Brief description of Elio Engineering Essay Example for Free

Brief description of Elio Engineering Essay Elio Engineering is a company founded by Paul Elio and Hari Sankara for development and creation of late 1990s-era car seats. Paul? s seat was part of a special class of automotive seats in the industry called all-belts-to-seat (ABTS), and it was named NC seat (NC for No Compromise). Paul design seat called NC No Compromise since this seat would revolutionize the automotive industry making performance, weight and costs better than the competition. Presently due to its high cost, ABTS was used mostly in luxury and high end vehicles but with the design and idea of Paul, this technology becomes cheaper and can be implemented across all vehicle types for increased safety and comfort. A typical conventional front seat is priced around $500, lower cost compared with the ABTS seat that is like $750. One complete system costs an average of $2500. The seat mechanism, consisting of recliner and tracks, constitutes the technological core of the seat system. †¢ An ABTS integrates the seat belt directly into the seat that is potentially safer because it â€Å"hugs† the occupant in the event of rear collision. †¢ Ease of use, higher comfort level, more attractive appearance and maneuverability of removable seats. In order to launch their product, and knowing that Bostrom was looking for and ABTS, Elio achieved an agreement with the firm, so they could use their site and their facilities (the computers and electronic equipment to warrant the quality of the seat, meet FMVSS and NHTSA standards) to develop the product, otherwise Elio wouldn? t have enough resources to produce and set up the seat. Bostrom planned to unveil the NC Seat at an annual trade show in March of 1999 in Louisville, Kentucky. The size of the US truck Market in that year was expected to be around the 500. 000 units, with the company commanding a market share of 50%, the European Market was about the same size, but Bostrom had no presence there. Elio expected to be able to get 2 to 5 % royalties on sales in the truck industry. However, Paul had concerns if Bostrom is the right partner in this venture where the ABTS seat has the potential to save millions of lives. Potential Market Size for Elio ABTS Seat Technology Elio’s ABTS seat system with its new technology, lighter weight, lesser components, higher safety and reduced costs has the potential to revolutionize the automotive industry and become the technology of choice for OEMs. The market potential in Northern America is 17 million units and up to 53 million units worldwide. As mentioned in the blue ocean strategy of six paths analysis, Elio can also look at alternate industries like heavy trucks, aircraft and passenger trains for its ABTS seat systems (Kim Mauborgne, 2006). Partnership with OEMs While the ultimate users of automotive technology are the customers who buy the cars, it is the OEM’s who make the decision on the seat system that needs to be selected for their vehicles. The OEM’s expect the seat system not only to fit the body of a particular car model but for it to become a part of the total interior design. The three biggest OEM players in the US market are GM, Ford and Diamler Chrysler with 29%, 25% and 16% of the market share. These OEMs use complex and sophisticated market segmentation technics based on demographics and lifestyles to design car interiors and seat systems. These OEMs wield enough power to dictate to the suppliers their requirements at very small operating margins of 2 to 5% (Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, 2008). Also, it is particularly pertinent in engineering driven companies that assume developing new innovative products would generate fabulous success, which is not the case. The product might be successful, however the innovator might not. Considering the aforementioned points, it is important for Elio not to disclose their exact costs to OEMs and also do not rely totally on the innovation of their new ABTS seat system for continued success without a complimentary car interiors option (Kim Mauborgne, 2006). As a result, it is not recommended for Elio to directly approach the OEMs with their ABTS business proposition. Partnership with Competitors Elio Engineering began their initial collaboration with Bostrom Seating, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnstown America Industries, Inc. (JAII) for prototyping and testing their design of ABTS for FMVSS and NHTSA standards adherence. While their results were successful and the partnership appeared lucrative, JAII’s capabilities in terms of OEM relationships, global presence, acquisition capability, existing alliances, JIT inventory, comfort engineering, CAD/CAM/CAE, benchmarking, research development, product development process, interior systems capabilities, total program management, vertical integration, purchasing, in-house design, system level testing and financial growth were either weak or non-existent (Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, 2008). In this regards, for Elio Engineering, JAII can be seen as early adopters (Moore, 2002), but for Elio to move towards dramatic growth, they will need an early majority (Moore, 2002). In Northern America, Johnson Controls (JCI), Lear Corp. And Magna are the big tier-one players. They have about 60% of the market share. JCI is a global diversified technology and industrial leader in automotive seating, overhead systems and interior electronics (JohnsonControls, 2010). JCI has a strong to adequate positions in OEM relationships, global presence, acquisition capability, existing alliances, JIT inventory, comfort engineering, CAD/CAM/CAE, benchmarking, research development, product development process, interior systems capabilities, total program management, vertical integration, purchasing, in-house design, system level testing and financial growth. Lear Corp. is weaker than JCI in engineering and manufacturing abilities but compensated on systems integration and tier-two relationships. Magna did not excel in any particular area but it had adequate capabilities in most areas. Additionally, JCI and Lear Corp. have a strong global presence too with 27% and 25% respectively in Europe. All the three tier-one companies have the research development and manufacturing capabilities to transfer know-how to develop commercially viable products (Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, 2008; White Bruton, 2007). For Elio Engineering, partnering with a tier-one operator is the practical option due to the following reasons : †¢ Easy access to extensive manufacturing capabilities. †¢ Access to global markets. †¢ Access to sophisticated research and development facilities. †¢ Strong relationships with OEMs. †¢ JIT Inventory and efficient supply chain management. †¢ Good tier-two relationships. For Elio Engineering, partnering with Lear Corp. would be the better than JCI for the following reasons : †¢ JCI has strong RD set-up and they would have their in-house development for ABTS technology. Hence, Elio will have less bargaining power with JCI and possible conflict from JCI’s in-house team. However, Lear Corp’s R D is weak and they would opt for the ABTS technology from Elio to be able to better compete with JCI. This will enable Elio to have the better hand in negotiations. †¢ Lear Corp has the second largest market share in both Northern America and Europe after JCI. Lear Corp will be able to take advantage of Elio’s ABTS solution to increase their market share. †¢ Earlier attempts to associate with JCI were not successful for Paul. The above points indicate that with Lear Corp, Elio will be able to engage in equal terms and be in a â€Å"win-win† situation more than with JCI. References Burgelman, R. , Christensen, C. Wheelwright, S. (2008).Strategic management of technology and innovation (5th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Johnstown Controls. (2010). Company and Businesses. Retrieved from http://www. johnsoncontrols. com/ Kim, W. C. Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Moore, G. (2002). Crossing the chasm (Rev. ed. ). New York: HarperCollins Publishers. White, M. , Bruton, G. (2007). The management of technology and innovation: A strategic approach. Mason, OH: Thompson South-Western.

Personal Narrative Essay -- Essays Papers

Personal Narrative I was bruised, bitten, and banged up, and I loved it. The weekend had completely made my summer and filled in a part of my personality that I never knew existed. My king salmon fishing trip taught me perseverance, trust, tolerance, and that it is not always the trophy, but instead the journey you take along the way. Every summer that I go back to Michigan, my cousin Lance and I take a fishing trip. This year we were after the big ones, king salmon, running up the Manistee River. I was excited yet a little anxious about the expedition that lay ahead of us. For weeks before we left, Lance and all of his friends riddled my mind with horror stories from their past attempts at these mighty fish. Chris, a big burly man with tattoo sleeves, filled me with the most apprehension. The year before, he had hooked into a king that had actually pulled him under a log jam and then snapped the line. Being half of his size, I figured I would be water skiing down the river, being towed by these scaled monsters. How was I ever going to survive this trip? When the day arrived to leave, I was mostly just excited and ready to go, at least until I found out that Lance’s girlfriend, Amber, was going to tag along. I have never met a woman as ice cold as she is. I have known her for nearly seven years, and she ha s been going out with Lance for almost a year, but she still has no problem going through an entire night without saying a word to me or any one else, including Lance. It’s not that she is shy, she is just completely stuck up. She doesn’t even like fishing. What was she doing going on this trip? But I decided to suck it up and enjoy my time out on the river. We packed up all of our supplies and headed out on Friday eveni... ...o I had to rely on Lance to get me home safe. The hardest part of the trip was dealing with Amber. I had to learn to work with someone that I didn’t get along with in the least bit. To get through the weekend however, I had to count on her for certain things. One of the most important traits that I picked up was the ability to laugh at myself. When I fell down I had two options, I could get angry and cry, or I could get up and laugh it off. I chose the second option and have carried it through into my every day life. This is a skill that I will use for the rest of my life. Lastly, by not landing a fish I was able to appreciate the trip for the experience instead of the trophy at the end. This is something that everyone could use to help them enjoy life for the little things. I know that my king salmon fishing trip helped to change me for the better.

Aviation Technology

Although the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) runs one of the safest air transportation systems in the whole world, it is foreseeing an aviation problem caused by increasing passenger numbers and consequently, more crowded skies (U.S. Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2007).   The number of passengers is expected to reach 1 billion per year 8 years from now.FAA (2007) shows concern that if it does not take action, there will be far greater delays than what is being experienced right now, leading to economic losses which could amount to $22 billion.   That is why the agency is starting to institute transformations in its system to address this key issue.One of these is the transition from the currently-used system to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) – a step that promises to prevent gridlock in the skies.One of the critical components of NextGen is ADS-B, short for Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast, which is considere d to be the â€Å"backbone of the NextGen system† and utilizes GPS satellite signals to provide both pilots and air traffic control stations with more precise information to enable a more efficient and safer use of the skies (FAA, 2007).How Does ADS-B Work?Unlike radar which involves transmitting electromagnetic pulses and bouncing them off airborne targets and then interpreting reflected signals, ADS-B works by relying on satellite-based GPS system in order to determine the aircraft’s exact position as well as a host of other parameters such as the aircraft’s speed, route, heading, altitude and flight number (â€Å"ADS-B†, 2007; â€Å"ADS-B Creates a New Standard for Aviation Safety†, 2007).These information are broadcasted via a radio transmitter and can be received by other aircrafts, ground stations and ground vehicles that are also equipped with ADS-B (Caisso, 2001).   Aircrafts and ground control stations within 150-200 miles of the broadca sting aircraft (orADS-B   ground station) receive the information and display it in an easily understandable format in a computer screen.   Pilots can view this information on a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) while air traffic controllers on the ground can see the ADS-B aircrafts on their regular traffic display screen (â€Å"ADS-B Creates a New Standard for Aviation Safety†, 2007).Users of ADS-B are assured of receiving air traffic information in real-time which means that both the pilot and the controller on the ground can both view the same information at the same time.Benefits of ADS-BOne of the major benefits of ADS-B, as stated earlier, is the ability of both the pilot and the ground station, when both equipped with ADS-B, to view reliable and accurate air traffic information in real time.   There will also be less need for aircrafts to continually send and receive signals from ground-based controllers (FAA, 2007).   This will lighten the load of air traffic controllers, enabling them to accommodate and serve more aircrafts at a more efficient rate.The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) also supports the government’s move to pursue ADS-B in lieu of radar and other surveillance technologies, stating that their members can benefit from ADS-B as it is able to provide graphic weather updates and textual flight advisories (AOPA, 2006).These information were considered to be an expensive add-on to existing aviation technology resulting to its unpopular use in aircrafts (â€Å"ADS-B Creates a New Standard for Aviation Safety†, 2007).   Furthermore, AOPA believes that FAA can have enormous savings because ground-based transmitters cost at most $200,000 as opposed to radar systems that cost the government millions of dollars.ADS-BAnother reason why ADS-B is preferable to radar systems is that aside from it being less expensive than radars, ADS-B updates at least once a second compared to radars which can so metimes take as long as 12 seconds (AOPA, 2006; FAA, 2007). ADS-B also has wider coverage and ADS-B ground station can be put in place more easily than radars.   In fact, FAA’s Capstone Program involved equipping airlines and air taxis in Southwest Alaska with the new technology.The region was particularly chosen because most of the ground is frozen for the whole year making a lot of places inaccessible by land (FAA, 2001).   Furthermore, remote areas cannot be reached by radars making the place a perfect testing ground for ADS-B technology.   Starting in 1999, the program has continued until at present and has even expanded to include two more phases.The use of ADS-B has reduced accidents in the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta –a place not reached by conventional radar – by 43 percent in 2003-2006 (Stapleton, 2006).   The results of the Capstone program proves that ADS-B technology can be used to increase efficiency and safety in aircrafts.The drop in the n umber of accidents in Southwest Alaska can probably be attributed to ADS-B’s ability to enhance aviation safety by providing pilots with features such as automatic traffic call-outs and warnings of impending arrivals or take-offs in the runway (â€Å"ADS-B Creates a New Standard for Aviation Safety†, 2007).ADS-B, having a range of more than 100 miles, provides the aircraft with a wider margin in which to detect conflict (e.g. an imminent collision).   Compared to existing systems, resolution of conflicts can be enacted within a shorter span of time.Disadvantages of ADS-BBenenson (2005) noted a certain disadvantage of ADS-B while flying his Cessna Cardinal, which he equipped with ADS-B UAT (Universal Access Transceiver).   It was notADS-B  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   5really a disadvantage of the technology itself but rather to the lack of ground-based transceivers (GBTs) at present.   In order for non-ADS-B aircrafts to be displayed in a CDTI, the ADS-B equipped plane must be within the line of sight of a GBT.   The GBT sends traffic information coming from air traffic surveillance sensors, most probably radar.The radar   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  information however is not as accurate as the one received through ADS-B, so the non-ADS-B plane appears in the CDTI distorted.   Related to this, pilots who are equipped with the new technology may be over-confident, thinking that he perfectly understands the surrounding traffic, forgetting that only equipped aircraft are able to transmit their position quite clearly (Caisso, 2001).Evans (2006) tackles more serious issues such as the risk of â€Å"spoofing† by individuals whose sole intent is to produce as many false ASD-B targets on an air traffic controller’s screen.   Dick Smith, the former head of Australia’s Civil Aviation Authority, was the first to make public the reality of such a risk.   He claimed that spoofing can be done using a laptop, an ADS-B transceiver and a $5 antenna.ADS-B experts in the United States, after performing their own tests, agreed with Smith that spoofing is indeed possible with the new technology.   FAA, being aware of such a possibility, are putting the pressure on the bidders for ground stations, which should be able to show their system’s anti-spoofing ability.Although ADS-B is seen to be less expensive than radar, airline and aviation companies still think that the new technology is not worth the amount they’re going to spend to replace existing systems and are holding off buying until the prices drop (Evans, 2006).However, the prices are not likely to go down until there is a greater demand for the technology.   ADS-B Program Manager Vincent Capezzuto said that if consumers are not willing to make any investment risks, it will be difficult to follow airspace mandates and delays in the benefits offered by the program could be delayed.ADS-B  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6Evans (2006) also tackled the danger of completely relyin g on GPS for aircraft navigation and surveillance.   FAA acknowledges that GPS may be prone to interference and of course, failure.   When such a situation arises, an ADS-B – equipped aircraft will have no means by which to obtain air traffic information.   It is therefore critical to come up with a backup system.The Implication of ADS-B in the Aviation IndustryADS-B can be considered a milestone in the aviation industry.   Never before has there been a technology that can provide so much air traffic information and a lot of other features with just a single equipment.   With the large volume of passengers and greater air traffic expected by FAA in the coming years, ADS-B seems to be a viable (if not the most) answer to this issue.

Barbara Kingsolvers Animal Dreams Alice Essay - 613 Words

Barbara Kingsolvers Animal Dreams: Alice She is dead. She does not appear physically but haunts mentally. She is Codi and Hallies mother Alice, the late wife of Homero Noline. Throughout the novel Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver, Alice impacted the characters, action, and theme(s). When Alice passed away she took part of Homer with her. What she left was a misfit of time and circumstance; an emotionally distraught and distant man who attempted to resemble a father but veered more towards the tin man. Homero existed beyond his wife as only a page out of an instruction manual, the one with the caution statement. Homeros delicate heart decided that the only way to endure Alices death was to flush any remembrance or†¦show more content†¦One aspect of life and time in which Codi was bred to be distanced from is the past. As Codi grew older she began wondering about her familys past. Homer basically told her they had no past. So with no past and no identity, Codi lived, searching for security and stability through a mother figure. Everywhere Codi went she managed to find a mother f igure. Whether it be a man or a woman friend or even Hallie, Codi hid herself in others security. This search for stability is catalyzed by the lack of a mother in Codis childhood. The lack of maternal instinct in Codi left her with no sense of direction, therefore; she searched aimlessly for years, for herself. When Codi returns to her childhood home in Grace, Arizona she discovers she does have a past, both in her lifetime and prior to it. Contrary to what Homero told her, her original family was from Grace, her roots were there. The absence of Alice lays down a theme for the novel: you must return to your roots to find your identity. This is feasible because Codi had to come back to her familys origin and her mothers resting place to finally find her self. Throughout the novel Animal Dreams there is an invisible presence which effects the characters, action, and theme. The reason why this presence is so dramatic and forceful is the fact that it is a spiritual presence, one which we will never