Everyone knows that powdered sugar will dissolve more quickly in your coffee than a sugar cube — and that stirring will help either dissolve even faster. Applying that principal to manufacturing is not so simple, but new technology from Cleveland-based Arisdyne Systems is helping corn ethanol producers achieve higher yields from the same raw materials and energy.

Arisdyne's hydrodynamic cavitation technology harnesses the power of cavitation, the tiny implosions that occur in any turbulent fluid. As the company's web site explains, "The system is calibrated to produce optimum process conditions. Shockwaves resulting from the implosions impact the surrounding process fluid. Tiny droplets or particles result producing high-quality emulsions and dispersions."

And greater yields. The technology has helped Corn Plus of Minnesota increase production by 4 percent, according to Arisdyne vice president Fred Clarke. "Which, if you think about it, is like getting free money," he adds. Corn Plus licensed the technology in June, after two months of testing, and in July reported in its newsletter that "data from the first couple of months are very promising and the unit's operation has been consistent."

Arisdyne installed another system just two weeks ago, and has signed contracts with two other clients, Clarke says. The outlook for next year? "It's bright," Clarke says. There are about 200 ethanol plants in the U.S., and Clarke estimates that 120-140 posses the "downstream" factors necessary to benefit from Arisdyne's system.



Source: Fred Clarke, Arsidyne
Writer: Frank W. Lewis

For some, the allure of online shopping is never having to deal with a pushy salesperson. The downside of avoiding a human is how time-consuming it can be to search on your own. Try typing "car" or "blender" or "snarky t-shirt" into Google and see how long it takes to find precisely what you want. So it's not surprising when Envirosell, which studies shoppers' behavior, reports that web surfers are 40 percent more likely to linger on sites with some sort of personalized experience.

That's the trend that iGuiders, based in Beachwood, is now riding.

"We started with the biggest problem," says Alexis Dankovich, director of marketing, "which is that half of all [potential] web sales are lost because people can't find what they're looking for." iGuiders software in designed to head off the frustration by offering users a series of choices that narrow down the options.

A demo for a faucet manufacturer, for example, begins broadly, asking whether you want a one-handled or two-handled model. Then whether you want a high arc or low arc. Then chrome, stainless steel or matte black finish. And so on, right up to the option of buying immediately online or finding the nearest showroom.

Guiders also captures every move shoppers make, so that online sellers can see what grabs attention and what's usually ignored, or whether the online buying process itself is helping or hurting. "Often times," says Dankovich, "companies have no idea why customers make the choices they make."

"Searching online is such an independent process," says CEO Jodi Marchewitz, "but people still need expertise." She likens her company's Guiders to librarians who can lead patrons through the bewildering stacks to the books they really need.

The Northeast Ohio-based Things Remembered gift chain will begin testing a Guider on its web site next month. iGuiders is also working currently with an athletic apparel site and "a major healthcare organization," Marcewitz says.



Source: JumpStartInc.org
Writer: Frank W. Lewis