A team at the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials in Halle hopes to replace the steel cladding that protects cables, power outlets and electronic switchgear with honeycomb panels made from the composite material.
Wood-plastic composite is a natural fibre composite made up of 70 per cent cellulosic wood fibre and 30 per cent thermoplastic polypropylene. It can be repeatedly recycled and is primarily used for weather-resistant decking for patios.
‘Trees extract huge quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow and sequester carbon in their ligneous fibres,’ said Sven Wüstenhagen, one of the IWM researchers in Halle.
‘It is therefore probable that the use of WPC in this new application will result in lower CO2 emissions compared with the use of steel.’
Another advantage of the composite material, according to Wüstenhagen, is that its production is more energy efficient than that of steel or other metal cladding materials.
‘This is a viable proposition because WPC can be formed into almost any shape, unlike the metal sheeting used in currently available housings,’ he said.
‘They could [also] be used, for instance, to construct street furniture such as park benches or bus shelters. That’s one of our next objectives.’
WPC is produced using an extrusion process that involves melting a mixture of wood fibres and thermoplastic resin under high pressure and at high temperature and feeding the resulting viscous product into a continuous mould.
With modern processing technologies, the fibres can be added to the mixture in their natural state, without first being transformed into granulate, thus eliminating an energy-intensive intermediate stage and preserving the quality of the fibres.
Because wood has a high thermal sensitivity, it has to be processed at temperatures below 200ºC.
The housings are manufactured in the form of modular components that can be clipped together as required to create a wide variety of designs, allowing them to blend in with the surrounding architecture.
The WPC needs to be shatter proof and sufficiently elastic to withstand impact without damage, and it must be capable of resisting wide variations in temperature, high levels of humidity and prolonged ultraviolet exposure.
The researchers are therefore testing samples of the material in a climate chamber to assess its resistance to extreme temperature conditions and to determine which additives or types of coating provide the best weather protection.
2011年10月31日星期一
2011年10月30日星期日
Happy Feet sculpture for Kapiti mall
A $10,000 sculpture of the penguin who captured the hearts of Wellingtonians is to be installed in Kapiti.
Marine life sculpture Sue Dorrington has been slaving over 30 kilos of clay crafting a life-size replica of Happy Feet, the Antarctic Emperor penguin which gained world-wide fame when he became stranded on Peka Peka beach on the Kapiti Coast in June.
Ms Dorrington has been working with Wellington Zoo veterinarian nurse Sara Holleman who tended Happy Feet during his recuperation to capture the texture of Happy Feet's feather, skin and pose.
A mould and casting will be prepared by artist Rob Uivel of Human Dynamo Workshop, from which the final piece will be produced in reinforced plastic resin. This is expected to take at least two days the painting will begin.
Commissioned by Coastlands, the final sculpture of the penguin which attracted so many people to the region will become a mascot for the new Coastlands Aquatic Centre.
The finished sculpture will be unveiled at Coastlands Shopping Mall on Saturday, November 5.
Happy Feet was dropped into the Southern Ocean in mid September after being taken south by the research vessel Tangaroa. Soon afterwards the transmitter he was wearing stopped transmitting.
The satellite tracking company said it was possible he have been eaten by a bigger animal, or the transmitter had fallen off.
Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla cared for the emperor penguin for two months before he was released.
Marine life sculpture Sue Dorrington has been slaving over 30 kilos of clay crafting a life-size replica of Happy Feet, the Antarctic Emperor penguin which gained world-wide fame when he became stranded on Peka Peka beach on the Kapiti Coast in June.
Ms Dorrington has been working with Wellington Zoo veterinarian nurse Sara Holleman who tended Happy Feet during his recuperation to capture the texture of Happy Feet's feather, skin and pose.
A mould and casting will be prepared by artist Rob Uivel of Human Dynamo Workshop, from which the final piece will be produced in reinforced plastic resin. This is expected to take at least two days the painting will begin.
Commissioned by Coastlands, the final sculpture of the penguin which attracted so many people to the region will become a mascot for the new Coastlands Aquatic Centre.
The finished sculpture will be unveiled at Coastlands Shopping Mall on Saturday, November 5.
Happy Feet was dropped into the Southern Ocean in mid September after being taken south by the research vessel Tangaroa. Soon afterwards the transmitter he was wearing stopped transmitting.
The satellite tracking company said it was possible he have been eaten by a bigger animal, or the transmitter had fallen off.
Wellington Zoo vet Lisa Argilla cared for the emperor penguin for two months before he was released.
2011年10月27日星期四
Patterns and Moulds Ltd exhibits at The Composites Engineering Show 2011
On the Patterns & Moulds stand visitors will be able to see CNC machined patterns and mould parts finished to varying levels, and learn about projects the company has recently completed for customers in the composites, marine and automotive industries.
Patterns & Moulds uses the Solidworks and Mastercam CAD/CAM design software. The company, located in Leicestershire, UK, has expertise in the production techniques needed to accurately fabricate a wide range of modelling and tooling products, from CNC machined tooled timber, MDF, modelling and tooling boards, through to polyester and epoxy-based seamless modelling pastes.
All glass reinforced plastic (GRP) moulds are manufactured in house and come with either timber or steel support frames which are fully bonded into the body of the moulds for added strength and rigidity. All split GRP moulds have a joggle joint feature to perfectly re-align mould sections back together.
“We are an independent, family owned business with a dedicated and incredibly loyal, long serving skilled workforce," says managing director George Lucas.
"We provide an end-to-end service for all mould-making needs. The team prides itself on being flexible, reliable and consistently supplying customers a quality product on time and to budget. To stay abreast of latest developments and techniques, we investment year on year in staff training and our facilities to ensure we maintain modern, up to date equipment and techniques.”
Patterns & Moulds uses the Solidworks and Mastercam CAD/CAM design software. The company, located in Leicestershire, UK, has expertise in the production techniques needed to accurately fabricate a wide range of modelling and tooling products, from CNC machined tooled timber, MDF, modelling and tooling boards, through to polyester and epoxy-based seamless modelling pastes.
All glass reinforced plastic (GRP) moulds are manufactured in house and come with either timber or steel support frames which are fully bonded into the body of the moulds for added strength and rigidity. All split GRP moulds have a joggle joint feature to perfectly re-align mould sections back together.
“We are an independent, family owned business with a dedicated and incredibly loyal, long serving skilled workforce," says managing director George Lucas.
"We provide an end-to-end service for all mould-making needs. The team prides itself on being flexible, reliable and consistently supplying customers a quality product on time and to budget. To stay abreast of latest developments and techniques, we investment year on year in staff training and our facilities to ensure we maintain modern, up to date equipment and techniques.”
2011年10月26日星期三
Garbage banks for sustainable development
Just opposite the famous Sinbad amusement park, the small houses in a squatter settlement all wear a similar look, but standing out amongst these structures is a huge garbage dump yard that has a wooden boundary wall, filled to the top with silver packaging material cut into long, thin strips. In its midst is the famous Chandi Ghar; a single silver room house made completely out of plastic wrapper.
The structure can be built in just five hours, costs merely Rs7,000 and can survive harsh weather conditions. Hannan, a semi-educated man, is in-charge of construction and, under his supervision, 12 other perform tasks which vary from separating plastic and paper to forming wasta-blocks; compressed packaging material manually filled in a wooden mould and then covered with shiny plastic sheets to form blocks that are used as bricks for building ‘Chandi Ghars’. Each block takes half-an-hour to build and a worker involved in the construction can earn around Rs800 a day.
However, providing material for construction is just one of the many functions that garbage performs. According to the Gulbahao Trust, the brain behind Chandi Ghar, garbage makes fodder, fuel for power plants and instant compost. Additionally, the owner, Nargis Latif, has come up with the unique idea of forming “Garbage n Gold Banks”.
“The ideal Garbage n Gold Bank should be situated in a prime location of the city. It should have a modern infrastructure and the rates of different types of garbage displayed on LED screens. More importantly, it should have specialised people running it,” she says.
Zero interest rate is also part of the model and she guarantees that customers will be swarming these outlets. “Garbage is an untapped resource, but people do not understand its potential. It has mafias, tug of wars and corruption, but the masses only link it to Kabadias,” she says. For it to become included in the formal sector, Latif believes it is important for the academia to join hands with her organisation. LUMS is one university which has sought written permission from her to include the concept of Garbage n Gold Bank in its syllabus. The university has also awarded a research worker for her dissertation in the subject.
She goes on to explain that Karachi is a metropolis that’s produces a diverse range of garbage. “Forget that garbage is one thing; it has layers and the metal found in it can be sold for as high as Rs400,000 per tonne and the polythene from the cheapest material can cost as low as Rs4,000 a tonne,” she explains. “Pakistan used to import garbage till 2006, but now we should consider exporting it. It can be Karachi’s gift to the world,” she smiles as her eyes glint behind her huge round spectacles which cover most of her face.
Every activity in the service sector has emerged from a traditional model to a formal one, only after the educated lot comes into it. The Gulbahao Trust believes in these future banks too. But for this, it wants the government to take interest in its model of converting garbage into sustainable development projects. “Once it gets into the formal sector, garbage can be taxed too and the returns are beyond imagination,” says the scientist who has been trying to get her out-of-the-box plan accepted in the mainstream for the last 17 years
The structure can be built in just five hours, costs merely Rs7,000 and can survive harsh weather conditions. Hannan, a semi-educated man, is in-charge of construction and, under his supervision, 12 other perform tasks which vary from separating plastic and paper to forming wasta-blocks; compressed packaging material manually filled in a wooden mould and then covered with shiny plastic sheets to form blocks that are used as bricks for building ‘Chandi Ghars’. Each block takes half-an-hour to build and a worker involved in the construction can earn around Rs800 a day.
However, providing material for construction is just one of the many functions that garbage performs. According to the Gulbahao Trust, the brain behind Chandi Ghar, garbage makes fodder, fuel for power plants and instant compost. Additionally, the owner, Nargis Latif, has come up with the unique idea of forming “Garbage n Gold Banks”.
“The ideal Garbage n Gold Bank should be situated in a prime location of the city. It should have a modern infrastructure and the rates of different types of garbage displayed on LED screens. More importantly, it should have specialised people running it,” she says.
Zero interest rate is also part of the model and she guarantees that customers will be swarming these outlets. “Garbage is an untapped resource, but people do not understand its potential. It has mafias, tug of wars and corruption, but the masses only link it to Kabadias,” she says. For it to become included in the formal sector, Latif believes it is important for the academia to join hands with her organisation. LUMS is one university which has sought written permission from her to include the concept of Garbage n Gold Bank in its syllabus. The university has also awarded a research worker for her dissertation in the subject.
She goes on to explain that Karachi is a metropolis that’s produces a diverse range of garbage. “Forget that garbage is one thing; it has layers and the metal found in it can be sold for as high as Rs400,000 per tonne and the polythene from the cheapest material can cost as low as Rs4,000 a tonne,” she explains. “Pakistan used to import garbage till 2006, but now we should consider exporting it. It can be Karachi’s gift to the world,” she smiles as her eyes glint behind her huge round spectacles which cover most of her face.
Every activity in the service sector has emerged from a traditional model to a formal one, only after the educated lot comes into it. The Gulbahao Trust believes in these future banks too. But for this, it wants the government to take interest in its model of converting garbage into sustainable development projects. “Once it gets into the formal sector, garbage can be taxed too and the returns are beyond imagination,” says the scientist who has been trying to get her out-of-the-box plan accepted in the mainstream for the last 17 years
2011年10月25日星期二
Dutch Thermoplastic Components exhibits at The Composites Engineering Show 2011
DTC converts semi-finished fabric and tape reinforced thermoplastics into finished parts. The company offers a wide range of materials, including PEEK, PEKK, PEI and PPS resins and carbon and glass fibre reinforcements.
Parts are press formed and CNC machined into intricate 3D components. DTC reports that with rapid tool change and very short cycle times , press forming a reinforced thermoplastic is a highly cost competitive fabrication method for volumes ranging from only 5 pieces up to 10 000 or more as needed.
DTC has three press machines ranging from 60 to 200 tonnes, which can form parts ranging from a few centimetres in size up to 1 m. The company also has a 5 axis CNC machining centre. All fabrication processes are supported by in house CAD/CAM tooling design capabilities and inspection equipment, including CMM and NDI .
On the DTC stand at The Composites Engineering Show in Birmingham on 9-10 November, there will be a selection of reinforced thermoplastic composite parts manufactured for aircraft interior and fuselage applications. These include system brackets, clips, seating parts, electronic casings, ribs, stringers and inspection hatches.
DTC has been supplying aircraft programmes for leading OEM aircraft manufactures such as Boeing and Airbus for over 10 years. It reports that small load carrying components in primary aero structures are increasingly being redesigned with a reinforced thermoplastic, typically replacing aluminium and titanium.
“The CFRTP composite materials we offer are suitable for a wide range of structural applications where low weight is a critical design factor," says David Manten, Managing Director of DTC.
"In addition to the aerospace industry, we see many opportunities for other industries to redesign with a continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic. These materials have low tooling costs and high productivity rates so are fabricated cost competitively. Being thermoplastics they are also easier to recycle.”
Parts are press formed and CNC machined into intricate 3D components. DTC reports that with rapid tool change and very short cycle times , press forming a reinforced thermoplastic is a highly cost competitive fabrication method for volumes ranging from only 5 pieces up to 10 000 or more as needed.
DTC has three press machines ranging from 60 to 200 tonnes, which can form parts ranging from a few centimetres in size up to 1 m. The company also has a 5 axis CNC machining centre. All fabrication processes are supported by in house CAD/CAM tooling design capabilities and inspection equipment, including CMM and NDI .
On the DTC stand at The Composites Engineering Show in Birmingham on 9-10 November, there will be a selection of reinforced thermoplastic composite parts manufactured for aircraft interior and fuselage applications. These include system brackets, clips, seating parts, electronic casings, ribs, stringers and inspection hatches.
DTC has been supplying aircraft programmes for leading OEM aircraft manufactures such as Boeing and Airbus for over 10 years. It reports that small load carrying components in primary aero structures are increasingly being redesigned with a reinforced thermoplastic, typically replacing aluminium and titanium.
“The CFRTP composite materials we offer are suitable for a wide range of structural applications where low weight is a critical design factor," says David Manten, Managing Director of DTC.
"In addition to the aerospace industry, we see many opportunities for other industries to redesign with a continuous fibre reinforced thermoplastic. These materials have low tooling costs and high productivity rates so are fabricated cost competitively. Being thermoplastics they are also easier to recycle.”
2011年10月24日星期一
Chemical in food packaging may be linked to behavioural problems in girls
A chemical found in food and drink packaging, called bisphenol A (BPA), may be linked to behavioural problems in girls, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.
The researchers studied 244 pregnant women living in the USA. Urine samples were collected from the women twice during pregnancy at 16 weeks and 26 weeks, and then again 24 hours after the women had given birth. Further urine samples were also collected from the children at one, two and three years of age. When the children were aged three, the parents completed two questionnaires about their child’s behaviour.
Researchers found that pregnant women who had high levels of BPA in their urine were more likely to have daughters who were more anxious, prone to depression or hyperactive than those who had low levels of BPA. No such link was found among women who gave birth to boys.
BPA is a chemical commonly found in the lining of tin cans, plastic bottles and other food or drink packaging. The researchers suggest that BPA may affect how hormones and other chemicals in the brain work.
Dr Layla McCay, Assistant Medical Director, Bupa, commented: “It’s difficult to draw any firm conclusions from a small study such as this. There is still much research that needs to be done to determine if this chemical really has any effect on children’s behavioural development.
“This study only looked at a small number of mainly Caucasian pregnant women from Ohio in the USA. We therefore don’t know whether these results can be generalised to other populations. It’s also important to note that these behavioural problems were not clinically diagnosed by doctors – parents simply completed two questionnaires about their child’s behaviour.
“Considering that we don’t know if there is, in fact, a cause and effect in this study, the results are not clear enough to recommend any particular changes to how we package food or how this might affect women’s diet during pregnancy. What we do know is that maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy is a great way to help keep mother and baby well.”
This study didn’t take into account many of the other factors relating to lifestyle that could have affected the results. The researchers also didn’t follow up the children as they got older, when many of these behavioural effects may not have been so obvious.
The researchers studied 244 pregnant women living in the USA. Urine samples were collected from the women twice during pregnancy at 16 weeks and 26 weeks, and then again 24 hours after the women had given birth. Further urine samples were also collected from the children at one, two and three years of age. When the children were aged three, the parents completed two questionnaires about their child’s behaviour.
Researchers found that pregnant women who had high levels of BPA in their urine were more likely to have daughters who were more anxious, prone to depression or hyperactive than those who had low levels of BPA. No such link was found among women who gave birth to boys.
BPA is a chemical commonly found in the lining of tin cans, plastic bottles and other food or drink packaging. The researchers suggest that BPA may affect how hormones and other chemicals in the brain work.
Dr Layla McCay, Assistant Medical Director, Bupa, commented: “It’s difficult to draw any firm conclusions from a small study such as this. There is still much research that needs to be done to determine if this chemical really has any effect on children’s behavioural development.
“This study only looked at a small number of mainly Caucasian pregnant women from Ohio in the USA. We therefore don’t know whether these results can be generalised to other populations. It’s also important to note that these behavioural problems were not clinically diagnosed by doctors – parents simply completed two questionnaires about their child’s behaviour.
“Considering that we don’t know if there is, in fact, a cause and effect in this study, the results are not clear enough to recommend any particular changes to how we package food or how this might affect women’s diet during pregnancy. What we do know is that maintaining a healthy diet during pregnancy is a great way to help keep mother and baby well.”
This study didn’t take into account many of the other factors relating to lifestyle that could have affected the results. The researchers also didn’t follow up the children as they got older, when many of these behavioural effects may not have been so obvious.
2011年10月23日星期日
Packing a punch
Brands are increasingly turning to specialised design firms to revamp the packaging of their products to improve their appeal and ensure ease of use.
This year, for the first time in India, design outfit Desmania, under the aegis of Procter & Gamble, organised a competition for innovative packaging ideas, Packinnova 2011. The company invited students from leading design institutes in the country to submit ideas on ‘packaging for small volumes’. Apart from throwing up some interesting ideas — such as shampoo packaged in a capsule or a waterproof clay diya filled with shampoo or detergent, sealed with a foil and branded — the exercise points in one clear direction: That packaging has actually gained in importance in the marketing mix as brand loyalty flags and consumers closely scrutinise more products as they cruise the retail aisle before purchasing. That presentation and the whole “experience’’ of a product are as important to the consumer as the product itself.
Little wonder the demand for specialised packaging firms and agencies that have proven their mettle in head-turning graphics is on the rise. Brands now want to create innovative designs from scratch, rather than choosing an available option from a manufacturer. Indeed, packaging professionals are often involved in the product development process itself, ensuring the product is delivered safely into the hands of the grateful consumers. Specialised design firms like Icarus Design (Bangalore), Desmania (Delhi) and Tata Elxsi (Bangalore) all claim that business has seen an increase in the last few years.
Until a few years ago, most multinationals that brought products in India from their international portfolio had the basic mould or the structure and design of their packaging done by firms in their home markets. There were others who chose structures from the existing catalogue of manufacturers (for example, Tetra Pak or Manjushree Technopak), while advertising agencies fulfilled the job of designing on-pack graphics. “Packaging design was like an extension of the agency’s 360-degree services,” says Sujata Keshavan, founder, Ray + Keshavan.
Of course, while the prospects have improved, the market is still very small. The design fees earned by specialists hover in the Rs 50-100 crore zone for FMCG packaging design (pre-production). But design firms are confident that the market will grow in the days to come. What will drive the growth? While most Indian brands are no longer willing to settle for cheap knock-offs of popular Western motifs, companies like Godrej and Marico believe that packaging is just as critical to building brand equity and marketing return on investment (ROI) as advertising is.
And it’s not limited to the big players. “Even small- and medium enterprises are getting ambitious,” says Anuj Prasad, founder, Desmania. For example, regional brands like edible oil brand KS Oils, or McNroe Chemicals, better known for Wild Stone and Secret Temptations deodorant brands, are betting on design to take on the biggies in their turf. McNroe Chemicals, for instance, roped in a specialist design agency for its moisturiser brand Heaven’s Garden.
Specialists obviously have an edge. “Ad agencies may not necessarily factor in the nuances of packaging material — say, plastic or glass — and focus more on the look and feel,” says the head of a design firm. “And the designs they came up with often falter during production or are extremely costly.”
Look and feel
Pack graphics and messaging is one of the most obvious ways through which design firms drive changes in FMCG packaging, and brands have traditionally tinkered with these elements to make the best possible first impression. What has changed now is the cycle time for upgradation in packaging. The various elements that provide label content and information — including marketing promotions, product specifications, ingredients labeling, bar-coding and branding — that come together during package design and development, are all put up for scrutiny. “With markets becoming cluttered and increasing consumer fatigue, on average brands now resort to change in graphics every year and a half, instead of the typical four years,” explains George Matthew, founder, Icarus Design.
What is also interesting is that multinational brands that are eager to chew up a bigger share of the Indian market are spending huge sums to carefully study the Indian consumer to bring in elements that appeal to them. “For instance, the latest Kellogg cereal packaging to hit shelves has created more drama around food to make it look more appealing,” notes Matthew, who has worked on the design. The point to note here is, with any graphic makeovers, change has to be brought in with care. “While it is important to contemporise the brand, the key visual hooks that give the brand its equity must be retained,” adds Matthew.
Such graphic interventions are only the tip of the iceberg. A bigger change that is taking place in packaging relates to the innovations in pack structures and moulding, wherein brands are collaborating with design firms to create ‘ownable’ designs that differentiate a brand. Whether it is a uniquely shaped bottle for a hand wash or an air-freshener, companies are investing more in creating structures and designs that satisfy the need of both aesthetics and consumer convenience. Ergonomics is playing a huge role in making these structural designs sophisticated.
Take the packaging for ITC Fiama Di Wills’ recent extension into talcum powder (south). Here, the dispensing mechanism has two options — single hole and double hole — influenced by salt and pepper shakers. The pack, designed by Tata Elxsi, a pioneer in the field, also has a built-in slider instead of the regular twist and dispense mechanism. “This was driven by the insight that consumers may want to use the product using one hand, instead of pouring the powder onto the second hand before application,” says Shyam Sundar, chief designer, Tata Elxsi.
‘Usability’ was kept in mind when Hindustan Unilever conceptualised Kissan’s foray into cream spreads. The bottle was designed in a manner that a regular spoon can be used to scoop out the product. Kissan has worked on other packaging innovations too. In 2009, Kissan ketchup introduced the ‘squeezo’ bottle, which stands upside down. While this helped differentiate the brand in a category dominated by glass bottles, it also ensured ease of use. “The packaging had a silicon valve that enabled dispensing of the desired quantity of ketchup. The technology also ensured the ketchup was sucked back, so that it didn’t leave behind a mess,” says Vimal Kedia, managing director, Manjushree Technopak, who has designed the bottle.
Even for Bru Exotica the packaging was created to upgrade the imagery of the brand. “So, unlike other coffee brands where you need to rotate the cap a few times before opening, the Bru jar has a 45 degree cap to bring in an element of sophistication,” says Sundar of Tata Elxsi. Tata Elxsi had earlier done another innovation for one of Bru Instant’s largest selling stock-keeping units by introducing a feature called “Aroma Lock”. “Generally there is a tendency to decant the contents to a bottle or use your own ways to seal the pack. The Aroma Lock was designed to give consumers an added convenience,” says Sundar. Tata Elxsi also built in consumer convenience when designing the bottle for Elder Pharma’s AM PM brand three years ago. For other mouthwashes, it was difficult to measure the amount of mouthwash unless one poured it into the cap. In the AM PM pack, this element was built into the pack.
This year, for the first time in India, design outfit Desmania, under the aegis of Procter & Gamble, organised a competition for innovative packaging ideas, Packinnova 2011. The company invited students from leading design institutes in the country to submit ideas on ‘packaging for small volumes’. Apart from throwing up some interesting ideas — such as shampoo packaged in a capsule or a waterproof clay diya filled with shampoo or detergent, sealed with a foil and branded — the exercise points in one clear direction: That packaging has actually gained in importance in the marketing mix as brand loyalty flags and consumers closely scrutinise more products as they cruise the retail aisle before purchasing. That presentation and the whole “experience’’ of a product are as important to the consumer as the product itself.
Little wonder the demand for specialised packaging firms and agencies that have proven their mettle in head-turning graphics is on the rise. Brands now want to create innovative designs from scratch, rather than choosing an available option from a manufacturer. Indeed, packaging professionals are often involved in the product development process itself, ensuring the product is delivered safely into the hands of the grateful consumers. Specialised design firms like Icarus Design (Bangalore), Desmania (Delhi) and Tata Elxsi (Bangalore) all claim that business has seen an increase in the last few years.
Until a few years ago, most multinationals that brought products in India from their international portfolio had the basic mould or the structure and design of their packaging done by firms in their home markets. There were others who chose structures from the existing catalogue of manufacturers (for example, Tetra Pak or Manjushree Technopak), while advertising agencies fulfilled the job of designing on-pack graphics. “Packaging design was like an extension of the agency’s 360-degree services,” says Sujata Keshavan, founder, Ray + Keshavan.
Of course, while the prospects have improved, the market is still very small. The design fees earned by specialists hover in the Rs 50-100 crore zone for FMCG packaging design (pre-production). But design firms are confident that the market will grow in the days to come. What will drive the growth? While most Indian brands are no longer willing to settle for cheap knock-offs of popular Western motifs, companies like Godrej and Marico believe that packaging is just as critical to building brand equity and marketing return on investment (ROI) as advertising is.
And it’s not limited to the big players. “Even small- and medium enterprises are getting ambitious,” says Anuj Prasad, founder, Desmania. For example, regional brands like edible oil brand KS Oils, or McNroe Chemicals, better known for Wild Stone and Secret Temptations deodorant brands, are betting on design to take on the biggies in their turf. McNroe Chemicals, for instance, roped in a specialist design agency for its moisturiser brand Heaven’s Garden.
Specialists obviously have an edge. “Ad agencies may not necessarily factor in the nuances of packaging material — say, plastic or glass — and focus more on the look and feel,” says the head of a design firm. “And the designs they came up with often falter during production or are extremely costly.”
Look and feel
Pack graphics and messaging is one of the most obvious ways through which design firms drive changes in FMCG packaging, and brands have traditionally tinkered with these elements to make the best possible first impression. What has changed now is the cycle time for upgradation in packaging. The various elements that provide label content and information — including marketing promotions, product specifications, ingredients labeling, bar-coding and branding — that come together during package design and development, are all put up for scrutiny. “With markets becoming cluttered and increasing consumer fatigue, on average brands now resort to change in graphics every year and a half, instead of the typical four years,” explains George Matthew, founder, Icarus Design.
What is also interesting is that multinational brands that are eager to chew up a bigger share of the Indian market are spending huge sums to carefully study the Indian consumer to bring in elements that appeal to them. “For instance, the latest Kellogg cereal packaging to hit shelves has created more drama around food to make it look more appealing,” notes Matthew, who has worked on the design. The point to note here is, with any graphic makeovers, change has to be brought in with care. “While it is important to contemporise the brand, the key visual hooks that give the brand its equity must be retained,” adds Matthew.
Such graphic interventions are only the tip of the iceberg. A bigger change that is taking place in packaging relates to the innovations in pack structures and moulding, wherein brands are collaborating with design firms to create ‘ownable’ designs that differentiate a brand. Whether it is a uniquely shaped bottle for a hand wash or an air-freshener, companies are investing more in creating structures and designs that satisfy the need of both aesthetics and consumer convenience. Ergonomics is playing a huge role in making these structural designs sophisticated.
Take the packaging for ITC Fiama Di Wills’ recent extension into talcum powder (south). Here, the dispensing mechanism has two options — single hole and double hole — influenced by salt and pepper shakers. The pack, designed by Tata Elxsi, a pioneer in the field, also has a built-in slider instead of the regular twist and dispense mechanism. “This was driven by the insight that consumers may want to use the product using one hand, instead of pouring the powder onto the second hand before application,” says Shyam Sundar, chief designer, Tata Elxsi.
‘Usability’ was kept in mind when Hindustan Unilever conceptualised Kissan’s foray into cream spreads. The bottle was designed in a manner that a regular spoon can be used to scoop out the product. Kissan has worked on other packaging innovations too. In 2009, Kissan ketchup introduced the ‘squeezo’ bottle, which stands upside down. While this helped differentiate the brand in a category dominated by glass bottles, it also ensured ease of use. “The packaging had a silicon valve that enabled dispensing of the desired quantity of ketchup. The technology also ensured the ketchup was sucked back, so that it didn’t leave behind a mess,” says Vimal Kedia, managing director, Manjushree Technopak, who has designed the bottle.
Even for Bru Exotica the packaging was created to upgrade the imagery of the brand. “So, unlike other coffee brands where you need to rotate the cap a few times before opening, the Bru jar has a 45 degree cap to bring in an element of sophistication,” says Sundar of Tata Elxsi. Tata Elxsi had earlier done another innovation for one of Bru Instant’s largest selling stock-keeping units by introducing a feature called “Aroma Lock”. “Generally there is a tendency to decant the contents to a bottle or use your own ways to seal the pack. The Aroma Lock was designed to give consumers an added convenience,” says Sundar. Tata Elxsi also built in consumer convenience when designing the bottle for Elder Pharma’s AM PM brand three years ago. For other mouthwashes, it was difficult to measure the amount of mouthwash unless one poured it into the cap. In the AM PM pack, this element was built into the pack.
2011年10月20日星期四
LANXESS invests in fibre reinforced thermoplastics
“In view of the trend towards lightweight electric cars and lightweight, fuel-saving motor vehicles, we are concentrating intensively on nylon composite sheet hybrid technology based on polyamide," explains Hartwig Meier, head of Product and Applications Development in the Semi-Crystalline Products business unit at LANXESS.
This technology is based on thin sheets of fibre reinforced plastic that can be pressed into shapes, just like thin metal plates. When these are combined with ribbing and struts made of polyamide, the resulting material can be used to make components whose strength is similar to that of hybrid parts made of metal and plastic, but which are even lighter.
"Compared to pure metal, or metal/plastic hybrid designs, this technology offers great potential for saving on component weight,” Meier confirms.
LANXESS's expertise builds in part on the plastic/metal hybrid technology used to fabricate, for example, front ends, brake pedals and pedal brackets. The company reports that hybrid components are usually 20-30% lighter than their pure steel counterparts while offering the same performance. Even more weight can be eliminated if the sheet metal is replaced by lightweight polyamide (PA) nylon composite sheet reinforced with continuous fibres. This cuts component weight by another 10% over aluminium hybrid designs.
“We see great potential for nylon composite sheet hybrid technology in the production of door sills, B pillars and seat cross-members,” Meier says.
LANXESS says it can now simulate all the process steps in nylon composite sheet hybrid technology.
“Now we can not only calculate locally varying fibre alignments in a moulded nylon composite sheet, we can also determine when multiple folds will form during shaping, how the semi-finished product is best positioned in the mould and the limit conditions for thermoforming,” Meier explains.
This technology is based on thin sheets of fibre reinforced plastic that can be pressed into shapes, just like thin metal plates. When these are combined with ribbing and struts made of polyamide, the resulting material can be used to make components whose strength is similar to that of hybrid parts made of metal and plastic, but which are even lighter.
"Compared to pure metal, or metal/plastic hybrid designs, this technology offers great potential for saving on component weight,” Meier confirms.
LANXESS's expertise builds in part on the plastic/metal hybrid technology used to fabricate, for example, front ends, brake pedals and pedal brackets. The company reports that hybrid components are usually 20-30% lighter than their pure steel counterparts while offering the same performance. Even more weight can be eliminated if the sheet metal is replaced by lightweight polyamide (PA) nylon composite sheet reinforced with continuous fibres. This cuts component weight by another 10% over aluminium hybrid designs.
“We see great potential for nylon composite sheet hybrid technology in the production of door sills, B pillars and seat cross-members,” Meier says.
LANXESS says it can now simulate all the process steps in nylon composite sheet hybrid technology.
“Now we can not only calculate locally varying fibre alignments in a moulded nylon composite sheet, we can also determine when multiple folds will form during shaping, how the semi-finished product is best positioned in the mould and the limit conditions for thermoforming,” Meier explains.
2011年10月19日星期三
European Poker Tour Part IV - Now we Drink
The second day started early Thursday morning with me being the only one awake in the flat. I made myself a nice bowl of cereal and got right on the grind. I kept with the losing 5 BI (buy-ins) immediately trend but couldn’t manage a win. I was frustrated with the 3 BI loss but if I had only known what online pain was waiting for me I would have thrown a huge party in celebration of only losing 3 BI.
When Tony woke up we went for lunch at a nice place down the street. Everything on the menu looked so good so we ordered a bunch of things and split them all. We hung out on the terrace enjoying the absurdly warm weather in London sipping on our Oranginas. Tony and I discussed how much fun the next Friday at Fabric was going to be. Fabric is a crazy night club and over 30 of our friends were all going together see Jack Beats. It’s at least 34 percent of the reason I came to England.
I had made plans with Rob, my old Australian roommate, to meet up at 4 p.m. so I grinded some more hands. For some reason I just had the grind switch turned on and it was all I wanted to do. This session would turn out to be super depressing. I dropped my 5 BIs as usual. Made a little bit back and then dropped down to 9 BIs. It was around 2.30 when things started to turn around with me shipping two 500BB pots simultaneously. By 3.20 I was up $20 according to HEM. I lost a pot to put me down $5 and stupidly tried to “get into the green”. Don’t do this to yourself. This led to 9 BIs straight down over 15 minutes. I lost three 500-700BB within the next 3 minutes. I called it quits down loads and headed to Robs to drink. Just before I left Gavin and Olivia walked in. Olivia and I had never met and we only had time for a quick conversation. They had errands to run so we agreed to have a proper meeting the next day.
I hopped on the Tube to meet Rob at Angel station. We stocked up on some food and drinks for dinner. He made us a great pasta dish and I contributed by figuring out how to get the shot glasses made of ice out of theplastic mould . If you can find frozen shot glass moulds I suggest picking some up. We ate our dinner while catching up on the newest “Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia” waiting for his roommate Ed to get home. Ed is a British army paratrooper veteran a few years younger than me. Apparently they had some couch to dispose of and Ed quickly rigged a rope up to lower it from their fifth floor apartment. Rob said he’s a very handy guy to have around.
During our wait for Ed, Rob made a cocktail that will blow your mind. If you want to get drunk without any bad taste this drink is for you. He took a pint glass and mashed up fresh raspberries and pear slices with ice. He poured 3oz of gin and filled the glass with a 7% pear cider. It had no burn to it but did it ever pack a punch. After the second pint a tall guy with a big white guy fro walked in the door. I instantly liked Ed as he has the same totally unacceptable sense of humour as Rob and I. He shared a few stories of his missions in Africa and Afghanistan including him almost getting eaten by a hippopotamus. Apparently he was on a boat and decided to go for a swim. His fellow soldiers thought it would be funny not to tell him it was hippo-inhabited waters. They waited until he was in line of sight of two hippos before letting him know. Great friends!
I told Ed of my pact with my roommate to learn one new survival skill a month for no good reason. I’m just going to say it’s for the Zombie Apocalypse but it’s really just skills you shouldn’t ever need but would be handy in the one-in-a-million situation. I plan on learning how to pick police issue handcuffs with random items. I have no idea how hard this will be but I assume I should pick it up quickly as I can pick most regular locks with the right tools. Ed told me to wait for a moment so he could find his lock-picking set. He came back with a green military box and pulled out his “lock pick”. It was a six-inch hunting knife with an antler handle he got in Africa. He then pulled out an even bigger knife from Afghanistan and said that “take these hand cuffs off of me” would suffice in any situation with his lock picks.
Eventually the three of us headed out on the town. We stopped at some random bar for shots then got on the Tube heading to central London. Ed tried talking up three girls on the train but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. It wasn’t until I said something and they realized I wasn’t British but Canadian that their interests got perked. Another little tip would be that Canadians and British people are naturally attracted to each other. For example, take me I’m dating a British girl. I would suggest that if you’re single go to the opposite country and things will work out. The girls joined us to some bar but didn’t want to pay cover. Conversations had run dry, I didn’t really want them sticking around, so this worked out great.
When Tony woke up we went for lunch at a nice place down the street. Everything on the menu looked so good so we ordered a bunch of things and split them all. We hung out on the terrace enjoying the absurdly warm weather in London sipping on our Oranginas. Tony and I discussed how much fun the next Friday at Fabric was going to be. Fabric is a crazy night club and over 30 of our friends were all going together see Jack Beats. It’s at least 34 percent of the reason I came to England.
I had made plans with Rob, my old Australian roommate, to meet up at 4 p.m. so I grinded some more hands. For some reason I just had the grind switch turned on and it was all I wanted to do. This session would turn out to be super depressing. I dropped my 5 BIs as usual. Made a little bit back and then dropped down to 9 BIs. It was around 2.30 when things started to turn around with me shipping two 500BB pots simultaneously. By 3.20 I was up $20 according to HEM. I lost a pot to put me down $5 and stupidly tried to “get into the green”. Don’t do this to yourself. This led to 9 BIs straight down over 15 minutes. I lost three 500-700BB within the next 3 minutes. I called it quits down loads and headed to Robs to drink. Just before I left Gavin and Olivia walked in. Olivia and I had never met and we only had time for a quick conversation. They had errands to run so we agreed to have a proper meeting the next day.
I hopped on the Tube to meet Rob at Angel station. We stocked up on some food and drinks for dinner. He made us a great pasta dish and I contributed by figuring out how to get the shot glasses made of ice out of the
During our wait for Ed, Rob made a cocktail that will blow your mind. If you want to get drunk without any bad taste this drink is for you. He took a pint glass and mashed up fresh raspberries and pear slices with ice. He poured 3oz of gin and filled the glass with a 7% pear cider. It had no burn to it but did it ever pack a punch. After the second pint a tall guy with a big white guy fro walked in the door. I instantly liked Ed as he has the same totally unacceptable sense of humour as Rob and I. He shared a few stories of his missions in Africa and Afghanistan including him almost getting eaten by a hippopotamus. Apparently he was on a boat and decided to go for a swim. His fellow soldiers thought it would be funny not to tell him it was hippo-inhabited waters. They waited until he was in line of sight of two hippos before letting him know. Great friends!
I told Ed of my pact with my roommate to learn one new survival skill a month for no good reason. I’m just going to say it’s for the Zombie Apocalypse but it’s really just skills you shouldn’t ever need but would be handy in the one-in-a-million situation. I plan on learning how to pick police issue handcuffs with random items. I have no idea how hard this will be but I assume I should pick it up quickly as I can pick most regular locks with the right tools. Ed told me to wait for a moment so he could find his lock-picking set. He came back with a green military box and pulled out his “lock pick”. It was a six-inch hunting knife with an antler handle he got in Africa. He then pulled out an even bigger knife from Afghanistan and said that “take these hand cuffs off of me” would suffice in any situation with his lock picks.
Eventually the three of us headed out on the town. We stopped at some random bar for shots then got on the Tube heading to central London. Ed tried talking up three girls on the train but didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. It wasn’t until I said something and they realized I wasn’t British but Canadian that their interests got perked. Another little tip would be that Canadians and British people are naturally attracted to each other. For example, take me I’m dating a British girl. I would suggest that if you’re single go to the opposite country and things will work out. The girls joined us to some bar but didn’t want to pay cover. Conversations had run dry, I didn’t really want them sticking around, so this worked out great.
2011年10月18日星期二
Beef: a buyer's guide
After an animal dies, enzymes are freed from the control systems that keep them in check during life and they start to indiscriminately attack the cell molecules around them. Fortunately for the eater of its meat this violent rampage boosts flavour and increases tenderness.
Larger low-flavour molecules are broken down into smaller, flavourful fragments, fibres are loosened and connective tissue starts to break down. All this helps to turn the mild flavour and springy texture of fresh meat, which may look beefy, but is often watery and insipid, into tender mouthfuls of intensely flavoured aged beef. The extent to which this process takes place depends on what happens to the meat after the animal is slaughtered.
Our Longhorns are split into two "sides", each of which is then hung in a cold room for 21 days. These sides are then cut into sections (eg a run of ribs or a whole rump) that are left for another 14 days. We've found that the rump improves after a further twenty days, so, whilst most of our steaks come from meat that has been "dry-aged" (as this process is known) for 35 days, our rumps get 55.
Walk into the ageing room at the farm and you will be confronted by a wall of meat and a pleasant musty smell with a touch of blue cheese to it. The process of dry ageing promotes the growth of certain moulds on the external surface of the meat that produce their own enzymes, further helping to tenderise and boost flavour. By the time it's ready to eat, the beef will often have a thick bloom of mould, all of which needs to be lopped off before the sections are cut into steaks and cooked. The meat we use doesn't get vac-packed: in fact, it never comes into contact with plastic at all.
At the other end of the spectrum, industrial beef producers like to do things a little quicker. They might run an electric current through a fresh carcass for up to 30 minutes, as they've found that this can help tenderise the meat, before breaking it down into steaks and other cuts in a process known as "hot boning" because the animal's body is still warm. Most of this meat will end up on supermarket shelves within a few days, but some might sit in their vac-packs for a while, a period known to some as "wet-ageing".
When meat is dry-aged two beneficial factors are at play: those rampaging enzymes and water loss through evaporation (fresh beef is about 70% water). After 35 days our beef will have lost about 20% of its weight and, as this lost weight is flavourless water, the flavour of the remaining meat is intensified. Added to this, any surfaces exposed to the air during dry-ageing need to be trimmed, resulting in even more weight loss. Mass beef producers don't like this as it means they have less meat to sell, so in the 1970s they found a solution: wet-ageing, which results in zero weight-loss (unless you count the bloody, but flavoursome juice you have to pour down the sink when you open the vac-pack).
For the eater, though, this beef misses out on that all-important intensification of flavour, it can also lead to slightly sour and metallic flavours in the meat due to increased acidity, and it prevents some of those enzymes from doing their cell-busting work, resulting in less flavourful meat. Another counter-intuitive result is that dry-aged beef with its lower water content also ends up seeming juicier than wet-aged beef.
Larger low-flavour molecules are broken down into smaller, flavourful fragments, fibres are loosened and connective tissue starts to break down. All this helps to turn the mild flavour and springy texture of fresh meat, which may look beefy, but is often watery and insipid, into tender mouthfuls of intensely flavoured aged beef. The extent to which this process takes place depends on what happens to the meat after the animal is slaughtered.
Our Longhorns are split into two "sides", each of which is then hung in a cold room for 21 days. These sides are then cut into sections (eg a run of ribs or a whole rump) that are left for another 14 days. We've found that the rump improves after a further twenty days, so, whilst most of our steaks come from meat that has been "dry-aged" (as this process is known) for 35 days, our rumps get 55.
Walk into the ageing room at the farm and you will be confronted by a wall of meat and a pleasant musty smell with a touch of blue cheese to it. The process of dry ageing promotes the growth of certain moulds on the external surface of the meat that produce their own enzymes, further helping to tenderise and boost flavour. By the time it's ready to eat, the beef will often have a thick bloom of mould, all of which needs to be lopped off before the sections are cut into steaks and cooked. The meat we use doesn't get vac-packed: in fact, it never comes into contact with plastic at all.
At the other end of the spectrum, industrial beef producers like to do things a little quicker. They might run an electric current through a fresh carcass for up to 30 minutes, as they've found that this can help tenderise the meat, before breaking it down into steaks and other cuts in a process known as "hot boning" because the animal's body is still warm. Most of this meat will end up on supermarket shelves within a few days, but some might sit in their vac-packs for a while, a period known to some as "wet-ageing".
When meat is dry-aged two beneficial factors are at play: those rampaging enzymes and water loss through evaporation (fresh beef is about 70% water). After 35 days our beef will have lost about 20% of its weight and, as this lost weight is flavourless water, the flavour of the remaining meat is intensified. Added to this, any surfaces exposed to the air during dry-ageing need to be trimmed, resulting in even more weight loss. Mass beef producers don't like this as it means they have less meat to sell, so in the 1970s they found a solution: wet-ageing, which results in zero weight-loss (unless you count the bloody, but flavoursome juice you have to pour down the sink when you open the vac-pack).
For the eater, though, this beef misses out on that all-important intensification of flavour, it can also lead to slightly sour and metallic flavours in the meat due to increased acidity, and it prevents some of those enzymes from doing their cell-busting work, resulting in less flavourful meat. Another counter-intuitive result is that dry-aged beef with its lower water content also ends up seeming juicier than wet-aged beef.
2011年10月17日星期一
The Halloween Collection of Sarah Hill
Model Sarah Hill is a former member of Houston Press's Gothic Council that we have previously described as Mary Poppins as imagined by Quentin Tarantino. She maintains an amazing collection of vintage Halloween memorabilia and spooky knick knacks. Thousands of items are carefully arranged all around her home, with hundreds more awaiting display space in her attack and office.
"I've loved Halloween since I was a kid, but not for the typical reason of getting to dress up," said Hill. "I'm attracted to things aesthetically. I find a lot of comfort in certain colors and visual aesthetics you see in a lot of Halloween stuff. Christmas stuff too, actually. I like to surround myself with these objects and just look at them. I don't know what's it's like to be a drug addict, but this is my addiction. It makes me happy."
With the Halloween season in full bloom, we asked Hill to take us on a little tour of her collection, and found five of her most interesting items to feature.
The first exhibit was a vintage candy container from the 1960s that is a jack o' lantern on top of a clear black cat in which candy corn is stored. The candy in the container is actually the original candy corn that was packaged with the novelty. Jokingly, we asked Hill if she'd ever been tempted to try the ancient confections. She said no, one of the reasons being that when she received the item from eBay the hollow base had been full of dead beetles who had become trapped while trying to get to the candy corn and died.
The candy should be perfectly safe regardless. The sugar acts as a preservative in most treats ensuring that they never really spoil. We actually developed a taste for expired chocolate thanks to a disreputable vending machine supplier. Still, it almost certainly tastes terrible since it was manufactured half a century ago. Well, more terrible than candy corn usually tastes, anyway.
Hill's favorite things in her collection are Union Products blow moulds, the light-up plastic yard decorations that were popular until Walmart put the company out of business in 2006. They were the creation of Donald Featherstone, an Ig Noble Award-winning artist who was also the designer of the pink flamingo yard ornament. There are more than 100 of these rare and hard to find items in her collection, though she says her hoard is only an eighth of the size of a friend with similar tastes.
Hill is sensitive to the way light affects her moods, and particularly enjoys the illumination from the moulds. The prize in her house is an extremely rare mould of Bela Lugosi.
"I'd love to go up one day and put all of the blow moulds on my roof," she said. "It would really perk up the day of the people on the planes that are always overhead."
She next drew our attention to a liquor serving set from 1950s Japan meant to look like a poison decanter. Made of porcelain, there's a tremendous market for these items on eBay. They're a perfect companion to the Michter's Whiskey bottle shaped and painted like a witch riding a broomstick. Michter's Distillery was founded by Mennonite famers in the 18th century and produced a variety of liquors until it closed in 1989. They were famous for the variety of special liquor bottles including the above which, a football, and the death mask of King Tuthankhamun.
"I've loved Halloween since I was a kid, but not for the typical reason of getting to dress up," said Hill. "I'm attracted to things aesthetically. I find a lot of comfort in certain colors and visual aesthetics you see in a lot of Halloween stuff. Christmas stuff too, actually. I like to surround myself with these objects and just look at them. I don't know what's it's like to be a drug addict, but this is my addiction. It makes me happy."
With the Halloween season in full bloom, we asked Hill to take us on a little tour of her collection, and found five of her most interesting items to feature.
The first exhibit was a vintage candy container from the 1960s that is a jack o' lantern on top of a clear black cat in which candy corn is stored. The candy in the container is actually the original candy corn that was packaged with the novelty. Jokingly, we asked Hill if she'd ever been tempted to try the ancient confections. She said no, one of the reasons being that when she received the item from eBay the hollow base had been full of dead beetles who had become trapped while trying to get to the candy corn and died.
The candy should be perfectly safe regardless. The sugar acts as a preservative in most treats ensuring that they never really spoil. We actually developed a taste for expired chocolate thanks to a disreputable vending machine supplier. Still, it almost certainly tastes terrible since it was manufactured half a century ago. Well, more terrible than candy corn usually tastes, anyway.
Hill's favorite things in her collection are Union Products blow moulds, the light-up plastic yard decorations that were popular until Walmart put the company out of business in 2006. They were the creation of Donald Featherstone, an Ig Noble Award-winning artist who was also the designer of the pink flamingo yard ornament. There are more than 100 of these rare and hard to find items in her collection, though she says her hoard is only an eighth of the size of a friend with similar tastes.
Hill is sensitive to the way light affects her moods, and particularly enjoys the illumination from the moulds. The prize in her house is an extremely rare mould of Bela Lugosi.
"I'd love to go up one day and put all of the blow moulds on my roof," she said. "It would really perk up the day of the people on the planes that are always overhead."
She next drew our attention to a liquor serving set from 1950s Japan meant to look like a poison decanter. Made of porcelain, there's a tremendous market for these items on eBay. They're a perfect companion to the Michter's Whiskey bottle shaped and painted like a witch riding a broomstick. Michter's Distillery was founded by Mennonite famers in the 18th century and produced a variety of liquors until it closed in 1989. They were famous for the variety of special liquor bottles including the above which, a football, and the death mask of King Tuthankhamun.
2011年10月16日星期日
That Uniqlo has signed Susan Sarandon should be seen as a triumph for older women
It would be nice to think that, wouldn't it? And who knows, maybe they are, or at least maybe they are finally realising that older women tend to have more money than the anorexic Russian teenagers to whom they usually seem to be trying to appeal, judging from the women they use in their adverts. True, the fact that Demi has admitted to having had plastic surgery somewhat undermines the idea that the fashion industry is developing healthier ideas of how women look, but no matter.
So well done to American retailers Ann Taylor and Talbots for hiring Demi Moore and Julianne Moore, although maybe they just hired them for their last name as opposed to their maturity and beauty. Apparently, there is a huge untapped market out there for women whose surname is "Moore".
Now, if I were a true professional I would see Uniqlo's signing of Susan Sarandon as even more of a triumph. Talbots does aim at a somewhat older market, so for it to use older models, while commendable, is not actually that mould-breaking. Uniqlo, however, aims primarily, if not solely, at a younger generation, so using 64-year-old Sarandon in its adverts really is an impressive step. Or it would be, were I a professional.
You see, to be a true professional journalist, one should tuck one's emotions away and merely report on the story itself. Facts, dear boy, facts, and all that. But I'm afraid I ... cannot ... hold … in … any … more! My God, I just cannot bear Sarandon.
She is a very fine actor and quite possibly one of the sexiest women ever born, and yet instead of cheering on this sexy sixtysomething, whenever I see her step up to a podium to give an award to someone, I just want to claw my own ears off my head. Like Sean Penn and Helen Hunt, Sarandon has always come across as so spectacularly humourless, sanctimonious and lacking in self-awareness that no matter how I try to like her, I end up scratching away at my lobes.
I used to feel guilty about this. After all, irrational hatred of celebrities one has never even met is surely one of the great ills of the modern day, along with internet-induced ADD and flavoured coffees. But then, about two years ago, I happened to see Ms Sarandon walking up the red carpet to, if memory serves, the Oscars when she was stopped by the star of E! himself, Ryan Seacrest. At first, Sarandon did her usual shtick, solemnly lecturing E!'s audience about, if memory is still serving, the victims in Haiti, a very commendable thing to lecture on. When Seacrest then told her they didn't have much time left, she hastily switched subjects to detailing where each part of her outfit had come from, taking special care to give a shout to her jewellers, banging on about her earrings for veritable yonks. Well, you gotta please the advertisers and fashion press offices, right? Oh, Sarandon. Go off and wrap yourself in some colourful knitwear and don't hit your sexy butt on the way out, girlfriend.
So well done to American retailers Ann Taylor and Talbots for hiring Demi Moore and Julianne Moore, although maybe they just hired them for their last name as opposed to their maturity and beauty. Apparently, there is a huge untapped market out there for women whose surname is "Moore".
Now, if I were a true professional I would see Uniqlo's signing of Susan Sarandon as even more of a triumph. Talbots does aim at a somewhat older market, so for it to use older models, while commendable, is not actually that mould-breaking. Uniqlo, however, aims primarily, if not solely, at a younger generation, so using 64-year-old Sarandon in its adverts really is an impressive step. Or it would be, were I a professional.
You see, to be a true professional journalist, one should tuck one's emotions away and merely report on the story itself. Facts, dear boy, facts, and all that. But I'm afraid I ... cannot ... hold … in … any … more! My God, I just cannot bear Sarandon.
She is a very fine actor and quite possibly one of the sexiest women ever born, and yet instead of cheering on this sexy sixtysomething, whenever I see her step up to a podium to give an award to someone, I just want to claw my own ears off my head. Like Sean Penn and Helen Hunt, Sarandon has always come across as so spectacularly humourless, sanctimonious and lacking in self-awareness that no matter how I try to like her, I end up scratching away at my lobes.
I used to feel guilty about this. After all, irrational hatred of celebrities one has never even met is surely one of the great ills of the modern day, along with internet-induced ADD and flavoured coffees. But then, about two years ago, I happened to see Ms Sarandon walking up the red carpet to, if memory serves, the Oscars when she was stopped by the star of E! himself, Ryan Seacrest. At first, Sarandon did her usual shtick, solemnly lecturing E!'s audience about, if memory is still serving, the victims in Haiti, a very commendable thing to lecture on. When Seacrest then told her they didn't have much time left, she hastily switched subjects to detailing where each part of her outfit had come from, taking special care to give a shout to her jewellers, banging on about her earrings for veritable yonks. Well, you gotta please the advertisers and fashion press offices, right? Oh, Sarandon. Go off and wrap yourself in some colourful knitwear and don't hit your sexy butt on the way out, girlfriend.
2011年10月13日星期四
What time is it? It's real time
Brad Gotts knows exactly how the FPE plant in Stratford is running, right down to a part, without ever needing to leave his desk at headquarters in Troy, Mich.
Dan Taylor, the plant's operation manager, can tap in to the same data from home in case there's a problem.
Honda, one of the company's customers, has the same "real time, any time" access online if it needs to track parts.
"We would never have been able to launch at the speed and rate and effectiveness that we did without the ability to measure those issues and be able to connect that (real-time) data," Gotts, the president and chief operating officer, said during a tour of the renovated 130,000-square-foot plant, the former home of Manchester Plastics in south Stratford.
Florida Products Engineering picked Stratford to debut its system that tracks all facets of production and inventory and makes it available instantly online -- password protected, of course.
"That's probably the best part of what our operating system provides me -- the data. We need to make strong decisions, good decisions based on the information that we have and it gives me real time in my hand," Taylor said.
Gotts said the systems allows FPE to ensure quality, accuracy and instant feedback to customers.
"Those are things that are very expensive, and we've seen good companies in this area go out of business because they can't compete. So this is one of the ways we will compete here against areas in which we said we couldn't compete against in Canada before," he said.
FPE announced in fall 2010 it was coming to Stratford and began making improvements and installing equipment including 300-to 1,500-ton presses at the Griffith Rd. facility. Just as production was reaching full stride the twin disaster earthquake and tsunami hit Japan March 11. Output was forced to slow and out of respect FPE put off an official launch.
"We're now starting to see the volumes come back," Gotts said.
A casual opening was held earlier this month. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a catered meal for salaried and production staff. Mayor Dan Mathieson, economic development director Larry Appel and The Beacon Herald were invited to tour the operation.
"You can't manage what you can't measure," an impressed Mathieson said.
Appel asked the company to include a brief about how it uses technology as part of the city's pitch for the Intelligent Communities Forum smart city in 2012.
Gotts said the plant is open to other manufactures to learn about the system as long as they're not competitors.
The goal is to have the system in FPE's six other North American facilities in the next 18 months.
The Stratford plant makes injection-moulded plastic parts for major automakers.
Gotts called them value-added assemblies.
"We have the ability, either within this facility or through our other facilities to mould, paint, chrome plate, assemble all those components for our customers," Gotts said.
An RT grill for Chrysler is one example. The grey plastic trim piece is sent next to the company's chrome-plating plant in Cleveland. FPE can also add mesh grating and an emblem to deliver it as a complete assembly to the automaker.
"Our real ability to grow the value of our company is being able to offer our customers more value-added than just moulding," Gotts said.
The company expects to have about 50 production staff in Stratford by year's end, plus eight salaried staff.
"We're going to be going to a multi-shift," Gotts said.
The plant's human resources department will take applications.
The company is already eyeing expansion.
"The beautiful part that this facility gave us is we have the ability to put up to 3,000-ton-plus presses here because of how this facility was built," he said.
Dan Taylor, the plant's operation manager, can tap in to the same data from home in case there's a problem.
Honda, one of the company's customers, has the same "real time, any time" access online if it needs to track parts.
"We would never have been able to launch at the speed and rate and effectiveness that we did without the ability to measure those issues and be able to connect that (real-time) data," Gotts, the president and chief operating officer, said during a tour of the renovated 130,000-square-foot plant, the former home of Manchester Plastics in south Stratford.
Florida Products Engineering picked Stratford to debut its system that tracks all facets of production and inventory and makes it available instantly online -- password protected, of course.
"That's probably the best part of what our operating system provides me -- the data. We need to make strong decisions, good decisions based on the information that we have and it gives me real time in my hand," Taylor said.
Gotts said the systems allows FPE to ensure quality, accuracy and instant feedback to customers.
"Those are things that are very expensive, and we've seen good companies in this area go out of business because they can't compete. So this is one of the ways we will compete here against areas in which we said we couldn't compete against in Canada before," he said.
FPE announced in fall 2010 it was coming to Stratford and began making improvements and installing equipment including 300-to 1,500-ton presses at the Griffith Rd. facility. Just as production was reaching full stride the twin disaster earthquake and tsunami hit Japan March 11. Output was forced to slow and out of respect FPE put off an official launch.
"We're now starting to see the volumes come back," Gotts said.
A casual opening was held earlier this month. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was followed by a catered meal for salaried and production staff. Mayor Dan Mathieson, economic development director Larry Appel and The Beacon Herald were invited to tour the operation.
"You can't manage what you can't measure," an impressed Mathieson said.
Appel asked the company to include a brief about how it uses technology as part of the city's pitch for the Intelligent Communities Forum smart city in 2012.
Gotts said the plant is open to other manufactures to learn about the system as long as they're not competitors.
The goal is to have the system in FPE's six other North American facilities in the next 18 months.
The Stratford plant makes injection-moulded plastic parts for major automakers.
Gotts called them value-added assemblies.
"We have the ability, either within this facility or through our other facilities to mould, paint, chrome plate, assemble all those components for our customers," Gotts said.
An RT grill for Chrysler is one example. The grey plastic trim piece is sent next to the company's chrome-plating plant in Cleveland. FPE can also add mesh grating and an emblem to deliver it as a complete assembly to the automaker.
"Our real ability to grow the value of our company is being able to offer our customers more value-added than just moulding," Gotts said.
The company expects to have about 50 production staff in Stratford by year's end, plus eight salaried staff.
"We're going to be going to a multi-shift," Gotts said.
The plant's human resources department will take applications.
The company is already eyeing expansion.
"The beautiful part that this facility gave us is we have the ability to put up to 3,000-ton-plus presses here because of how this facility was built," he said.
2011年10月12日星期三
Acrylic eyes for little Zain is a blessing says mother
Rola Al Dalo discovered just two days after giving birth to her daughter why her baby never opened her eyes.
"She would keep them closed all the time and I couldn't understand why," said Ms Al Dalo, from the Palestinian Territories.
It was not until little Zain finally opened her eyelids that her mother realised her daughter had been born without visible eyes.
Zain has microphthalmia, a rare genetic birth defect where a child is born with underdeveloped eyeballs.
Now 20 months old, she has undergone 13 procedures in Gaza and Jerusalem, nine of which were surgeries.
Zain was fitted with plastic eyes in the Palestinian Territories, but there were no facilities available to develop eyes that looked real.
During summer last year, Ms Al Dalo contacted the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), and Zain was one of five children chosen to have treatment in the UAE.
Last week, mother and daughter made their way to Dubai. And yesterday, just before World Sight Day today, Zain was at Moorfields Eye Hospital being fitted for acrylic eyes.
"The plastic eyes that she was fitted with [in the Palestinian Territories] were too small," said Dr Andrea Sciscio, Zain's doctor and a consultant oculoplastic surgeon at Moorfields. "So we needed to take a mould of her eye sockets to ensure that her new pair of eyes are an appropriate size."
Lana Suleiman also made the trip from the territories for treatment. After the little girl was born, her mother, Iman Suleiman, looked into her eyes and noticed something curious.
"One eye was green and the other was blue," Ms Suleiman said. "They just didn't look natural."
After consulting a doctor in Gaza, she was told Lana had glaucoma, which was triggered by high blood pressure, and had low vision.
This year Lana, 2, received a corneal transplant. The surgery improved the vision in her right eye and there were plans to repeat the procedure on her left.
But a complication occurred.
"A virus erupted in her right eye and the infection was progressing so quickly that the doctors could not handle it," Ms Suleiman said. "Suddenly our priority shifted from treating the left eye to saving her right."
Within weeks, Lana lost all colour, pigmentation and vision in her right eye. Ms Suleiman appealed to the PCRF for assistance. The decision was made to place an opaque contact lens painted to resemble a natural eye on Lana's right eye.
Yesterday, doctors made moulds of Zain's sockets and the surface of Lana's eye.
"The process is cold and unpleasant but not painful," said Dr Paul Geelen, an ocularist at the hospital. "The paste for the impression is applied with a syringe. This usually frightens the children, which is why we used a quick anaesthetic."
Both prosthetics must be replaced as the girls age. The doctors will provide the girls with a series of lenses and acrylics that can be used as they grow.
Despite their vision problems, the girls remain playful and in good spirits.
After waking from the anaesthesia, Lana quietly lay on her mother's lap. Zain smiled and waved goodbye to the doctors.
"It truly is a blessing," Ms Suleiman said. "All I want is to see my daughter happy and healthy, and everything else will fall into place."
"She would keep them closed all the time and I couldn't understand why," said Ms Al Dalo, from the Palestinian Territories.
It was not until little Zain finally opened her eyelids that her mother realised her daughter had been born without visible eyes.
Zain has microphthalmia, a rare genetic birth defect where a child is born with underdeveloped eyeballs.
Now 20 months old, she has undergone 13 procedures in Gaza and Jerusalem, nine of which were surgeries.
Zain was fitted with plastic eyes in the Palestinian Territories, but there were no facilities available to develop eyes that looked real.
During summer last year, Ms Al Dalo contacted the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), and Zain was one of five children chosen to have treatment in the UAE.
Last week, mother and daughter made their way to Dubai. And yesterday, just before World Sight Day today, Zain was at Moorfields Eye Hospital being fitted for acrylic eyes.
"The plastic eyes that she was fitted with [in the Palestinian Territories] were too small," said Dr Andrea Sciscio, Zain's doctor and a consultant oculoplastic surgeon at Moorfields. "So we needed to take a mould of her eye sockets to ensure that her new pair of eyes are an appropriate size."
Lana Suleiman also made the trip from the territories for treatment. After the little girl was born, her mother, Iman Suleiman, looked into her eyes and noticed something curious.
"One eye was green and the other was blue," Ms Suleiman said. "They just didn't look natural."
After consulting a doctor in Gaza, she was told Lana had glaucoma, which was triggered by high blood pressure, and had low vision.
This year Lana, 2, received a corneal transplant. The surgery improved the vision in her right eye and there were plans to repeat the procedure on her left.
But a complication occurred.
"A virus erupted in her right eye and the infection was progressing so quickly that the doctors could not handle it," Ms Suleiman said. "Suddenly our priority shifted from treating the left eye to saving her right."
Within weeks, Lana lost all colour, pigmentation and vision in her right eye. Ms Suleiman appealed to the PCRF for assistance. The decision was made to place an opaque contact lens painted to resemble a natural eye on Lana's right eye.
Yesterday, doctors made moulds of Zain's sockets and the surface of Lana's eye.
"The process is cold and unpleasant but not painful," said Dr Paul Geelen, an ocularist at the hospital. "The paste for the impression is applied with a syringe. This usually frightens the children, which is why we used a quick anaesthetic."
Both prosthetics must be replaced as the girls age. The doctors will provide the girls with a series of lenses and acrylics that can be used as they grow.
Despite their vision problems, the girls remain playful and in good spirits.
After waking from the anaesthesia, Lana quietly lay on her mother's lap. Zain smiled and waved goodbye to the doctors.
"It truly is a blessing," Ms Suleiman said. "All I want is to see my daughter happy and healthy, and everything else will fall into place."
2011年10月11日星期二
1.6 turbo at home in Citroën C5
Road testing the first-generation C5 almost ten years ago is an experience firmly etched in my memory bank.
Be sure that has nothing to do with its dull 'jelly mould' design or its plastic deluxe interior that would put an older-generation Japanese car to shame. The C5 started appealing to me when I thought to myself: “I'm sure I just went over a huge speed hump, but I didn't feel anything.”
Long story short, after tackling that fat speed nanny many times over at a gradually increasing velocity, I found myself tackling it at speeds that would probably have sent any other vehicle flying onto the pavement. And all this with nothing more than a gentle thud.
I instantly counted myself as a fan of Citroën's Hydractive suspension, which provides nothing short of a 'magic carpet' ride and great handling to boot. That's why I was disappointed to find this piece of hydraulic suspension wizardry missing from the entry-level version of this very latest C5, the 155 THP.
Despite this, I can't say I'm disappointed by the modern C5. The styling, for starters, is leaps and bounds ahead. While perhaps a bit too mainstream for Citroën traditionalists, even resembling a BMW from some angles, it's a great fusion of sporty and elegant vibes and that continues in the cabin.
The dash design is certainly distinctive, the cherry on top being that fixed-hub steering wheel that allows the fitment of a larger airbag, and the material quality is nothing to be sniffed at. Those front seats are both supportive and cushy too. I would have expected more rear legroom from a car in this class though, although it's by no means cramped.
The 155 THP model extends the reach of Citroën's C5 to those shopping around the R300 000 bracket (the only other models, 2.0 and 3.0 diesels, approach the R400K mark). It's fitted with a 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine, credited with 115kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm at 1400rpm.
Given the much lower price, this engine is actually the perfect match for the C5. It's not overly thirsty, with its average consumption claimed at 7.7 litres per 100km, and it's a reasonably good performer. Sure, it's not a performance car by any stretch of the imagination, but it's as rapid as you'd expect from a large sedan at this end of the market and it delivers its urge smoothly enough through its six-speed automatic gearbox.
Chuck it into some bends and the C5 corners rather neatly, but the steering feels absolutely numb - it's just too light and offers virtually nothing in the way of feedback.
On the grander scale of things, one could hardly compare this car to sportier offerings from BMW and Audi but as an alternative to the likes of Hyundai's Sonata, VW's Passat and Honda's Accord, the Citroën is a stylish and refined alternative.
Be sure that has nothing to do with its dull 'jelly mould' design or its plastic deluxe interior that would put an older-generation Japanese car to shame. The C5 started appealing to me when I thought to myself: “I'm sure I just went over a huge speed hump, but I didn't feel anything.”
Long story short, after tackling that fat speed nanny many times over at a gradually increasing velocity, I found myself tackling it at speeds that would probably have sent any other vehicle flying onto the pavement. And all this with nothing more than a gentle thud.
I instantly counted myself as a fan of Citroën's Hydractive suspension, which provides nothing short of a 'magic carpet' ride and great handling to boot. That's why I was disappointed to find this piece of hydraulic suspension wizardry missing from the entry-level version of this very latest C5, the 155 THP.
Despite this, I can't say I'm disappointed by the modern C5. The styling, for starters, is leaps and bounds ahead. While perhaps a bit too mainstream for Citroën traditionalists, even resembling a BMW from some angles, it's a great fusion of sporty and elegant vibes and that continues in the cabin.
The dash design is certainly distinctive, the cherry on top being that fixed-hub steering wheel that allows the fitment of a larger airbag, and the material quality is nothing to be sniffed at. Those front seats are both supportive and cushy too. I would have expected more rear legroom from a car in this class though, although it's by no means cramped.
The 155 THP model extends the reach of Citroën's C5 to those shopping around the R300 000 bracket (the only other models, 2.0 and 3.0 diesels, approach the R400K mark). It's fitted with a 1.6-litre turbopetrol engine, credited with 115kW at 6000rpm and 240Nm at 1400rpm.
Given the much lower price, this engine is actually the perfect match for the C5. It's not overly thirsty, with its average consumption claimed at 7.7 litres per 100km, and it's a reasonably good performer. Sure, it's not a performance car by any stretch of the imagination, but it's as rapid as you'd expect from a large sedan at this end of the market and it delivers its urge smoothly enough through its six-speed automatic gearbox.
Chuck it into some bends and the C5 corners rather neatly, but the steering feels absolutely numb - it's just too light and offers virtually nothing in the way of feedback.
On the grander scale of things, one could hardly compare this car to sportier offerings from BMW and Audi but as an alternative to the likes of Hyundai's Sonata, VW's Passat and Honda's Accord, the Citroën is a stylish and refined alternative.
2011年10月10日星期一
Blood, bone and a lot of rot
After listening to the world's top chefs at Sydney's Crave festival, Janne Apelgren reflects on 12 lessons she won't forget.
1. The most important tool in the kitchen is the mortar and pestle. Forget the immersion circulator, Thermomix and Pacojet, the prehistoric grinder is the one chefs keep coming back to. Neil Perry said hand-pounding pesto was the only way to go, while Ben Shewry ground roasted seaweed between two beach stones.
2.Use more salt. Real chefs throw it in by the handful. Amateurs, they say, often underseason. David Lebovitz, blogger, Parisian and former pastry chef at pioneering Californian restaurant Chez Panisse, uses and loves it in desserts (think salted caramel). He travels with his own to avoid having to use processed granulated salt.
3. Diets are actually bad for you. New York author-chef Gabrielle Hamilton railed against people who obsessed over everything they ate, saying it was a vicious cycle. Relaxing about what you ate, sometimes enjoying what you shouldn't, was better for you. It was a view echoed by several chefs, including world-renowned Mexican cuisine expert Diana Kennedy, who admitted she had always had high cholesterol but still indulged in fatty meat. She's 87.
4. Blood, bones and butter are three hot ingredients. Gabrielle Hamilton was spot-on-trend in the title of her memoir, the wonderful Blood, Bones and Butter. Perhaps it's the chefs' way of proving the difference between us and them. After all, Andrew McConnell admitted as he poured a plastic bladder of blood into a dish he described as a blood custard, most people found it a bit confronting, so he thinks its safer to call it boudin noir in the restaurant. Magnus Nilsson's hors d'oeuvre of roe in a dried pigs' blood crust delivered crunch followed by a primally familiar slightly metallic taste. Bone marrow was another lauded ingredient, so too butter, which Hamilton loves to compound. Tip equal parts butter and your ingredient of choice into a food processor and blend, use it on toast, on meats, in dishes, and freeze for later, she suggests. Wrinkly oil-cured kalamata olives, or anchovies, or garlic with parsley and shallots all make great compound butter, Hamilton says.
5. Pickle power is on the rise. From sauerkraut to kimchi, (''kissing cousins'', according to American-Korean chef David Chang), the pungent and pickled are popping up everywhere to punch up flavour and texture.
6. Pioneer skills are in, so drag out the Mrs Beeton. Living by the local, seasonal mantra, Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson admitted his seven-person team spent 50 per cent of their working hours sourcing produce, stored food in soil and straw to stretch it across the year, and only ever bought meat in the form of a whole, live beast. Gabrielle Hamilton pointed out chefs were using ''pioneer skills'' more and more, making jam, preserving, conserving, cellaring and storing, even cooking in earth.
7. There's a burning desire for fire. More cooks are using it and loving it. Francis Mallmann, of Argentina, grilled oranges stuck with rosemary and sprinkled with sugar, Magnus Nilsson stuck a whole bone on coals, and sawed it open for the marrow as he does in the dining room of his remote restaurant. Mallmann urged cooks not to toss and turn meat on a grill, but to leave it be. His love of fire is part of a broader philosophy: ''All of us have to spend more time outside, children have to spend half the day outside, to learn the language of the wind, the clouds and smoke. It will make them better adults.''
8. Octopus and crab are the go-to seafoods. Ben Shewry said he and David Chang agreed crab is ''one of the most amazingly beautiful products we have to work with in Australia''. Shewry dispatches them humanely by lowering their body temperature to about 2 degrees, then spiking them behind the ''head'' with a knife. Los Angeles chef Jon Shook (Animal restaurant) rhapsodised about our baby octopus.
9. I do not want to be a chef. Ben Shewry described the first years of his career, working 100 hours a week, his fingers bleeding under the nails from scrubbing dishes. Gabrielle Hamilton, of New York's Prune restaurant, said, ''The biggest mistake people make is saying, 'I want to be a chef because I love to cook.' You should not go into a restaurant for that reason. You do it because you have a strange work ethic, you love to put systems in place, you like to create order from chaos.''
10. The future of food is rotten. David Chang (Momofuku in New York and, soon, in Sydney) says managing microbes will be the next food frontier. Mould, fermentation and bacteria have the potential to transform what we eat, in a good way, from aged steak to locally made soy. He's working with two Harvard microbiologists to understand microbes better.
11. Marinades are bad. The charismatic Frances Mallmann, Argentinian king of the barbecue, opened his session declaring, ''I hate marinades''. His objection was that they change the taste of the primary ingredients. He prefers to add other flavours at the table, such as sauce, ''so the flavours have a little fight inside the mouth''. To explain further, he used pumpkin soup as an example. ''After three mouthfuls soup is boring, but if you then have a crunchy galette … mmmm.''
12. Bloody Mary for entree. At my next dinner party (or breakfast, or brunch) I'm serving guests Bloody Marys as an entree. Gabrielle Hamilton has nearly a dozen on her brunch list. She serves them with skewers dangling off the side, perhaps pickles (turnips, brussels sprouts, beans) or smoked peppers, or olives, or anchovies. You may even get a beef jerky swizzle stick. The ''Danish'' comes with aquavit, the ''Mariner'' with clam juice, ingredients dance from wasabi to horseradish to beef stock. They're best chased with a small beer.
1. The most important tool in the kitchen is the mortar and pestle. Forget the immersion circulator, Thermomix and Pacojet, the prehistoric grinder is the one chefs keep coming back to. Neil Perry said hand-pounding pesto was the only way to go, while Ben Shewry ground roasted seaweed between two beach stones.
2.Use more salt. Real chefs throw it in by the handful. Amateurs, they say, often underseason. David Lebovitz, blogger, Parisian and former pastry chef at pioneering Californian restaurant Chez Panisse, uses and loves it in desserts (think salted caramel). He travels with his own to avoid having to use processed granulated salt.
3. Diets are actually bad for you. New York author-chef Gabrielle Hamilton railed against people who obsessed over everything they ate, saying it was a vicious cycle. Relaxing about what you ate, sometimes enjoying what you shouldn't, was better for you. It was a view echoed by several chefs, including world-renowned Mexican cuisine expert Diana Kennedy, who admitted she had always had high cholesterol but still indulged in fatty meat. She's 87.
4. Blood, bones and butter are three hot ingredients. Gabrielle Hamilton was spot-on-trend in the title of her memoir, the wonderful Blood, Bones and Butter. Perhaps it's the chefs' way of proving the difference between us and them. After all, Andrew McConnell admitted as he poured a plastic bladder of blood into a dish he described as a blood custard, most people found it a bit confronting, so he thinks its safer to call it boudin noir in the restaurant. Magnus Nilsson's hors d'oeuvre of roe in a dried pigs' blood crust delivered crunch followed by a primally familiar slightly metallic taste. Bone marrow was another lauded ingredient, so too butter, which Hamilton loves to compound. Tip equal parts butter and your ingredient of choice into a food processor and blend, use it on toast, on meats, in dishes, and freeze for later, she suggests. Wrinkly oil-cured kalamata olives, or anchovies, or garlic with parsley and shallots all make great compound butter, Hamilton says.
5. Pickle power is on the rise. From sauerkraut to kimchi, (''kissing cousins'', according to American-Korean chef David Chang), the pungent and pickled are popping up everywhere to punch up flavour and texture.
6. Pioneer skills are in, so drag out the Mrs Beeton. Living by the local, seasonal mantra, Swedish chef Magnus Nilsson admitted his seven-person team spent 50 per cent of their working hours sourcing produce, stored food in soil and straw to stretch it across the year, and only ever bought meat in the form of a whole, live beast. Gabrielle Hamilton pointed out chefs were using ''pioneer skills'' more and more, making jam, preserving, conserving, cellaring and storing, even cooking in earth.
7. There's a burning desire for fire. More cooks are using it and loving it. Francis Mallmann, of Argentina, grilled oranges stuck with rosemary and sprinkled with sugar, Magnus Nilsson stuck a whole bone on coals, and sawed it open for the marrow as he does in the dining room of his remote restaurant. Mallmann urged cooks not to toss and turn meat on a grill, but to leave it be. His love of fire is part of a broader philosophy: ''All of us have to spend more time outside, children have to spend half the day outside, to learn the language of the wind, the clouds and smoke. It will make them better adults.''
8. Octopus and crab are the go-to seafoods. Ben Shewry said he and David Chang agreed crab is ''one of the most amazingly beautiful products we have to work with in Australia''. Shewry dispatches them humanely by lowering their body temperature to about 2 degrees, then spiking them behind the ''head'' with a knife. Los Angeles chef Jon Shook (Animal restaurant) rhapsodised about our baby octopus.
9. I do not want to be a chef. Ben Shewry described the first years of his career, working 100 hours a week, his fingers bleeding under the nails from scrubbing dishes. Gabrielle Hamilton, of New York's Prune restaurant, said, ''The biggest mistake people make is saying, 'I want to be a chef because I love to cook.' You should not go into a restaurant for that reason. You do it because you have a strange work ethic, you love to put systems in place, you like to create order from chaos.''
10. The future of food is rotten. David Chang (Momofuku in New York and, soon, in Sydney) says managing microbes will be the next food frontier. Mould, fermentation and bacteria have the potential to transform what we eat, in a good way, from aged steak to locally made soy. He's working with two Harvard microbiologists to understand microbes better.
11. Marinades are bad. The charismatic Frances Mallmann, Argentinian king of the barbecue, opened his session declaring, ''I hate marinades''. His objection was that they change the taste of the primary ingredients. He prefers to add other flavours at the table, such as sauce, ''so the flavours have a little fight inside the mouth''. To explain further, he used pumpkin soup as an example. ''After three mouthfuls soup is boring, but if you then have a crunchy galette … mmmm.''
12. Bloody Mary for entree. At my next dinner party (or breakfast, or brunch) I'm serving guests Bloody Marys as an entree. Gabrielle Hamilton has nearly a dozen on her brunch list. She serves them with skewers dangling off the side, perhaps pickles (turnips, brussels sprouts, beans) or smoked peppers, or olives, or anchovies. You may even get a beef jerky swizzle stick. The ''Danish'' comes with aquavit, the ''Mariner'' with clam juice, ingredients dance from wasabi to horseradish to beef stock. They're best chased with a small beer.
2011年10月9日星期日
Plastic Injection Moulding & Plastic Moulding Tool Makers
The Plasticom Group are a leading Plastic Injection Moulding company specialising in Plastic Moulding and Injection Moulding offering a broad range of services to the Plastic Industry.
With our experienced plastic moulding team of designers, tool makers & injection moulding engineers we can take your idea from something as simple as a sketch and plan a project to deliver a finalised working product.
During our plastic injection moulding process, our designers utilise the latest 3D Solid Modelling CAD systems to create a conceptual design, produce a working prototype, manufacture a production injection moulding tool, mould the plastic parts on one of our many plastic injection moulding machines and finally finish the product in our assembly and packaging department
Enabling the Plasticom Group to carry out your plastic moulding requirements we employ the very best mould tool makers to make us one of the best Injection Moulding Companies!
Plasticom Ltd was formed in 1993 by Edwin and Sonia Simmonds to service the plastic industry with a streamlined plastic injection moulding solution. In 1994 the company purchased the whole share capital of D.G. Mortimer & Co Ltd (formed 1960) and Ashford Mouldings Ltd (Formed 1971). In 2001 Plasticom started a new company Dover Packaging & Assembly Ltd. Adding this company to the group has allowed us to offer a complete plastic injection moulding solution from start to finish comprising of highly experienced mould makers & tool makers. Plasticom is certified to ISO:9001 and is now the holding company. With continued investment in new machinery and technology, along with an ongoing staff training programme Plasticom is now at the market forefront as one of the leading injection moulding companies.
With our experienced plastic moulding team of designers, tool makers & injection moulding engineers we can take your idea from something as simple as a sketch and plan a project to deliver a finalised working product.
During our plastic injection moulding process, our designers utilise the latest 3D Solid Modelling CAD systems to create a conceptual design, produce a working prototype, manufacture a production injection moulding tool, mould the plastic parts on one of our many plastic injection moulding machines and finally finish the product in our assembly and packaging department
Enabling the Plasticom Group to carry out your plastic moulding requirements we employ the very best mould tool makers to make us one of the best Injection Moulding Companies!
Plasticom Ltd was formed in 1993 by Edwin and Sonia Simmonds to service the plastic industry with a streamlined plastic injection moulding solution. In 1994 the company purchased the whole share capital of D.G. Mortimer & Co Ltd (formed 1960) and Ashford Mouldings Ltd (Formed 1971). In 2001 Plasticom started a new company Dover Packaging & Assembly Ltd. Adding this company to the group has allowed us to offer a complete plastic injection moulding solution from start to finish comprising of highly experienced mould makers & tool makers. Plasticom is certified to ISO:9001 and is now the holding company. With continued investment in new machinery and technology, along with an ongoing staff training programme Plasticom is now at the market forefront as one of the leading injection moulding companies.
2011年10月8日星期六
Pmold Industrial(HongKong) Limited
Pmolds company established in 1998 in Shenzhen of Guangdong, China.We specialize in different kinds of high-quality plastic mold and related injection molding services, always provide the most cost effective way of design & manufacturing to meet customer’s individual requirements. Pmolds is an excellent plastic mould supplier in the line, we clearly understand what lead time, quality and price mean to our customers.
Our company focus on manufacturing plastic mould, plastic injection and assembly. Our aim at producing moulds with precision, complexity, various size and longer service life. Pmolds engineers are experienced in working with technical requirements of American & Germany customers. Our customers have the benefits of speaking directly to our Project Manager in English fluently.
Pmolds has established a complete follow-up service system to ensure quality service to our customers. We hope to be accepted & satisfied by customers through our continuously mature marketing network and improved after service.
Building precision plastic injection molds for our global customers continues to be PMold's core business. Employing over 100 skillful engineers and workers, PMold delivers over 400 top quality molds a year to many of the world's best companies. The ability to produce mold at the highest international standard, strong engineering and design capability, fluent English communication skill, aggressive lead times, competitive pricing and business integrity continues to be the success factor of PMold.
Our company focus on manufacturing plastic mould, plastic injection and assembly. Our aim at producing moulds with precision, complexity, various size and longer service life. Pmolds engineers are experienced in working with technical requirements of American & Germany customers. Our customers have the benefits of speaking directly to our Project Manager in English fluently.
Pmolds has established a complete follow-up service system to ensure quality service to our customers. We hope to be accepted & satisfied by customers through our continuously mature marketing network and improved after service.
Building precision plastic injection molds for our global customers continues to be PMold's core business. Employing over 100 skillful engineers and workers, PMold delivers over 400 top quality molds a year to many of the world's best companies. The ability to produce mold at the highest international standard, strong engineering and design capability, fluent English communication skill, aggressive lead times, competitive pricing and business integrity continues to be the success factor of PMold.
2011年10月7日星期五
Tufted duck and chicken liver parfait, red wine poached quinces
To prepare the parfait, preheat the oven to 150°C. Fry the shallots in 50g butter with seasoning until transparent. Add the garlic, thyme, brandy and crushed coriander seeds, melt the remainder of the butter and add to the shallots. Leave to cool slightly.
Blend the duck and chicken livers until puréed. While blending add the cooled shallot and melted butter mix, season and blend to emulsify. Pour the mixture into a terrine mould, place in a bain-marie, and cover. Cook the parfait in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cool over ice. Once chilled, blend the parfait until silky smooth and leave to set in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.
To make the red wine jelly, mix all the ingredients together in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into a small square plastic container and leave to set - do not move until completely set.
For the red wine poached quinces, preheat a water bath to 75°C. Peel and core the quinces, cut into ½ cm thick wedges and season with salt and pepper. Vacuum the crushed juniper, quince wedges, red wine and sugar. Cook in the water bath for 30 minutes, or until tender but not too soft. Cool over ice.
To serve, scoop a quenelle of parfait on to a slice of toasted baguette, and place on the plate. Garnish the plate with dollops of the jelly, slices of red wine quinces and pickled walnut pieces, then finish with a few micro leaves and rapeseed oil. Serve immediately.
Blend the duck and chicken livers until puréed. While blending add the cooled shallot and melted butter mix, season and blend to emulsify. Pour the mixture into a terrine mould, place in a bain-marie, and cover. Cook the parfait in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Cool over ice. Once chilled, blend the parfait until silky smooth and leave to set in the fridge for 1 hour before serving.
To make the red wine jelly, mix all the ingredients together in a small saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute. Pour the mixture into a small square plastic container and leave to set - do not move until completely set.
For the red wine poached quinces, preheat a water bath to 75°C. Peel and core the quinces, cut into ½ cm thick wedges and season with salt and pepper. Vacuum the crushed juniper, quince wedges, red wine and sugar. Cook in the water bath for 30 minutes, or until tender but not too soft. Cool over ice.
To serve, scoop a quenelle of parfait on to a slice of toasted baguette, and place on the plate. Garnish the plate with dollops of the jelly, slices of red wine quinces and pickled walnut pieces, then finish with a few micro leaves and rapeseed oil. Serve immediately.
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