security and speed (you really need a fast Internet connection for this) are two factors to consider. Also, only do business with an established company. Click here for a list and review of the major online storage companies.