Acknowledging Shipping Terms!

Label #1: Incoterms:

This term is hardly used in our daily life. But it’s used quite extensively in the shipping environment. Incoterms are the International Standard Codes that indicate where cargo shall be shipped from the supplier to the importer.

There are few terms which are used very often.

a) DAP (Delivered At Pace): Which means that the cargo will be shipped from the supplier in China to a specified overseas location. For example: DAP can be used when you’re in Mumbai and are having furniture shipped from a supplier to your doorstep!

b) FOB (Free On Board): Which means transportation from the supplier to the port of export.

Note: Whenever you are getting a shipping quote, always make sure to tell your supplier what incoterm you are using. Else, you might end up paying more than you would pay.

For more clarity on Incoterms:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEY60B8Ocg4

Label #2: FCL and LCL Shipping:

Both these terms have to do with the costs of shipping and the size of the container used.

• FCL = Full Container Load
• LCL = Less (than) Container Load

Typically, if you by volumetric unit and weight unit, shipping FCL is cheaper!

But, the disadvantage is many importers aren’t purchasing enough goods to ship FCL. Air Freight is time saving, but the cost is often too high! In that case, LCL (less than container load) is the ideal solution.

Label #3: Shipping Container Volumes:
When it comes to shipping containers, there are mainly 4 options. They are:

• FCL 20 feet
• FCL 40 feet
• FCL 40 feet HQ
• FCL 45 feet HQ

Label #4: Freight Insurance:

Insuring what is being shipped is Freight Insurance. If there is any mishap, something goes wrong, freight insurance will cover your losses!

You will find incoterms which specifically indicate who is responsible for insuring the shipment!. For example: CIF (Cost Freight and Insurance) automatically includes the Insurance with the incoterm .

Label #5: Shipping/Lead Time:

Time taken to get from the shipping port to the destination port is Shipping/Lead Time!

The point is, longer the lead time, the earlier you need to place your order. If you need to receive your shipment by June, you will need to place it several months earlier.

Also, very important to know that, lead time doesn’t just include when the cargo is being shipped. It also includes:

• The time your cargo sits in the port before being loaded.
• Administrative delays at both ports
• Weather related delays.

Shipping by sea is unpredictable in many ways. To be on the safer side, you should give yourself  a large margin of error when placing the orders.

Label #6: Export Packaging:

What are you supposed to do if your cargo is damaged during the transport? That will lead to lost sales and crash in revenue.

Also, one needs to be extremely careful and crystal clear with the supplier, as there are times when may not adhere to the standards you have been expecting. Suppliers have the habit of using cheap packaging materials, which can lead to breakage.

Label #7: Bill of Lading:
The Bill of Lading functions as a checklist of sorts. It shows:

• The shipping company
• The exporting company (seller)
• The buyer
• The products being shipped
• The volume of the products
• The incoterm used on the products

When shipping from China, a Bill of Lading is mandatory and always must accompany the shipped goods.

Label #8: Container Tracking:

The worst part is when your shipment gets delayed. So, tracking your containers is the best way to check when your shipments are going to arrive.

In order to track your containers you need:

• The shipping line transporting your cargo
• The container number, booking number, or document number

So, that fits well. Isn’t it?

It is not completed. You just need to get used to these words on regular basis and becoming a shipping expert will be a cakewalk for you.

The joy of meating

Meat has always been a reason to smile for many of us. Often in our childhood days Sundays were referred to as meat day. It was that day when you don’t have to wake up to an early morning alarm, instead the sweet aroma of mouthwatering chicken curry. And you obviously know why it was better to eat on meat-day than a regular school day. It’s the sharing. You wouldn’t have a pool of friends jumping over your lunch box when they smell that special meat lunchbox.

Often when the meat cravings hit hard we just hit head to the nearest non veg restaurant to have a hearty meal. But sadly, the satisfaction level of a homely meal is worlds apart. One cannot just compare a home cooked chicken or fish curry with a restaurant one. With the doubt in the back of your head on what is the quality of the meat they use, it is not very comfortable to digest. Of Course, there is no doubt that it is tasty when bought from outside but you are not sure what exactly is the tastemaker. For peace of mind while eating and a homely touch, I always prefer to ask my mother for her recipe which I can duplicate as it is after ordering my meat from Happy meat.

For a change you can also try a never ending list of recipes available online from easy to expert level meat cooking styles. I find it very suitable for me as meat for me requires extra care and I am very very cautious about what goes inside my body. With rising number of diseases being spread through meat, it is very much necessary to avoid eating meat outside and more importantly choose your meat wisely.

Curb Sand Mining and Use M-Sand

Nature is filled with beautiful rivers, hills, oceans and it doubles the beauty of nature. But what happens when we deplete it? It will affect the ecological balance. Sand Mining is one of the processes that disturb the nature, harming the water resources like rivers, streams, and lakes. Sand is a naturally occurring material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. Sand is an important economic source in which the silica material used for making optical glasses. It is an ingredient in plaster and used in the manufacture of bricks. River sand along with cement is used as concrete which is used for construction.   

Sand is mined from inland dunes and beaches. There is also a process of mining of mineral sands in which the valuable minerals are separated in water by their density. Excessive sand mining leads to enlargement of river mouths. Sand Mining is not the only threat to rivers, but also a threat to river banks, bridges, and nearby structures.

Sand mining leads to scarcity of water, creates extinction for various water species. It affects the river beds into large and deep pits. Also, it affects the entire aquatic system. In order to reduce the effects of sand mining, artificial sand can be used.  The artificial sand is called M-Sand (Manufactured Sand).

It is one of the best replacement for river sand. This sand is free from elongated particles like in river sand and gives more life and strength to concrete that can be a great use of masonry works that creates a quicker and easy construction. It also helps the concrete to maintain water absorption and saves time for filtering sand. During the past years, river sand is used for construction purposes with a huge amount, that too with restrictions, until the introduction of M-sand. Use M-sand for making constructions more economical thereby protecting our water resources.

Now constructions are increasing and more resources (sand, cement, gravels) are needed. Since all the sector is going to digital, customers can get resources easily without any difficulty. There are many online platforms for buying m-sand in the market like Triveni sand and Stona sand which makes the buying process simple.

Best Food for Your Baby

“What is the best food that I can feed my baby” is a common question every new parent have. Most of the new parents search the same to know what they can feed their kid. Breast milk is the best ever food and primary source of the nutrition for babies up to 6 months. Older infants can also continue breastfeeding. Mother’s milk is the best medicine for prevention and protection as well as curing of illness.

Moving your baby from milk to solid food is the first feeding milestones, followed by three baby food stages. After 6 months you can feed soft solid foods for your kid if she/he is ready to have solid foods and it is the first baby food stage. At this stage, you can feed them baby cerelac and fruit purees recipes. Most common cereals parent use at this stage is rice cereal, ragi cereal, banana, oatmeal or barley cereals. And you can feed them apple puree and banana puree and apricot purees etc. You can also feed them fruits like mango, papaya, and vegetables like pumpkin, sweet potato, and carrot.

Most babies show signs of readiness for thicker solid foods in their 8+ months. Ie, they are mastered in cereal, veggies and fruit purees. They are ready to have stage 2 foods, and it is the time to try new textures and flavors. In this stage, you can feed them cooked vegetables, raw fruits and a bit of texture mashed or pulsed. And they can have cereals, grains, and fruits like grapes and vegetables like onion and potato.

At stage 3(after 10 months), all of your baby’s should come from solid foods, and they will start to feed themselves and drink water themselves. You can feed them egg, whole milk, and mashed boiled rice or other meals. And if they are like to have porridge at this stage, you can feed them rice, wheat and ground porridge mix or rice and moong dal porridge etc. And they will be ready to eat vegetables like tomato, cucumber, and corn etc. And after 1 ½ years, babies can have all the foods that their parents eat.  

Now there are many readymade baby food packs are available off the shelf rack in the supermarket. You should aware of the ingredients of these readymade baby foods. Homemade baby food is always good for baby health, and it is the only preservative-free food that we can trustly feed them.

How to Provide Best Hospitality in Hotels

Hotels, the establishment that provides accommodation and other facilities to people and plays an important role in providing hospitality also. The Internet has given a supportive hand to people finding the details of hotels around the world. But mostly the details given in hotel websites are not apt. It requires knowing someone’s experience with that particular hotel searching for.

But does our hotels especially in India provides the best hospitality that people expects? It’s exactly a yes or no question because every person has a different opinion. Let’s have a look what employees do to improve hospitality in hotels

Vigilant always

Employees must be vigilant in every detail including check in check out process, even in keeping tissues in proper place and order.

Customer Attention

One has to be more listening problems of customers, resolving them. This also requires not only listening, but also pay attention how they are behaving, their mannerism. This will help the employees to identify the real before they escalate to higher authorities

Team Motivation

Together work as a team, together brings success. Motivation is necessary for all employees to implement new ideas, respect each other for bringing customer satisfaction.

Back Planning

The most important thing for employees is problem-solving skills. So necessary back planning is important to handle problems and to fix the issues quickly

Time Management

Time is most important to every human beings. Important to have proper time management in delivering service to customers,  flexible and adaptable to workload and to handle responsibilities on time

Successful hotel management requires ensuring customer satisfaction at the first step they enter and last step they exit. So every hotel should provide the best hospitality for customers.

Some of the best hotels known for providing good hospitality are Kings Kourt, The Central Court Hotel, Hotel Amarpreet.

Best Jungle Resorts Near Bangalore for Family Trips

Being the IT hub of the country, Bangalore houses beautiful gardens and skyscrapers which are very often crowded with energetic crowds. Since the city is crowded in nights or weekends, most of the residents look for a break from these crowds and go to some coolest places near the city. Bangalore is surrounded by many weekend destinations like hill stations, jungle resorts, monuments, devotional places etc. You can choose the gateways based on your interest.

Luckily, Bangalore is surrounded by the great natural splendor of the Western Ghats or Nilgiris with exotic species of flora and fauna. To protect these countless wildlifes, various wildlife reserves are set in the periphery of Bangalore. Since there are many wildlife resorts that are built around them to protect natures. Jungle resorts are eco-friendly with peaceful atmosphere and that can refresh our minds and can make us relax.    

So, in case you are planning a wildlife trip with your family near the city and looking for best jungle resorts around Bangalore , Consider choosing from the below mentioned

Bannerghatta Nature Camp

Bannerghatta National Park is the best gateway for tiger sighting Bangalore. It is a popular tourist destination in the city with a zoo, an animal rescue center, pet corner, snake house, safari park etc. If you plan a wildlife trip very close to the city, Bannerghatta national park is your primary option. It takes one-hour drives (22 km) from Bangalore.

Bandipur Safari Lodge

Bandipur safari lodge is located halfway down the Mysore-Ooty road and is adjacent to the Bandipur national park. The approximate distance from Bangalore to safari lodge is 225 km. The Bandipur National park is one of 27 tiger reserves in India, a protected area that is part of a scheme, Tiger Project launched by the Indian government to save tigers and its habitat.

The Bandipur Safari Lodge is built in a contemporary architectural style with all the individual comforts. It has only 22 rooms and these rooms are thematic as The Gaur Room, The Elephant Room, The Tiger Room. They provide best cuisine and facilities for tourists. It is a good spot to visit various birds and animal species throughout the year.

Kabini River Lodge

Kabini River Lodge is First Eco Tourism Venture of Jungle Lodges & Resorts Ltd. Situated on the southern fringes of Nagarhole national park, It is the best weekend destination for nature lovers. When comes to accommodation, it has a colonial style architecture, spacious double rooms with modern amenities. It has great facilities like luxurious living areas, the charming room exclusively for seminars, communal dining area etc. in Kabini river lodge you can visit elephants, spotted deer, gaur, wild boar, sloth bear etc. They provide delicious Indian and Continental menus for tourists.  

The Kings Sanctuary Jungle Resort

Kings Sanctuary is one of the best jungle resorts in Karnataka, located on the north of Nagarhole national park. It takes around 4 hours driving from Bangalore to kings sanctuary. It is an ideal forest resort for family vacation and weekend gateways. Their facilities include indoor games, outdoor games, adventure sports, open-air swimming pools, restaurant and conference hall. Nagarhole center safari and Nagarhole jeep safari will help you to visit each and every corner of the resort.

The Windflower, Bandipur

The Windflower Resort, Bandipur is a jungle retreat, located very close to the Bandipur Forest Reserve. The windflower takes around 4-hour driving from Bangalore. It is the right destination for people who looking for a weekend break, a family holiday, a wellness Ayurvedic experience or a reunion.

The Bison Kabini Resort, Nagarhole

The Bison resort is situated on the shores of Kabini river, adjacent to the Nagarhole national park. It is the first of kind resort in India that offers some rustic and luxurious at the very end of an adventure. It takes approximately 5 hour drives from Bangalore to Bison resort. While travelling you can see village huts, roadside sights etc.  They provide  African styles tended accommodations and high personal activities. You will definitely enjoy the jungle safari and sightseeing at the bison resorts.  

How to Select a Manpower Recruitment Agency

Hiring for talent is an ongoing activity in most companies that provide goods and services. It is one of those aspects of business that require a substantial investment of time and effort. The impact of hiring the right person for the right job and at a right time contributes to both top-line and bottom-line business results.

Companies use a good mix of recruitment sources like direct sources, manpower agencies, online sources and employee referrals to meet their staffing requirements. Whilst each of these sources has their own merits and demerits, we will examine manpower agencies in greater detail.

Manpower agencies are in the business of providing temporary or permanent staffing to companies. For better clarity, the term “hiring manager” has been used below to refer to the organization engaging services of manpower recruitment agencies. While choosing an agency, a number of factors need to be considered. Firstly, the agency should understand the context of the position as set forth by the hiring manager. A mismatch in the understanding would lead to wrong profiles being sourced by the agency and presented for review. A well drafted job description can avoid any misunderstanding arising. Secondly, an agency needs to maintain clear channels of communication with the candidates they source and provide all necessary information pertaining to the role. This can ensure better candidate experience, which helps in enhancing employer branding. An agency needs to able to coordinate seamlessly between the hiring manager and candidate to schedule interviews at mutually agreeable time slots. Basis feedback received from the hiring manager, agencies may need to tweak their search criteria while sourcing profiles. As the interviewing process may take substantial time, agencies need to keep the candidate engaged and interested in the role. If a final selection has been made, agencies need to be able to ensure submission of adequate documentations required for offer roll out. Once candidates accept the job offer, agencies, in conclusion, must ensure they join the new organization and settle in comfortably.

While there are many manpower recruitment agencies operating in the market, it is best to engage the services of companies which have a proven track record in meeting staffing needs efficiently and accurately, like Ciel HR.