When we were recently going over our supply chain timeline, to our surprise, we found that there were often delays right at our receiving site. We're not big enough to need forklifts, we use carts pushed by hand. Our floors just inside of our loading dock were so worn that the wheels of the carts used for taking boxes to our shelves were greatly slowed down. In fact it was causing a struggle for our employees wielding the dollies. We called in Empire Today and got a new floor down and even put some Empire carpet in our office and employee lounge while we were at it. It's amazing how well the wheels roll now and the new floor surface has also made traction safer for our employees walking and maneuvering around on it. We wanted to take action before the floor became a tripping hazard. We surprised that the review of our supply chain timeline revealed that there was something right here on our own premises affecting the timing of our supplies getting onto our shelves. We've shaved at least a half an hour off of the time it takes from the time of unloading to our shelves being stocked . We've also pinpointed two other timing issues further back along the chain, before goods reach us, and we're working with our partners on those. So we should be a well-oiled machine soon!

There are a number of considerations that you'll need to think about before you install commercial carpet at your business premises. The main difference between commercial carpet installation and home carpet installation is the scale of the entire process. Home carpet installation may only be for a few rooms in a house, whereas commercial carpets may be for a number of floors in an office building. In addition, commercial carpets are targeted for businesses, and businesses will want an efficient process so as not to hamper their work and productivity.

Businesses will thus require a professional carpet installer, such as Empire Today, in order to get the job completed correctly and quickly. This would be the case not only for carpet installation, but for installing all kinds of flooring. From tile flooring, laminate flooring and hardwood flooring, companies such as Empire Today, for example, are experienced in these various flooring installations. You can even ask the carpet installers for their references and certifications, so that you gain greater confidence in their skills. If your commercial carpeting job will be a significant one, you can even ask the carpet installer to see examples of their previous work. It helps to visit jobs that were completed recently and a few years ago so that you can check the durability of their flooring installation.

An explosion at an Apple supplier from China killed three workers and injured 15 others last week. The cause of the explosion was initially unclear, but investigators now believe it was caused by combustible dust. The explosion occurred at a factory in the southwestern city of Chengdu, and led to a partial shutdown of the plat that is operated by Foxconn, one of the world's largest suppliers of contract electronics.

In addition to Apple, they supply major companies like HP, Dell and Sony as well. The shutdown has created some worries about supply disruptions for some Apple products including the iPad, which was being produced at the Chengdu plant. This is the latest in a string of problems for Foxconn, which last year had to deal with a lot of negative publicity for a rash of worker suicides at several of its Chinese facilities.