Life with a robot, hope everyone is doing as good as possible, I was thinking about this for years, and yes one online vendor made extremely easy with small installments that I decided to take the step, I will not share brand or vendor, but I want to share the experience and I am posting the link to the video that tipped the scale here, the guy is good.

The learning curve was not as bad as I expected, no assembly necessary, once the unit arrived was a matter to charge, and let it learn the house, two days later, couple of cleaning the bins later, YEAH it mapped the house, I even learned to use the mapping system to map NO GO zones inside you house.

The biggest warning is charging cables, and since I watched some great videos about it, I tool the extra step make sure the area does not have any cable on the floor, it will not be a good experience, keep those charging cables away.

Growing up in the 70/80s, whenever I saw a cleaning robot I always thought about the movie with the KISS Vocalist – Gene/Magnum – Tom (1984), and I normally would pass. But I had this purchase in my wish list forever. So far my robot has not tried to kill me, but I keep an eye on her, yes you have to pick a name when you install the app, so I picked something cute, Robot 1, still too scary for me, and yes you can pick a male name for yours.

You can let the robot clean your home at one pass, but depending on the size, it will take some bin cleaning and could get in a way of your schedule, so in my experience, let the full house mapping go for as long as it needs, my took around 3/4 hours, some recharging and bin cleaning happened in between. Once the house map (using a phone app) was completed, I could divide the house in sections, I tried the scheduler but the app wanted to leave 3 hour space between cleaning, so I dropped and instead a saved “Jobs” and you get a button for “Living Room” “Kitchen” etc.

Yes you can connect with Alexa, but the reviews/experiences are mixed, for now I control with the phone app. Have fun, and just in case keep that baseball bat handy:-).

I am currently looking after and caring for a 99 year-old, whilst shielding from this frightful virus. I must say the combination makes it the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

I have survived 3 marriages and their traumas. I have brought up a family single-handed without maintenance and support. Survived injury and fractures and life’s ups and downs, but this is something else.

Being shut in with no mental space, support or let up is never-ending and extremely hard. Especially as we are now told it will continue longer.

My companion is a spirited lady who believes the world revolves around her, her wishes and requirements, mostly to the exclusion of everything else. Her hair which is usually kept beautifully with the help of her hairdresser is her biggest bug-bare, and mine, for that matter! The house is constantly filled with the fumes of her hair spray, which isn’t helpful for my lung condition.

Sadly her feet are also sore as the chiropodist is unable to visit at the moment, which is hard for her together with failing eyesight, poor balance and extreme deafness. She refuses even considering a hearing aid, which leaves me hoarse by the end of the day trying to communicate, as she mostly misshears what I have said.

Whilst I want the best for her and to give her the happiest end to her life; as she was desperate not to go into a home as many elderly are. The commitment needed is huge; it is not as easy as you think. She has become much more difficult than she appeared a year ago when she was in her flat, at the same time defiant and vulnerable, probably due to feeling her lack of control within her life and situations.

I must say for her age she is extremely healthy with a good appetite, but of course she has her specific menus she likes, definitely good plain food, and as for me thinking I can shop locally, if products have the wrong manufactures label on it is a constant cause of distain!

So folks whatever your good intentions, before you think you will do the right thing for your aged relative, something you would love to do to help them and give them the love and support they need at the end of their lives, consider if you have sufficient stamina. Think carefully because it is much harder than you think. You are on call 24/7 even during the night, and if they fall you need the physical strength do pick them up, or to watch them on the floor until help or an ambulance arrives.

So well done to all those carers out there, I’m thinking of you!

Pentecostalism started in Nigeria in the early 1950’s with the coming of the Christian missionaries into Nigeria. It was a double targeted message they came to deliver to the passionate Nigerians as they came with the gospel of Christ and also ensuring that those they came to preach to were educated.

The exponential growth of the Pentecostal movement in Nigeria over the years has resulted in the emergence of mega churches scattered over the 36 states of the country. Below is a list of the top five most popular Pentecostal churches in Nigeria.

The Redeemed Christian Church of Nigeria

The Redeemed Christian Church of God was founded in 1952 with membership scattered over the 36 states of Nigeria. The Church was founded by Pa Josiah Akindayomi before handing over to Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in 1981. The Church has a mission to have a member in each family in Nigeria. The Redeemed Christian Church of Nigeria presently hosts two annual programs in August and December each year. The programs are- The Holy Ghost Congress and The Holy Ghost Convention in Lagos.

Deeper Life Bible Church

The church was founded in 1982 by Pastor William Folurunsho Kumuyi. An astute educationist with a passion for holiness, he has piloted the affairs of the church into great height. The main fulcrum of the church is holiness and righteousness. With a congregation exceeding more than 5 million, the church has branches all over the country and has her headquarter in Gbagada, Lagos.

Living Faith Church

The church is also known as the Winners Chapel, and has its founding overseer as Bishop David Oyedepo. A fast growing Pentecostal church with one of the biggest single auditorium in Nigeria located at Canaan Land. The church host one of the biggest Christian festivals in Nigeria known as Shiloh each year. The church was founded in 1983 in Kaduna northern Nigeria.

Mountain of Fire and miracle Ministry

The Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries is renowned for her deliverance and prayers. It was founded by Dr Odukoya who is an astute scholar with several publications to his credit. The church presently has her headquarter in Lagos and has branches in all states in Nigeria.

Christ Embassy

The Christ Embassy is one of the most popular and well-followed churches in Nigeria with membership exceeding more than 4 million. It was founded by charismatic preacher Pastor Chris Oyakhilome who single-handedly created a model out of the fast growing church. It organizes television program and annual programs bringing salvation, healing and succor to millions.

Round about us is an invisible box that we have created around ourselves, which defines our horizon. Things within this box are within reach, achievable, see-able, touchable, believable, feasible, possible. Outside this box is a region beyond our wildest imagination. Things in this domain are too much to handle or contemplate. They are beyond reach. Don’t even think about it, and we don’t.

Within our sub conscious, we have determined our maximum estimated potential; how far we can go, based on our current set of circumstances and outlook. This covers the whole gamut of our human experiences; spirit, soul and body. This has been programmed into our subconscious. This determines how high we aim in every facet of life.

This box defines our reality.

Imagine that your biggest dream is to marry your childhood sweetheart, hold down a job, raise a family of two, and retire with a pension. All your efforts will be geared in this direction. For you, owning a villa in the south of France is not possible. Being invited to feature in the Oprah Winfrey show is pure fairy tale. It is outside your reality. Now here comes along a childhood friend. He has this brilliant idea for a start-up. He wants you in on it before he lets in others.

He has made a revolutionary invention and has duly patented it. He plans to commercialize it, and take the company public in five years. By that time, your share of the stock will be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Your mind bounces the idea. It is not possible. It is outside your reality. You thank him for finding you worthy to be invited and graciously decline. You are saving for your mortgage down payment. Buying a house is the biggest investment within your box. You let pass an opportunity of a lifetime.

This box/limits defines the size of our dreams, the level of our expectations and the magnitude of what we dare aim for. In some professions, your educational qualifications determine how far you can go in your career, a certain grade level. When you attain it, you know you have hit the ceiling. This box is like a glass ceiling. It is invisible. You know it exists, hence you don’t bother to go beyond it.

This box exists in our mind. We determined the boundaries. Our parentage and present circumstance play a large part, but were are the ones that ultimately get to determine the limits.

For a moment, imagine your reaction if your get presented with a suitcase containing one million dollars cash. You just saved the life of the only child of a multi-millionaire. His personal aide announces gently that stacked within is one million dollars from the grateful millionaire.

Some folks will simply faint. Some will be shell-shocked. A variety of extreme emotions will be exhibited. What has just happened is that they ran into an event outside their reality. Majority of folks will not know what to do with the money. The amount is outside their capacity to handle. Sadly, most will blow it all in less that one year, and return back to their reality.

We have to recognize that the limits were self-imposed. We are the only ones that can remove it. Some authority figures in our lives can tell us what we can, or cannot do. It is what we believe that clinches it. Nobody can impose any beliefs on us. They are self-inflicted. If you believe you cannot do it, you jolly well can’t. If you believe you can do it, you stand a good chance

Most times, our dreams exist outside our reality. To us, it is impossible, a fairy tale. Since it is impossible, we cannot attain it, and since we cannot attain it, there is no point trying. So we archive our dreams and move on with our reality.

We owe ourselves a duty to dismantle our self-imposed limits and go for our dreams. As we achieve small victories on the way, that emboldens us and strengthens our belief that our aim is achievable. What people say about us does not matter. Public opinion changes with the weather. What we say or believe about ourselves does.

Dismantle the box and break free. Believe the unbelievable, see that invisible, imagine the inconceivable and reach out beyond your wildest imagination. The future belongs to dreamers, people who can see the future before it happens.

As we enter into a new chapter on a new calendar year, it’s time to start thinking about effective social media marketing strategies for your small business. In order or you to stay ahead of the competition it’s imperative for you to adjust your marketing strategy to take advantage of prevailing trends and the ever evolving market for various business industries. The small business platform has changed a lot within the last few years and staying up to date with those changes can be a challenge.

Below are a few social media marketing tips To keep you ahead of the competition in 2018.

1. Increase Your Visibility – The reason social media marketing is so huge is because so many people spend time there. You can’t increase visibility for your business and online personality with a private page. During the year 2017, I saw a lot of this and it made me scratch my head a bit. I’m not sure why but the drawbacks to this can hurt your brand. If your biggest concern is unwanted spam comments, this can be controlled and eliminated with the block button and by updating your settings. The goal is to accommodate your audience and generate leads. Make sure every piece of your social media strategy serves the goals you set and the people who will see it. Refine your social media presence. It’s vital to the survival of your brand. Increasing your visibility drives traffic and invites engagement.
2. Focus on Mobile – Most searches and website visits are done via mobile. Unfortunately, most businesses are yet to truly embrace mobile within their marketing strategies. Make it a point to optimize your website content and digital assets for mobile users this year. The efforts will improve your ROI from all digital channels and will drive prospects to your website boosting traffic from search engines in the proceeds. I’m not only talking about design and loading speed, but truly optimizing the user experience for site search, commerce, form entry, navigation and general mobile usability.
3. Make Engagement a Priority – You need to be social on social media. It’s not a soap box for you to stop by to stand on to make an announcement once in a while. It was built so that individuals around the world could connect with one another. The size of your “followers” on social media doesn’t matter if no one is paying attention. Large followings make you feel good but if there is no message for them to follow it’s unlikely your brand will make much impact. What really matters is engagement. Engagement is what earns you shares which generates leads that turns into sales and having loyal customers. You also should make it a point this year to frequently revisit your buyer personas to ensure your message stays fresh and relevant to your audience. This level of interaction is what solidifies your brand.
4. Content – Planning your calendar and content strategy for this year should be at the top of your to-do list. If you haven’t got started yet, yesterday would be a good time. Paid ads on social media are great. They generate good leads. But, it’s equally important to learn how to create a reliable, predictable and scallable flow of traffic that converts into clients and customers so that business it stays afloat with or without it. This can only be done by producing great content. All it takes is some it takes some effort, trying out a few different tactics and consistency. If you’re willing to invest the time, you can have all the perks of a well-trafficked business and website without spending an astronomical sum on paid ads. As a business owner and content creator, it’s part of your job to deliver compelling info to your customers about your products and services. Great content, compelling headlines, back-links, optimized SEO, sales campaigns and email marketing generated excellent, reliable traffic, and sales long before the social media paid ad game was invented. It still does.
5. Video Streaming – Video in real-time is becoming more and more popular with consumers. Many social media platform giants are all investing more money into improving their video streaming capabilities and with good reason. It offers new opportunities for content marketing as well as customer engagement. It is a format that has gained serious momentum in the last 12 months and is the future of branding. It’s a great idea to add it to your business marketing strategy this year.

In general, the more specific and strategic you can get with your social media marketing plan, the more effective you’ll be in its implementation. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, there’s so much you can do in the way of marketing and creating new opportunities for yourself while adding tremendous value to your clients, customers and readers. Don’t make your social media marketing strategy so lofty and broad that it’s unattainable. Balance is key. Always keep your customers and audience in mind. A good business objective will guide your actions, but it will also be a measure by which you determine whether you’re succeeding or failing.

The holy Aksharadham Temple is situated in Delhi, beside the banks of the river Yamuna; it is very famous for its amazing Architecture. It is managed and run by a huge trust as it is really tough to mange such a huge temple and manage all the resource and keeping the place tidy. It has be noted as the largest Hindu Temple in the whole world by the famous Guinness World Record.

The value of this temple is estimated to be around Rs 200 Crore (or $2 billion); this sandstone cultural complex is spread over 100 acres of land, which displays the grandeur of our history, art and culture.

You can find the world’s biggest yagna kund, called as the “Yagnapurush Kund,” which is built in the perfection of geometry, proving to us the advanced knowledge in mathematics and geometry the Indians had. When you are visiting the Aksharadham Temple make sure you visit it by evening as you would feel that the temple comes to life due to the magnificent lighting effects provided to it, and it is an ideal choice for the photographers.

During night time the center arises to life with a beautiful colorful musical fountain, exactly at the same time Vedic rhymes start echoing and filling everyone’s heart. This architecture was built with 11,000 workers, with more than 300 million hours of service.

You should not forget to view the audio animatronics show at the Hall of Values where the life portrait of the great Bhagwan Swaminarayan is shown in fiber optics, lights with amazing sound effects. These amazing effects will mesmerizing you and take you to the ancient 18th century, and at the exit you will be cheered by the colorful matrix of the fountain that brings a chill in the atmosphere.

Aksharadham Temple is the biggest and the most complicated religious place of worship which is ever constructed, this amazing monument has been built without steel, it is completely made up of sandstone and marble. This architecture has 234 beautifully carved pillars with 9 domes, 20 quadrangle shikhars and spectacular stone elephants and 20,000 idols; it has the statues of India’s greatest saints and devotees.

Oh, we remember how hectic finals week were! Whether you are in high school or even nearing the final stages of your college career, most would agree that any kind of exam will rattle the nerves of the most confident and prepared student.

Among the worst thing that some students will do is prepare themselves for a multiple choice test when they should be studying for an essay exam. By knowing and studying the format of an exam can be really key in getting yourself ready for a test.

Likewise, there are many unique ways to memorize material while you study! Following some couple of easy tips could make test going a little simpler as well as yours make your life less upsetting.

Before we start, our biggest TIP for finals week is to STUDY A WEEK EARLY!

This prevents any stress, negative mentality, exhaustion, etc. from arising knowing that you have had adequate time to study.

1. Don’t study things that you already know.

The BIGGEST mistake we’ve seen students do when they start studying for their final exam is reviewing course information they already know such as the topics covered in the previous exam 1 and 2. I hope that you can agree with me that there is a lot of information that needs to be covered in each of your courses… Don’t waste your time and effort on going over the basic understandings or concepts that you should already have learned as common sense.

Sit down in a quiet area with your notes from class out and onto the table. Next highlight all the chapters that you don’t understand. This is the initial step in studying… By this, you are able to focus and prioritize your time in the areas you need to review on.

Be sure to take a look at the textbook (the chapters test covers) or PowerPoint slides provided in your course. By doing so, you should be able to get a firm understanding of the sections you need to attack the most.

At this time evaluate the material and compare it to the study guide or exam review provided to you by your professor while trying to cross out the subjects that aren’t covered in the exam review.

The chapters that are not crossed out are what you need to center your time on. Reducing the quantity of information that should be studied within the week leading in the exam enables for additional time for you to be allocated to harder topics.

2. Stay Active and Eat.

Lying on the couch with your favorite sweats might appear like the best way to study… But it’s not! Being too comfort can easily result in fatigue, napping, and daydreaming. It’s best to try studying while you are on your feet, notes in hands, and review when you walk.

Search for a clear classroom and utilize the white board to your benefit. Visuals (concept maps, diagrams, and graphs) can revitalize research session, and give a little humor towards the learning process.

Make sure to eat! Eating carbohydrates enables the brain to think clearer, more focused, and non-fatigued. However, junk food may be inexpensive and may appear to save your time and money, they are doing nothing to help your brain retain information. Avoid processed and junk food such as fast food restaurants, salted snack foods, or even soda.

Pasta, sandwiches, milk, vegetables and fruit are wonderful sources of carbs and really should be incorporated within the diet while studying for an exam. Particularly the previous night and also in the morning. Never study hungry, it’s impossible to focus when your stomach keeps growling at you! Then the mind focuses on wanting food and not on learning.

It’s also vital that you get regular sleep. Being brain fatigued during an exam will exponentially reduce your exam performance, although it is okay and very common to pull an all-nighter, make sure you put boundaries or take 30 minute naps. Do not drink too much energizing drinks, the sugar can make your body crash the next day, limit yourself to two maximum drinks, if not any less.

It is also smart to get the body pumped and moving before your test. Take a brisk walk. Studies show that exercising allows the bloodstream to flow, allowing your body to build an adrenaline rush while also raising endorphin levels (in your body). It’s also a common way to cope with anxiety and stress!

3. Know the Purpose:

Why am even studying this? Frequently we get a common symptom called “information overload” while studying… For that, is the reason why it usually gets hard to recall material afterwards. Be certain that you know the purpose on why you are studying, what’s motivating you to keep going?

– To know a particular concept or idea

– To better yourself in a particular area

– To know why someone did a particular thing

– To reply to questions of the assigned academic studying

Keeping a purpose in your mind while you study can drastically help you concentrate on just the relevant information and remembering them better.

There’s a virtually infinite quantity of reasons you may be studying something, make certain you understand what’s yours.

4. Study Before Going to Sleep and Immediately After Getting Out Of Bed

The most ideal time to review or learn something is simply before going to sleep and immediately when you wake up. Throughout the day the mind is becomes overloaded with a lot of useless information and it continues to try and filter out information that’s useful and worth remembering and what’s not.

Be sure not to brush your teeth in the morning. Weird, but true studies show that when you brush your teeth, you’re telling your brain that you’re ready to go. By this, your brain starts to feel rushed when you try to study, but in the end, you’re just skimming and trying to cram all the information all at once.

This makes it simpler that you forget things. Just imagine if you are asked about what did you do yesterday after a struggled and long day will you be able to reply? Yes, it’s a lot like that. Before sleep and after getting out of bed your mind is refreshed also it secretes some chemicals that can help make your memory more concrete.

5. Recall What You’ve Learned:

Try to spend 15-minute revising on what you have learned. If you adopted some of these methods, you will be amazed at just how much you remember and will also improve your confidence in your capability to recall. This improves the whole process and you will put more effort into getting out of bed the next day and doing the work again.

Are you fed up with procrastinating and then panicking to get things done in the last minute? If so then you need to perform proper planning.

Proper planning and using correct methods will help you in planning your day effectively. We completely understand how stressing it is to be a college student and submit the assignments as well as prepare for exams but if you start studying from the beginning of the year you should face less problems.

Conclusion:

The most prepared student can seem to be stressed and overwhelmed with the potential outcomes of a test and there’s always time to get a reality check. Getting a bad grade, blowing an exam, or failing in class is not good for the ego however it does happen. Do not think that this is the end of the world. Create a list from the possible outcomes and arrange for all of them.

Talk to your friends and family and explain the problem. They are great source of comfort and support. Getting a plan even when everything does not go exactly as you wish them is a great way to remove anxiety from the test taking situation.

Two tremendously successful media events that have changed the world’s outlook on fitness and weight loss have happened in this past decade. First, Bill Phillips popularized the Body-for-LIFE 12-week transformation with his training method, meal replacement shakes, real-life before and after photos, and big prize money.

So…a lot of people have bought the best-selling book, Body-for-LIFE and tried to follow the self-training guidelines for muscle and metabolism. Many have succeeded; many more have not. Ideally, you need a coach or trainer for the first month. Many personal training clients go solo after the first month and then book a refresher every month thereafter to revise the exercise regimen. This is important to avoid the proverbial “plateau” effect of physical adaptation. Nonetheless, the Body-for-LIFE method DOES WORK…for those who can stick to it.

If you aren’t conditioning your body with a focus on muscle and metabolism, then you simply will not be able to keep the weight off to maintain ideal body weight. That’s because your metabolism decreases with calorie deprivation and it increases with exercise and muscle gain. You need to maintain muscle to lose weight correctly. Therefore, even women must focus on muscle-sparing and fat burning when it comes to weight loss programs.

For those who don’t read magazines, go to gyms, or get out much, the television has brought you up to date on the latest fitness and body makeover revolution. This reality show has become a household name.

Since the airing of The Biggest Loser TV show, most people recognize that fast weight loss results can be achieved from serious coaching. Being held highly accountable and motivated with a high degree of positive pressure can bring about amazing results for people who once considered themselves not very disciplined.

However, only a few of the most obese weight loss clients are accepted to be on the TV show. For the rest who need serious in-house coaching, there are more and more options coming available. A new trend in the fitness industry is coming of age. Residential weight loss programs and live-in fitness boot camps!

It is not rocket science either. By learning some simple rules to abide by, you can make a lifestyle behavioral change. However, before you decide on an exercise retreat to take your fitness vacation, make sure you compare the top Biggest loser retreats straight across the board. Bottom line, it needs to work for you. Once you have done your homework by reviewing fitness and weight loss sites, just know that fit people do actually Live In Fitness… and so can YOU!

As in previous articles on this topic of researching weight loss and fitness retreats, I make this editorial suggestion: Seek out a highly experienced professional trainer who is a wellness lifestyle coach and negotiate an in-house guest arrangement of a minimum 3-week residential stay. It takes 3 weeks to change a habit and replace a behavior with a new pattern. There you have it. Your own personal Biggest Loser Retreat!

Igniting the moments of romance becomes easier in love marriages but when it’s about arranged marriages, romance could be quite difficult. Not because those two people don’t want to but because they are strangers and have that barrier of hesitation.

What if I tell you, I have a solution to it? What if I tell you just a pair of lingerie can ignite the romance between you and your partner? What if just by picking any pair of male lingerie from the men’s sexy underwear range can overcome your problem? Yes, you heard it right.

Are you aware with men’s sexy underwear?

Ummm, mens sexy underwear is… ummmmmm, well its difficult to define men’s sexy underwear as there are no rules to characterize the sexiness of men’s underwear on a scale. There are specific styles of male lingerie which are designed in a manner that when a person wears it look attractive and feels attractive.

One of the best feature of this style which I love the most is, even though these styles of male lingerie are designed from sexy fabrics yet the wearer feels comfortable ad supportive. The biggest example is men’s jockstrap underwear. It’s cozy, supportive, and sexy as hell.

Now, the biggest question is how to ignite the romance with the mens sexy underwear range?

1. Confidence speaks a lot

Women love men who can take a stand for themselves and for their partner when required and are filled with confidence. Whether you wear lace underwear or sheer underwear, you need to carry it as if you own it.

Slide into a pair of Mens G String Underwear if you want to look bold and belives in “embrace it if you have it”. The silhouette of g-string underwear covers only those areas of your physique which need to be covered.

Surprise your partner, by wearing your low-waist denim until your partner arrives. Once he/she is in the room, go with the flow and show what’s hidden instead. You can thank me later. For better fit and comfort, make sure you invest in branded mens underwear.

2. Roleplay is important

Romance is incomplete without roleplay and the pair of lingerie that can fire up the moment is none other than your Men’s Jocks.

Jockstraps can be worn by anyone, someone who is bold and someone who is shy. Even though it’s a style with a pouch and waistbelts, still you won’t feel uncomfortable. With this sexy male underwear, you can be as creative as you want in your roleplay. Just ensure, you are wearing the right size underwear.

3. Coffee date in undergarments

If your marriage was arranged marriage, you can understand the entire procedure. After the family get-together, you might have gone for coffee dates, right? This time, I want you guys to prep a coffee date and that too in your undergarments. Oh! don’t be silly, I am not telling you to go on a coffee date wearing undergarments in public. This procedure has to be done in private.

You can pair the T-shirt with styles like mens lace underwear, sheer underwear, or even Men’s Bikini Briefs. And your partner can wear his/her favorite pair of underwear. These styles of mens sexy underwear range will not only make you feel “NAKED” due to the lightweight feature of fabrics but will even boost your confidence to start up the conversation. Just go with the flow and know each other.

Well, these are my tips for igniting romance. What about you? Do let us know what’s your take on these tips and feel free to share your experiences with me by commenting in the comment section below. Hurry up! I am waiting. Also, before wrapping up, just wanted to tell you the best place for shopping.

There are two reasons why many companies are still hesitant to do business in China. The first is the fear that there are too many regulations and too much government intervention in their industry. Companies worry that their control over the China venture will be too limited and that they will only be used for capital and technology transfer. The second is the belief that it is too late to really benefit from China’s developing status in 2009. A lot of the multinationals got established here in the mid-nineties, and there is some worry that the biggest part of the spoils has already been divided. Both of these ideas do and should cause some concern but they should absolutely not become a reason to stop doing business in China. The following is an example of why there is nothing wrong with moving to China late, in an industry that is under heavy government control.

Vossloh AG is a publicly listed German company in rail infrastructure and technology. One of their main products are the steel rail fastening systems that attach the track to the sleepers below. In 2006, Vossloh opened a representative office in China to commence their activities here and scout the market. Soon thereafter, in March 2007, Vossloh started construction of a manufacturing facility in Kunshan, a high-tech industrial development zone just outside of Shanghai. Due to industry regulations, they established their presence through a Joint Venture with NISCO, an industrial giant in iron and steel from nearby Nanjing. Vossloh managed to hold a share of around 80%.

Helped by the advantages of setting up in a government-encouraged location outside of the tier 1 cities in China, Vossloh was able to finish construction of their plant in Kunshan in only three months – just in time to start work on some of China’s most advanced railway infrastructure projects. Current and past work for Vossloh in China includes the new high-speed track connecting Shanghai to Beijing, the Olympic line between Beijing and Tianjin, and the prestigious Golmud – Lhasa railway through Tibet. Before production even started in 2007, Vossloh had already secured megacontracts worth EUR185 million. The demand for fastening systems on the Shanghai – Beijing traject alone will have the factory working on full capacity for the biggest part of 2010. Success on this project means that Vossloh will be able to bid successfully on the many other infrastructure projects that the Chinese government has planned for the future.

Vossloh’s venture into China proves that neither late entry to the Chinese market, nor industry regulations for establishment have to pose problems for your company’s success. The Joint Venture with NISCO is working out rather well for Vossloh, since they have found a solid supplier of steel in them, one that is as concerned for the welfare of their business in China as they are. It has also given them the required government connections (not to be confused with corruption) to be allowed to bid on the largest of projects – and Vossloh’s share of 80% is very beneficial. Their entry in 2007 was based simply on opportunity. Through their representative office in 2006, Vossloh had observed the Chinese market and noticed the large number of rail infrastructure projects being started. That alone was reason for them to establish operations here. The fact that they were not alone in this market didn’t stop them for a minute: and neither should it stop you.