Doses of Duke

CNG is coming to a pump near you!

2011-05-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

After years of burning in the background - used for domestic heating and cooking, industrial production of fertilizers, firing commercial boilers for steam and running turbines for electricity - it is finally coming to the US transportation market in a big way.

Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome to the main stage- Natural Gas!

Found abundantly - priced nicely- requiring little or no more processing than filtration- easily transportable in pipes - the solution we always knew existed is finally being taken seriously!

Ironically Natural gas used to be flared as waste at most oil rigs and refineries! Now it is being promoted by a business tycoon Pickens and many energy companies who have bet heavily on this fuel - there is traction now in the chambers of powers that matter!

The solution has been proven successful despite much criticism in India, Argentina and even Iran. After all if something can fire a turbine to create 1MW of electricity why cant it run a passenger car?

Honda is offering the Civic Natural gas already and many mid and large size commercial vehicles are already available. In fact school busses and taxis have adopted it since over 5 years. Unknown to most - there are already over 1100 fueling stations in America. In Los Angeles alone there are over a 2000 CNG busses.

UPS has been using CNG since late 90s, Waste Management has used it since 2009, AT&T has newly made the switch, Ryder is testing it with trucks, Chesapeake energy has switched 800 of its fleet already and many more smaller operators and airport fleets have been quietly getting off their diesel/gasoline gluttony and moving to a frugal CNG diet.

The advantages are too obvious to miss: local production and abundance, no need for expensive sea transportation and refining, 50- 705% lower emissions and very little change required to the traditional IC engines.

So get ready - you might be soon seeing three new letters next to the gas pumps - "CNG"

I must caution that challenges always arise and technology must be used to conquer- for example for the safe drilling and early leak detection of natural gas. But truly these are not insurmountable and no different to those we face with any fossil fuel or combustible gasses.

Ready to make the switch?

PLEASE go to NGVC.org for more information!

Water Reuse - a second life for a sparse, precious resource!

2011-04-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

About 1 billion people lack the access to clean water! More children and adults die of water borne diseases than HIV or Cancer!. These are just some of the heartbreaking facts associated with the lack of clean water!

Yet we take this resource for granted- Everyday in the developed parts of the world!

While the gas prices soar and catch everyone’s eyes, water being relatively economical and "readily" available goes unnoticed as a key resource. Yet water is as much a back bone of any nation as energy! Wars have been fought on this very subject in the past, kingdoms have been wiped out by water shortages, tribes have been consumed borne diseases and lest we be careful, history will repeat itself!
Respect this natural resource! Soon summer will arrive and people will dump water on their lawns to keep them green. While I am certainly one who appreciates green lawns, manicured gardens and golf courses- I also believe in balance. Do we really need ultra- purified drinking water for irrigation? Certainly not! A new wave of technology and thinking can help re-use domestic gray water for such purposes. Some nations have taken the lead on this subject- Singapore being the model. Others lag behind. The acceptance of water reuse lies in educating people on the advantages and dispelling the key stigmas in their minds.

It is for this reason that I will take up this issue in depth and coordinate with various agencies and not for profit organizations to spread better understanding of water, filtration and water use .

I hope you will join in and help me in my campaigns

... and the winner is...

2011-04-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

This month the Indian Cricket Team won the ICC Cricket World Cup - and the real winner is the Indian masses- and specially our cultural diversity, tolerance and unity! How?

A significant start was engineered by destiny when India and Pakistan played in the Semi-Final at Mohali , Punjab. Remember Punjab was at the center stage of discord at the time of partition in 1947 and again in the terrorism era in the 80s. The Wagah border post remains one of the most heavily manned border posts in the world and unfortunately there is still the theatrical flag hoisting and un-hoisting ceremony everyday! For the sake of two nations with very large populations and enough issues to tackle, settling the border dispute and moving on to purposeful nation building would be extremely welcome and productive. Every dollar spent less on border protection and diverted to basic issues such as sanitation, education and infrastructure will help improve the living conditions of millions. I firmly believe that a well educated and employed population is less likely to develop frustrations. Frustration in the masses is the key manipulation point for evil forces that are at the very root of this unnecessary conflict.

I am an offshoot of dislodged refugees from the 1947 division, yet I feel strongly that the time has come to bury the hatchet and move on!

Path breaking was the unity shown in the team by players from different regions. This should blow away the Raj Thackeray agenda and make everyone think about what matters most- how we are one nation and stand united. The players united to dedicate this victory to Sachin Tendulkar- perhaps one of the greatest sportsmen to grace the sport. His class oozing style, humble nature and inspiring attitude have made him the favorite of not just Indians but cricket lovers all over the world! Those who have followed the recent chants by Raj Thackeray, will know that this will go a long way in countering the man’s incessant and potentially inciting talk fueling regional separatism. India is a sovereign nation and any regional division is a threat to its prosperity and growth.
What I also believe is a winner, is the self belief in the nation- this sporting glory will bring self confidence to a billion people- after all this was a world stage!
Ok, Cricket is limited to a dozen plus countries - and yes we are the most populous out of these. It is still a well recognized team sport and needs all the tough physical and mental attributes to win - athleticism, tenacity, patience, drive, courage, self belief, selflessness, focus on the larger picture and the team goal to name a few important ones!
India overcame multiple teams and adversity- including a poor start in the balling and fielding department to be triumphant. To me the most heartening was the way they fielded in the final – as if they really wanted to get this win! It should sheer determination and grit, which are the hallmarks of true achievers!
You go India - you go!

What part of digitizing is surprising (the book publishers and et al)? The future of catalog sales?

2010-07-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

This morning I was really shocked to hear on NPR that publishers of books still have not planned their digital strategy and are trying to fight it through litigation! Are we going to see another music industry repeat?

If the publishers and for that matter anybody in the business of distributing data/information that can be digitized - made easy to access online and on demand - still have not woken up- they have to be living under a rock!

Kindle / iPad, smart phones etc etc ... can you even step outside without smelling, seeing, and feeling the changes underway?

If the publishers do not want to serve the low end or the very high end market with published books and the mid tier market with digital publishing - and willing to cut costs - they might be looking at a very bleak future! And if they are surprised with the digital revolution - they must really look around at parallel businesses and even what happened to the encyclopedia!

I highly recommend more companies and industries to start thinking real time digital with compatible devices! This is the future- in fact if you have a lot of salesmen and customers regularly accessing data sheets and pricing for 1000+ products - getting them on-line , on demand and ready to order - even just by your partner channels is going to be key- so pick your device today, Pick your digitizing company today - and get going NOW - race ahead of the pack!

Innoventuitive Business Strategy or The Art of Delivering a Consumer Experience Beyond Great!

2010-06-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Innoventuitive is a word play on Innovation, Invention and Intuition!

Let us first read the meanings of the three words from one of the leading online dictionaries.

Innovation is defined by the Merriam Webster as
1 : the introduction of something new
2 : a new idea, method, or device: Novelty

http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/innovation

Invention is defined by the same source as
1 : Discovery , Finding
2 : Productive Imagination
3 a : something invented: as (1) : a product of the imagination; especially : a false conception (2) : a device, contrivance, or process originated after study and experiment b : a short keyboard composition featuring two- or three-part counterpoint
4 : the act or process of inventing

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/invention

Finally

Intuition is defined as
1 : quick and ready insight
2 a : immediate apprehension or cognition b : knowledge or conviction gained by intuition c : the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intuition

I believe these three factors are the most powerful to understand and anticipate a customers need, put the imagination of creative minds to test and to come up with a product or service, not expected or delivered today !

There I could stop here but let me explain how I think companies need to go from innovation strategies to Innoventutitive strategies.

Business has dramatically changed and the speed of business and information flow is much faster than ever before. On-demand has a whole new meaning today and every day the time interval for any action becomes shorter and shorter. Top technology companies like Google certainly revolutionized the power of the online search and now is focussing on the mobile platform, Apple and Microsoft continue to challenge the way we think about computers, mobility and interfacing with technology, Intel continues to redefine the limits of processors, IBM is fostering a smarter planet , General Electric is reinventing the way we know energy and the examples go on and on.

What does this mean to your company? How and why are consumer behaviors changing?
For one the average consumer is becoming spoilt with choices,
second they have access to a lot more information to take a decision,
third, they are getting more and more simplification of previously tedious or complex processes,
fourth they are exposed to new challenges replacing the old ones which now do not exist because the essence of civilization is change and moving forward
finally they are being pampered to impatience through quick delivery!

The web and mobile options means, one can check the truth in your statements and value propositions anytime anywhere, including third party and consumer reviews. The smarter search engines mean they can get good answers and collaborate with someone on the other side of the globe QUICK. Smarter gadgets and appliances allow us to reduce the time we spend doing mundane chores and be more effective. I am willing to bet that smarter surroundings are making us think in new ways and dimensions. Finally if there is a customer, with a need not fulfilled, they want great companies to discover, understand it, develop into a product or service and deliver FAST!

So the only way to be beyond great is to actually anticipate the need without the rational yet being fully established- that is Intuition, to test the limits of current models or thinking that is innovation and actually deliver a product or service to fulfill it, that is invent!

Happy INNOVENTUITING! Hey on a current subject- can anyone make a vuvu filter before the round of 16?

Time outs or the story of how a favorite national sport influences work cultures!

2010-06-11T08:55:00.000-07:00

The worlds truly global sporting event is on- make way on the couch! There is nothing more global than the sport of football ..ahem soccer! Local tastes however in Canada and USA differ. Canada prefers Hockey and USA the NFL version of football.

Since it is the football world cup- I will stick to soccer vs NFL for the time being . In a broader article and hopefully my future book, I will include Hockey and Canada and Cricket and India as well!

What always strikes me as a great difference between people growing on a healthy dose of soccer is that they think in the terms of halves vs the NFL followers thinking in Quarters!

Don't believe yet that sports affect cultures?- dive a little deeper-

After all playing sports is a fun way to learn and is a group activity at school- it has a definitive impact on personalities. While Soccer drives fluid strategic thinking on the go with flexibility of roles, American football thrives on strategic plays broken down into 3 chances and specific roles and teams. This makes soccer players better situation handlers and football players better strategic executers. While I cannot argue if one works better than the other, I do believe certain roles in an organization could benefit from one or the other type of thinking.

Soccer drives meticulous planning before the 45 minutes start , while in NFL a general game plan is then driven by specific planed strategic plays.

One other striking difference that comes to mind is the scoring difference. While in soccer, there is only one point when the ball is in the nets, the NFL version allows multiple types of scoring, - field goal, touch down - and then some- 1 or 2 extra points! This reminds me of the difference in compensation packages between the oceans - fixed bonus versus compensation strategies!

Finally my favorite- time outs- - nope nothing like time outs in soccer- which can either be used to slow the game or regroup !

the gist- soccer- fluid 45 minute halves , football broken into many fixed milestones (10 yards at a time!)

Enjoy the game!

Are we going to learn from the gulf spill?

2010-06-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

There is nothing more important than the oil spill right now- It is driving discussions, markets, politics, emotions and business.

But I think even more important than the response right now is the lessons learned from the disaster. While most people continue to focus on the new , may be the engineering and environmental society should dedicate a group to start evaluating the lessons and to come up with implementation plans at other hot spots ... ehem.. oil rigs.

What comes to my mind is that if a relief well takes so long to drill, should a relief well with all necessary equipment except a 5-7 day drill period to connect it to the main well be mandated to exist for every rig?

Secondly , if the rate of spread was much faster than the rate of skimming and dispersion, what new technologies need to be employed and how can these be activated faster and gather more oil in the future?

Just like we have come up with sprinklers to avoid fires, I am sure we are an ingenious tribe and by putting the best minds together we can come up with risk reducing and mitigating ideas that need to be implemented ASAP at other sites!

One of the major things that comes to mind is - why not set up something stronger than a watchdog- independent of the government- an agency that actually does safety research- an agency that will be to engineering what NASA is to aerospace?

again just some quick thoughts , I am sure some people are already thinking the same way or ahead!

let me know what you think guys!

Accountability- the road to success

2010-05-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Simply put- it means to own up to a task at hand and complete it!

It is easier said than done, especially in todays environment of global teams, matrix organizations and just in time production!

The Human element is still the most important part of an organization and the DNA of an organization is defined by how humans link themselves in a complex format to engage in the tasks at hand!

The secret lies in three things-

Attitude
People with the right attitudes and personality types- that is Starters, Thinkers, Makers, and Finishers in equal measures! above all everyone must exhibit the can do attitude and paranoia as Intels chief Andrew Grove likes to say should be used to rive the organization to new heights not stop it from progress.

Communication
Second - clear communication lines and tools to enable it. The tools are easy but clarity in communication across cultures and non native speakers and departments- a whole new ball game!

Finally
Leadership- some one has to take the bull by the horns! Yes leadership is more important than management because with all the information and data, management is easier than it ever was, it is assisted by a myriad of tools like CRM, ERP, MS Projects. But that has also made leadership all the more difficult. Leading by example in frustrating situations, holding yourself accountable, day in day out t lead by example, and then knowing when to step back to be the shepherd- is the order of the day!

more on this tonight - how it ties to make an effective team and why....watch this space!

Water footprint reduction, My new passion

2010-05-16T15:33:00.001-07:00

It has been sometime since I blogged!

I was mainly busy in personal move from one division of the company to another. Now I find myself in a new division working with analytical measurements. It has struck me in my first few months here, that water footprint is a burning problem but unfortunately does not have the same visibility as the global warming issue. In fact for many countries and parts of the world- time is running out or should I say WATER is running out. Yes potable water is needed for everything but we are doing to little for it. This is why I have turned my focus to reduction of the water footprint!

from now I will be immersing myself in ways to help companies to reduce water usage and "soaking" them with ideas surrounding waste water reduction and recovery! So from a a general energy reduction I will hone myself specifically down to water! This blog will be splashed with related stuff- so watch this space!

5th Dimension of research for a probing dialog

2009-11-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

In my last blog I wrote about researching about the person, the job function , the company and the industry
Finally time to complete the research piece for the dialog- In the mean time I found that some these ideas have been greatly dealt with in terms of the search engines and how to use them in a new book called "take the cold out of cold calling" http://www.takethecold.com/.

Take the time after putting your research on the above 4 dimensions to think like the person you will meet and try to find the top three likely competitors that may be on the fray. make sure you do a comparative analysis between your company products and services and theirs.

Yes this mans a lot of homework- but it only means you do it one time - after this your life is easier-!

Once you have done all you research - make a file for this customer , practice your pitch- and then get ready to make a phone call or meet in person! Since you can clearly focus on what the person is looking for- the dialog will be fruitful-

Let us take an example-

You get a lead from your web department that Mr John Carefull at AQUA Engineering downloaded brochures about equipment for desalination processes and identified himself as the design engineer.

Let us say your research reveals that aqua engineering designs and specifies and on occasion acts as the equipment buyer for global companies setting up plants in coastal areas with water restrictions. On their website they state that they wanted to be seen as the designer of the most reliable equipment. Also a quick linkedin search shows that John worked at GE before coming to Aqua Engineering- and you lucked because there is a facebook friend who is common to the two of you! Talking to your common friend you discover- they don't know each other well but meet off and on at the local bowling alley and John is an avid bowler!- So if you want to meet him directly, you know how to find him!

If you get john on the phone- that will be great but you could reach his voicemail- so have a powerful message that will make him call back- prepare this before you call-
such as

Hi John , I am ABC from XYZ company and we noticed you are interested in reliable equipment for desalination plants- In our latest equipment we particularly focused on long term reliability and maximum uptime and have some unique ways to achieve this. we have our own service centers in 24 strategic locations near coastal areas around the world to back this with great service. I would appreciate the opportunity to talk with you more about how we can best serve your needs and help you achieve your goals with your customers. Please call me at your earliest convenience
my number is....

I you get him on the phone- be prepared to talk about the same things and getting an appointment. Keep it short- create curiosity about your capability - your goal is to meet this person.

Next some probing questions and a template for account development!

Preparing the probing dialog- Research tips

2009-10-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

So I am back from vacation, and I realize I had promised everybody that I will help with tips on how to prepare for the probing dialog using modern tools and plain old common sense so here goes some excerpts from my upcoming book-

Now more than ever this is exactly what you need. Why?
People don't have time and money to loose - every penny is important, every purchase, every payment under scrutiny. so please don't go unprepared to your customers - it is very annoying and very detrimental to your sales

First and Foremost- the important thing is that you are pitching to a person working for a company- yes say that out aloud- I am pitching to a person working for a company-

The research you do must entail the interests of the person- their work role and style - and the company- yes all three are equally important! if you want to be a winner- maintain a file - digital or paper on your contact- any information you can get- Google them, - on their position and role- and the company they work for-

the web is changing the way people think but it is also making them more "transparent" so find out if they are on Linkedin, classmates.com or whatever- this will allow you to make relevant talk- not just small talk- you can find out where they graduated, may be they are active in a non for profit - may be they have a passion for diving- whatever you find out- store it at the back of your mind - no matter what people say- hobbies and private life have a great impact on how people work and operate!

Research the title of the person in the relevant industry in various career websites and maybe salary.com- this will give you a good idea on what they do or are suppose to do.

Research the company website for any company initiatives, the company mission statements, products and technologies.

Now research the web for more about the processes that could exists in their plants or business - and their top competitors- send out emails to your organization and contacts asking if anyone has dealt with any of their competitors- and if yes- you are in luck- ask for what was the killer criteria to sell your product to the competitor- regardless if your coworker was successful or not

Finally , please research the industry- even if you have to spend some money to download a research- hey you can resell it on e-bay or to a coworker
now in the next part we will structure your research- and then the do's and dont's of the probing dialog

You can harvest rain!

2009-09-22T05:04:00.000-07:00

· 1 inch of rainfall on a 5,000 sq. ft. roof generates 3000 gallons of water a year that can be reused.
· That same roof in a region receiving 30 inches of annual rainfall generates 90,000 gallons of reusable water.
· A plant with 50,000sq ft – could generate 900,000 gallons = roughly 4000 USD savings in the water bill per year taking PA (one of the highest) prices and 2000 taking the average
· It is soft water
· It is easily purified
· It is free!
· The initial investment is low – piping and tanks and a pump- ROI of say 8-12 months !
· If nothing else- you can use it for landscaping and floor washing applications!
· Does not include the cost of sewage – which you reduce by 900,000 Gallons as well!

The total savings including treatment could easily be between 4 to 6000 dollars depednding on your location.
Think about it!

State Rainfall
(in./yr.)*
Alabama 56.90
Alaska 53.15
Arizona 7.11
Arkansas 49.20
California 17.28
Colorado 15.31
Connecticut 44.39
Delaware 41.38
Florida 49.91
Georgia 48.61
Hawaii 23.47
Idaho 11.71
Illinois 33.34
Indiana 39.12
Iowa 34.71
Kansas 28.61
Kentucky 43.56
Louisiana 59.74
Maine 43.52
Maryland 41.84
Massachusetts 43.84
Michigan 32.23
Minnesota 26.36
Mississippi 52.82
Missouri 33.91
Montana 11.37
Nebraska 30.34
Nevada 7.87
New Hampshire 36.53
New Jersey 41.93
New Mexico 8.91
New York 39.28
North Carolina 42.46
North Dakota 15.36
Ohio 37.77
Oklahoma 30.89
Oregon 37.39
Pennsylvania 40.26
Rhode Island 41.91
South Carolina 51.59
South Dakota 17.47
Tennessee 48.49
Texas 34.70
Utah 15.31
Vermont 33.69
Virginia 45.22
Washington 27.66
West Virginia 40.74
Wisconsin 30.89
Wyoming 13.31

Time is right for proposing a new kind of executive officer- CPEO!

2009-09-15T14:06:00.000-07:00

The time is just right for B2B sales people to propose good enduring practices on plants - but is anybody really listening?

This is a key question- as plant equipment design and manufacturing continues to be outsourced or off-shored- more and more skids are being made with the short term and warranty periods in mind- the long term OPEX and reliability is taking a real hit- and so is innovation in manufacturing technology. No one can afford to spend millions of dollars every few years- so low reliability designs have to be kept in service with a lot of hand work, modification and yes compromise. Can you imagine how this is hurting productivity and competitiveness?

What large companies really need to do is focus on long term "sustainability" and not just plant start up investment costs- this will ensure a long term commitment from skid and equipment manufacturers! I cant believe how many times I see half botched designs that are expensive to run or just plain failure prone- have long down times inherent to their design and design flaws, being used at plants- maybe the time is ripe for a new executive office. A chief production engineering officer! CPEO. A sort of guru who leads a team to find low energy usage, high reliability and high throughput equipment for plants. Focuses on best engineering practices- A sort of balance to the CFO and the market demands- a healthy balance between good reliable long term plant engineering and cost control and quarterly profits!

The time for engineering to sharpen productivity and long term sustainability is here!

Winners, prepare to have a "Probing Dialog"!

2009-09-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have already made my point that the consumers and customers have easy access to know your product and review the product features and competitors. So what can they not do on the Internet? That my friends is now the key to be a winner- Probing Dialog!
Sounds simple? It is but then it isn't.

If you get some time to prepare, it could be a tad easier. If you are in B2B business , you are in luck. You can do the same thing a consumer is doing to you- surf the web, check the news reports, check the products they sell, any reviews about the company. If they are public and global it becomes even easier as there are certain things they have to divulge by law.

Now go a step further- research any information that would pertain to the usage of your product.

If you are in the B2C business , the game plan changed a bit. Now you need to be a little more of a research agent about demographics , usage patterns, regional preferences.

In both cases- beware- be no hostage to any filters - the real customer profile must be built only through probing dialog!

Since I have dedicated my professional life to B2B - this is what I shall tackle first. B2C will come second - tackled through the eyes of a very difficult but consumer friendly customer- ME!

So the next post will talk about combining plain old common sense- "pocs" with modern analysis , technology and preparation to have a probing dialog in a B2B environment.

Sales is Dead- You better be a Winner!

2009-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

This is a departure from energy directly- but in a unique way it is a call for all people related to think about the real deal- saving energy and money for customers-

Every now and then an idea changes everything because the only thing inevitable is change !
The internet and globalization has changed sales- in fact sales is dead!
If you are a sales manager, salesperson or even a high energy entrepreneur you have to read this series to survive the next decade-after that even I can not predict how sales will change!
Remember the time you went to the local dealership or local store to compare and find out about everything from kitchen appliances to cars? That meant that your friendly sales professional could just read thesales guides prepared by some marketing folks in the back roomor corporate head officed, follow the simple principles of the legendary "how to win friends and influence people" and Voila - you said we met a very knowledgeable sales person!
Mr sales person reading from a marketing collateral- your time is done! and oh yes if you thought you can cut a deal- then someone around a click can and will better that too- ouch- most businesses just ran out of ideas!
So how do you sell to the internet , overly information bombarded, craiglisted, ebayed, googled, yahood, angivised generation of consumers?
You don't! You win them!
This series will provide insightful methods for winning the new consumer and for sales managers- this book will provide infallible advise on how to build a team of A class players who can win over!

Energy hogs are still keeping me awake! -

2009-08-10T04:14:00.001-07:00

Energysavers,
If you thought I left my blog vacant because I had changed my mind- wrong! , if you thought I left my blog vacant because I became lazy- correct! and thus I fell into the same trap most people do with Energy management! start strong and let up because it isn't easy!

In fact consider anything good for you but not easy- we follow the same route- very inspired- start with enthusiasm and then let up the minute the need and urge weakens.

The only problem here is - the need is getting stronger than ever before!

In the last few months, the heat is back and now the swing on energy usage has gone from how to keep people warm, on how to keep people, things and perishables cold!

Now I have not done any fact finding yet- but in my recent travels that has encompassed several cities and made me use several hotel chains- I noticed one thing- The energy hogging, loud HVAC systems- they keep me awake!!!!

Yes not just because they are loud- but more often than not- they are either over sized- and use a lot of energy and have poor - very poor ambient monitoring - or any intelligent control at all!

If all air conditioning units were always sized right, had good ambient controls and monitored presence of people- I am sure every hotel could cut their energy bill by half and pass some of that dividend as lower fares !

Lets do the math- If every government office hotel, shopping mall, wallmart , target, ad other chain had to follow energy norms to cut usage by 30% what percentage of electric use would we cut? Could we then power half our transport with this saved electricity and not need any new reactors???

Several other significant things happened-

The Midwest states signed a pact to create a train network- Now if only we will pull through with a world class network- that would make my heart jump with joy for the heartland!

The cash for clunkers or cars was successful - taking a 1/4 million guzzlers off the road- although- I really wish , the qualification of the car that can be financed was tougher- and no SUVs qualified! The long term implications of SUVs must really be studied. The large SUVs make parking places bigger, parking garages taller- consume more tires and have more wear and tear parts- and so it is not just about MPGs!!!

The Leaf from Nissan- all electric vehicle was launched!

All steps in the right direction!

In my next article I would like to specifically write for my industry folks- I am readying a manuscript for a series of talks in fall for various industries such as dairy products, gas production, petrochemical and energy production. Cathc you soon- Have a great week!

The last 24 hours- Newark to Mumbai -

2009-04-18T22:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is an amazing world we live in. Despite how much I curse energy heavy processes, flying although not exactly easy on the environment, is definitely one that I do a lot! The modern marvel of "mass aviation" enabled me to reach Mumbai in a little over 15 hours in a plane!

Trust me the change is drastic! But before I contrast, I must write a word of appreciation for the Continental CO-48 crew. Great service, friendly and one of the best and smoothest landings ever!

So I take off- from Newark after some delay due to technical reasons and already in the plane it is clear that things are different-how? well there is a mix of second gen , Indian origin Americana's, immigrants, and business flyer's. The highlight is the number of families traveling and the number of children on this flight, and may I add the number of pregnant couples! Though I did not see more than two children per family, I have to see I was happy to see that the professional and educated Indian population is still procreating . Why do I say that? Just take a Europe bound flight and you will know that it is very different and the educated population choose more and more not to procreate.
While it is true that we are expanding faster than the planet can accommodate, a healthy rate of procreation of educated families will, in my opinion be the key to take on the burning issue. What we need is that these people take on the challenges of the world- especially those of the poor- and educate them so they as well procreate at the manageable rate of only 1 or 2 per couple. The uncontrolled rate of growth of population in some of the worlds most dangerous and poorest places is compounding the problem of poverty, malnutrition and in general anarchy. So my mantra - " all have an equal right to procreate, as long as we are talking about 2 children!" Also if we stabilize the population rate at it's current level, we might have a better chance to win the energy and ecological battle !

Now we land in Mumbai , and something strikes immediately- the number of air-conditioning units that have been installed over the past year to make the travellers more comfortable! Yes the energy use just on this airport has probably quadrupled over the last year or so! But this is just a sample of what is happening in the developing world - Progress means more use of ENERGY!

The encouraging part- progress, the disturbing part- chaos and thus more need of Energy than required!

Take the pickup area for the passengers- utter and poor management and design - in turn chaos! It takes more time and thus more fuel per pick up due to a system- that on paper may look slick- cars come- park at a temporary location, pick up the passengers and leave. The problems- not enough parking , no place for trolleys , not enough lanes- the result, it takes an hour for a car from the parking to reach the pick up point! Imagine the amount of fuel used!

Now lets take the positive- lots of progress all around, lots of new buildings, lots of new establishments, new cars and new constructions.

Lets take the contrast to the western world- in Mumbai, the rich and the poor, the new and the old, the immaculate and the depricate ! Sitting in a 125 USD a night , I look across from 9th floor panoramic window at an urban slum frm my window, where the average family wage ranges probably 25-50 dollars a month.
India is thriving on variety! where as the west chooses and tries to achieve uniformity- be it the straight cut steets of suburbia in the US or the uniform street street signs of Germany! The contrast is very stark and almost threatenining to a first timer! Pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds, rikshaws, busses, trucks and my crossover and 7 series BMW all lined up at the same crossroad!
In this contrast- the hot, flat and crowded that Thomas Friedman talks about has a whole new meaning- and the solutions to the Energy problems as I search for answers, takes a new turn too- The energy management here needs a different approach- we need ro design right so we do not ape the energy heavy west! we need to go about thinking of efficiency right from the star- and if that means the hotels, houses, factories and facilities will look different to what the west has come to build and operate , then so be it! Diversity and not uniformity may be the basis of the answers for our future-
Watch this space as I traverse India...

Energy Management has finally taken off!

2009-04-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen , presenting the new management buzzwords- Energy Management, Waste Reduction! You might say that is pretty lackluster Duke. But behold, Energy efficiency and waste reduction are going to drive us to higher levels of productivity this year because the market recovery to 2006 levels is still far away! The positive, we will live cleaner, leaner and greener!

In my this weeks tour of new customers, nothing got the excitement going like how the holistic approach to energy management will reduce costs, increase market competitiveness, improve cash flow and reduce wastes, thereby being the only way to go! There were none of the old "we would love to , but we are so busy with expansion projects that we do not know when we can look into this aspect of our business" like excuses- no , every where we went , we were greeted by a smile, a follow up meeting with the management and an honest thank you for sharing our ideas!

We also saw some innovative in-house measures. One that stood out was by Michael Finch, a very intelligent and fun person I met at a small soap products factory- actually built a pneumatic timer for the steam washers in his repair shop, just to ensure the workers don't leave the steam on after use! You see something similar at a regular gas station for air, where the compressor shuts off after 3 minutes, Brilliant adaptation Mike!

Energy management means a complete overhaul- step by step! Starting from measuring and getting data, analyzing and establishing the bench mark and good energy practices manual and continuously improving process control and logistics to contribute. You have to rethink your usage of everything- electricity, steam, chilling water, gasses and even raw material. You have to question the design of everything- lighting system, production equipment, waste systems and utilities. You have to analyze and go lean on everything in your company and finally even rethink your waste disposal!

Yes every area of your home, work and leisure establishment is a potential to save dollars and emissions and in turn boost our economy through new green purchases! For those who believe in global warming- this is great news, for those who don't but by now know that we need a new economic booster, this is good news too!

Most companies we visited were already on the right track, others needed help, some were making the case to dive in but all of them were looking into this aspect of business. The exception so far has been machine and equipment OEM's, who continue to look at capital cost only. My sincere advice to them is to start thinking about energy and waste and build it into your competitive advantages before you are too late and a GM / Chrysler happens to you in your line of work!
Talking cars, It was good to see a small snapshot in the news yesterday, that the government is going to buy fuel efficient vehicles, but ofcourse it was politically headlined- Obama to buy US vehicles. I wish the government would go ahead and set a target for reduction of fuel consumption for all it's departments and make the progress public on a website !http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE5385XG20090409?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews

In fact why stop at the government, may be it is time to mandate that every product must carry a label- how much energy was used to produce the product and how much waste , including the packaging is anticipated from it's use! Making it visible will increase consumer awareness and make it a market competitive issue and as always the American industry will comply to the wishes of the consumers! - There are many such examples already- such as asbestos in buildings, trans fats and MSG in foods where consumer awareness has made corporations change course!

In the end, my message to all the stakeholders of the industry and government is that the automobile industry is the visible indicator of our times- so you either start listening to the new consumer, who wants energy efficiency and waste reduction, or you prepare for a rough future!

Math should be compulsory for all leaders!

2009-04-07T03:52:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning thinking about what is the answer to developing logical thinking? After much thought and analysis I came to the conclusion that mathematics was the only core subject that taught logic. This also led me to thinking about what is the most fundamental quality that we miss in our leadership values today? we have charismatic, creative, thinking, hardworking, diplomatic and all the other well documented qualities to be found in many leaders, yet so many of us shrug our head at so many policies- be it in our governments our companies. I have read many books on leadership, attended leadership camps, management trainings and seminars, and the one straight simple fact has never be stated- BE LOGICAL!

If we made practicing math a daily routine for ourselves and compulsory for all leaders, it may just turn out to be for our brain what physical exercise is to our bodies- the best way to stay fit and be prepared t handle pressure , load and stress!! Most logical thinking is required when pushed against a wall, in times like these, and this is when most people panic! The physical phenomenon of muscle pulls when you haven't toned and exercised is the equivalent of headaches and breakdowns of the brain when difficult & demanding situations required thinking arise!
Additionally, most of the times you do not have to be super smart to know the right answer to the problem- just know where to start, what pointers to look out for and how to analyze the clues to leade a conclusion- the fundamentals of solving mathematic problems!

Think about it--- and while you ponder, grab that sudoku puzzle or mental math quiz! Oh mind you are such a beautiful thing!

Who is Federico Macheda?-rising star or one hit wonder?

2009-04-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

If you haven't by now read about the Man U vs Aston Villa game you are either an American and don't care a damn about the real "football" or still asleep !

The game was won in style- with an absolutely brilliant goal!
Giggs played the ball to Macheda with his back to goal, and the young Italian buck turned his defender and curled the ball around Freidel's outstretched hand and into the right hand side of the goal.

The young Federico broke through in a tense 5 goal thriller and has shown tremendous hunger and talent. In the past the premier league has given us some great stars , could this- oh so young- man be the next gift to the sacred world sport? Time will tell, and we will all be watching...

Energy management gains prominence

2009-04-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

When my coworker Stefan Woehrle and I gave the first Energy measurement seminar in PCIC Europe in 2005 , the interest in managing and measuring energy on process plants was at best in the nascent stage! My last seminar was attended by over 80 people. 90% of the companies represented had an Energy in-charge or a team looking into the Energy needs. This represents a real fast forward in the adoption of energy management at process plants. In part it is a positive effect of the economic downturn and in part due to the scare from last years skyrocketing prices of Crude!
The good news is, technology is already available to save us real dollars, the better news is, in the long run it will make companies in the west more competitive and ease the voracious energy appetite.
what I would like to see though is the US gov and large corporations to take the joint lead and form an energy reduction team to look into every federal, state and corporate facility of their business, the prime objective will be to save energy through installation and adoption of systems and processes that enhance efficiency.

A holistic approach to energy management starts with using flow computers, flow meter, RTD temperature measurements on the steam, air, chilling water and gasses. The next steps are to cut and minimize leaks and wastes. But the real achievement is when we analyze every process for energy efficiency and question how much could we save should we adopt modern digital technology and or change the way we do business. For example, if we adopt online digital reporting for agency compliance, do not ever send printed copies of tenders and contracts, improve building standards for energy consumption, check the efficiency of every process and transaction and the number of visits it requires, streamline parking systems, create better interlinked campuses that don't need private transport- basically rethink everything to be leaner in energy consumption. The answers are all available or within reach, we don't need a revolution, just an accelerated evolution, are we ready to Re-think?

Read my paper at http://www.controlglobal.com/whitepapers/2009/029.html