I worked for a company that bought everything off RS. They could have got a lot from Jaycar or Altronics, or even Bunnings. I asked the purchasing officer why, and he said: well, if we get someone to run around to all these other place in the Landcruiser, it is costing $45 an hour to do that. They were an exploration company, and had all Landcruiser, even for the city office fleet. One size fits all.
Even if they used a mini car, the total cost of having an employee driving round to pick things up is going to be of the same order. What's the fuss, RS balances it's stock, logistics and delivery services against price and obviously does OK. It's a business.
Even the EE department of a university I went to, would buy from them at a minimum of 200% over normal price because the purchasing officer thought his desk was neater with only one catalogue on it.
Have they ever heard of Fedex? Just a thought ... :-)
-- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
Err, ever heard of AUSTRALIA? WTF would anyone here use fedex. even Star (jaycar's courier?) is cheaper than Fedex or DHL and if you are a frequent courier user, couriers Please has been very economical for me over the years.
It was just an example and I am in the US. Heck, we just had 100lbs of special dog food shipped to us via Fedex, clear across the US. Not expensive at all but that may be different in Australia.
But you can tell that purchasing officer to do the math. I bet any carrier will cost less than a $45/h employee tooling around in a Landcruiser.
-- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
There are good reasons why a company might prefer to buy everything from RS...
First, it simplifies the ordering system. Secondly, and most importantly, you will find that the products from RS will be of extremely good quality, and where appropriate, genuine manufacturer articles - not counterfeits.
When I was purchasing electronics components for an electronics design and development group it was not uncommon to find that some products purchased from Jaycar, Altronics etc, and other enthusiast/hobbyist type suppliers, were substandard. For example, on some types of connectors the pin dimesions were not quite standard or the plating was poor and we experienced a high proportion of intermittent high resistance or open circuits. The delays caused by return for refund and obtaining new reliable items from an alternative supplier was extremely costly. For that reason alone the extra cost of items purchased from RS can make it more economical in the long run.
Another reason is that RS can access parts that you won't find on the shelf anywhere in Australia. An example;- a few weeks back a customer asked me to see if I could repair an expensive Swiss made watch pressure tester which had failed and would blow fuses as fast as they were put in. Normally, these machines have to be sent back to the factory for repair which results in a freight cost of around $600 alone, let alone the repair cost. As it transpired, the Swiss manufacturer would give no service assistance (they just want to sell new machines for around $6.5K ea) so I had to nut out the circuit and fault find the components myself. In the end the fault which caused the fuse failure was down to blown 1N4004's in the main bridge rectifier. But the reason these failed was due to a shorted winding in the Philips DC geared motor which was used to open and close the vacuum chamber. Guess what, RS had this exact item on their inventory and within a week I had the new motor installed and the machine up and running again much to the delight of the customer. And it only cost him about half the freight cost back to Switzerland.
It is for these reasons people in business prefer to stick with either a single supplier or more often, a small number of reliable suppliers.
I have no vested interest in RS Components or any other supplier.....
:terryc wrote: :> On Mon, 04 Oct 2010 09:42:26 -0700, Joerg wrote: :> :>> Anne Onime wrote: :>>> I worked for a company that bought everything off RS. They could have :>>> got a lot from Jaycar or Altronics, or even Bunnings. I asked the :>>> purchasing officer why, and he said: well, if we get someone to run :>>> around to all these other place in the Landcruiser, it is costing $45 :>>> an hour to do that. :>>> They were an exploration company, and had all Landcruiser, even for the :>>> city office fleet. One size fits all. :>>>
:>>>
:>> Have they ever heard of Fedex? Just a thought ... :-) :> :> Err, ever heard of AUSTRALIA? :> WTF would anyone here use fedex. even Star (jaycar's courier?) is cheaper :> than Fedex or DHL and if you are a frequent courier user, couriers Please :> has been very economical for me over the years. :> : :It was just an example and I am in the US. Heck, we just had 100lbs of :special dog food shipped to us via Fedex, clear across the US. Not :expensive at all but that may be different in Australia. : :But you can tell that purchasing officer to do the math. I bet any :carrier will cost less than a $45/h employee tooling around in a :Landcruiser.
Large retailers/companies whose enterprise relies heavily upon export negotiate with the various freight providers for special rates. If they care to pass on the freight savings to customers then buying goods from the other side of the continent can be wothwhile and you can even save money over a local purchase of the same item. For smaller companies who don't have such economies of scale freighting items across the country can be expensive.
Australia has a population of only 22M so the possibility of buying from interstate at low freight costs are not usually the norm. For example, I recently wanted to buy a rooftop mounted, mains powered, thermostatically controlled roof space evacuation fan. None of the locally available solar powered items would do - they were all like high priced gimmicky toys. I couldn't find anyone in Western Australia who could supply what I was after so I had to go interstate to NSW
The manufacturer quoted me a cost of $90 in freight to have it sent across Australia from the east to the west (roughly the same distance as your dog food purchase). And I dare say that this was a bit cheaper than if I had gone to a freight specialist locally and obtained a price to bring it across. One off freight costs for an individual customer are not cheap out here and often are more expensive going from west to east than the other way. It's all about economy of scale...
In some areas, we seem to have far greater competition. Fedex isn't low cost here.
That is what I meant about CP, you buy a book of 10 dockets ($120/10 atm?) and just tell supplier to call them and when goods turn up you hand over a docket. Seems to cover ~70km radius of Sydney.
In comparison, we also have some name companies that are very expensive as well.
I
Yikes! That's a rather small item. It seems to me that there must also be a large tax burden on freight in Australia. We also have sparesely populated areas like Nevada or nearly the whole midwest, areas where it's almost like every farmer has his own freeway exit.
If you bought the attic fan because of heat build-up in the house, ever thought about an evaporative cooler? I put in this one, broke through a wall and did a fixed installation, works like a charm:
They had an Australian model as well but seem to have discontinued it after just a few months.
-- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
On 6/10/2010 2:48 AM, Joerg wrote: ...
They don't work that good in 90+% humidity and that what we have in summer at least in northern half of Australia.
Tom
10% GST (goods and services tax) should be about it. Not sure if freight companies get a fuel excise rebate.
Perth is the west coast and has some population density around the city and thining out further away, but higher around the SW corner of the country.
Well they don't have much choice but to either buy the farmers out or provide access do they. In some areas consolidation is solving this problem as children of farmers decide there is no point in staying on the land.
Coastal area have high humidty and evaporative coolers just don't work/ grossly inefficent. I'm 25 miles from eastern coast and we can only get 2 degree cooling on a portable one.
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No go, the biggest problem where I am is humidity - the only thing that solves that is air conditioning, but with the power price rip-offs we are copping it may be only a matter of time before we just have to sit and boil.
Seems to be similar for Tom, in humid climates they simply do not work. Maybe more inland it would. Portable ones aren't that efficient to begin with, they suck in part of the air they blow out. Ours is going through a wall and the air has to circulate through part of the house before it can escape. It sort of regulates itself. When it is really hot, like
40C, humidity is 10-15% and it cools nicely. When it's only 30C the humidity is up above 30% and cooling is less extreme. Depends on whether the wind comes from the sea or from the inland.-- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
Definitely. Relations inland (~400miles) only uses evap coolers
We have put ours in the window and it was no better. Humidity is too high.
On Tue, 05 Oct 2010 09:48:53 -0700, Joerg wrote:
:Ross Herbert wrote: SNIP :> :> :> Large retailers/companies whose enterprise relies heavily upon export negotiate :> with the various freight providers for special rates. If they care to pass on :> the freight savings to customers then buying goods from the other side of the :> continent can be wothwhile and you can even save money over a local purchase of :> the same item. For smaller companies who don't have such economies of scale :> freighting items across the country can be expensive. :> :> Australia has a population of only 22M so the possibility of buying from :> interstate at low freight costs are not usually the norm. For example, I :> recently wanted to buy a rooftop mounted, mains powered, thermostatically :> controlled roof space evacuation fan. None of the locally available solar :> powered items would do - they were all like high priced gimmicky toys. I :> couldn't find anyone in Western Australia who could supply what I was after so I :> had to go interstate to NSW :>
When it comes to being sparsely populated anywhere west of Adelaide is hard to beat - and that takes in almost two-thirds of the land area of Australia. Adelaide is 2793km by road from Perth and you might come across a man and his dog if your lucky. It's not quite that sparse, but you get the idea.
: : :> ... And I dare say that this was a bit cheaper than if I had gone to a :> freight specialist locally and obtained a price to bring it across. One off :> freight costs for an individual customer are not cheap out here and often are :> more expensive going from west to east than the other way. It's all about :> economy of scale... : : :If you bought the attic fan because of heat build-up in the house, ever :thought about an evaporative cooler? I put in this one, broke through a :wall and did a fixed installation, works like a charm: : :
I have a 27 degree pitch corrugated colorbond roof
Evaporative air conditioning has been used extensively in Australia mainly in the form of whole-of-house ducted systems (eg. Breezair etc). They are cheap to run and can be effective where humidity is low. Once relative humidity gets above 35% their efficiency declines rapidly (by approx 50% and more). There are portable evaporative units available but they are not really worthwhile imo. Many homes here have removed evap and installed refrigerative ducted ac. Evap should work well in Nevada and similar climates.
:
We opted against any sort of aircon, instead we bought a thing called 'silent breeze' over 25 years ago. It's a large electrically driven fan, over a metre in diameter, which has been fitted into the ceiling of a room that's at the other end of the house from the sleeping area. At nighttime when it cools down we open some windows and turn the fan on, it sucks cool air into the entire house, and vents out through the tiled roof, exhausting the heated air from the roofspace at the same time. For all but a handful of horror periods of a few days through summer, it enables us to hold the interior of the entire house to a thoroughly comfortable level day and (particularly) night, there'd be few nights during summertime when we don't have a blanket on the bed.
The thing has required zero maintenance throughout its entire life, and total power is just the fan motor, way less than an aircon. Best investment we've ever made IMHO.
:> :Ross Herbert wrote: :> SNIP :> :>
:> :>
:> :> Large retailers/companies whose enterprise relies heavily upon export :> negotiate :> :> with the various freight providers for special rates. If they care to :> pass on :> :> the freight savings to customers then buying goods from the other side :> of the :> :> continent can be wothwhile and you can even save money over a local :> purchase :> of :> :> the same item. For smaller companies who don't have such economies of :> scale :> :> freighting items across the country can be expensive. :> :>
:> :> Australia has a population of only 22M so the possibility of buying :> from :> :> interstate at low freight costs are not usually the norm. For example, :> I :> :> recently wanted to buy a rooftop mounted, mains powered, :> thermostatically :> :> controlled roof space evacuation fan. None of the locally available :> solar :> :> powered items would do - they were all like high priced gimmicky toys. :> I :> :> couldn't find anyone in Western Australia who could supply what I was :> after :> so I :> :> had to go interstate to NSW :> :>
:> :> The manufacturer quoted me a cost of $90 in freight to have it sent :> across :> :> Australia from the east to the west (roughly the same distance as your :> dog :> food :> :> purchase). ... :> : :> : :> :Yikes! That's a rather small item. It seems to me that there must also :> :be a large tax burden on freight in Australia. We also have sparesely :> :populated areas like Nevada or nearly the whole midwest, areas where :> :it's almost like every farmer has his own freeway exit. :>
:> When it comes to being sparsely populated anywhere west of Adelaide is :> hard to :> beat - and that takes in almost two-thirds of the land area of Australia. :> Adelaide is 2793km by road from Perth and you might come across a man and :> his :> dog if your lucky. It's not quite that sparse, but you get the idea. :>
:> : :> : :> :> ... And I dare say that this was a bit cheaper than if I had gone to :> a :> :> freight specialist locally and obtained a price to bring it across. One :> off :> :> freight costs for an individual customer are not cheap out here and :> often are :> :> more expensive going from west to east than the other way. It's all :> about :> :> economy of scale... :> : :> : :> :If you bought the attic fan because of heat build-up in the house, ever :> :thought about an evaporative cooler? I put in this one, broke through a :> :wall and did a fixed installation, works like a charm: :> : :>
:
:> I have a 27 degree pitch corrugated colorbond roof :>
:> Evaporative air conditioning has been used extensively in Australia mainly :> in :> the form of whole-of-house ducted systems (eg. Breezair etc). They are :> cheap to :> run and can be effective where humidity is low. Once relative humidity :> gets :> above 35% their efficiency declines rapidly (by approx 50% and more). :> There are :> portable evaporative units available but they are not really worthwhile :> imo. :> Many homes here have removed evap and installed refrigerative ducted ac. :> Evap :> should work well in Nevada and similar climates. : :We opted against any sort of aircon, instead we bought a thing called :'silent breeze' over 25 years ago. It's a large electrically driven fan, :over a metre in diameter, which has been fitted into the ceiling of a room :that's at the other end of the house from the sleeping area. At nighttime :when it cools down we open some windows and turn the fan on, it sucks cool :air into the entire house, and vents out through the tiled roof, exhausting :the heated air from the roofspace at the same time. For all but a handful of :horror periods of a few days through summer, it enables us to hold the :interior of the entire house to a thoroughly comfortable level day and :(particularly) night, there'd be few nights during summertime when we don't :have a blanket on the bed. : :The thing has required zero maintenance throughout its entire life, and :total power is just the fan motor, way less than an aircon. Best investment :we've ever made IMHO. : : :
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What is the humidity like in your area ?
Actually was surprised the difference it made in the workshop just putting a 12" normal pedestal fan in front of an open window, sucking in fresh air and making the so you might be onto something here, as this goes one better by blowing the hot air from the ceiling cavity also. Have never heard of this setup before.
If it saves a few weeks of air con every year, then that is a substantial cost benefit.
Removing the "stale" air from the room is another benefit, it can start to smell after being closed on a hot day.
nt
Ok, but I could imagine that a whole lot of people live in places like Perth. That would be roughly the stretch of train track (or road train) that our 100lbs worth of dog food was shipped. Once a truck or train car is filled and rolling it doesn't matter whether it makes any stops on the way. In fact, shippers would prefer that it doesn't.
:
That's often because people become lazy. Evap coolers do require a fair bit of maintenance and their construction quality, when compared to refrigerated air units, is IMHO a bit on the flimsy side.
That's what we call a whole-house fan. But it does have the serious downside that it sucks in dirt and pollen, right through the bug screens of the doors that you must leave open. Not much fun for folks with allergies. A pusher such as the evap cooler can be filtered easily.
Same with our evap cooler. Best thing since the invention of pivot irrigation :-)
-- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam. Use another domain or send PM.
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