Quotations About Babies and Infancy

Babies are born cute—some say—because that is Gods way of protecting them from harm. Their angelic faces can steal the heart of everyone they meet. Whether you are expecting a child soon or are already the parent of a newborn, here are some beautiful baby sayings and a few truisms that should certainly make you smile and nod your head in agreement. Don Herold Babies are such a nice way to start people. Brad Pitt Getting a burp out of your little thing is probably the greatest satisfaction Ive come across. Its truly one of the lifes satisfying moments. Robert Munsch Ill love you forever; Ill like you for always. As long as Im living, my baby, youll be. Hermann Hesse Words can not express the joy of a new life. Vincent Van Gogh I think I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning or coos or laughs. Olivia Wilde The amazing thing about becoming a parent is that you will never again be your own first priority. Deepak Chopra It is the nature of babies to be in bliss. Jeff Foxworthy Watching a baby being born is a little like watching a wet St. Bernard coming in through the cat door. Charles Osgood Babies are always more trouble than you thought—and more wonderful. Winston Churchill There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies. Mark Twain A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother. James Matthew Barrie When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born, its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl. Brian Pulsifer The joy that a newborn brings cannot be equaled. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe We cant form our children on our own concepts; we must take them and love them as God gives them to us. Eda J. Le Shan A new baby is like the beginning of all things—wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. Ed Howe Families with babies and families without are so sorry for each other. Penelope Leach Loving a baby is a circular business, a kind of feedback loop. The more you give the more you get, and the more you get the more you feel like giving. Benjamin Spock What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all. Nuno Bettencourt Having a baby is one of the most wonderful things in life, as well as the hardest thing in your life. Rajneesh The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.

What Are The Major Strategic Considerations To Replace An...

Harris Corporation is in need of an Information Technology (IT) Project Manager (PM) after a seasoned, experienced employee announced her intention to retire in 30 days. The work of replacing this employee with a capable equivalent is time-consuming, costly to the firm, and requires attention to details with respect to strategy, a specification for announcing the vacancy, and discipline throughout the recruiting process. This paper leverages an actual Project Manager job posting and tailors it based on iMBA 544 lesson content. For confidentiality reasons, all metrics, ratios, and cost data is fictitious but realistic for the purposes of presentation in this essay. Strategic Considerations Strategic Overview Replacing an IT PM, especially†¦show more content†¦In a growth environment like this, it can be argued that demand for project managers may outweigh the supply of available project managers, but where there is opportunity, there is likely turnover which contributes to supply. Recruiting for this vacancy is expected to yield a favorable collection of qualified candidates. Per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, â€Å"Employment of computer and information systems managers is projected to grow 15 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Demand for computer and information systems managers will grow as firms increasingly expand their business to digital platforms† (Computer and Information Systems Managers). Make/Buy Decision The decision to hire a resource to be a member of the Harris team (make), or outsource the vacancy to a consultant or subcontractor (buy) is a fairly simple strategic decision in this context. Given that in this operational environment the IT PM is exposed to sensitive company data, including proprietary hardware and software, company confidential procedures, labor rates and cost data, it is policy to not buy IT PM services from consultants or subcontractors. In this case, the IT PM will be exposed to this type of sensitive information and therefore the decision to make, or hire directly has been made. Job Design An Information Technology Project Manager is a manager in the InformationShow MoreRelatedOutsourcing Service From A Supplier1500 Words   |  6 Pagesproduct or a service from a supplier. Outsourcing services can supplement an existing internal source, replace an existing internal source, or consist of a new product or service a company has never provided before. In the past, it was commonplace for companies to try to do it all. Manufacturing companies would design, engineer, and build the end product while providing Information Technology support†¦ regardless of the complexity of the end product and its components. 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Coca Cola Structure free essay sample

Introduction3 Coca cola’s Global coverage. 3 History4 Revenues4 Products and Brands6 Mission, Vision and Values8 Organizations and Organizational Effectiveness10 Stakeholders, Managers, and Ethics12 Organizational Design14 Designing Organizational Structure: Authority Control15 Designing Organizational Structure: Specialization Coordination17 Managing in a Changing Global Environment18 Organizational Design Strategy20 Creating Managing Organizational Culture21 Organizational Technology21 Organizational Transformations22 Decision Making23 Managing Conflicts, Power and Politics24 Introduction The Coca-Cola Company  is a beverage company, manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product  Coca-Cola, invented by pharmacist  John Stith Pemberton  in 1886. The Coca-Cola formula and brand was bought in 1889 by  Asa Candler  who incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. Besid es its namesake Coca-Cola beverage, Coca-Cola currently offers more than 400 brands in over 200 countries or territories and serves 1. 6 billion servings each day. The company operates a  franchised  distribution system dating from 1889 where The Coca-Cola Company only produces syrup concentrate which is then sold to various  bottlers  throughout the world who hold an exclusive territory. The Coca-Cola Company is headquartered in  Atlanta,  Georgia. Its stock is listed on the  NYSE  and is part of  DJIA,  SP 500 Index, the  Russell 1000 Index  and the Russell 1000 Growth Stock Index. Its current chairman and CEO is  Muhtar Kent. - Coca cola’s Global coverage. - History The Coca-Cola Company was originally established in 1891 as the J. S. Pemberton Medicine Company, a co-partnership between Dr. John Stith Pemberton  and Ed Holland. The company was formed to sell three main products: Pembertons French Wine Cola (later known as Coca-Cola), Pembertons Indian Queen Hair Dye, and Pembertons Globe Flower Cough Syrup. In 1884, the company became a stock company and the name was changed to Pemberton Chemical Company. The new president was D. D. Doe while Ed Holland became the new Vice-President. Pemberton stayed on as the superintendent. The companys factory was located at No. 07, Marietta St. Three years later, the company was again changed to Pemberton Medicine Company, another co-partnership, this time between Pemberton, A. O. Murphy, E. H. Bloodworth, and  J. C. Mayfield. Finally in October 1888, the company received a charter with an authorized capital of $50,000. The charter became official on January 15, 1889. By this time, the company had expand ed its offerings to include Pembertons Orange and Lemon Elixir. - Revenues According to the 2005 Annual Report,  the company sells beverage products in more than 200 countries. The report further states that of the more than 50 billion beverage servings of all types consumed worldwide every day, beverages bearing the trademarks owned by or licensed to Coca-Cola account for approximately 1. 5 billion. Of these, beverages bearing the trademark Coca-Cola or Coke accounted for approximately 78% of the Companys total gallon sales. Also according to the 2007 Annual Report, Coca-Cola had gallon sales distributed as follows: a. 37% in the United States b. 43% in Mexico, India, Brazil, Japan and the Peoples Republic of China c. 0% spread throughout the rest of the world In 2010 it was announced that Coca-Cola had become the first brand to top ? 1 billion in annual UK grocery sales. The data for the year 2009 is given in the table below: - - - - - - - Products and Brands The Coca-Cola Company offers  nearly 400 brands  in over 200 countries, besides its namesake  Coca-Cola  beverage. Tab  was Coca-Colas first attempt to develop a diet soft drink, using  saccharin  as a sugar substitute. Introduced in 1963, the product is still sold today, however its sales have dwindled since the introduction of Diet Coke. The Coca-Cola Company also produces a number of other soft drinks including  Fanta and  Sprite. Fantas origins date back to  World War II  when  Max Keith, who managed Coca-Colas operations in  Germany  during the war, wanted to make money from Nazi Germany but did not want the negative publicity. Keith resorted to producing a different soft drink, Fanta, which proved to be a hit, and when Coke took over again after the war, it adopted the Fanta brand as well. The German  Fanta Klare Zitrone  (Clear Lemon Fanta) variety became  Sprite, another of the companys bestsellers and its response to  7 Up. During the 1990s, the company responded to the growing consumer interest in healthy beverages by introducing several new non-carbonated beverage brands. These included  Minute Maid  Juices to Go,  PowerAde sports beverage, flavoured ea  Nestea  (in a joint venture with  Nestle),  Fruitopia  fruit drink and  Dasani  water, among others. In 2001,  Minute Maid  division launched the  Simply Orange  brand of juices including  orange juice. Coca-Cola is the best-selling soft drink in most countries. While the Middle East is one of the only regions in the world where Coca-Cola is not the number one soda drink, Coca-Cola nonetheless holds almost 25% mar ket share (to Pepsis 75%) and had double-digit growth in 2003. Similarly, in  Scotland, where the locally produced  Irn-Bru  was once more popular, 2005 figures show that both Coca-Cola and Diet Coke now outsell Irn-Bru. In  Peru, the native  Inca Kola  has been more popular than Coca-Cola, which prompted Coca-Cola to enter in negotiations with the soft drinks company and buy 50% of its stakes. In  Japan, the best selling soft drink is not cola, as (canned)  tea  and  coffee  are more popular. As such, the Coca-Cola Companys bestselling brand there is not Coca-Cola, but  Georgia. Some claim Coke is less popular in  India  due to suspicions regarding the health standards of the drink. On July 6, 2006, a Coca-Cola employee and two other people were arrested and charged with trying to sell trade secrets information to the soft drink makers competitor,  PepsiCo  for $1. million. The recipe for Coca-Cola, perhaps the companys most closely guarded secret, was never in jeopardy. Instead, the information was related to a new beverage in development. Coca-Cola executives verified that the documents were valid and proprietary. At least one glass vial containing a sample of a new drink was offered for sale, court documents said. The conspiracy was revealed by PepsiCo, which notified the authorities when they were approached by the conspirators. The company announced a new negative calorie green tea drink,  Enviga, in 2006, along with trying coffee retail concepts  Far Coast  and  Chaqwa. On May 25, 2007, Coca-Cola announced it would purchase  Glaceau, a maker of flavoured vitamin-enhanced drinks (vitamin water), flavoured waters, and  energy drinks, for $4. 1 billion in cash. On September 3, 2008, Coca-Cola announced its intention to make cash offers to purchase  China Huiyuan Juice Group Limited  (which has a 42% share of the Chinese pure fruit juice market for US$2. 4bn (HK$12. 20 per share). Chinas  ministry of commerce  blocked the deal on March 18, 2009, arguing that the deal would hurt small local juice companies, could have pushed up juice market prices and limited consumers’ choices. In October 2009, Coca-Cola revealed its new 90-calorie  mini can  that holds 7. 5 fluid ounces   The first shipments are expected to reach the New York City and Washington D. C. markets in December 2009 and nationwide by March 2010. - Mission, Vision and Values Following are the mission, vision statements and company’s core values taken from the company’s official website:- The world is changing all around us. To continue to thrive as a business over the next ten years and beyond, we must look ahead, understand the trends and forces that will shape our business in the future and move swiftly to prepare for whats to come. We must get ready for tomorrow today. Thats what our 2020 Vision is all about. It creates a long-term destination for our business and provides us with a Roadmap for winning together with our bottling partners. Mission Our Roadmap starts with our mission, which is enduring. It declares our purpose as a company and serves as the standard against which we weigh our actions and decisions. . To refresh the world b. To inspire moments of optimism and happiness c. To create value and make a difference. Our Vision Our vision serves as the framework for our Roadmap and guides every aspect of our business by describing what we need to accomplish in order to continue achieving sustainable, quality growth. a. People:  Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the bes t they can be. b. Portfolio:  Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy peoples desires and needs. c. Partners:  Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value. d. Planet:  Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities. e. Profit:  Maximize long-term return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities. f. Productivity:  Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization Our Winning Culture Our Winning Culture defines the attitudes and behaviours that will be required of us to make our 2020 Vision a reality. Live Our Values Our values serve as a compass for our actions and describe how we behave in the world. a. Leadership:  The courage to shape a better future b. Collaboration:  Leverage collective genius c. Integrity:  Be real d. Accountability:  If it is to be, its up to me e. Passion:  Committed in heart and mind f. Diversity:  As inclusive as our brands g. Quality:  What we do, we do well Focus on the Market a. Focus on needs of our consumers, customers and franchise partners. b. Get out into the market and listen, observe and learn c. Possess a world view d. Focus on execution in the marketplace every day e. Be insatiably curious Work Smart a. Act with urgency b. Remain responsive to change c. Have the courage to change course when needed d. Remain constructively discontent e. Work efficiently Act Like Owners a. Be accountable for our actions and inactions b. Steward system assets and focus on building value c. Reward our people for taking risks and finding better ways to solve problems d. Learn from our outcomes what worked and what didn’t Be the Brand Inspire creativity, passion, optimism and fun. - Organizations and Organizational Effectiveness What allows an organization to continue to operate for over 125 years, and along the way, become one of the most globally recognizable brand names? The ability to adapt and find new markets has helped Coca-Cola become an icon of the American culture. Coca-Cola was invented in 1885 and since The Coca-Cola Company’s incorporation in 1892; a strong focus on growth and marketing has existed. Besides traditional advertisements in the local newspaper, the company’s founder, Asa Candler, distributed thousands of coupons for free glasses of Coca-Cola so that many more people would be inclined to taste the product. He also distributed countless souvenirs that depicted the Coca-Cola trademark logo. By 1900, the organization, already, had operations in the United States and Canada. This focus on aggressive marketing is, still, the cornerstone for The Coca-Cola Company’s strategy and culture. The Coca-Cola Company was eager to take advantage of new markets, and expansion efforts quickly led to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines Before long, Coca-Cola was being sold in Europe. When The United States entered World War II, Coca-Cola was being sold to both sides. The Coca-Cola Company turned what many would view as a threat, into an enormous opportunity. In 1941, the company’s president, Robert Woodruff made an order to provide American troops with Coca-Cola, regardless of where they were, and what it cost to the company. During the war, 64 bottling plants were set up in Europe and the Pacific. This not only allowed American troops to acquire a taste for the drink, but it left Coca-Cola with a solid foundation to greatly expand its operations overseas. Over time, The Coca-Cola Company has remained adamant about staying in the non-alcoholic beverage industry. Besides soft drinks, The Coca-Cola Company sells energy drinks, juice drinks, sports drinks, tea, and water. The current focus of The Coca-Cola Company is still that of growth. The current objective of the organization â€Å"is to use our formidable assets-brands, financial strength, unrivalled distribution system, global reach, and a strong commitment by our management and employees worldwide-to achieve long-term sustainable growth† The key inputs for production are the raw materials used in the beverages. The company uses different types of sweeteners depending on where the concentrate is being produced. Water is one of the main ingredients used in every beverage. Since the organization greatly focuses on marketing, human capital is an important asset to the company as well. Without its employees’ knowledge and abilities, The Coca-Cola Company would not be nearly as successful. The secret formula for Coca-Cola is another key input for the company. The Coca-Cola Company does not actually produce soda. They produce the concentrate or syrup, which is then sent to distributors. Distributors add carbonated water and any other ingredient necessary to create the final product. The production process of Coca-Cola is a secret; however, it mainly consists of adding the correct amount of ingredients, and mixing them. The process to create each beverage is extremely mechanized in order to achieve quick and efficient production. The outputs of The Coca-Cola Company are the syrups and concentrates of its beverages. The Coca-Cola Company faces a number of challenges, many of which stem from the fact that the organization operates on such a large level. Each market has its own trends and demands. Consumers in some markets have become more heath conscious. In order to react to this trend, many diet and low-calorie drinks have been created. The Coca-Cola Company is always trying to find ways to be innovate. Due to the anti-carbohydrate trends created by the Atkins diet, Coca-Cola C2 was introduced. It is supposed to have the same taste as Coca-Cola, but contain half the carbohydrates. Another problem The Coca-Cola Company faces is derived from the social and political differences of each market. For example, different countries have different laws. Most developing countries have more relaxed pollution requirements. In some countries, bribes of government officials are considered normal and expected. While it is company policy that The Coca-Cola Company will follow the laws of every country that it operates in, it still has strong criticism from other parts of the world for its actions. The company has recently been the subject of strong criticism the company’s bottling plants in Colombia are alleged to have killed workers who were attempting to unionize. Even though the bottling plants are independently owned and operated, and nothing has happened legally to the bottling plants in Colombia, The Coca-Cola Company has been facing strong criticism for it in the United States. The Coca-Cola Company’s structure has characteristics of both organic and mechanistic models. The organization has a more centralized structure, however in recent years there has been a movement towards decentralization. A more in-depth analysis of the organization’s structure will be discussed later. The Coca-Cola Company measures success in many ways. The Coca-Cola Company believes that if they analyze sales based on volume growth, it is an indicator of trends at the consumer level. The company obviously looks at profit as a way to measure success. Recently, The Coca-Cola Company has been focused on being a more responsible global citizen. The company has over 70 clean-water projects in countries all across the globe. - Stakeholders, Managers, and Ethics The stakeholders for The Coca-Cola Company as stated in the company’s Corporate Responsibility Review are: a. Shareowners b. Employees c. Bottling partners d. Governmental agencies e. Suppliers f. Retail customers g. Consumers h. Local Communities i. NGOs Because each group of stakeholders has a different goal, conflicts arise. The shareowners are concerned with earning a profit, while local communities care deeply about environmental issues and labour standards. Suppliers want to charge as much as possible to create more revenues, and The Coca-Cola Company wants to get the lowest prices to decrease costs. Management wants to keep labour costs down, while employees want raises and increased benefits. The organization’s divisional managers run company operations in a general region of the globe. The functions of each vice president are divided into functions such as human resources, innovation/research and development, marketing, and public affairs and communication. The two functions most critical in taking advantage of the company’s competitive advantages are marketing and innovation/research and development. As stated time and time again, the organization tries to capitalize on its brand name as much as possible, which is why the marketing function is so important to the company. The Innovation/research and development department must come up with the products that the marketing function demands. The majority of the top level managers at The Coca-Cola Company have worked in many different regions and areas of the company. Many have worked for or ran the bottling companies that partner with the organization. The fact that members of the top management team have well rounded backgrounds allow for problems to be looked at from multiple angles. - Organizational Design The Coca-Cola Company realizes that it needs to be able to meet the ever changing demands of its customers. This is why the company pushed towards decentralization in the nineties, and even more so recently. The organization has two operating groups called Bottling Investments and Corporate. There are also operating groups divided by different regions such as: Africa, Eurasia, European Union, Latin America, North America, and Pacific. Each of these divisions is again divided into geographic regions. By allowing decisions to be made on a more local level, the organization can quickly respond to changing market demands, and higher-level management can focus more on long-term planning. Certain divisions of the company, such as finance, human resources, innovation, marketing, and strategy and planning are centrally located within the corporate division of the company. Some of these functions take place at lower levels in each of the regions of the company; however, most decisions are made at the top of the hierarchy. For example, in 2002 the decision to sponsor the World Cup was done at the corporate level. Corporate headquarters, however, allowed the local divisions to make the advertising decisions. This allowed each division to specifically design commercials and ads that would appeal to the local market. When Neville Isdell took over as CEO and chairmen of The Coca-Cola Company in 2004, he began to using more complex integrating mechanisms. In order to deal with organization’s extremely low growth rate, Isdell used teams of top managers to create solutions to the organization’s most pressing problems. Face-to-face meetings were held regularly at the local levels so employees could remain informed. Besides the use of teams and meetings, the intranet was overhauled to provide a source of real-time sharing of information. The use of complex integrating mechanisms is important in such a tall and wide organization. It is important that each function of the company is able to share up-to-date information quickly with each other. The organization seems to be doing an excellent job of balancing standardization and mutual adjustment. The Code of Conduct for the organization is a guidebook for how every employee should act. Should an employee act improperly, they are subject to disciplinary actions. Due to the changes implemented by Isdell, mutual adjustment has started to play a larger role in the organization. Employees feel more engaged and turnover has been reduced. Isdell’s changes have led to increased growth rates for the organization, and return on equity for stockholders went from a negative return to a 20 percent return. This balance is essential, because it allows employees some flexibility, but also gives the organization some predictability. The Coca-Cola Company’s structure is a hybrid of both mechanistic and organic models. The focal point of The Coca-Cola Company is on responsiveness. The complex integrating mechanisms previously discussed are characteristic of an organic structure. The surveys and interviews used by the company allowed information to flow from the bottom-up, and the intranet allows for information to be exchanged laterally. The surveys have also caused The Coca-Cola Company to pursue simplification and standardization. Centralization and high standardization are associated with a mechanistic structure. The blending of both types of structures seems to be ideal for the organization. Flexibility is essential when trying to appeal to such a vast number of independent markets, however, high standardization is important to remain efficient in production. The use of complex integrating mechanisms allows for easier coordination for the global company. Centralization keeps organizational choices aligned with organizational goals. Now that information in the company is flowing in every direction, upper-management will have access to information more quickly, adding to the organization’s flexibility and responsiveness. The recent shift towards a more decentralized and organic structure corresponds with the uncertainty of the organization’s environment. - Designing Organizational Structure: Authority Control The Coca-Cola Company currently employs approximately 94,800 employees. According to a general organizational chart obtained from the company’s website, there are more than 5 hierarchical levels at the corporate level. For example: the head of the Canadian division reports to the president and COO of the North American Group. That president reports to the CFO, who reports to the Office of the General Counsel. The General Counsel then reports to the CEO. It is fair to assume that there are at least a few more steps in the hierarchy at the local level. Due to its tall structure, the organization has experienced communication problems. One of the problems discovered through a survey, was that the people and the company lacked clear goals. Tall hierarchies also cause motivation problems, which is why the organization is attempting to get employees more engaged. The increased usefulness of the company’s intranet will greatly increase the communication between every level of employees, and allow upper management to effectively communicate to the front line employees. Based on information from Report 2006 this span of control seems somewhat slim for the CEO of such a large organization. The CEO is also a member of the Senior Leadership Team. This team consists of each head of the eight operating groups aforementioned, and also has other top executives in areas like innovation and technology and marketing. Although there are only six people that answer directly to the CEO, the CEO is able to receive input from a wide variety of divisions because of this leadership team. Since the team is comprised of members from various divisions, the CEO is able to obtain a wide variety of information. The move to decentralization has caused structural changes for The Coca-Cola Company. New offices have been opened to facilitate decisions being made closer to the local markets. The organization has also undergone centralization of some of the company’s departments. In 2006, the Bottling Investments division was created to â€Å"establish internal organization for our consolidated bottling operations and our unconsolidated bottling investments. † It appears that the organization is striving for a hybrid structure, which allows them to have advantages of both mechanistic and organic structures, while trying to minimize the negative consequences of each. The strategic structural changes that the organization has gone through in recent years have created a much needed positive impact on the company. Sales growth increased and employees are much more satisfied. The organization is trying to create a more innovative culture by pushing towards decentralization. - Designing Organizational Structure: Specialization Coordination The Coca-Cola Company realizes that a divisional structure gives the organization the best opportunity to react to the changes in its uncertain environment, but also allow it to maintain a level of stability. The multidivisional structure is beneficial for the organization for a variety of reasons. The division based on geographic region allows certain aspects of the company’s operations to be tailored to the individual market. One advertising campaign or slogan may not be appropriate for another market, so decisions about specific ads are made closer to the individual markets. Multidivisional structures allow divisional managers to handle daily operations while corporate managers are free to focus on long-term planning. There are also problems associated with this type of structure. If the company creates divisional competition, coordination may decrease because each division wants to have an advantage over everyone else. Communication problems may also exist because information can become distorted when it has to travel up and down tall hierarchies. A multidivisional matrix structure may be better suited for The Coca-Cola Company. This would increase coordination between corporate and divisional levels, and managers at each level would work together to create solutions to problems. While such a structure may be too complex for a global organization, the company may want to look into it. Managing in a Changing Global Environment Due to its tremendous global presence, The Coca-Cola Company operates in an extremely uncertain environment. Increased competition from global and local companies has led to competition over the most important resource: customers. The Coca-Cola Company must not only compete for customers, but also raw materials needed for each product. In some parts of the world, clean water is becoming increasingly hard to come by. The Coca-Cola Company has only one or two suppliers for some of its raw materials. For example, they view The NutraSweet Company as one of only two viable sources for the ingredient aspartame . The Coca-Cola Company is at a strong disadvantage if they cannot decrease their reliance on a small number of suppliers. If relations with suppliers deteriorate, or if the suppliers go bankrupt, it would have dire consequences for The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company must also compete to get the best employees possible. The production of the beverages does not require skilled labor, but the organization has had problems finding the proper personnel to run the organization. In 2004, The Coca-Cola Company’s top choices for the open CEO position decided not to join the company because they did not like the actions of the Board of Directors. Due to the organization’s high credit rating, the company has the ability to raise funds at a lower cost. This allows the organization the opportunity to finance operations such as expansion through the issuance of debt. This may be necessary if The Coca-Cola Company looks to expand into new markets, or purchase new brands. The environment in which The Coca-Cola Company operates in is extremely dynamic. The environment is difficult to predict and control due to the global nature of the operations. The Coca-Cola Company faces the threat of reduced production or disruption in distribution if there is a problem in a market. The Annual Report (2006) lists risks, such as worker strikes, work stoppages, and the chance a distributor falls on harsh economic times. Another reason the company’s environment is tremendously dynamic is due to the nature of their raw materials. Some of their key raw materials are dependent on specific climates. Climate changes may impact the price of the materials they need to obtain and, in turn, affect the cost of production. The strength and interconnectedness of the general forces that The Coca-Cola Company must deal with make the environment extremely complex. Recently in the United States, two forces have started to become inter-woven: cultural/social values and political/environmental forces. Many American companies are now being lambasted if they do not try to be more environmentally friendly, and The Coca- Cola Company is no different. The company has received plenty of criticism for its operations in India, with claims that they cause a great deal of pollution and have damaged local water supplies. The Coca-Cola Company uses a wide variety of techniques to manage relationships with its stakeholders, the most useful tool being strategic alliances. A former CEO of the organization claimed that 100 percent of its revenues came from strategic alliances. The company uses exclusive contracts with its bottling partners and other customers as well. In 1999, the organization signed a ten-year deal with Burger King to be the restaurants only supplier of beverages. Even though PepsiCo was willing to give Wendy’s a much better deal, the restaurant signed a ten-year deal with The Coca-Cola Company. This example shows how powerful the Coca-Cola © brand name really is. The Coca-Cola Company has done an excellent job managing some aspects of the environment, but done a poor job at managing other parts of the environment. The negative publicity received from its operations in India and the actions of its bottling partner in Colombia has led to boycotts of Coca-Cola products on some campuses. While this is clearly bad for the company, the average consumer is completely unaware of these allegations. This means that The Coca-Cola Company is doing a decent job of damage control. While the company has not had any trouble with suppliers lately, the future is always uncertain. It does not seem like the company is not actively trying to secure supplies, which is why vertical integration was recommended. - - - - Organizational Design Strategy The core competences that give the organization its best competitive advantages are its strong brand name and its network of bottlers and distributors. Along with its marketing capabilities and broad portfolio of products, The Coca-Cola Company has core competences which are extremely difficult, if not impossible to duplicate. The strong Coca-Cola brand name gives the company a great deal of bargaining power and leverage. In 1999, PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company were fighting to become the supplier of beverages for the Wendy’s restaurant chain. Wendy’s opted to partner with The Coca-Cola Company even though PepsiCo was offering much more money. The brand name recognition that the company enjoys is a powerful bargaining tool. The Coca-Cola name even has an influence on consumer tastes. When The Coca-Cola Company was looking to launch Diet Coke, they performed some blind taste tests with consumers. The consumers preferred a glass labelled Diet Coke over a glass labelled Tab by 12 percent, even though the liquids in each glass were identical. It has taken the organization over 120 years to build such a strong brand preference, and this cannot be imitated by competitors. The relationships that the organization has with its distributors are another competitive advantage that cannot easily be imitated. The contracts and relationships between the two groups create symbiotic interdependencies, which mean that the success of both companies has a direct impact on each other. The Coca-Cola Company agrees not to sell to other parties in the local market, and the bottler agrees to only purchase the syrup and concentrate from the company’s authorized dealers. The Coca-Cola Company at times provides the retailers and distributors with promotions, and capital at times. Because the organization does not have to worry about the distribution in the local markets, it allows the company to focus on more important issues. The Coca-Cola Company’s business-level strategy is one of differentiation. This is evident in the previous example of consumers preferring identical beverages just because the Coke brand name was attached. They have been successful pursuing differentiation because the focus of the company has always been on marketing. The Coca-Cola Company is â€Å"known for innovative marketing that constantly promotes their brand names and protects their domains from competitors. The hybrid structure of The Coca-Cola Company is ideal for its differentiation strategy. The centralization of the marketing and innovation functions allows the company to retain control over development, marketing and production. By performing extensive market research and creating more local offices, the company is always looking for new ways to serve new customers. The use of complex integrating mechanisms allows coordination between all levels and divisions of the company. Creating Managing Organizational Culture The culture of The Coca-Cola organization is mission driven; focused on refreshing the mind, inspiring optimism, and making a difference (Thecocacolacompany. com). The rich history of the organization has allowed the company to compile hundreds of stories of consumers and employees. These stories share real life examples of what Coca-Cola © means to their consumers and gives employees a sense of pride to be a part of something that means so uch for so many people. They also inspire new employees to make a positive impact on the world. Stories are so important to The Coca-Cola Company that they created a museum in Las Vegas that focuses on the stories of customers. After visitors heard others’ stories, they could record their own, which the company could use in the future (McLellan, 2006). As stated previously, the company has been trying to change the culture by allowing employees to essentially shape and reform the goals of The Coca-Cola Company (Fox, 2007). The positive stories that the company chooses to focus on provide a foundation to encourage employees to be not only model workers, but model citizens. - Organizational Technology Currently, output processes are the greatest source of uncertainty for the organization. As previously stated, The Coca-Cola Company does not produce the end product. Distributors and bottlers mix other ingredients (mainly carbonated water) with syrups and concentrates and then sell the products. The Coca-Cola brand name is on the end product, regardless of who bottles it. The company must keep pressure on the bottlers to maintain high quality outputs, or it could have negative consequences for The Coca-Cola Company. There exists very little information about the production of the Coca-Cola syrup. Even at The World of Coca-Cola, a museum for the company, there is no mention of how the syrup is produced. The production of Dasani, the company’s bottled water, is extremely mechanized, and it is fair to assume that the production of every Coca-Cola product is the same. This mass production and high mechanization leads to a high level of technical complexity. Classification Level of Technical Complexity a. Small-Batch and Unit Production Low to Medium b. Large-Batch and Mass Production Medium to High Continuous Process or Flow Production High The typical structure of a manufacturing company that uses mass production is a mechanistic structure, in which efficient production is the desired end. The Coca-Cola Company’s structure is unique in that it has a lot of the characteristics of an organic structure. This is due to its focus on marketing and local appeal. The structural mismatch means that production in the organization may not be as efficient as possible; however, the benefits of the organization’s structure outweigh the consequences. - Organizational Transformations The Coca-Cola Company was founded in 1888 to take advantage of the already popular Coca-Cola name. Of the four life cycle stages (birth, growth, decline, death), after 120 years, the company remains in the growth stage because the company’s value creation skills continue to evolve. The company has faced a variety of internal problems over the years. A constant struggle in any organization is trying to meet employees’ demands while trying to keep labour costs low. In 2005, workers went on strike because management wanted to institute a policy where employees would pay a greater portion of their health benefits. If the organization experiences any work stoppage, the company may not be able to meet customer demand and lose out on revenue. Another internal problem within the company is that the board exercises a great deal of power and influence. As previously stated, the company failed to attract its top choices for CEO in 2004, and the board has even pulled ads because they thought the commercials did not fit the company’s image . Uncertainty in the environment has caused many external problems for the organization, ranging from uncertainty with its suppliers and distributors to political and societal pressures. . While there was not information regarding policy changes because of this, many believe that the power of the board will diminish because long time director Warren Buffet has stepped down. Buffet has been viewed as rather conservative and also involved himself in the decision making of the organization. As the company has continued to grow, top managers have pushed operational responsibility and decision making down to the local levels. This move allows the company to react better to each market, and it also allows corporate managers to concentrate on strategic and long-term planning. By allowing lower level managers to become intricately involved in the company’s growth efforts, Neville Isdell created an environment in which everyone felt responsible for the company’s performance. He has also promoted employees within the organization, which aligns both the goals of the managers and the organization. The fifth and final stage of Greiner’s model is focused on reducing bureaucracy to speed up decision making. In April 2007, COO Muhtar Kent stated that the company is focusing on simplifying the structure to reduce bureaucracy. Theory postulates that an organization in this stage would be wise to pursue a product team or matrix structure. Because The Coca-Cola Company only operates in one domain and has over 400 products, the product team structure would be too costly and unrealistic. A matrix structure would be an idea worth considering; however the organization uses divisions based on geography, not product. Due to lack of information about the company’s regional structure, it is hard to say whether the company should pursue a matrix structure or remain as a multidivisional structure. - Decision Making The majority of decisions made by The Coca-Cola Company are done so by using the incremental method. Each year, the company would analyze results, and then make slight changes in operations to create better results next year. The company does not just quickly decide to create a new product, or change operations. Drastic changes take time. Recently, realizing that the company was in desperate need for a drastic change, Isdell sought to figure out why the company performance was declining. By starting at the lower levels of the organization to find solutions, the company was able to make some drastic changes to the company’s culture, how employees were rewarded, and made efforts to get employees more involved. The changes brought on by using the unstructured decision making model created much better results for the company. One of the biggest flaws in the organization is that the board of directors is responsible for some of the non-programmed decisions made by the company. When The Coca-Cola Company was seeking to purchase Quaker Oats, the deal was almost finalized, but then stopped because the board felt the price was too. When decisions are made by the board, it means they lack confidence in the upper management of the company to make vital decisions. This is problematic for the company for a few reasons. Because members of the board have so much money invested in company stock, they want to minimize risk, and thus, are extremely prone to take fewer chances. The members of the board do not or have not worked for the company, so they are not close enough to know all the pertinent information required to make complex decisions. - Managing Conflicts, Power and Politics Conflicts can be a healthy way for an organization to improve decision making, and create new ways for looking at problems. Conflicts can also be a significant source of trouble for an organization when they cause production declines or important decisions cannot be made. When the organization sought a new CEO in 2004, their top choices turned them down because the prospects felt that the board had too much power . This type of conflict can drastically affect the organization’s ability to change and adapt quickly, a necessity in the company’s extremely uncertain environment. The example also shows that it can prevent the organization from acquiring important human resources. The marketing department is the most powerful subunit in the organization. According to the data, â€Å"The marketing department has considerable power because it is the department that can attract customers – the critical scarce resource. The heavy emphasis on marketing could prevent the company from finding ways to become more efficient in production or distribution. The benefits derived from the power allocated to the marketing function greatly outweigh any negative consequence. By providing the department with more resources, the company can conduct great er market research. For example, even though the organization had a diet beverage on the market, research indicated that by simply using the name Diet Coke, preferences for the same tasting beverage increased dramatically. Allocating more capital to the department also allows for each marketing campaign to be tailored to specific markets, making advertisements more effective. Market research also saves money for the company. If consumer data shows the company that one of their ideas would not do well, the company can decide not to produce that beverage. The strong emphasis on marketing has allowed Coca-Cola to become one of the most recognized brand names in the world, which gives the company an advantage over its competition and gives it more bargaining power. One negative consequence of putting such a great emphasis on marketing research is evidenced in what has become known as one of the greatest flops in history. Taste tests indicated that consumers would prefer a new, sweeter version of Coca-Cola, which lead to the creation of New Coke in 1985. The strong brand attachment that the company worked so hard to achieve with consumers caused a severe backlash towards the reformulation of Coca-Cola. This example proves that market research cannot always be an indicator of what will actually happen. | | | | | | | |

Lost Foam Casting Essay Example

Lost Foam Casting Paper LOST FOAM CASTING ABSTRACT: The Report presents some theoretical and practical aspects regarding the casting of alloys in lost foam moulds. The stages of the procedure, the economic benefits and several ecological aspects are synthetically presented. KEY WORDS: casting, alloys, lost foam process, Expanded polystyrene Introduction The lost foam casting process offers several advantages over conventional sand casting processes, such as simplified production techniques and reduced environmental waste due to binder system emissions and sand disposal. The process is well-suited for castings with complex geometries, tight tolerances, and smooth as-cast surface finish requirements. When the castings are designed to fully exploit these advantages, cleaning and machining times are dramatically reduced if not completely eliminated. Therefore, the lost foam casting process is viewed as a value-added process rather than a substitute for sand casting. Lost foam castings are produced by pouring molten metal into a foam pattern contained in a flask filled with loose sand that is compacted through vibration. Generally speaking, a foam pattern is coated with a refractory slurry and dried before being placed in the flask and surrounded by large grain fineness sand. The foam pattern degrades immediately after molten metal is introduced, leaving a casting that duplicates all features of the foam pattern. We will write a custom essay sample on Lost Foam Casting specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Lost Foam Casting specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Lost Foam Casting specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The degradation products are vented into the loose sand. In lost foam casting process, mold filling, thermal transport, and solidification are strongly influenced by the foam pattern degradation. There are three phenomena which are inherent in lost foam casting process: slow molten metal flow, reducing atmosphere, and degradation products. The first and second phenomena help reduce oxides or slag defects. The last one, however, may become casting defects if they remain in the cast parts. To improve lost foam casting design, it is ssential to understand the interactions between the foam pattern and molten metal as well as the displacement of degradation products. History The first patent for an evaporative-pattern casting process was filed in April 1956, by H. F. Shroyer. He patented the use of foam patterns embedded in traditional green sand for metal casting. In his patent, a pattern was machined from a block of expanded polystyrene (EPS), and supported by bonded sand during pouring . This process is now known as the full mold process. In 1964, M. C. Flemmings used unbonded sand for the process. The first North American foundry to use evaporative-pattern casting was the Robinson Foundry at Alexander City, Alabama. General motors first product using these processes was the 4. 3L, V-6 diesel cylinder head, which were made in 1981 at Massena, New York. A study found in 1997 that evaporative-pattern casting processes accounted for approximately 140,000 tons of aluminum casting in the United States. The same survey forecast that evaporative-pattern casting processes would account for 29% of the aluminum, and 14% of the ferrous casting markets in the near future. Definition Definition| A casting process whereby the pettern is made of polystyrene foam and is vaporized when the mold is fill with molten metal| Lost form consist of first making a foam pattern having the geometry of the desire finish metal| Expanded polystyrene casting use a mold or sand park around a polystyrene pattern that vapourizes when the molten metal is poured into the mold| Evaporating pattern casting (lost foam) : this process is also know as lost pattern casting under a trade name â€Å"full mold process†, it use a polystyrene pattern which evaporate upon contact with molten metal to form a cavity for the casting| Lost foam casting, where the mould cavity is filled with polystyrene foam (the ‘full mould’ process) , is a special case. | What is â€Å"Lost Foam†? The Lost Foam casting process originated in 1958 when H. F. Shroyer was granted a patent for a cavity-less casting method, using a polystyrene foam pattern embedded in traditional green sand. The polystyrene foam pattern left in the sand is decomposed by the poured molten metal. The metal replaces the foam pattern, exactly duplicating all of the features of the original pattern. Like other investment casting methods, this requires that a pattern be produced for every casting poured because it is evaporated (â€Å"lost†) in the process. Schematic of lost for casting Process The essential steps of the lost foam casting procedure are: 1) The execution of patterns, 2) Execution of moulds 3) casting the alloy. Execution of Patterns: A pattern is made from  polystyrene foam (Expanded Polysterene), which can be done many different. What is Expanded Polystyrene? Expanded Polystyrene in its broadest sense is a rigid cellular plastic which is found in a multitude of shapes and applications. Raw Material Manufacturing: Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is the most commonly used foam pattern, it can be produced by bead pre-expansion into polystyrene (PS) beads that are ready for moulding. PS precursors are formed from ethyl benzene through an aluminum catalyst with benzene and ethylene obtained from crude oil and natural gas [Shivkumar, 1994]. Ethyl benzene is then converted to styrene at high temperature with nitrogen gas and iron catalysts. It forms polystyrene when exposed to a peroxide catalyst and polymerized in a water solution [Goria et al. , 1986]. These unexpanded beads have a density of 600 g/l (38 pounds per cubic feet (pcf)) and they are expanded 20~50 times with heat at 100 oC until the desired density is reached [Kanicki, 1985]. Polystyrene (PS) MOLECULAR FORMULA: The C=C double bond in each monomer is transformed into a C-C single bond in the polymer. | Properties: ease of forming, clarity, low heat transfer, good thermal insulation. Density: 1. 03-1. 06 g/ccStatistic: In 1999 PS usage as a plastic bottle resin was essentially nil. | Description: Polystyrene can be made into rigid or foamed products. It has a relatively low melting point. Packaging applications: Plates, cups, cutlery, meat trays, egg cartons, carry-out containers, aspirin bottles, compact disc jackets Recycled products: Thermal insulation, light switch plates, egg cartons, vents, rulers, foam packing, carry-out containers Raw Material Manufacturing: Expanded Polystyrene (foam)  is obtained from expandable polystyrene (beads), which is a rigid cellular plastic which contains an expansion agent. Expandable polystyrene is therefore obtained from oil as can be seen from the diagram. The EPS Manufacturing Process is inextricably linked with the process described in the last section, which brought us from the oil well to expandable polystyrene, now we will see what happens in the transformation process that leads us to Expanded Polystyrene foam parts. We have seen that the raw material is obtained through a chemical process. The next process involves the use of physics and the conversion process is carried out in three stages. 1st stage   PRE-EXPANSION: The raw material (beads)  is heated in special machines called pre-expanders with steam at temperatures of approximately 215-f. The density of the material falls from 40lbs/cu ft to values of usually between 1 ~ 2lbs/cu ft. During the process of pre-expansion the raw materials hard beads turns into cellular (foam) plastic beads with small closed cells that hold air in their interior. 2nd stage   INTERMEDIATE MATURING AND STABILIZATION: On cooling, the recently expanded particles form a vacuum in their interior and this must be compensated for by air diffusion. This is how the beads achieve greater mechanical elasticity and improve expansion capacity, something very useful in the following transformation stage. This process is carried out during the materials intermediate maturing in aerated silos or mesh bags. The beads are dried at the same time. 3rd stage   EXPANSION AND FINAL MOLDING: During this stage the stabilized pre-expanded beads are transported to molds where they are again subjected to steam so that the beads bind together. In this way large blocks are obtained block molding   (that are later sectioned to the required shape like boards, panels, cylinders etc. ) or products in their final finished shape shape molding. Execution of moulds and casting alloy The basic steps to the process include: A foam pattern and gating system are made using a foam molding press * The foam pattern and the gating system are glued together to form a cluster of patterns * The cluster is coated with a permeable refractory coating and dried unde r controlled conditions * The dried, coated cluster is invested in a foundry flask with loose, unbonded sand that is vibrated to provide tight compaction * The molten metal is poured on to the top of the gating system which directs the metal throughout the cluster and replaces the foam gating and patterns * The remaining operations such as, shakeout, cut-off, grinding, heat treat, etc. are straightforward and similar to other casting processes. The series and major steps in lost foam casting (LFC) What metals can be poured in the Lost Foam process? Generally, all ferrous and non-ferrous materials can be successfully cast using the Lost Foam process. Because the foam pattern and gating system must be decomposed to produce a casting, metal pouring temperatures above 1000 °F are usually required. Lower temperature metals can be poured, but part size is limited. In addition, very low carbon ferrous castings will require special processing. What size range of parts can be produced by the Lost Foam process? Lost Foam castings can be produced in most all metals from a fraction of a pound up to thousands of pounds. Slightly more advanced techniques are used for very large castings. What type of tooling is required and at what cost? Typically, tooling is composed of a split-cavity machined aluminum die that is the negative mold from which the foam pattern is produced. The tooling is highly specialized and must be constructed by experienced tooling manufacturers familiar with the requirements of the foam molders and foundries. Most tooling for Lost Foam patterns will compare favorably with permanent and die cast tooling. Prototype and simple tools may be in the $3000-5000 range while high-end tooling for complex or very large parts can be in the several hundred thousand dollar range. As a result of the materials used and the process stresses, Lost Foam tools can be expected to have 3 to 4 times the cycle life of permanent mold or die casting tools. What lead times can be expected when ordering a Lost Foam casting? As with all processes, lead times vary greatly depending on part complexity. Generally, 8 to 16 weeks is typical for completed tooling and first castings produced. After casting approval, 6 to 12 weeks is typical for production run startup. Rapid prototyping methods can produce castings in as little as 2 to 3 weeks. What size range of parts can be produced by the Lost Foam process? Lost Foam castings can be produced in most all metals from a fraction of a pound up to thousands of pounds. Slightly more advanced echniques are used for very large castings. What is the cost of using the Lost Foam process? Lost Foam castings are generally more expensive than forged parts, or parts made by other casting processes. The value inherent in the Lost Foam process v ersus other processes is seen in tighter tolerances, weight reduction and as-cast features which all results in less machining and cleanup time. Many castings that require milling, turning, drilling and grinding can be made in the Lost Foam process with only . 020† . 030† of machine stock. It is imperative that the features to be cast are discussed by all parties to determine the net finished product cost. What quantities need to be made to make the Lost Foam process practical? The answer, simply, is not as many as you would think. Tooling amortization is a key factor in this determination. Potential overall savings for your application will aid in your decision. Generally, 500-1000 pieces per year is the minimum production run to be economical. Prototyping runs, however, may be as few as 3-5 pieces for Fabricated Foam patterns or 20-100 pieces for Quick-Cut CNC machined aluminum tooling. Application Lost foam casting  is used mostly for automotive applications. Cast iron, aluminum alloys, steels, nickel and in some cases stainless steel and copper alloys are cast in this process. The flexibility of LFC is useful in making complicated casting assemblies for automotive and other metal cast like cylinder heads, weldments, pump housing, Manifolds for automobile, machine bases, automobile-body-dies, brake component. etc. This simple and inexpensive method is used in hobby foundry work. Examples of product produce from lost foam casting http://www. glmmarine. com/ManifoldArticle. html Superior Marine Manifolds Agricultural Equipment Part / Farm Machinery Part Product Description Detail Feature: Product Name: Agricultural equipment part / Farm machinery part   Materials: Grey iron, Ductile Iron, High Chrome iron, resistent ironcarbon steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, High Manganese steel   Items: FOB NingBo or Shanghai Place of Origin: Ningbo, China Software for specification drawings: PDF, Auto CAD, Solid work, JPG, ProE   Main production equipments: Wax injection, CNC-machine, machine-center, Heat treatment Furnace lost foam casting for yacht gas piping Specifications 1). lost foam casting 2). reliable product quality 3). on time delivery 4). excellent after-sale service 5). 3D design It is designed for the yacht or the ships gas exhaust piping. Materials: pig iron 250 Surface treatment: galvanizing, and spray-paint Weight: 19. 5 KG Color: black Process: lost foam casting Dimensions:360mm*167mm*102mm Certificate: ISO9001:2000 Advantages * Foam is to carve glue and manipulate Can be used for precision castings of ferrous and non-ferrous metals of any size. * Fewer steps are involved in lost foam casting compared to sand casting. * Core making is eliminated. * Binders or other additives and related mixing processes are eliminated. * High dimensional accuracy can be achieved and thin sections can be cast (i. e. 3 mm). * There is lower capital investment. * The flasks used are less expensive and easier to use because they are in one piece. * The need for skilled labor is reduced. * Multiple castings can be combined in one mould to increase pouring efficiency. * Lower operating costs can be achieved for appropriate castings. Complex castings, particularly internal sections, which require high dimensional accuracy and have thin sections, can be produced very cost effectively in comparison with to conventional sand moulding processes. * Fettling and machining is minimized due to high dimensional accuracy and the absence of parting lines or core fins. * The shakeout process is simplified and does not require the heavy machinery required for bonded sand systems. * High levels of sand reuse are possible. As little as 1-2% of the sand is lost as a result of spills. Periodically a portion of sand may need to be removed or reclaimed to avoid the build-up of styrene. * Complex components can be formed where other casting processes would require multiple components to be assembled. Excellent dimensional tolerances for precision casting. * Lower production cost than traditional Green Sand casting. * Castings can be made from 1 pound up to thousands of pounds with no size limitations. * Lost Foam is an environmental ly friendly process. * The sand is un-bonded and can be recovered and re-used at a low cost. * There is lower capital investment. Disadvantages * pattern costs can be high for low volume application * patterns are easily damaged or distorted due to their low strength. If a die is used to create the patterns there is a large initial cost * The pattern coating process is time-consuming, and pattern handling requires great care. Good process control is required as a scrapped casting means replacement not only of the mold but the pattern as well. What type of tooling is required and at what cost? Typically, tooling is composed of a split-cavity machined aluminum die that is the negative mold from which the foam pattern is produced. The tooling is highly specialized and must be constructed by experienced tooling manufacturers familiar with the requirements of the foam molders and foundries. Most tooling for Lost Foam patterns will compare favorably with permanent and die cast tooling. Pr ototype and simple tools may be in the $3000-5000 range while high-end tooling for complex or very large parts can be in the several hundred thousand dollar range. As a result of the materials used and the process stresses, Lost Foam tools can be expected to have 3 to 4 times the cycle life of permanent mold or die casting tools. What â€Å"as-cast† tolerances can be expected? Typically, a linear tolerance of +/-. 005 inches/inch is standard for the Lost Foam process. This tolerance will vary depending on part size, complexity and geometry. Subsequent straightening or coining procedures will often enable even tighter tolerances to be held on critical dimensions. A targeted effort between the foam pattern producer, the casting producer and the casting user will often result in a Lost Foam casting that substantially reduces or completely eliminates previous machining requirements. Diameter Tolerance 0-1 in. [ or -]0. 007 in. 1-3 in. [ or -]0. 15 in. 3-6 in. [ or -]0. 025 in. In the case of diameters split by glue lines, 0. 005-0. 010 in. should be added dependent on foam size. Linear Tolerance 0-2 in. [ or -]0. 005-0. 10 in. 2-5 in. [ or - ]0. 010-0. 20 in. 0-5 in. with glue lines [ or -]0. 025-0. 035 in. Flatness Tolerance Area 3 x 3 in. [ or -]0. 007 in. Area 10 x 10 in. [ or -]0. 015-0. 020 in. More than 10 in. [ or -]0. 030-0. 050 in. Flatness can be affected by the foam, foam geometry, molding cycle control and foam removal. True Position Tolerance 0-2 in. 0. 025 in. 2-4 in. 0. 030 in. 4-10 in. 0. 030-0. 60 in. 10 in. 0. 080 in. Limitations 1. For low volume applications, the pattern costs are relatively high, therefore in order to increase the substantial economic benefits and decrease the pattern costs, only bulk quantities should be produced. 2. Due to their low strength, the patterns are very easily damaged and/or distorted. 3. There is a very high initial cost if a die is used to create the patterns. 4. The coating process is very time consuming as the pattern handling requires great care. Design considerations: Ensure that there is adequate material: Insufficient material usually leads to incomplete castings in the manufacturing of parts. It is important to calculate the volume of all areas f the casting while also accounting for shrinkage. Consider the Superheat: Superheat is the temperature difference between the metal at pouring and freezing. An increase in the superheat can increase the fluidity of the material for the casting, which can assist with its flow into the mold. Insulate Risers: The riser should be the last to solidify because it is the reservoir of molten material for the casting. Therefore insulating the top will greatly reduce cooling in the risers from the steep temperature gradient between the liquid metal of the casting, and the room temperature air. Consider V/A Ratios: V/A ratio represents the volume to surface area ratio. In casting, sections with low volume to surface area will solidify faster than sections with higher volume to surface area. It is therefore important to consider the V/A ratios in order to avoid premature solidification of the casting and the formation of vacancies. Heat Masses: Sections of the casting with low V/A ratios should be located further away from the risers as this will ensure a smooth solidification of the casting. It is important to avoid large heat masses in locations distant to risers. Sections of the Casting: A heavy section should not be fed through a lighter one. In the manufacturing process, the flow of material is very important. Prevent Planes of Weakness: After the solidifications of castings, columnar grain structures pointing toward the center develop in the material. This causes the sharp corners in the casting to develop a plane of weakness. This is prevented by rounding the edges of sharp corners. Reduce Tubulence: Turbulence is bad because it traps gases in the casting material and causes mold erosion. It can be reduced by the design of a gating system that promotes a more laminar flow of the liquid metal. FUTURE EPF can safely be incinerated and will yield only carbon dioxide and water if the procedure is handled correctly, but the trend has been to recycle it wherever possible. EPF can be recycled into  concrete,  egg cartons, office products, foam insulation, and garbage cans. Unfortunately, only one percent of the 11 billion kilograms of EPF thrown away each year is being recycled. The National Polystyrene Recycling Company, which consists of seven major corporations, including Amoco, Dow, and Mobil, plans to increase this to 25 percent by 1995 by focusing on big users of EPF—fast food outlets and college dining establishments. Since the Montreal Protocol of 1988, new research has focused on ways to reduce CFC use, and on developing alternative blowing agents that will not harm the ozone layer. Recent developments include a process that uses pressurized carbon dioxide to produce smaller, more uniform cells. These in turn provide a foam that is stronger and smoother than earlier foams. All this will bring us an un-imaginable shape that can be use for EPF pattern which will aid quality, best and control of casting. STRATEGY EMPLOYED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF LOST FOAM CASTING CAPABILITY 1. The major strategy employed is the partnership of governments, universities and industries in research and development of metal casting in general and cost of research is shared. Examples are U. S. Department of Energy and metal casting industry industries of the future (IOF), University of Alabama-Birmingham and over 30 universities and industry partners. This strategy has significantly improved the use of LFC in the past years. Emphasis is based on universities research with strong industry participation. The direct results of LFC researches are quickly applied by these positioned partner industries and results from the various applications are evaluated and analyzed. 2. Another strategy used is introducing hundreds of students to metal casting industries were they are well trained and becomes more innovative bringing latest technical knowledge and processes. this has tremendously improve state-of-the-heart technology in improving LFC in the past years. 3. Material(s) selection requires a specific type of manufacturing process(s) and different type(s) of casting techniques. The casting materials specific heat as well as that of the mold material will be influential in controlling the thermal gradients in the system. e. g. melts  fluidity and flow. A material high heat of fusion will take longer to solidify and may improve flow characteristics within the casting. 4. Gases being expelled by the material during solidification can be eliminated by a proper venting system in the mold. This can be planned out during the manufacturing design phase of the casting process. WAYS TO IMPROVE LOST FOAM CASTING 1. Development of computational fluid dynamics tool for modeling the blowing and steaming of expandable polystyrene (EPS) pattern for lost foam casting(mathematical tool). it allows analytical approach to systematically design EPS pattern molds that produces higher quality pattern with reduced lead-time and expense. http://www. arena-flow. com 2. Reduction of porosity and fold defects has improve production efficiency, mechanical properties and marketability of lost foam casting. 3. The combination of LFC with 3DP (three dimensional printing) to eliminate machining of mold contours and manual process of drilling and finishing steam holes, i. e. repeatedly printing thin layers of bonding materials on a thin layer of powder to build up a tool(mould) shape from computer-aided design(CAD) 4. Complex and detailed passages and other features are cast directly e. g. oil galleries, crank case ventilation channels, oil drain back passage, coolant passage etc are cast directly into cylinder blocks 5. The use of Flow Particle Image Analyzer to analyzed the wet slurry (prior to its application on the foam pattern) by measuring ceramic particle size and shape. 6. Single and multiple air gauge developed for rapid determination of pattern dimension 7. Compaction gauges were developed to measure sand density in cavities during pattern compaction 8. Distortion gauge to determine when and under what conditions pattern distortion occurs during compaction 9. Developed procedures to measure liquid absorption characteristics of liquid pattern pyrolisis 10. Developed instruments to measure gas permeability 11. X-ray radiography was developed to measure time of fill and also to inspect casting qualities and defects in LFC. Material selection is another way to improve the capability for example: * Certain materials react, (particularly in a molten state), a certain way with other materials they may encounter during the casting process. This should always be a consideration. For example liquid aluminum will react readily with iron. Iron ladles and surfaces contacting the molten aluminum can be covered with a spray-on ceramic coating to prevent this. * When selecting a specific type of manufacturing process, remember that certain materials are more applicable to different types of casting techniques than others. * The casting materials specific heat will as well as that of the mold material will be influential in controlling the thermal gradients in the system. Different materials will factor heavily on the melts  fluidity * A material high heat of fusion will take longer to solidify and may improve flow characteristics within the casting * When manufacturing a casting an alloy that freezes over a tempe rature range problems may occur due to the solid phase interfering with the liquid phase -both of which will be present within the temperature range. To help reduce this problem an alloy with a shorter solidification temperature range may be selected to manufacture the casting with. Or select a mold material with a high thermal conductivity, which could reduce the time spent in this range by increasing the cooling rate. Conclusion using the method of casting by lost foam patterns, we can obtain pieces for industry and ornamental elements / applied art, with complex layouts and different sizes, without the danger of offsetting * using the method of casting by lost foam patterns we can obtain pieces with weights between a few kilograms and tenths of tones, with wall’s width between 1 mm and 50 mm, made of different alloys: ferrous (cast iron and steel) and non ferrous (basic alloys of Al, Cu, Mg); * using the method of casting by lost foam patterns we can obtain pieces with a l ow consumption of materials and energy; * The method of casting by lost foam patterns can be used also for: structural changes and superficial alloying of the pieces; obtaining composite materials with powders insertion and the guidance of hardening by using some active powders, internal coolers or exterior coatings. The gases resulted from the thermal destruction of the polystyrene are toxic for the human being and can generate negative effects on the environment, aspect which imposes the obligation of maintaining under control both the evacuation in the working environment as well as the evacuation in the atmosphere. REFERENCES Design for manufacturability handbook   By James G. Bralla , McGraw-Hill Professional, 1999 Technology ; Engineering Energy research at DOE, was it worth it? : energy efficiency and fossil energy research 1978 to 2000, National Academies Press, 2001 Business ; Economics Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing: Materials, Processes, and Systems  By Mikell P. Groover, John Wiley and Sons, 2010 Technology ; Engineering A textbook of manufacturing technology: (manufacturing processes)   By R. K. Rajput, Firewall Media, 2008 Technology ; Engineering John Campbell, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2003   Technology ; Engineering   http://www. technalysis. com/lost_foam_casting. aspx http://civil-engg-world. blogspot. com/2011/02/polystyrene-ps. html http://www. achfoam. com/Lost-Foam-Casting-Process. aspx http://www. madehow. com/Volume-1/Expanded-Polystyrene-Foam-EPF. html http://www. alibaba. com/product-gs/411205184/lost_foam_casting_for_yacht_gas. html? newId=411205184;pn=1;pt=10;t=12;cids= http://nb-pft. en. made-in-china. com/product/HMZxTjlJqEDn/China-Agricultural-Equipment-Part-Farm-Machinery-Part. html http://www. nyserda. org/programs/industry/CaseStudies/lost%20foam. pdf