History of Automotive Headlamps From the Beginning to LEDs
I have searched around the web to bring you this article on the development of the automotive headlamp from the beginning right up until the latest LED developments.As far as I can ascertain the beginning of the electric automotive headlamps journey began in about 1898 by a company called the Electric Vehicle Company in Connecticut, based in a place called Hartford. Although we do read of reference to gas lamps (acetylene) used on the first vehicles in the 1880′s.So it was awhile back and also we are more interested in the electric lamp development for the motor car.It is actually quite funny when you read the development especially what was considered acceptable. The filaments (they were incandescent lamps) would regularly burnout, usually caused by the rough road conditions also the cars power supply was pretty anemic and struggled to provide the necessary electric power, especially when we read they were about one percent efficient.In today’s society, faced with the same challenge I am sure we would just give up.All of the above did not deter our friends at Cadillac and apparently they produced the first modern headlight system. This was a totally new arrangement compared to previous efforts and could even be used in the rain and snow without the risk of getting burned. Oh it was considered a revolution in its day.We then move on to a company called the Guide Lamp Company who rolled out the next technological breakthrough in about 1915. This was the introduction of the low beam headlamp. In reality it was not until about 1924 before we saw a proper high/low beam headlamp with an internal switch.The next major development was the Halogen lamp which popped into the automotive headlamp arena in Europe in about 1962. These become mandatory in several countries due to their excellent capability. The sealed beam incandescent headlamp persisted as standard fitment until about 1978. The halogen headlamp is still used today by many automotive manufacturers.The next development was high intensity discharge lighting systems (HID) often described as Xenon headlights. These started appearing in the top end models of some German vehicles in about 1991. These are still a rather costly option and have not yet been fully embraced by the automotive manufacturers. The jury is still out on these.This brings us to the LED which has taken off slowly but appears to be moving ahead quite quickly. Its foray into headlamps is still in its infancy, although their use in tail lamps, brake lights and indicators seems assured.Time will tell, but for now the Xenon is considered an excellent, although expensive, headlight design and the 3157 LED and its derivatives is leading the way for all other small signal and indication type lighting in the automotive scene.
Helping Kids Grow and Develop Through Proper Nutrition
Child nutrition is something every parent should be concerned with. Nutrition is directly linked to the development of the brain, as well as the proper development of the body. This means that through proper nutrition your child should not only be smarter, but should develop at the right time, be less prone to illness, and have a happier and more vibrant life. Sound nutrition and fitness habits developed during childhood have the potential to last a lifetime, so start today to teach your child how to take care of their body and meet their nutritional needs through the foods they eat.There is a huge need to modify children’s diets to reduce their risk of chronic diseases, but also to promote optimal growth and development. Too many children are filling up on the convenient snack foods that provide little to no nutritional value, and are completely missing out on the foods, vitamins, nutrients, etc. that sustain proper growth.While your child may be eating a lot, and appear to be at a healthy weight (or maybe even overweight) under-nutrition could very well be a problem. Under-nutrition and hunger are significant and growing problems for American children today, many of whom don’t get enough of the right food to sustain proper growth and development.It is important to understand that the children referenced are not necessarily from poverty-stricken families. Many under-nourished children are fed when they are hungry, and they eat three meals (or more) a day. So how is it possible that they can still be under-nourished? This is caused when the foods they are eating are not providing them with the things their bodies need for proper and sustainable growth. Foods that are high in sugar, salt, or basically that are processed and refined generally do not provide your child with any of the nutrients they need. However, most parents find it difficult to get their children to eat the foods that do provide what their bodies need.The neatly packaged, processed, and refined foods are the foods the child wants, will eat, and that are convenient and easy for you to give them. If you, like many other parents, have trouble getting your child to eat the right things; if your child won’t eat his or her vegetables; if you find yourself breaking out the pre-made frozen waffles rather than mixing up a batch of whole-wheat waffles for breakfast in the morning, take comfort; you are not alone. However, this only means that like many others you may not be providing your child with the proper nutrition they need for longevity and health.What can you do? You can do a lot of things, like change their entire lifestyle, tie your child to their chair, and force food down their throat etc. But what can you realistically do to ensure that your child is getting what they need each day?In order to get your child’s nutrition where it needs to be you need to find foods or drinks that are easy, convenient, appealing, and also that contain all of the things our bodies need to function optimally. The natural health beverage Zija would be a great way to start your child on the path to proper nutrition. Zija comes in a convenient can, much like a soft drink, so while it is a health food it still holds the appeal to a child. It is refreshing, so unlike asparagus or other vegetables you child may not like because of the taste, you will find they will drink Zija. And, most importantly, it is chock full of the nutrients, vitamins, etc., that your child needs for optimal growth. Zija is not artificially fortified. Rather, it is made from the leaves, seeds, and pods of the incredible Moringa tree, one of the most nutritional plants on the planet. The nutritional value found in the plant is not lost through heavy processing and refining, rather it is captured and all the nutrients and vitamins are completely bio-available in this convenient on-the-go nutrition that fits into your lifestyle.Children will be faced with food choices at home and in the marketplace their entire lives, and choosing the pastry over the apple is probably going to happen every now and again, so in order to empower them with health, and empower them to become judicious consumers, you must give them the tools to make good food choices, and find foods and beverages, like Zija that both fit into their lifestyle, and are healthy.
What Are Some Risks and Issues Around My Company Setting Up a Customer Finance-Leasing Program?
Many firms benefit significantly from either setting up on their own or partnering with a third part to set up a customer financing program for their products. Key benefits are increased sales, cash flow, customer loyalty, etc.But are there also some risks for the company to be aware of also – Of course there are and let’s look at some of those risks.We would also point out that these risks are in fact the same ones taken on by independent leasing firms also.Foremost from a risk perspective is that fact the customer financing program will be viewed by the customers as the one and same as your company. Therefore customer service and financing ability are in fact now part of your firm’s reputation.Companies may also find that the borrowing costs to set up a program are in fact higher than their normal business operating costs. Naturally the method in which the finance division is set up also affects the debt levels of your company. No business wants to fail because it took on higher debt in an effort to in fact help their customers!On a long term basis company lenders might view your firms foray into customer financing as an additional risk factor, which they might try to compensate on by imposing restrictions such as additional covenants, requests for more equity into the firm, etc. The bottom line is simply that setting up a customer financing scenario may in fact affect your own firm’s ability to borrow.If your firm is larger then analysts and firms looking at your firm might in fact be raising issues and perceptions around which business you are actually in, i.e. your products, or the financing of those products. Business owners and financial managers will always want to ensure that ultimately they are sticking to their core business model and philosophies. If your firm becomes too enamored by financing you possibly run the risk of total business failure. There are numerous cases in financial history where firms collapsed because of the shenanigans of the finance division.We have heard the term in business ‘sticking to our knitting’, which of course simply means that management needs unique skills to run a business, and those skills are different in financing. Owners and managers related to the customer financing division must have strong skills in financial sales, structuring, and credit… Naturally we are also inferring that additional skilled personnel ultimately must be hired.No company every wants to look back in hindsight and say that if failed or stumbled because efforts and funds went into financing, as opposed to r&d, marketing, staff, and product growth. Do not let a customer finance program become an obstacle to your ultimate business successBusiness owners should ensure that there is good communications between the main operating company and the customer financing division – clear goals and philosophies should be set out re the function of such a customer finance program.In summary the benefits of offering financing to your customer are very obvious, and proven true by some of the largest and most successful companies in the world – but all you have to do is to do it right! Ensure your firm is aware of the risks and challenges and monitor your customer financing program on an ongoing basis to ensure you are not straying from your core business model.