When people use a door, they sometimes forget that the door is a just piece of wood and that it’s part of a larger mechanism. The primary tools that holds the door to the building are hinges. While they may seem like a small object to glance over, hinges are present in virtually every building on this planet. Unless of course all the doors in the building are sliding doors, which is rarely the case. Regardless, hinges are an important part of the tool set necessary to build a modern home or practically any kind of building.

While most people might think of a hinge as just of one type, there is actually a wide variety of hinges used on doors around the world. For example there are,

• Flag hinges
• Strap hinges
• Barrel hinges
• Case hinges
• Pivot hinges
• Other types of hinges

Clearly their are multiple types of hinges, however they all function in virtually the same kind of fashion. Flag hinges can also swivel a full 360 degrees around the pin. Strap hinges are an early hinge and used on many kinds of interior and exterior doors and cabinets. A barrel hinge has a hollow cylinder shaped section where the rotational bearing force is applied to the pivot, and may also have a screw shaped section for fastening and/or driving the pivot. Case hinges are similar to a butt hinge however usually more of a decorative nature most commonly used in suitcases, briefcases and the like.

Pivot hinges are hinges which pivot in openings in the floor and the top of the door frame. Also referred to as a double-acting floor hinge. This type is found in ancient dry stone buildings. The hinges I listed are just some of the few that are used in buildings and houses around the world. There are even specific hinges for buildings, depending on the type of building that the hinges will be used in. For example their are also building access hinges and large building hinges, that have specific functions depending on use. In terms of hinge manufacturers, the industry is relatively simple.

Since, the primary function of a hinge is to be a point of rotation, their is not much room for technological advances. While the hinges can always be more reliable and flexible, hinge manufacturers do not really have to worry much about technological change. In addition, their are no major hinge manufacturers that can control international markets. As a result, the barriers to entry are relatively low. Most customers for hinges, buy hinges in bulk from local manufacturers or manufacturers from countries where unit prices are low. Of course, a factory level of production is a lot more competitive in producing hinges as opposed to a single person. Overall, the competition in this field is what you would expect in any kind of field that produces individual building materials.

However, if you are looking for hinge manufacturers. You should definitely consider checking out our business to business network, Globial. Al you have to do is log into your Globial account, go to the Search section, and under the categories tab, type in Construction . Immediately you will have access to all the businesses that operate in that industry, including Hinge manufacturers. We also have thousands of other businesses that use our network on a regular basis to find business partners that are looking to buy or sell products, goods, or services. So what are you waiting for, come on down and join the Globial community today!

Cell phones have revolutionized the way people around the world communicate with each other. With the release of smart phones in 2007, the communications revolution has swung into high gear. The profits involved in the cell phone business have increased, but so has the competition. As mobile technology continues to make leaps on an annual basis, consumers regularly buy a new phone  almost every two years. In addition, due to the decreasing costs for existing cell phone technology, more and more people around the world are able to afford this new technology. Today, a tribesman in Africa can afford and have access to better communications technology than the President of the US, 20 years ago. So cell phones are clearly becoming more and more prevalent in even the poorest regions on Earth.

In 2010 worldwide sales were 1.6 billion units, an increase of 31.8 percent from 2009. The top five manufacturers by market share were Nokia followed by Samsung, LG Electronics, ZTE and Apple. The United Nations reported that mobile phones have spread faster than any other technology and can improve the livelihood of the poorest people in developing countries by providing access to information in places where landlines or the Internet are not available, especially in the least developed countries. As more and more people get connected to the global communicaitons network, they are increasingly doing it through a smart phone. In some of the poorest parts of the world, people sometimes only buy smartphones, due to the wide range of functions, low cost, and especialy the ability to download apps.

The distribution and sale of content on cell phones, is also a big enterprise. In 2006, the total value of mobile-phone-paid media content exceeded Internet-paid media content and was worth $31 billion. The value of music on phones was worth $9.3 billion in 2007 and gaming was worth over $5 billion in 2007. These were figures that were recorded before the revolution and mass adption of smart phones, as a result these market segments have seen a doubling in value since then. There are more people today who access the internet through their cell phones, as opposed to their computers accoding to multiple studies on internet use. With the exponential increase in cell phone power, mobile phones 5 years from now will likely possess the power of today’s laptops. Thus, allowing for a much wider range of activities on cellphones.

Competition among cell phone manufacturers is increadibly fierce, with little room for new entrants. It is quite difficult to break into this industry, without some level of brand awareness and marketing. According to research done by leading market analysis firms, the top 5 cell phone manufacturers controlled more than 65% of the cell phone market. The top 5 cell phone manufacturers in 2011, were Nokia, Samsung, Apple, ZTE, and LG. The rest of the market was highly fragmented and divided among a large number of smaller companies. As time passes though, it is likely that the top 5 will account for a greater share of market.

This is because the pace of advances in cell phone technology is so rapid, that only the biggest companies will be able to control it and fund it. For example, the best smart phones of today are much more powerful and accessible than computers, 10 years ago. With the significant increase in apps and other content form mobile phones, users are demanding more and more powerful smartphones. As a result, the biggest companies are racing to pack as much power as they can into smaller and smaller spaces. In addition to research costs, many cell phone manufacturers spend billions of dollars on marketing budgets, in order to attract consumers to their products. Many cell phone manufacturers even sell their phones at a loss, just so that they can sign up consumers for a multi-year plan.

Overall, the cell phone manufacturing market is quite competitive, with significant barriers to entry. However, if you are looking for cell phone parts manufacturers or content creators for cell phones, then you should consider checking out business to business network, Globial. We have thousands of businesses that use our network on a regular basis to find business partners that are looking to buy or sell products, goods, or services. So what are you waiting for, come on down and join the Globial community today!

Editor’s note: Today’s guest post is by David Fisher of Asia Quality Focus

Many entrepreneurs look at sourcing products from Asia and other developing markets and see dollar signs. Even with significant potential problems and pitfalls frequently encountered, the potential benefits of importing products are many. Of course pricing is lower, but additionally many countries, like China, have factories with much greater capacity and know how (whether or not they know how to properly use this is a different story!) than the West.

With this all in mind, potential importers wanting to start a company have a few options, namely being a direct importing company or being a trading company, servicing other buyers. As a direct importer, you are importing products to your own facility and then selling directly them to the end buyer. As a trading company, you would usually instead be shipping goods in mass quantities to a buyer, without ever having the goods in your possession. In this case, you are essentially the agent connecting the buyer and seller.

There are pros and cons of both methods: As a direct importer, the potential earnings are much greater, however you must worry about your products actually selling. Additionally, costs that cannot be ignored include customs duties, warehousing and quality control. As a trading agent, you can more quickly turn a profit as you need not worry about sales, but the risk can be more on delivering quality goods on a deadline to your customer. If there are any problems with quality or delivery time, it is not only your reputation on the line, but your customer’s as well.
Regardless of which method you chose, there are several bits of knowledge that I like to tell anyone who is about to start importing from Asia.

First, know what you want to import and learn the product. I see too many importers who simply want to import but don’t know anything about the products they are looking to purchase. Being able to provide detailed instructions to your factory is necessary. Do not assume that anything is implied or understood without checking, double checking and checking one more time.

Second, make relationships with strong suppliers. You can do your research on hundreds of sites online, including on Globial! Don’t be one of the many importers are simply looking for the lowest priced supplier. This would be a dangerous idea anywhere, but is particularly so in Asia. As the Chinese proverb says, “Good things are not cheap, Cheap things are not good.” (???????????)

Finally, know that simply emailing or talking on the phone with your supplier is not enough. Making sure to complete due diligence will potentially save you significant money and headaches in the end. Most importantly, do not start a relationship with a supplier without doing a Factory audit and then doing subsequent inspections during production. Additionally, visiting the factory yourself before starting with a factory is a great way to gauge their capabilities while making a personal relationship with the representative. Putting a face to a name is as important in China as anywhere. Maintaining regular quality checks on your supplier is a point that cannot be emphasized enough! Do not take this step for granted.

Any questions about importing from Asia? Feel free to email me at Dave (at) AsiaQualityFocus (dot) com.

David B. Fisher works with Asia Quality Focus, a Western owned inspection and auditing firm servicing China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines. AQF is a sponsor of the China Sourcing Information Center, a non-profit that educates and assists buyers sourcing from China.

Generators have been around since the early 1800′s, when inventors began experimenting with more efficient ways to create electricity. In the last two centuries, electric generators have come a long way in terms of efficiency and technology. The easy access and inexpensive cost of electricity today, has to do with the level of technological sophistication of electric generators. But for all the technological advance in generator technology, the basic principles have remained the same. A electric generator is essentially a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy. The source of mechanical energy may be reciprocating or through a turbine steam engine, water falling through a turbine or waterwheel, an internal combustion engine, a wind turbine, a hand crank, compressed air or any other source of mechanical energy.

There are several types of electric generators, with varying types of applications and uses

• Vehicle-Mounted Generators
• Engine Generator
• Human Powered Electrical Generators
• Linear Electric Generator
• Tacho-generator

A vehicle mounted generator are often used on automobiles or water-crafts, with the goal of producing electricity using the vehicle’s own movement to power the generator. Being powered by the rider, efficiency is at a premium, so these generators may incorporate rare-earth magnets and are designed and manufactured with great precision. Nevertheless, the maximum efficiency is only around 80% for the best of these generators—60% is more typical—due in part to the rolling friction at the tire–generator interface from poor alignment, the small size of the generator, bearing losses and cheap design. An engine-generator is the combination of an electrical generator and an engine  mounted together to form a single piece of self-contained equipment. The primary advantage of engine-generators is the ability to independently supply electricity, allowing the units to serve as backup power solutions.

Human powered direct current generators are commercially available, and have been the project of some DIY enthusiasts. Typically operated by means of pedal power, a converted bicycle trainer, or a foot pump, such generators can be practically used to charge batteries, and in some cases are designed with an integral inverter. However, the efficiency level of these generators is quite low and they are used mainly in developing countries, where more expensive capital cannot be bought. Linear electric generators are essentially when, a sliding magnet moves back and forth through a solenoid – a spool of copper wire. An alternating current is induced in the loops of wire by Faraday’s law of induction each time the magnet slides through. Larger linear electricity generators are often used in wave power schemes. Tachogenerators are frequently used to power tachometers to measure the speeds of electric motors, engines, and the equipment they power. Generators generate voltage roughly proportional to shaft speed. With precise construction and design, generators can be built to produce very precise voltages for certain ranges of shaft speeds.

The generator manufacturing industry is dominated by a handful of really big international firms such as General Electric and Siemens. While there is a prevalence of more middle market generator manufacturers, these manufacturers usually service the firms that cannot afford or do not really need the kind of equipment sold by the big generator manufacturers. These generator manufacturers tend to be more local in terms of operation. However, due to the technologically intensive nature of this industry, the R&D budgets in this industry can be quite high. While their is always the chance that someone can come up with a effective design for electric generators, it is definitely a difficult process, making the barriers to entry in this industry relatively high.

If you are looking for generator manufacturers, then you should consider checking out our business to business social network, Globial. We have thousands of businesses that are looking to buy and sell services and goods. For generator manufacturers, all you have to do is login to your Globial account, and in the Search area, type in Machinery under the categories tab. Instantly you will have a list of all the businesses that operate in that industry, including generator manufacturers. So come on down and start doing business today!

Carpet manufacturing is a relatively stable business, that has been booming since the 1950′s. Today most carpet manufacturing is done to furnish homes with carpets, with most of these homes being suburban or apartments. Due to the relatively easy production nature of carpets, you have a wide variety of carpet manufactures from countries ranging from England to Armenia. Due to the high level of geographic diversity of carpet production, there are also many ways to make carpets, with a wide variety of materials and methods.

These methods range as follows,

• Woven
• Needlefelt
• Knotted
• Tufted
• Flatweave
• Hooked Rug

The woven carpet is produced on a loom quite similar to woven cloth, thus allowing for a wide range of patterns and colors. However, these carpets are usually the most expensive due to the relatively slow speed of the manufacturing process. Needle felts are produced by intermingling and felting individual synthetic fibres using barbed and forked needles forming an extremely durable carpet. These carpets are normally found in the contract market such as hotels, essentially where there is a lot of traffic. For knotted carpets, the structural weft threads alternate with a supplementary weft that rises at right angles to the surface of the weave. Knotting by hand is most prevalent in Oriental rugs and carpets.

Tufted carpets have their pile injected into a backing material, which is itself then bonded to a secondary backing made of a woven hessian weave or a man-made alternative to provide stability. This is the most common method of manufacturing of domestic carpets for floor covering purposes in the world. A flatweave carpet is created by interlocking vertical and horizontal threads. A hooked rug is a simple type of rug handmade by pulling strips of cloth such as wool or cotton through the meshes of a sturdy fabric such as burlap.

Contemporary centers of carpet production are: Lahore and Peshawar (Pakistan), Kashmir (India /Pakistan), Bhadohi,  Tabriz (Iran), Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Northern Africa, Nepal, Spain, Turkmenistan, and Tibet. You will notice that most of these manufacturing centers are in Mediterranean or Middle Eastern countries. This is due to the cultural role that carpets have played in these countries. As a result, most of the carpet manufacturers that operate in these are either small businesses or artisan shops, serving as niche manufacturers. The carpets manufactured in these countries are considered to be high quality and top of the line.

While the barriers to entry might be low to becoming a carpet manufacturer, there are other challenges that manufacturers face when they operate in this industry. To be successful, people need to demand your carpets. Which means that marketing plays a role in getting the word out to the customer. Carpet manufacturing can be done by a one man firm or a 100 man firm, making carpet manufacturing a very competitive industry. There will be customers, who will want only the best carpets for their homes, resulting in more business for smaller more independent manufacturers. While, there will be other customers who will demand more quantity as opposed to quality, making bulk manufacturers more successful in this segment of the industry. So their is a wide range of spectrum to operate in, for this industry.

However, if your looking for carpet manufacturers, try using our Globial network. We have thousands of businesses that use our network to buy and sell goods. For carpet manufacturers, all you have to do is log in and in the search area, type in Home & Garden, under the categories tab. Immediately you will have a long list of businesses that engage in that industry, including carpet manufacturers. So what are you waiting for, come on down and start doing business today!

Cosmetics is truly one of the fastest growing industries on the planet. This is a industry that is driven more by customer passion, than by any other dynamic. While, cosmetics is usually considered as produced solely for women, their are also cosmetics that are produced for the male market. However, it is the female demographic that is the primary source of revenues for this industry. Due to the onset of globalization, and the spread of mass Western culture; the universal desire for beauty and the belief that cosmetics can provide that beauty has been spread far and wide. As a result, even women in poor countries are willing to spend disposable income on cosmetics.

The manufacture of cosmetics is currently dominated by a small number of multinational corporations that originated in the early 20th century, but the distribution and sale of cosmetics is spread among a wide range of different businesses. The cosmetic industry is a profitable business for most manufacturers of cosmetic products. The defined range of cosmetics is quite wide, and includes

• Skin-Care Creams
• Lotions
• Powders
• Perfumes
• Lipsticks
• Finger-nail and Toe-nail polish
• Eye and Facial Makeup
• Towelettes
• Permanent Waves
• Colored Contact Lenses
• Hair Colors and Spray
• And many other types of products.

The cosmetic industry has not only grown only in the United States, but also in various parts of the world which have become famous for their cosmetic products. Some of these include France, Germany, Italy and Japan. It has been estimated that in Germany, the cosmetic industry generated sales of EUR 12.6 billion in retail sales, in 2008. Which makes the German cosmetic industry the third largest in the world, after Japan and the United States. The biggest countries that export cosmetics are France, Switzerland, the United States, and Italy and they mainly consist of makeup, fragrances, or perfumes for women. After the United States, Japan is the second largest market for cosmetics in the world, a market worth about JPY 1.4 trillion per year. The overall biggest manufacturer and consumer of cosmetics, regionally, is Europe.

The barriers to this industry are relatively low, since the process of making cosmetics is not technologically intensive. As a result, even a small boutique cosmetics firm can thrive and compete alongside large cosmetic manufacturers like Loreal. However, this is not a discount industry, meaning that customers demand quality and are willing to pay more, for price and brand name. So discount offers are considered a sign of poor quality and low demand for the products. While the process of cosmetic manufacturing is not technologically intensive, many large and international cosmetic manufacturers spend hundreds of millions of dollars on creating the highest quality cosmetics. In addition, they also maintain large marketing budgets, thus giving large cosmetic manufacturers much more capability to reach a much broader audience. The cosmetic industry worldwide seems to be continuously developing due to changing consumer tastes. Many famous companies sell their cosmetic products online also in countries in which they do not have representatives, thus making the Internet the biggest tool to reach customers, next to shopping malls.

Overall, the cosmetics market is highly competitive and brand oriented. Where quality and care, matters a lot more than fast and bulk manufacturing. The spectrum of cosmetics products can range from high-end and luxury oriented, to more middle class and mass-oriented. However, cosmetics manufacturers have to constantly create higher quality products that perform every time. Since, their is little room for error, customers who have had bad luck with a specific line of products from a company, are far less likely to give a second chance. If you are looking for cosmetic manufacturers though, please check out our business to business network, Globial. All you have to do is log in and go to the Search section, underneath the categories area, type in Fashion Accessories & Jewelry. In an instant you will have a long list of businesses that operate in that industry. So come on down and start doing business today!

China is the world’s biggest exporter and manufacturer of a wide variety of goods. As a result, Chinese companies have become known to produce everything from computer chips to clothes to toys. In addition, Chinese manufacturers are known to produce in bulk at cheap prices, which is why Western companies have flocked to China in order to either set up their own production plants or outsource their manufacturing costs to a wide market of Chinese manufacturers. Due to government policy, China has acquired highly sophisticated foreign production facilities and through “localization policies” and also built a number of advanced engineering plants capable of manufacturing an increasing range of sophisticated equipment, including nuclear reactors and satellites. However, most of its industrial output still comes from relatively ill-equipped factories.  A report by UBS in 2009 concluded that China has experienced total factor productivity growth of 4 per cent per year since 1990, one of the fastest improvements in world economic history.

One of the predominant industries in China is the chemical industry, which produces a large output of chemical fertilizers, plastics, and synthetic fibers. The growth of this industry has placed China among the world’s leading producers of nitrogenous fertilizers. In the consumer goods sector the main emphasis is on textiles and clothing, which also form an important part of China’s exports. Textile manufacturing, a rapidly growing proportion of which consists of synthetics, account for about 10 percent of the gross industrial output and continues to be important, but less so than before. The industry tends to be scattered throughout the country, but there are a number of important textile centers, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Harbin. China is also the largest producer of steel in the world producing 45% of the world’s steel in 2011, 683 million tons, an increase of 9% from 2010. As a result, 6 of 10 of largest steel producers in the world are in China. However, profits are low despite continued high demand due to high debt and overproduction of high end products produced with the equipment financed by the high debt.

As of 2010, China has become the world’s largest automotive vehicle manufacturer as well as the largest consumer. China’s automotive industry has been so successful that it began exporting car parts in 1999. As a result, multiple international automotive car manufacturers have set up large production facilities in China in order to take advantage of manufacturing costs and the consumer market. In addition, their is a huge Chinese manufacturing industry that is involved in producing car parts. Due to the high level of manufacturing activity that occurs in China, international trade makes up a sizeable portion of China’s overall economy. As a result, China’s global trade exceeded $2.4 trillion at the end of 2008, even at the height of the global recession.

Due to the high number of Chinese manufacturers, the level of competition in China is fierce. This has resulted in a high barriers to entry into the Chinese manufacturing market. While it was relatively easy to start a factory in China not long ago for any enterprising businessman, conditions have changed drastically in the last 10 years. The availability of credit for start-ups is low, due to the high level of funding that state owned enterprises capture from the state owned banks. As a result, many businessmen look to underground loan markets in order to help them meet their debt obligations. These loan markets charge outrageous interest rates ranging from 20-50% on loans, adding further pressure on Chinese manufactures. In addition, due to the low cost-bulk production system of China, Chinese manufactures hardly make any profits on the products they sell, and many Chinese manufacturers struggle to keep costs low and increase profits. Furthermore, the cost of labor is going up in China due to less people migrating to the cities from the countryside. Which adds another burden to Chinese manufactures.

Overall, while you can find a Chinese manufacturer for virtually any kind of product that is produced in bulk. It is quite hard to become a Chinese manufacturer. However, if you are looking for Chinese manufacturers, then you have come to the right place, and should consider check out our Globial B2B network. We have a business to business platform that lets you search for any kind of business in any country on the planet, including China. In fact, we have thousands of Chinese manufacturers that are looking for businesses to sell to. To get in touch with these businesses, all you have to do is log onto your Globial account, and in the Search tab, type in China under the Location tab. In seconds, you will have the largest and most comprehensive list of Chinese manufacturers on the web, for absolutely free. So come on down and start doing business in China today!

When people think of foam, they usually think of the stuff that is on top of their cappuccino or the bubbles a washing machine creates. However, they forget about the type of foam that is put in things like surfboards or soccer balls, in order to allow them to float on water. This type of foam is known as synthetic foam, since it is a complete product of human science rather than nature. This type of foam has a wide variety of applications, and many times most people do not even know that they have foam in the products they are using.

Synthetic foam, is essentially composite materials synthesized by filling a metal, polymer or ceramic matrix with hollow particles called micro-balloons. The complex chemical process allows foam manufacturers to create foam materials to create foam that can be tailored according to requirements, while still maintaining its original chemical structure. Tailor-ability is one of the biggest advantages of these materials. The matrix material can be selected from almost any metal, polymer or ceramic. The compressive properties of synthetic foams primarily depend on the properties of microballoons, whereas the tensile properties depend on the matrix material that holds the microballoons together.

One of the key properties of foam is its buoyancy. Which is why it was developed early on, and why it is used in a wide variety of flotation devices.  The other characteristics of foam, led these materials to aerospace and ground transportation vehicle applications. Current applications for syntactic foam include buoyancy modules for marine riser tensioners, boat hulls, deep-sea exploration, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), parts of helicopters, airplanes, and sporting goods.

Other application include;

• Deep sea buoyancy foams
• Thermoforming plug assist
• Radar transparent materials
• Acoustically attenuating materials
• Blast mitigating materials

The industry for foam manufacturers, is somewhat concentrated with medium to high barriers of entry. Some huge chemical manufacturers engage in foam manufacturing, as well as some more smaller suppliers. It really depends on what kind of industry you are supplying foam for. The foam manufacturers for foam used in automobiles are smaller, but competition is a lot more fierce. Similarly, suppliers for marine applications for foam also compete fiercely, yet this section of the foam manufacturing industry is more concentrated. Due to the increasing applications of foam, the demands for better quality and more durability are requiring foam manufacturers to invest more and more in  R&D, in order to maintain competitiveness. Due to the investment heavy nature of this industry, it is harder for new entrants to break into the market. However, if your looking for foam manufacturers, then try using our Globial business to business social network. All you have to do is log onto your Globial account, and type in Rubber & Plastics. Immediately, you will get a list of all the businesses involved in that line of work, including foam manufacturers. So come on down and start doing business today!

Bricks have been at the very foundation of human construction since humans began constructing more stable shelters, since ancient times. Even today after thousands of years, bricks are still part of the primary foundation of building all across the world. They have been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history. While bricks are still used in construction today, the processes of brick manufacturers have changed significantly. Today, bricks are made in a variety of colors, using a variety of materials, in order to add more durability to the bricks as well as more customization.

“Bricks” for building may be made from clay, shale, soft slate, calcium silicate, concrete, or shaped from quarried stone. However, true bricks are ceramic, and therefore created by the action of heat and cooling. Clay is the most common material, with modern clay bricks formed in one of three processes,

• Soft Mud
• Dry Press
• Extruded

The soft mud method is the most common, as it is the most economical. As a result, modern brick manufacturers, usually make bricks by continuously pushing bricks into a  fired tunnel kiln, in which the bricks move slowly through the kiln on conveyors, rails, or kiln cars to achieve consistency for all bricks. The bricks often have added lime, ash, and organic matter to speed the burning. However, since this is a capital intensive process, brick manufacturers in poorer countries rely more on labor. In India, brick making is still typically a manual process. The dry press method mentioned above is similar to mud brick but starts with a much thicker clay mix, so it forms more accurate, sharper-edged bricks. The greater force in pressing and the longer burn make this method more expensive.

One of the most simple ways to manufacture bricks, with the use of cheap materials, is through the use of concrete. Bricks of concrete with sand aggregate can be made using a simple machine, and a basic assembly line method. A conveyor belt adds the mixture to a machine, which pours a measured amount of concrete into a form. The form is vibrated to remove bubbles. The form is then raised to reveal the wet bricks, spaced out on a plywood sheet. A small elevator then stacks these palettes, after which a forklift operator moves them to the brickyard for drying. This method is used in many developing countries, where there is high demand for cheap construction materials. Due to to the cheaper manufacturing costs, their are a lot more brick manufacturers in developing countries. However, bricks made from this method are not as durable as other methods, and are more prone to cracking due to chemical composition of concrete.

Overall, this is very fragmented industry globally. Since, brick manufacturing is a much more adaptive process, since both labor or capital can produce bricks. As a result, local brick manufacturers are active in practically every country in the world, where there is demand for construction materials. However, the quality of bricks and dimensions of bricks vary across countries, due to different building codes and regulations. So if your looking for brick manufacturers in your country, try using our Globial network. We have thousands of businesses that are looking to buy or sell services. All you have to do is log onto your Globial account, and in the Search area, type in Construction in the categories area. In the blink of an eye, you will have access to a long list of businesses all involved in construction, including brick manufacturers.

The chemical manufacturing industry is made up of the companies that manufacture industrial chemicals. It is a critical part of the modern world economy, since it converts various raw materials such as oil, natural gas, air, water, metals, and minerals into thousands upon thousands of different products. Complex chemicals such as Polymers, plastics, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polycarbonate  about 80% of the industry’s output worldwide. Chemicals are used to make a wide variety of consumer goods, as well as thousands inputs to agriculture, manufacturing, construction, and service industries. The chemical industry itself consumes 26 percent of its own output, since many of the chemicals it produces are part of the products that chemical manufacturers produce.

Chemical manufacturing is approximately a $3 trillion global industry, with European and American chemical manufacturers being some of the world’s largest producers. The chemical manufacturing industry can be divided into three basic categories

• Basic Chemicals
• Life Sciences
• Specialty Chemicals
• Consumer Product

Basic chemicals, are a broad chemical category including polymers, bulk petrochemicals and intermediates, other derivatives and basic industrials, inorganic chemicals, and fertilizers. Life sciences include differentiated chemical and biological substances, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, animal health products, vitamins, and pesticides. Specialty chemicals are a category of relatively high valued, rapidly growing chemicals with diverse end product markets. Consumer products include direct product sale of chemicals such as soaps, detergents, and cosmetics. Each of these categories has various different aspects to its production and market size.

The overall market for chemical manufacturers is quite competitive and heavily dominated by large international companies. As a result, the barriers to entry are high due to the competitive and technologically intensive nature of the field. The largest corporate producers worldwide, include chemical manufacturers lik BASF, Bayer, Braskem, Celanese/Ticona, Degussa, Dow, DuPont, Eastman Chemical Company, ExxonMobil, Givaudan, INEOS, Mitsubishi, PPG Industries, SABIC, Shell, and Wanhua along with thousands of smaller firms. Historically and presently the chemical industry has been concentrated in three areas of the world, Western Europe, North America and Japan. The European Union remains the largest overall chemical manufacturer followed by the USA and Japan. However, the dominance of these countries is being  being challenged by changes in feedstock availability and price, labor costs, energy costs, different rates of economic growth, and environmental pressures. Instrumental in the changing structure of the global chemical industry has been the growth in China, India, Korea, the Middle East, South East Asia, Nigeria, and Brazil.

While smaller companies in emerging markets are giving the bigger chemical manufacturers a run for their money, the overall chemical manufacturing industry is difficult to operate in. This is a very technologically intensive industry, which requires high R&D budgets. In addition, even emerging markets are starting to implement more stringent environmental regulations, which will eventually have an impact on the overall profits of chemical manufacturers. However, if your looking to do business with chemical manufacturers, you should check out our business to business social network, Globial. All you have to do is log on to your Globial account, and in the categories area, type in Chemicals. Immediately you will have access to a long list of Chemical manufacturers, that are all looking for companies to do business with. So come on down and join the Globial community!