History About Car Rental Companies Marketing Essay

History About Car Rental Companies Marketing Essay The topic is about car rental companies, and it will be discussing on the reasons why do people rent cars, the economics of renting cars, and pinking up and returning processes of a car. Background In todays world hiring cars is not limited for daily activities, such as wedding, parties, tours, and even business e.g. Also people can rent car for short and long term period and there are many companies that offer opportunities for people who can not afford to buy a car as well as for those who need car for some period of time. There are many reasons why people hire cars; for example, people are looking to save money, and a lot of people rent cars because they dont want to put the same wear and tear on their own cars, which may or may not be able to endure the asperity for a long distance trip, for example, they dont want stains, rips, burn on the their car seats or even scratch on body of the car also they dont want damage they wheels. In addition, for some car renters size is an issue, people want to promote to something better or bigger because they are travelling with some group of people or looking to economize to something smaller that will be more petroleum efficient, also some times company meeting goes hand in hand with something people do as a company, for example, if member of staff or a business person wants to take a client out to lunch to a good restaurants and the last thing to sit in the car was a dog or it was messed up by kids, so in this situation you may be looking around for a car renta l companies to rent a car. Further more, people travel all the time flying from somewhere to their destinations or other places, but it doesnt mean that they take their personal cars to where ever they go, most of people when they travel to someplace if they plan to stay longer than a week the first thing they do when they get to their destination is to rent a car to go on with their occasions or tour. Some people rent cars for social occasions such as parties or special dates, also some people like to impress their dates with new sport cars or enjoy driving fancy luxury cars to an occasion. Moving is also one the reason people hire car, we all do it at some stage but may be we dont have enough things to move and people often want move their stuffs by them selves. Well, the good thing is that van and trucks hire is always available also vans have back lift to make easier for people move their stuffs. People rent cars to have fun and companies have provided a high performance vehicle for those people. Accident is reason for people to rent cars, some car insurance companies give customers an option to collect a free rental car if their cars have been sent to the shop after an accident or maintenance, so being without their main cars for days or weeks, they can continue with activities or trips with a rental car. We rent cars for purpose of our business travelling, people are very mobile work force these days no matter where customers are they have no problem to get there and meet with them, Car Rental is available from the airport on arrival. This is to ensure that the compilation time is quick; you get to your client, do the sale, and return to the airport and back home. Some times family and friends visit where we stay for long period of time and there is a need for a bigger vehicle to take them around the city, so you have to be looking around for car rental to get the car you want to use at that time such as bus, vans e.g. However, the increase in gas prices is high and affecting the economics at the car rental companies, prices of fancy and big luxury cars are dropping because people demand for compact models cars. Rental companies have been able to command important premiums SUVs, often up to twice the daily charges for sedan. Gas prices have now reached $3 a gallon, so people are increasingly ignoring the gas-guzzler. Also the demand has been high for smaller fuel-efficient cars, which is leading some rental agencies to raise prices. According to Edith MANCILLA he is the area manager Anaheim and Orange, Calif., branches of Dollar Rent A Car, says shes rented 40% fewer SUVs during the spring season than she did previously. Its caused her to drop the price of her standard SUVs $49, from an average of $64 last year, and raise the price of her compact cars, from $25.99 last year to about $34 now. Further more, sometimes companies offer people what they dont book or reserve for, for example, if person wa nts car that is fuel efficient for a trip and he or she gets there to pick up the car they booked for you often find out that what you booked for is not want the company gives you, a key of another car will be handed over to you for the same price which is unacceptable to people. Renting a car during the summer holidays can now cost more than the package deal. A Sunday mirror investigation shows. The Rental charges have surged, with prices in Spain almost 200 per cent more than they were two years ago. Industries expert expect price to rise high again this summer because of the shortage of cars. On the other hand rental companies cut fleet because of the world recession and price will be forced to go up. Additionally, the car rental and leasing firms around the world, which includes 5,000 companies with combined the annual revenue of about $40 billion. Such companies like Avis budget group, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Hertz hertz  (hà »rts)  [for Heinrich R. Hertz], abbr. Hz, unit of frequency, equal to 1 cycle per second. The term is combined with metric prefixes to denote multiple units such as the kilohertz (1,000 Hz), megahertz (1,000,000 Hz), and gigahertz .. Click the link for more information., Ryder, these companies generated more than 80 percent of the revenue. Also these firms or companies rely extremely on the general state of the US economy because most customers are business or holiday travelers, whose numbers can quickly fall during an economic slowdown, while the Big industries have economies of scale in obtaining vehicles and customers. Also Small firms can compete effectively by offering greater services, alternative products, or lesser prices During my research I come across this issue that car rental industries have come up with a new creative way of taking more money or additional fees from innocent car rental customers. Lots of consumers are taking advantage of through a number of non-conventional surcharges in the form of fees they have already paid for, such as extra drivers fee, these extra hidden fees can make renting expensive to customers, and renters should take note of this new method of car rental companies. There are some few things that need to be considered when renting a car in a car rental company or industry, before renting or booking for a car, one should make sure that what the company is offering is comprehensive package. Renter may be tempted to go online car renting websites, which usually offer cheap price for car hire. Customer should keep in mind that the lowest rate might be exclusive for stealing protection, collision with damage and other local taxes, also customer should call the company in order to get detailed information on the car rental package. In addition, people should understand the fuel policies because fuel surcharges are the common additional fees that renters need to contend with. Some company rent out cars without fuel in it, and they require customers to fill it and use it for his or her trip and return the car empty fuel. The fuel usually cost higher than out side fuel station and price are available at customers care desk. However, when picking up a car let a member staff of the company checks if there is fuel in the car or not before taking the car; also the attainder gives you a copy of receipt in order to avoid more charge when the car is returned. Also booking early helps customers to get good and right size car, this will also allow the company to send reservation confirmation early to customers through email and it helps renters read the documentation carefully before going to pick up their rented cars. When picking up a car one should check for any damage on car and fuel level before leaving the rental place so as avoid any argument or problem when returning. There some things that often go wrong when people try to rent a car and unpleasant surprised at the outcome, some are common, for instance, when a person rent for a car and he or she shows up a little late you usually find out that the car has been given to some one else. In addition, people should be careful of the type of car they choose before hiring a car, also the car renters choose should work for them in terms of performance and cost. For example, when people want hire a car they should get a fuel sufficient model that is if they want to save money, which means a compact car will be great for people. On the other hand, in as much as renters want to spend less on fuel, they shouldnt agree on the performance of the car. For instance, there some people who may be going for hiking terrains, in this case a bigger car will be more effective than a compact fuel-efficient car. When it comes to transmission issues customer should find out if the car has a manual or automatic transmission, but most cars have both transmission. Automatic cars are more fuel-efficient than manual cars transmission, and today people demand for automatic cars more than manuals, some times you find out at car rental companies that all the automatic cars are booked. Customers look for amount of legroom available in a car, for example if you traveling with your friends or family, you will require for a spacious car, also if you renting to travel far away people in the car might need to stretch their legs often during the journey. In this case a spacious car will be great for you. People also look for a car with bigger trunk, for example, some cars have smaller trunk and drivers may want to travel with some luggage and is not possible for them because there is no enough space in the trunk to put the luggage. An executive car hiring is a booming business today, people hire executive cars for special purpose but not for traveling from point A to B. they hire these types of cars for pleasure to be the passengers of an executive car. Also it is a pleasure to drive the car and amaze the onlookers on the street. The rental agencies invest in their precious time and care to in creating an attractive rental fleet with greater cars, also their services marked by professionalism and care so that the people who are restoring to executive car hiring services are assured that their exact needs will be always attended and also at affordable price. Executive cars available on hire can be any possible model and company; car hire industries have high-end models of executive cars such as Mercedes, Bentley, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Land Rover Range Rover, Fiat, Toyota, Nissan, Aston Martin, Audi and BMW e.g. all the brands are always available at several companies. These executive cars tell about their exclusiv ity and status on their own and allow the renters traveling in it to get a feel of comfort and richness. There some tips of car hire that people need to consider and also to know about, but that is if you intend to rent a car. Whenever you want rent a car if your concern is fuel consumption, then you go for smallest available car, but if you have extra request such as GPS, kids seat, then you get ready to pay more, also to avoid more charges and pay for some services that you dont need, enquire before taking the car. Additionally, people may like to compare the prices of car hire; some companies offer renters a great deal. But people shouldnt forget to check online website so that they dont miss any online exclusive deal. On the other hand, customers need to understand the fine print agreement, which includes insurance coverage, terms and circumstance for liabilities. The agreement is always safeguards the interest of a company. In conclusion, people hire cars to go on with their daily activities such as businesses, vacation or holidays, tour, e.g. while gas price is high so customer are finding it difficult and expensive to rent luxury cars because of the gas problem. Also renters need to take note and keep update about what is happens during the booking and returning processes so as not to be charged more than you expected.

Jude the Obscure and Social Darwinism Essay -- Jude Obscure

Jude the Obscure and Social Darwinism  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   Jude the Obscure is indeed a lesson in cruelty and despair; the inevitable by-products of Social Darwinism. The main characters of the book are controlled by fate's "compelling arm of extraordinary muscular power"(1), weakly resisting the influence of their own sexuality, and of society and nature around them.    Jude's world is one in which only the fittest survive, and he is clearly not equipped to number amongst the fittest. In keeping with the strong Darwinian undercurrents that run through the book, a kind of "natural selection" ensures that Jude's offspring do not survive to procreate either. Their death by murder and suicide is but one of many grisly instances of cruelty in the novel, and there are numerous others (such as the cruel revelation that Latin is not merely "decodable" into English, which shatters Jude's naive pretensions about learning that language; and Jude's rejected application for university entrance, without even having the opportunity to be tested; and Sue's reversal of all her ideals and decisions upon the death of her children, which she sees as some sort of divine warning, and her subsequent return to Phillotson, to name but a few).    Hardy's view of all this cruelty is related with a grim irony that is evident in Jude's death scene. While the festival celebrations of the world outside continue in oblivious gaiety, Jude himself quotes morbid poetry:    "Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived." ("Hurrah!")(2)    This ironic comment on life's cruelty continues at Jude's funeral; Jude's aspirations to university education were never realised, yet as ... ...s; they are at the mercy of the indifferent forces that manipulate their behaviour and their relations with others"(5). This manipulation by fate, and the resulting disparity between human goals and what is actually achieved, mean that the lesson taught in Jude the Obscure is very much one of the cruelty of nature and society.    End Notes: (1) Hardy, Thomas, Jude the Obscure, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1985, p. 41 (I.-vii). (2) Ibid., p. 426 (VI.-xi). (3) Ibid., p. 430 (VI.-xi). (4) Ibid., p. 65 (I.-x). (5) Abrams, M. H., ed., The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6th ed., Vol. 2., Norton, New York, 1993, p. 1692. Bibliography: Abrams, M. H., ed., The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6th ed., Vol. 2., Norton, New York, 1993. Hardy, Thomas, Jude the Obscure, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1985.      

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet - Investigating Hamlets Sanity :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Shakespeare's Hamlet: Investigating Hamlet's Insanity Hamlet is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, and hardest to perform. The reason it is so hard to perform is because of the main character Hamlet. Hamlet is an easily liked character that must revenge his father's death. He is forced to act insane in order to find out the truth of his father's death. Hamlet does an excellent job of acting insane, so good, in fact, that it is questioned if he was acting insane or if he actually was. Hamlet's madness is an important part in the play. It is an important role that recurs throughout the play. The question to his insanity lies in the reasons for his insanity. He is constantly betrayed throughout the play by everyone he loves and holds dear except for one person who sticks by him throughout his ordeal, Horatio. Hamlet first shows his passion and how upset he is by his father's death when his mother and the king enter the room and question him on his grief for his father. His mother mentions that his grief seems common. Hamlet replies: â€Å"Seems, madam! nay it is; I know not 'seems.' 'Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected 'havior of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly: these indeed seem, For they are actions that a man might play: But I have that within which passeth show; These but the trappings and the suits of woe.†(1.2) Here Hamlet shows his unstable mind. He is screaming at his mother telling her how his actions are honest and he is not pretending to grieve, but that he is truly saddened by his father's death. He has become offended by his mother's inference that Hamlet is not actually upset by his father's death.. She uses the term "Seems" which pushes Hamlet to this rage. Hamlet is so saddened by his father's death that he begins to think of suicide. "O, that this too too solid flesh would melt / Thaw and resolve itself into a dew!†(1.2.129-130). He is wishing that his flesh would melt away or â€Å"Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd / His canon 'gainst self- slaughter!†(131-132). He then reveals the first part to his madness: †But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: / So excellent a king; that was, to this, / Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother†(138-140).

A Comparison of Two Barbecue Restaurants Essay -- comparison compare c

The Best Barbecue in the South    Barbecue is one of my favorite foods. I have always enjoyed going into some greasy barbecue dive, listening to the blues, and feeling pretty cool. Two joints where I have eaten are Big D's Piggy Strut Soul Pit Bar-B-Q in Clemson, South Carolina, and Hy's Deli right across from the School campus. Even though both of these restaurants pride themselves on their barbecue, Big D's is obviously the better. As I walked into the Piggy Strut for the first time, I immediately noticed the different atmosphere. The sign at the entrance said, "Seat yourself if you want to eat here!" As I looked around, I saw some fat guy in the corner really jamming on an electric guitar. (I later learned that was Big D himself.) After much deliberation I decided to sit at the bar. Here, I ordered my sandwich and sat next to the cook after he made it. We watched cartoons for about an hour. Hy's Deli, on the other hand, had a sign that read "Please feel free to seat yourself" in the entrance. Next, I noticed everyone staring at me. There were ten or twelv... A Comparison of Two Barbecue Restaurants Essay -- comparison compare c The Best Barbecue in the South    Barbecue is one of my favorite foods. I have always enjoyed going into some greasy barbecue dive, listening to the blues, and feeling pretty cool. Two joints where I have eaten are Big D's Piggy Strut Soul Pit Bar-B-Q in Clemson, South Carolina, and Hy's Deli right across from the School campus. Even though both of these restaurants pride themselves on their barbecue, Big D's is obviously the better. As I walked into the Piggy Strut for the first time, I immediately noticed the different atmosphere. The sign at the entrance said, "Seat yourself if you want to eat here!" As I looked around, I saw some fat guy in the corner really jamming on an electric guitar. (I later learned that was Big D himself.) After much deliberation I decided to sit at the bar. Here, I ordered my sandwich and sat next to the cook after he made it. We watched cartoons for about an hour. Hy's Deli, on the other hand, had a sign that read "Please feel free to seat yourself" in the entrance. Next, I noticed everyone staring at me. There were ten or twelv...

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 28

They walked right by the weeping door-guards. But very quickly, they discovered that while almost everyone was listening to Lady Fazina, in each room of the palace that was open to the public, a black-clad, white-gloved steward awaited, ready to give out information, and to keep a watchful eye on his lady's possessions. The first room that gave them any kind of hope was Lady Fazina's Hall of Harpery, a room devoted entirely to the display of harps, from ancient, bowlike, single-stringed instruments, undoubtedly played by individuals who were similar to cavedwellers, to tall, gilded, orchestral harps like the one Fazina was now playing, the music audible throughout the palace. Magic, Elena thought again. They seem to use it here instead of technology. â€Å"Each kind of harp has a unique key to tune the strings,† Meredith whispered, looking down the length of the hall. On each side the line of harps marched into the distance. â€Å"One of those keys might be the key.† â€Å"But how will we even know?† Bonnie was fanning herself lightly with her peacock feather fan. â€Å"What's the difference between a harp key and the fox key?† â€Å"I don't know. And I've never heard of a key being kept in a harp, either. It would rattle around the sound box every time the harp shifted slightly,† Meredith admitted. Elena bit her lip. It was such a simple, reasonable question. She should feel dismayed, should be wondering how they could ever find one small half of a key in this place. Especially considering that the clue they had – that it was in the Silver Nightingale's instrument, suddenly seemed absurd. â€Å"I don't suppose,† Bonnie said a little giddily, â€Å"that the instrument is her voice, and that if we reach down her throat†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena turned to look at Meredith, who was looking heavenward – or at whatever was above this hideous dimension. â€Å"I know,† Meredith said. â€Å"No more drinks for birdbrain here. Although I suppose it's possible that they give out little silver whistles or instruments as favors – all big parties used to do that, you know – give you a gift.† â€Å"How,† Damon said in a carefully expressionless tone, â€Å"would they possibly get the key into a favor for a party being given at least weeks away, and how could they ever hope to retrieve it? Misao might as well have told Elena, ‘We threw the key away.'† â€Å"Well,† began Meredith, â€Å"I'm not at all sure that they did mean for the keys to be retrievable, even by them. And Misao could have meant ‘You'd have to search all the garbage from the night of this gala' – or some other party Fazina performed at. I imagine she gets asked to play at a lot of other people's parties, too.† Elena hated bickering, even though she was a champion bickerer herself. But she was a goddess tonight. Nothing was impossible. If only she could remember†¦ Something like white lightning struck her brain. For just an instant – one instant – she was back, struggling with Misao. Misao was in her fox form, biting and scratching – and snarling out a reply to Elena's question about where the two halves of the fox key were. â€Å"As if you would understand the answers I could give. If I told you that one was inside the silver nightingale's instrument, would that give you any kind of idea?† Yes. Those had been the exact words, the real words that Misao had spoken. Elena heard her own voice, repeating the words distinctly now. And then she felt something like an arc of lightning leave her mind – only to meet another's not far away. The next thing she knew her eyes were flying open in surprise because Bonnie was speaking in that blank toneless way she always did when making a prophecy: â€Å"Each half of the fox key is shaped like a single fox, with two ears, two eyes, and a snout. The two fox key halves are gold and covered with gems – and their eyes are green. The key you seek is yet in the Silver Nightingale's instrument.† â€Å"Bonnie!† Elena said. She could see that Bonnie's knees were trembling, her eyes unfocused. Then they opened and Elena watched as confusion surged in to fill the blankness. â€Å"What's going on?† Bonnie said, looking around to see everyone looking at her. â€Å"What – what happened?† â€Å"You told us what the fox keys look like!† Elena couldn't help this exclamation – almost a shout of joy. Now that they knew what they were looking for they could free Stefan; they would free Stefan. Nothing would stop Elena now. Bonnie had just helped move this quest to an entirely different level. But while she was quaking inside with joy at the prophecy, Meredith, in her own level-headed way, was taking care of the prophet. Meredith said quietly, â€Å"She's probably going to faint. Would you please†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Meredith didn't have to ask further, for the vampires, Damon and Sage, were each quick enough to catch and support Bonnie on opposite sides. Damon was staring down at the diminutive girl in surprise. â€Å"Thanks, Meredith,† Bonnie said, and let out a breath, blinking. â€Å"I don't think I'll faint,† she added, and then with a glance up at Damon through her lashes, â€Å"But it's probably just as well to make sure.† Damon nodded and got a better grip, looking serious. Sage turned half away, seeming to have something stuck in his throat. â€Å"What did I say? I don't remember!† And after Elena had solemnly repeated Bonnie's words it was just like Meredith to say, â€Å"You're sure now, Bonnie? Does that sound right?† â€Å"I'm sure. I'm positive,† Elena cut in. She was positive. The Goddess Ishtar and Bonnie had unlocked the past for her and shown her the key. â€Å"All right. What if Bonnie and Sage and I take this room, and two of us can be distracting the steward, while the third looks in the harps for keys?† Meredith suggested. â€Å"Right. Let's do it!† Elena said. Meredith's plan proved to be more difficult in practice than it sounded. Even with two glorious young girls in the room and one terminally fit guy, the steward kept spinning in little circles and catching one or another of them handling and peering into a harp. Naturally, the handling was strictly forbidden. It put the harps further out of tune and it could easily damage them, especially since the only way to make absolutely sure that a small golden key was not in a harp's sound box was to actually shake the harp and listen for rattling. Worse, each of the harps was displayed in its own little nook, complete with dramatic lighting, a flamboyant painted screen behind it (most of them portraits of Fazina playing the harp in question), and a plush red rope across the front of the nook that said â€Å"Keep Out† as plainly as a sign. In the end Bonnie, Meredith, and Sage resorted to having Sage Influence the steward to be entirely passive – something he was only able to do for a few minutes of time, or the steward would notice the gaps in Lady Fazina's program. They would then each frantically search harps while the steward stood like a wax figure. Meanwhile Damon and Elena were wandering the palace, looking through the rest of the mansion that was off-limits to visitors. If they found nothing, they intended to search the more available rooms as the gala continued. It was dangerous work, this stealing in and out of darkened, cordoned-off – often locked – empty rooms: dangerous and strangely thrilling to Elena. Somehow, it seemed that fear and passion were more closely related than she had fully realized. Or at least, it seemed that way with her and Damon. Elena couldn't help noticing and admiring little things about him. He seemed to be able to pick any lock with a single little implement he produced from inside his black jacket, the way other people produce fountain pens, and he had such a swift, graceful way of taking the pick out and putting it back in. Economy of motion, she knew, earned by living for around five centuries. Also, no one could argue it: Damon seemed to keep his head in any situation, which made them a good pair right now when she was striding around like a goddess who could not be bound by the rules of mortals. This was even enhanced by the scares she got: shapes that looked like guards or sentries looming up at her turned out to be a stuffed bear, a slim cupboard, and something Damon didn't allow her more than a glimpse of, but what looked like a mummified human. Damon wasn't fazed by any of them. If I could just channel some more Power to my eyes, Elena thought, and things immediately brightened up. Her Power was obeying her! God! I'll have to wear this dress for the rest of my life: it makes me feel so†¦powerful. So†¦unashamed. I'll have to wear it to college, if I ever get to college, to impress my professors; and to Stefan's and my wedding – just so people understand I'm not a slut; and – to the beach, just to give the guys something to ogle†¦ She stifled a giggle and was surprised to see Damon glance with mock reproach at her. Of course, he was as closely focused on her as she was on him. But it was a slightly different case, of course, because, to his eyes, she wore a big label with STRAWBERRY JAM written on it, tied around her neck. And he was getting hungry again. Very hungry. Next time I'm going to see that you eat properly before you go out, she thought at him. Let's worry about succeeding this time before we start planning for next time, he returned, with just the faintest firefly hint of his 250-kilowatt smile. But it was all mixed in, of course, with a little of the sardonic triumph that Damon always carried with him. Elena swore to herself that laugh at her as he might, beg her as he might, threaten or cajole as he might, she wouldn't give Damon the satisfaction of even one nip tonight. He could just pop the top off another jam pot, she thought. Eventually, the sweet music of the concert was stilled and Elena and Damon dashed back to meet with Bonnie, Meredith, and Sage in the Harpery Hall. Elena could have guessed the news by Bonnie's stance, even if she hadn't already known from Sage's silence. But the news was worse than Elena could have imagined: not only had the three found nothing in the Harpery Hall, but they had finally resorted to quizzing the steward, who could speak, if not move, under Sage's Influence. â€Å"And guess what he told us,† Bonnie said, and added before anyone could venture a word, â€Å"Those harps are each cleaned and tuned every single day. Fazina has, like, a whole army of servants for them. And anything, anything that didn't belong to a harp would be reported at once. And nothing has been! It just isn't there!† Elena felt herself shrink from omniscient goddess to baffled human. â€Å"I was worried it would be like this,† she admitted, sighing. â€Å"It would have been just too easy the other way. All right, Plan B. You mingle with the gala guests, trying to get a look at each room that's open to the public. Try to dazzle Fazina's consort and pump him for information. See if Misao and Shinichi have been here recently. Damon and I will keep looking in the rooms that are supposed to be closed off.† â€Å"That's so dangerous,† Meredith said, frowning. â€Å"I'm afraid of what the penalty might be if you're caught.† â€Å"I'm afraid of what the penalty might be to Stefan if we don't find this key tonight,† Elena retorted shortly, and turned on her heel, leaving. Damon followed her. They searched endless darkened rooms, now not even knowing whether they were looking for a harp or something else. First Damon would check if there were a breathing body inside the room (there might be a vampire guard, of course, but there wasn't much to do about that), then he picked the lock. Things were working seamlessly until they reached a room at the end of a long hall facing west – Elena had long since gotten lost in the palace, but she could unerringly tell west, because it was where the bloated sun hung. Damon had picked the lock of this room and Elena had originally started forward eagerly. She searched the room, which contained, frustratingly, a silver-framed picture of a harp, but with nothing as bulky as the half of the fox key inside it, even when she had carefully used Damon's lock pick to unscrew the backing. It was while she was placing this picture back on the wall that they both heard the thump. Elena winced, praying that none of the black-suited â€Å"security servants† who roamed the palace had heard the noise. Damon quickly put a hand over her mouth and dialed the gaslight knob into darkness. But they both could hear it now†¦footsteps approaching from outside in the hallway. Someone had heard the thump. The footsteps stopped outside the door and there was the distinct sound of an upper servant's discreet cough. Elena whirled, feeling in that moment as if Wings of Redemption were within her reach. It would only require the slightest rise in adrenaline and she would have the security worker on his or her knees, sobbing in the penitence of a lifetime's work at evil. Elena and Damon would be gone before – But Damon had another idea, and Elena was startled into going along with it. When the door opened silently a moment later, the steward found a couple locked in such a tight embrace that they seemed not even to notice the intrusion. Elena could practically feel his indignation. The desire of a couple of guests to discreetly embrace in the privacy of Lady Fazina's many public rooms was understandable, but this was part of the private household. As he turned the lights up, Elena peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. Her psychic senses were open enough to catch his thoughts. He was going over the valuables in the room with an experienced but bored gaze. The exquisite miniature vase with the trailing roses picked out in rubies and emerald-encrusted vines; the magically preserved 5,000-year-old wooden Sumerian lyre; the twin pair of solid gold candlesticks in the shape of rearing dragons; the Egyptian funerary mask with its dark, elongated eyeholes seeming to watch out of its brilliantly painted features†¦all were here. It wasn't even as if her ladyship kept anything of great value here, but still, â€Å"This room is not part of the public display,† he told Damon, who merely clasped Elena closer. Yes, Damon seemed very determined to put on a good show for the steward†¦or something like that. But hadn't they already†¦done so? Elena's thoughts were losing coherency. The last thing†¦the very last thing that they could afford†¦was to†¦lose the chance of†¦finding the fox key. Elena started to pull away, and then realized that she mustn't. Mustn't. Not couldn't. She was property, expensive property to be sure, decked out the way she was tonight, but Damon's to dispose of as he chose. While someone else was looking on, she must not seem to disobey her master's wishes. Still, Damon was taking this too far†¦farther than he had ever taken liberties with her, although, she thought wryly, he didn't know that. He was caressing the skin left unprotected by the ivory goddess dress, her arms, her back, even her hair. He knew how she liked that, how she could somehow feel it when her hair was held and the ends caressed softly or gently crushed in a fist. Damon! She was down to the last resort now: pleading. Damon, if they detain us, or do anything to us that keeps us from finding the key tonight – when will we have another chance?†¦She let him feel her desperation, her guilt, even the treacherous desire she had to forget everything and let each minute carry her further on this wave of ardor that he had created. Damon, I'll†¦say it if you want. I'm†¦begging you. Elena could feel her eyes prickling as tears flooded them. No tears. Elena heard Damon's telepathic voice gratefully. There was something strange about it, though. It couldn't be starvation – he'd had her blood not much more than two hours ago. And it wasn't passion, for she could hear – and sense – that, all too clearly. Yet Damon's telepathic voice was so taut with control that it almost frightened her. More, she knew he could feel that it frightened her and that he chose to do nothing about it. No explanation. No exploration, either, she realized as she found that behind the control, his mind was entirely shut to her. The only thing she could liken the feeling that she got from his steely control was pain. Pain that was just on the edge of the endurable. But from what? Elena wondered helplessly. What could cause him pain like that? Elena couldn't waste their time on wondering what was wrong with Damon. She turned up the Power of her own hearing and began to listen at the doors before they entered. It was while she was listening that suddenly a new idea solidified in Elena's mind, and she stopped Damon in a pitch-dark hallway and tried to explain to him what kind of room she was looking for. What, in modern days, would be called a â€Å"home office.† Damon, familiar with the architecture of great mansions, took her, after only a few false starts, into what was clearly a lady's writing room. Elena's eyes were by now as keen as his in the dimness as they searched by the light of a single candle. While Elena was being frustrated after searching a remarkable desk with pigeonholes for secret drawers, and not finding any, Damon was checking the hallway. â€Å"I hear someone outside,† he said. â€Å"I think it's time to leave now.† But Elena was still looking. And – as her eyes raced across the room – she saw a small writing desk with an old-fashioned chair and an assortment of various pens, from ancient to modern, flaunting themselves from elaborate holders. â€Å"Let's go while it's still clear,† Damon murmured impatiently. â€Å"Yes,† Elena said distractedly. â€Å"All right†¦Ã¢â‚¬  And then she saw. Without an instant's hesitation she strode across the room to the desk and picked up a pen with a brilliant silver plume. It wasn't a genuine quill pen, of course; it was a fountain pen made to look elegant and old-fashioned – with a plume. The pen itself was curved to fit her hand, and the wood felt warm. â€Å"Elena, I don't feel very†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Damon, shhh,† Elena said, ignoring him, too absorbed in what she was doing to really hear. First: try to write. No go. Something was blocking the cartridge. Second: unscrew the fountain-pen carefully, as if to refill its cartridge, while all the time her heart was clamoring in her ears and her hands were shaking. Keep moving slowly†¦don't miss anything†¦for God's sake don't let anything fall away and bounce in this dimness. The two parts of the pen parted in her hand†¦ †¦and onto the dark green desk pad fell a small, heavy, curved piece of metal. It had just fit inside the widest part of the pen. She had it in her hand and was reassembling the pen before she could get a good look at it. But then†¦she had to open her hand and see. The small crescent-shaped object dazzled her eyes in the light, but it was just like the description Bonnie had given Elena and Meredith. A tiny representation of a fox with a nominal body and a jewel-encrusted head that sported two flat ears. The eyes were two sparkling green stones. Emeralds? â€Å"Alexandrite,† Damon said in a bedroom whisper. â€Å"Folklore has it that they change color in candlelight or firelight. They reflect the flame.† Elena, who had been leaning back against him, recalled with a chill the way Damon's eyes had reflected flame when he had been possessed: the bloodred flame of the malach – of Shinichi's cruelty. â€Å"So,† Damon demanded, â€Å"how did you do it?† â€Å"This is really one of the two pieces of the fox key?† â€Å"Well, it's hardly something that belongs in a fountain pen. Maybe it's a Crackerjack prize. But you went right to it the moment we entered the room. Even vampires need time to think, my precious princess.† Elena shrugged. â€Å"It's too easy, actually. When it was clear that all those harp keys were no goes, I asked myself what else was an instrument that you'd find in someone's house. A pen is a writing instrument. Then I just had to find out whether Lady Fazina had a study or writing room.† Damon let out a breath. â€Å"Hell's demons, you little innocent. You know what I've been looking for? Trap doors. Secret entries to dungeons. The only other instrument I could think of was an ‘instrument of torture' and you'd be surprised at how many of them you'll find in this fair city.† â€Å"But not in her house – !† Elena's voice rose dangerously, and they were both silent a moment to make up for it, listening, on tenterhooks, for any sound from the hallway. There was none. Elena let out her breath. â€Å"Quick! Where, where will it be safe?† She was realizing that the one fault of the goddess dress was that there was absolutely no place to hide anything. She'd have to speak to Lady Ulma about that for next time. â€Å"Down, down in the pocket of my jeans,† Damon said, seeming to be as urgent and shaking as badly as she was. When he had jammed it deep into the recesses of his black Armani jeans he caught her by both hands. â€Å"Elena! Do you realize? We've done it. We've actually done it!† â€Å"I know!† Tears were leaking out of Elena's eyes and all of Lady Fazina's music seemed to be swelling in one great, perfect chord. â€Å"We did it together!† And then somehow – like all the other â€Å"somehows† that were getting to be a habit with them, Elena was in Damon's arms, sliding her own arms under his jacket to feel his warmth, his solidity. She wasn't surprised, either, to feel a double piercing at her throat when she dropped her head back: her lovely panther was really only a little tamed, and needed to learn a few basics of dating etiquette; such as you kiss before you bite. He had said he was hungry earlier, she remembered, and she had ignored him, too enthralled by the silver pen to put the words together. But she put them together now, and understood – except why he seemed to be so exceptionally hungry tonight. Maybe even†¦excessively hungry. Damon, she thought gently, you're taking a lot. She could feel no response but the raw hunger of the panther. Damon, this could be dangerous†¦for me. This time Elena put as much Power as she could into the words she sent. Still no response from Damon, but she was floating now, down into darkness. And that gave her the vague thread of an idea. Where are you? Are you here? she called, picturing the little boy. And then she saw him, chained to his boulder, curled up in a ball, with his fists covering his eyes. What's wrong? Elena asked immediately, floating near to him, concerned. He's hurting! He's hurting! Are you hurt? Show me, Elena said instantly. No! He's hurting you. He could kill you! Husshh. Husshhh. She tried to cradle him. We have to make him hear us! All right, Elena said. She really was feeling odd and weak. But she turned, along with the child, and cried voicelessly: Damon! Please! Elena says stop! And a miracle happened. Both she and the child could feel it. The little sting of fangs being withdrawn. The stop of energy flow from Elena to Damon. And then, ironically, the miracle began to take her away from the child, with whom she really wanted to speak. No! Wait! she tried to tell Damon, clinging to the child's hands as hard as she could, but she was being catapulted back to consciousness as if by a hurricane. The darkness faded. In its place was a room, too bright, its one candle blazing like a police searchlight aimed directly at her. She shut her eyes and felt the warmth and heaviness of the corporeal Damon in her arms. â€Å"I'm sorry! Elena, can you speak? I didn't realize how much – † There was something wrong with Damon's voice. Then she understood. Damon's fangs were unretracted. Wha – ? Everything was wrong. They'd been so happy, but – but now her right arm felt wet. Elena pulled away from Damon entirely, staring at her arms, which were red and with something that wasn't paint. She was still too worked up to ask questions properly. She slipped behind Damon and pulled his black leather jacket off him. In the brilliant light she could see his black silk shirt marred by line after line of dried, partially dried, or just plain wet blood. â€Å"Damon!† Her first reaction was horror without a touch of guilt or understanding. â€Å"What happened? Did you get in a fight? Damon, tell me!† And then something in her mind presented her with a number. Since she had been a child, she had been able to count. In fact. she'd learned to count to ten before her first birthday. Therefore, she'd had seventeen full years of learning to count the number of irregular, deep, still-bleeding cuts in Damon's back. Ten. Elena looked down at her own bloody arms and at the goddess dress, which was now the horror dress because its pure milky whiteness was marred with brilliant red. Red that should have been her blood. Red that must have felt like sword slashes into Damon's back as he channeled the pain and the marks of the Night of her Discipline from her to him. And he carried me all the way home. The thought came swimming in from nowhere. Without a word about it. I would never have known†¦. And he still hasn't healed. Will he ever heal? That was when she started screaming on all frequencies.

How does Elizabeth Bennet contradict the typical image of an 18th century woman? Essay

The 18th century women of Jane Austen’s pages and of her times lived a gentle, sheltered and delicate life. The rules of conduct especially in relation to women were defined and strict. All women were expected to be courteous, decent, fragile, polite, refined, modest and respectable, have â€Å"good breeding†, impeccable manners and perfect social etiquette. Women were limited to very few activities- mainly drawing, singing and dancing. They had to be accomplished in every sense of the word. An accomplished â€Å"woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages to deserve the word: and besides all this she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions, or the word will be half deserved.† Such were the requirements that society asked of every woman if she wanted to hold a place of her own in the marriage rat race. Elizabeth Bennet, the twenty-year-old heroine of the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and the second oldest of the Bennet sisters, has all these qualities in her. However she is superior to all the other women that are presented to us in the novel. She is ‘accomplished’ and beautiful but unlike other women, she does not show-off at every opportunity. She is not a hypocrite or a snob like Caroline Bingley, or â€Å"ignorant, idle and vain† like her youngest sister Lydia or tactless and insensitive like her own mother, who is the butt of her husband’s sarcasm. Elizabeth is the fast favourite of her father and has inherited his wit, intelligence and independence. Through Elizabeth, Jane Austen mocks the snobbery, hypocrisy and materialism of many people like Caroline Bingley, Lady Catherine, Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins. Elizabeth is fully aware of the shortcomings of her mother and her younger sisters. She is ashamed at her mother’s embarrassing lack of refinement and discretion, which are demonstrated firstly at the Netherfield ball when she makes a premature public announcement that Jane Bennet is to marry Mr. Charles Bingley, and secondly, by her disdainful treatment of Mr. Darcy, her social superior. Mrs. Bennet’s lack of good breeding, intelligence and sense of humour is very evident. â€Å"The solace† of her life was â€Å"visiting and news†. She loved a good gossip, which is rather typical of a woman- 18th century or otherwise. Gossiping was a major pastime for women and we can see how fast information gets around town. Mrs. Philips, the sister of Mrs. Bennet, provides her with the gossip around Meryton. It was Mrs. Philips who informed Mrs. Bennet about Mr. Bingley buying Netherfield, the talk around Meryton about Lydia’s scandal and Mr. Bingley’s return to Netherfield. However not all women indulged in gossip. We do not see Jane or Elizabeth interfering with other people’s business. â€Å"If it was to be a secret, say not another word on the subject. You may depend on my seeking no further.† Their attitude differs from their mother. Then again, it was a ‘necessity’ for Mrs. Bennet to keep tabs on everything going around because any information might help in race to get her five daughters married off. We can see the importance of marriage in the 18th century clearly through Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Lucas. Their main occupation is arranging for their daughters to be married to rich husbands. This desire governs Mrs. Bennet’s life. â€Å"The business of her life was to get her daughters married.† The immoral behaviour of her youngest daughter Lydia is of no importance to her once the wedding had been announced. Instead Mrs. Bennet’s immediate concern is the wedding clothes which Lydia may buy after she is married. However Mrs. Bennet’s desire to get her daughters married off as soon as possible are based on economic facts since they would not inherit any money after their father’s death. Wealth was the main criteria for a ‘successful’ and ‘secure’ marriage and that was what Mrs. Bennet, like all other mothers, looked for in prospective grooms. Love and happiness did not matter much or in fact, at all. As Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte Lucas put it â€Å"Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.† This was a very common attitude in the 18th century. Charlotte accepts the proposal of Mr. Collins, a pompous and foolish man even though she knows that the two of them are incompatible. However she is a practical and sensible person and she is aware of her poor financial state and of her age, at twenty-seven she was considered to be an â€Å"old maid†, and thus was prepared to marry solely for the sake of money. This shows us that very few options were open to a woman in Charlotte’s position. She could either become a governess or a companion to a lady or just remain at home, reducing her younger sisters chances of being married. Jane Austen uses the theme of â€Å"Love and Marriage† to show us how the whole of a woman’s life revolved around marriage. From the time she is born, she is trained and tutored to be a â€Å"perfect wife†. She is thought how to sit, stand, walk, talk, eat, drink, dance, sing, draw, and sew in the hope of securing a good, wealthy husband. Elizabeth Bennet is perfect in her manners, her expressions and her â€Å"civility†. But I find her very different from the conventional 18th century woman because of her ideals on love and marriage. She has all the necessary ‘qualifications’ of an eligible spinster but chooses not to marry for the sake of it. Elizabeth remarks, â€Å"One has got all the goodness, the other all the appearance of it†, referring to Wickham and Darcy. Here the difference between appearance and reality is highlighted. The ease with which even sharp people like Elizabeth could be deceived by appearance was a real danger in Jane Austen’s society, with all its emphasis on manners and breeding, and with its strict code of public behaviour. People like Wickham who could â€Å"perform† well in public were judged on that rather than on their true characters. Elizabeth’s pride and her prejudice blind her to Wickham’s faults and lead her to accept his slanderous portrayal of Darcy.. â€Å"She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me;† is what Darcy said of Elizabeth at their first meeting. This hurt combined with the knowledge of Darcy’s hand in separating Jane and Bingley leaves Elizabeth with a strong dislike for Darcy. Therefore when Darcy proposes to her she is thunderstruck and dismisses him to be â€Å"the last man in the world I could be prevailed upon to marry†. I think Elizabeth’s rejection of Darcy’s proposal a very brave thing to do because it would have been considered sacrilege, keeping in mind the importance given to money in the 18th century. She impresses both Darcy and the readers with her wit and liveliness. Darcy, while maintaining that Elizabeth’s manners are â€Å"not those of the fashionable world†, is nevertheless attracted to her spirit and an independence of mind. However by the end of the novel Elizabeth accepts that not all â€Å"first impressions† can be taken at face value. We can see the themes of â€Å"Appearance versus Reality† and â€Å"Self-realization† being brought out. Elizabeth’s independence of spirit is show by her decision to walk to Netherfield in order to visit her sister. It is looked upon as a monstrous thing that Elizabeth Bennet should walk three miles on a country road, and Miss Bingley criticizes her exclaiming â€Å"to walk three miles, or whatever it is, above her ankles in dirt, and alone, quite alone! It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most country-town indifference to decorum. She looked almost wild!† This sneering remark of Caroline Bingley shows us the typical 18th century woman mentality. Elizabeth’s behaviour is considered to be â€Å"unorthodox† and very â€Å"unladylike† since she walked, unescorted all the way from Meryton to Netherfield just to see her sick sister. This shows us that Elizabeth places her sister before any social rules of etiquette. Elizabeth’s affectionate nature is demonstrated by her close relationship with her elder sister Jane, whose sensitive and compassionate nature she admires. It has been suggested that Elizabeth and Jane’s relationship mirrors the close relationship the author had with her own sister Cassandra. However Jane is different from Elizabeth in her gentle nature, which is so pleasant and amiable that it is almost a failing due to her unquestioning acceptance of others. Elizabeth is more outspoken and prides herself to be a good judge of character. Her perception does not allow her to be taken in by the superficial and two- faced Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst who are proud and rich and make their superior social rank known. They are introduced as â€Å"fine women with a decided air of fashion.† To belong to a family whose fortune was made in trade was to belong to an inferior class. It is ironic to see Miss Bingley and her sister criticizing Jane for having an uncle with trade connections, when their own fortune was gained through trade. In the 18th century society, Miss Bingley and her sister are called ‘ladies’ as they fulfill all the requirements: they have money, beauty and are accomplished. But as Elizabeth notes, with irony, that they were: â€Å"in every respect entitled to think well of themselves†¦Ã¢â‚¬  their subsequent behaviour, particularly with regard to the Bennets is far from ‘ladylike’. Jane Austen here reveals the theme of â€Å"Appearance versus Reality† again and also shows us, through Miss Bingley behaviour, that ‘manners’ are a better indication of ‘breeding’ than birth into an upper-class family. The character of Lady Catherine de Bourgh proves this point again. She is an overbearing, self-important, and controlling aristocrat who has a narrow-minded, unpleasant and selfish manner. She feels that her rank as a ‘Lady’ gives her a right to meddle in other people’s affairs. Everyone is in awe of her except for Elizabeth, since she attaches little importance to rank for its own sake. Elizabeth stands up to her and senses that she must be the first person to ever have done so. This shows us that Elizabeth is not afraid to stand up for herself especially when Lady Catherine attempts to persuade her not to marry Darcy. Elizabeth’s defiance shocks Lady Catherine who makes her reasons for objecting to their marriage very clear. She says â€Å"honour, decorum, prudence, nay, interest, forbid it†- all reasons which Darcy had declared that he had overcome when he proposed to Elizabeth at Hunsford. Elizabeth’s choice of love reflects her desire to find a husband who matches her in terms of character and taste. Elizabeth’s relationship with Darcy is beyond what any other couples share in the novel â€Å"Pride and Prejudice†. The bond between Elizabeth and Darcy is â€Å"rationally founded†, based on â€Å"excellent understanding† and â€Å"general similarity of feeling and taste.† Elizabeth likes Darcy for the fact that he has no airs about him and he is honest, frank and very similar to her in character. Darcy in return is impressed by Elizabeth physical and mental energy and by her sharp wit and her ability to laugh at misfortune and her optimism. Jane Austen uses Elizabeth as her mouthpiece when she says, â€Å"I hope I never ridicule what is wise or good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can.† Elizabeth is like Jane Austen in that she is shown to be interested in the human character. Unlike other women of her times, Elizabeth has a good sense of humour and possesses the ability to laugh at herself. Austen’s sense of humour and intelligence allow her to show the reader the â€Å"follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies,† of her characters. The way Austen presents Lydia and Mrs. Bennet are a good example of this. She does this without being unfair, as she laughs not at them but at what they do. Her use of irony and satire are more serious; she uses them to show meaning without telling the reader directly and to make fun of things, especially those with social importance and meaning. The tone of â€Å"Pride and Prejudice† is li ght, satirical and vivid. We can still, despite the vast differences between her 18th century society and our own 21st century society, recognize ourselves in the way her characters think and behave. We all know people as cleverly manipulative and outwardly affectionate as Miss Bingley; as self-involved as Lady Catherine de Bourgh; and as charming but as lacking in principles as Wickham. We conceal ourselves with arrogance like Darcy; assume we understand more than we do like Elizabeth and revel in gossip Like Mrs. Bennet. And the very fact that Jane Austen’s characters are so relatable to makes the novel all the more readable. Her writing also appealed to me because of its simplicity. I do not mean to say that her work is easy to understand, but that she uses ‘simple’ English. I found the character of Elizabeth to be very intricately designed for she has timeless appeal. She is by no means perfect but is by far the closest to perfection among all the other women in the novel. Elizabeth is vivacious, teasing, sensitive, perceptive and filled with sparkling beauty and wit. Her dialogues are full of intelligence and precisely crafted often to convey subtle meanings. Elizabeth is Jane Austen’s best, most loved and certainly most popular creation. â€Å"I must confess I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print†, wrote Austen of Elizabeth; few readers have ever disagreed. Elizabeth Bennet contradicts the image of the typical 18th century woman who is born and brought up only with marriage in mind. She has a mind of her own and quite a sharp one at that. She captures and captivates not only Darcy but the readers as well. She has all the qualities in her that were desired in a ‘perfect’ wife. But besides these she has a certain ‘something’ in her that no other woman has. She is a woman far beyond her time and would not seem out of place in today’s world, two centuries later. I think Jane Austen has really created a marvelous masterpiece, which will always survive the changing demands of literature.

Smed, Continuous Improvement Activity for Crank Changeove

GM INDIA POWERTRAIN PROJECT TRAINEE TOPIC SUMMARY Name of Trainee: SYAMLAL. A. R Qualification: Mechanical Engineering Institute: National Institute of Technology, Calicut Project Guide: Vinayak Angane Title of the project: SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die), continuous improvement activity for crank changeover process. Brief Description of the project: Use SMED techniques to reduce changeover time through system for crank machining to throughput simulation approved levels. Activities to be performed by trainee: * Update crank changeover board to reflect the current. Create and manage tracking sheet of changeover issues and countermeasures. * Measure changeover times by operation. * Get changeover within ‘OEM’ specified timing by end of project. Learning/Expectation of the trainee at the end of term: * Understand process of manufacturing crankshaft. * Understand how to implement continuous improvement process on shop floor. * SMED research and implementation. ACKNOWLED GEMENT I would like to express my gratitude to all the people in the General Motors Power Train department for helping me with my project.I would like to thank the Human resources managers who gave me an opportunity to undertake such a project in a world renowned company as General Motors. I would also like to thank all the operators who passed on all the knowledge that they could in two months to help me understand all the processes. They also helped me in various situations where it seemed that my project would come to a standstill, giving me exactly what I needed to go on. Next I would like to thank the each and every single person in the crank line who helped me and guided me in every step.They provided me with the resources and made suggestions that helped me improve and build a base for my ideas. I would also like to thank my fellow project trainee who had much more experience than me. He helped me to take off on my own path to completing the project with his valuable suggesti on and ideas. Above all I would like to thank him for being a very good friend at the hour of need. I cannot fail to mention the undying support of Mr Kisan Kapse, Mr Prashant Kurde and Mr Bharat Sawant who helped me in every stage of the project. They were of great help in difficult times.I am deeply in debt to them whose stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in times. Last but not the least I would like to thank my project guide Mr Vinayak Angane who looked closely throughout the project, correcting and offering suggestions for improvement. He took time off his busy schedule to explore me with alternate approaches to my problem and with ideas that could never have occurred to me on my own. INTRODUCTION The General Motors powertrain in Pune machines cam carrier, cylinder Head, cylinder block and crankshaft. GMI powertrain in Pune is a level IV flex plant.This power train plant is the one and only Level IV Flex plant in India. A level IV flex plant means that the plant can machine different types of the same component in the same machine. This is done by changing the die holding the component and also changing the program mentioning where to machine. My project revolves around the SMED of crankshaft. Some different parts constitute of the Cylinder block, Cylinder head & the Crankshaft. The crankshaft is the part of an engine which translates reciprocatinglinearpiston motion into rotation.Basically the crankshaft powers the engine. Crankshafts can be monolithic (made in a single piece) or assembled from several pieces. Monolithic crankshafts are most common, but some smaller and larger engines use assembled crankshafts. The different types of crank made in GM Powertrain Talegeon plant are 1. 0 xSDE, 1. 2 BDOHC, 1. 3 xSDE and 1. 4 BDOHC. SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) is a method for rapidly and efficiently converting a process from running the current product to running the next product. SMED is also often referred to a Quick Changeover.The SMED method can, and often is, used in starting up a process and rapidly getting it to running condition with minimum waste of time. SETUP CHANGE / CHANGEOVER Setup change/ Changeover is preparation, execution of activities in work station which includes hardware changes, sometimes software changes e. g. : locator centres, chuck jaws, steady program calling etc. to produce good to good parts. Change over time is defined as the time difference of the last product produced and the next new product produced with the right quality and at the right speed. The production capacity of a plant is determined by the changeover time.Unless the changeover time is reduced to the bottleneck the production can’t meet the target Production sites with long setup times are characterised by * Low flexibility of the component * Large batch sizes * High levels of stock If we decrease the setup change time then we could use the extra capacity either to increase productivity or to decrease the batch sizes. There are many benefits likereduction in lead time and therefore increased, improved and faster delivery, higher productivity and therefore satisfying customer needs faster, Reduction in working capital, less disturbances etc.SINGLE MINUITE EXCHANGE OF DIE (SMED) The process of changing die is called Single Minute Die Exchange (SMED). Single-Minute Exchange of Die  (SMED) is one of the many  lean production  methods for reducing waste in a manufacturing process. It provides a rapid and efficient way of converting a manufacturing process from running the current product to running the next product. This rapid changeover is the key to reducing production lot sizes and thereby improving flow. The phrase â€Å"single minute† does not mean that all changeovers and start-ups should take only one minute, but that they should take less than 10 minutes.In short it should be a single digit number. The different features of SMED are: * It is a systematic approach that decr eases disturbances and problems * The main factor that can lead to its success are team work & creativity * SMED methods are used for exchange of dies, but it can also be used for cleaning and for maintenance purposes. IMPORTANCE OF REDUCING CHANGEOVER TIME Reducing changeover time is like adding capacity, increasing profitability and can help most manufacturers gain a competitive edge.Image a pit crew changing the tires on a race car. Team members pride themselves on reducing changeover by even tenths of a second because it means that their driver is on the road faster and in a better position to win. The same philosophy applies to manufacturing – the quicker you are producing the next scheduled product, the more competitive you are. Reducing changeover times is a fundamental requirement of any company to take lead over the other in production and maintaining top position.By understanding the principles and practices of the SMED system organisations will be able to cut chang eovers by over 50% with very little expenditure, and to single minutes with the modification of tooling and fastening systems. Single Minute Exchange of Dies can be applied to any changeover operation and aims to reduce the overall downtime for a complete changeover to less than nine minutes. An understanding of the operational benefits to be gained from the fast exchange of tooling. The interaction of a multi-disciplined workforce constructively looking to eliminate waste from the changeover process.How unstable setups can adversely affect subsequent operations and how standard operating procedure can eliminate these concerns. A team approach in understanding the methodology used in applying SMED through theoretical explanation and practical involvement in actual changeovers. SMED IMPLEMENTATION To successfully implement SMED in a system is a difficult task. Therefore to successfully guarantee the implementation of the process, the following steps should be followed closely. STEP 1 – FOCUS * Start by choosing the right equipment to start with. . This is normally a bottle-neck with long set-up times STEP 2 – BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM Work cross-functional. Operators, Technicians, Engineers and Managers should worktogether STEP 3 – MEASURE AND SET GOALS * Visualize the present situation and agree on a common goal STEP 4 – 5S * To succeed you will need a clean and well organized work-place. A 5S implementation is recommended. This process will be explained in detail as we move ahead. STEP 5 – ANALYSIS * Keenly observe the operations and processes. Analyze the present situation video-technique. The different moments are classified as being external or internal and waste or not waste. All known disturbances are listed as well.STEP 6 – SEPARATION BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MOMENTS * The purpose is to secure that all external set-ups are performed when the machine is running. Use checklists, function controls and improved tran sports. For example collect necessary tools and consumables before the next operation starts up or sharp the tools before activity starts. STEP 7 – ELIMINATION OF WASTE * Measures are carried out to reduce all types of waste. This includes: * Elimination of all need for adjustments. * Exchange of bolts for quick-fasteners. * Standardized parts, tools, dimensions Need for quality control STEP 8 – FOLLOW UP AND IMPROVE * Each changeover should be so planned that it is better and faster than the previous one. Each changeover should be analysed and properly documented which includes suggestion that could make it faster THE 5S SYSTEM â€Å"5S† is a method to create a safer, cleaner, and better-organized workplace. The five S in the process stand for: * SET IN ORDER The principle here is to keep things in their proper places. One guide to proper placement is to keep frequently-used items handy, and store other things where they can be found.In reference to a workplace , it means: At present the tools required for the changeover process are stored in red tool carts and the carts are kept in a specific location for easy access. The tool carts are rolled to the machine where changeover is taking place at the required time. SORT Every tool which is used for a changeover process must be tagged and identified properly. All the operators involved in the changeover must be aware of the location and purpose of the tool. SHINY CLEAN This is the exception – the only one-time activity in the 5S method. This stage has two goals: Determine and gain agreement on the desired level of cleanliness * Learn how to make new routines so this will become standardized STANDARDIZED CLEANUP In this phase consider the sources of dirt: air-borne dust; sawdust or other dry powder from cutting operations; splatter from wet processes; or simple trash because there is no proper container. A practical target is to have all workers take five minutes every day to tidy up af ter themselves – including the time to complete and sign the checklists. Supervisors should monitor compliance with the clean-up. The checklists make this both important and achievable.SUSTAIN This phase is perhaps the most important concept that includes instilled discipline, self-discipline, common cultural values, and self-motivated practice to improve. This step requires continued management support and communication. It brings out the leadership qualities of the employees and also improves their human values too. All these activities should be followed up on a regular basis with full commitment and hard work from all operators as well as managers for SMED to be a success. ACTIVITIES PERFORMED * Understood process of manufacturing crankshaftUnderstood the process of manufacturing crankshaft with the process flow of current status and different machines involved. * Understood activities performed by different machines OP 10:Machine: HELLER * Mill the lengths * Centring * O rbital and hollow milling OP 20:Machine: HELLER * Rough milling of mains/pins incl. * Counter weights and incl. * Rough diameter of mains and pins OP 25:Machine: HELLER * Broaching of mains and journals OP 30:Machine: HELLER * Outer Diameter milling of pins OP 40 (A & B):Machine: NTC * Drill and camphor oil holes OP 50:Machine: ELOTHERM * Washing Hardening (only for xSDE) * Tempering (only for xSDE) OP 60:Machine: HEGENSCHIEDL * Deep rolling * Strengthening OP 70:Machine: NTC * Recenter both ends OP 80:Machine: NILES-SIMMONS * Finish turning * Thrust face and hub outer diameter and post end shoulder * Post process measuring OP 100 (A & B):Machine: LANDIS * Grinding mains and pins OP 110 (A & B):Machine: NTC * Ream index holes * Milling keyway * Machine reluctor ring holes and flange holes OP 120:Machine: ROBOTIC * Brush * Check oil holes OP 140:Machine: LANDIS * Grinding Flange and post ends OP 160:Machine: SCHENK BALANCE Balancing OP 170:Machine: SUP FINA * Polish mains and pins * Thrust face and flange outer diameter (2 stations) OP 180:Machine: FINE TEC * Wash and dry OP 190:Machine: HOMMEL * Final inspection (2 stations) OP 200:Machine: MANUAL * Manual assembly of dowel pin SMED FOR CRANKSHAFT CHANGEOVER My project revolves around the changeover process in the crankshaft line. My project activities can be divided into the following: * Documentation of the changeover process for the entire crankshaft line. * Identified and separated internal and external activities for the changeover process. To define separate activities for different operators. My activity here consists of reducing changeover time. TO REDUCE CHANGEOVER TIME USING SMED TECHNIQUES The steps involved in reducing the changeover tie using this method are: 1. Observe the current methodology 2. Document it appropriately 3. Separate the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL activities. Internal activities are those that can only be performed when the process is stopped, while External activities can be done whil e the last batch is being produced, or once the next batch has started.Make sure it is properly documented. 4. Do most of the activities to be done during the changeover to be done when the previous batch is being done or while the buffer is running. 5. Try to simplify each and every process. 6. The procedure as well as the measures taken to simplify the timings should be well documented and easily accessible. 7. Keep a standard improvement percentage for each new changeover. Teamwork, meaning several operators sharing changeover operations in order to minimize the stop time is also scarce.As changeovers take time, cause productivity loss and carry costs, the temptation is to dilute them in changing less often by launching bigger batches. This policy ends up with higher inventories and lower agility for the production. Documented the current changeover process The machine is usually stopped and all changeover operations happen in sequence, while the machine is stopped. The machine w ill start again only after completion of adjustments and trials. Most often all these operations are done without any standard method nor procedures or checklists.This means the changeover sequence, and hence its duration is related to individual know-how, skills and habits. During this stage: * Agreed on the start and end of the changeover * Observed the changeover * Recorded ALL observations * Organized it and created changeover table * Record times for each element The time required for each individual steps were measured and added to the table for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30 and OP 40. Recorded and organized all observations for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30, OP 40, OP 60, OP 70, OP 80, OP 100 and OP 160 and created a table as follows:Separated INTERNAL and EXTERNAL activities Another important process is separating the internal and external activities performed during changeover. This is a serious procedure which must be done with a lot of care, which will help in the reduction of changeover tim e. During this stage: * Identified whether each step in the changeover is ‘internal’ or ‘external’ * INTERNAL activities are those which can be performed only when the machine is stopped (e. g. : removing or clamping jaws) * EXTERNAL activities are those which can occur while the machine is running (e. g. returning tools to storage after use and bringing new tools to the machine) * Separated each step involved in changeover to internal and external Separated activities for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30, OP 40, OP 60, OP 70, OP 80, OP 100 and OP 160 and added in the same table. Different external activities consist of: * Having everything prepared before stopping the machine (checklists) * Any preheating, pre-cleaning, presetting that could be completed * Standardizing changeover parts with attachments/improvements to help speed up centering and securing * Cleaning and keeping new changeover parts to be changedDefined activities for both team members During the next p hase of the project, I defined activities for both the team members involved in the changeover, i. e. the steps that must be performed by first operator and second operator were classified. The thought of parallel operations leads mainly to the following features: * Two or more people doing different jobs at the same time (e. g. : while first operator removing tool, second one bringing tool trolley in position in case of OP 20) Two people working together on one operation (e. g. : Both the operators changing over OP 40 A and OP 40 B simultaneously Others * Recorded the different tools and the auxillary equipments required to complete the changeeover * The different tools used in every step of changeover were noted down. * Bolt size of different allen screws were recorded * Auxillary equipments needed such as torque wrench, ratchet etc. were added in the same tabe * Organized changeover parts in the part trolleyAs part of the implementation of 5S system, inorder to reduce the part se arching time, each and every part involved in the changeover process were photographed. These photos were stick inside the machine tool trolley and hence the part searching time was reduced. * Improving location labeling to make items easier to find * Organized changeover parts in part trolley with photos having part number and part name on them * Hence reducing the time required for accessing the correct part * Deskilling and avoiding confusion SAMPLE PICTURE * The photographs were stick inside the tool trolley For different models, differents racks were provided so as to avoid confusion * In one rack, the space wasseparated inorder to fit to all the parts to be changed over All the above processes helped in reducing the part searching time and also worked as an alternate checklist. Also created a chelist of different parts to be changed for different operations. * Measured changeover time by station * Plotted graph with comparison of actual time taken by station for changeover to simulation * Plotted graph for total time taken for changeover for OP 20 to OP 180 Plotted graph for time taken to changeover from model 1. 0 to 1. 2 for OP 20 to OP 180 * Plotted graph for time taken to changeover from model 1. 0 to 1. 2 for OP 20 to OP 180 Suggestions * Providing power tool for all loosening and tightening processes instead of Allen key * Power tool will reduce about: 15 min for OP 20 3 min for OP 25 9 min for OP 30 * OP 40 * Changeover both OP 40 A and OP 40 B simultaneously * Reduce machine lockout time by making bed flush valve in action which was not noticed earlier * Hence solved problem of chips getting stuck in burr OP 60 * Get power tool * Change the tool tray (boxes) in which rollers are placed * Arrange rollers in boxes in same order that they are to be used * Stick colour codes on box also * Make arrangement loosen minimum number of bolts and adjust measuring probe * Provide power tool for OP 80 will reduce approximately 4 min * OP 160 * Provide a plast ic kit (box) with separations which can be taken and placed inside the machine through the side door which makes the operator not to lean in and out of machine each and every time * Bearing seal on the extreme is not used for 1. xSDE which is not required to be mounted * OP 10, OP 50, OP 70, OP 100, OP 110, OP 120 and OP 180 are already changed over in time or about time CONCLUSION At the end of the project, I was able to understand process of manufacturing crankshaft, different machines used in crank line and their uses, what is changeover and its use in the plant, advantages and disadvantages of changeover and importance of reducing changeover time. As a preliminary step to the project, I studied the basic idea of SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) and 5S techniques.Found out how SMED techniques can be used to reduce changeover time. During the project, I documented the whole process step by step for changeover for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30, OP 40, OP 60, OP 70, OP 80, OP 100 and OP 1 60. Organized these steps and created a changeover procedure table. Defined activities for both the team members involved in the changeover in the same table. Separated internal and external activities occurring during changeover and marked it in the changeover procedure table. Time taken for each step in the same table was also recorded (for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30 and OP 40).Reduced machine lockout time for OP 40 by making bed flush valve in action which was not noticed earlier and hence solved the problem of chips getting stuck in the burr and making the cleaning process long and difficult. The changeover parts in the part trolley were organized with the help of photos having part number and part name. Measured changeover time by station and plotted graphs: * Comparison of actual time taken by station for changeover with simulation time (For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 7 changeovers) * Total time taken for changeover by stations For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 7 changeovers) * Time taken f or changing over from 1. 0 xSDE to 1. 2 BDOHC (For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 4 changeovers) * Time taken for changing over from 1. 2 BDOHC to 1. 0 xSDE (For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 5 changeovers) Updated crank changeover board to reflect current by updating different graphs required and action plan. The process to implement continuous improvement on shop floor was understood and perfected. Different steps to decrease the time taken for changeover process and to bring it under OEM specified timing was suggested.