In welcome news for haulage companies operating in Wales, oil distributor Oil 4 Wales has launched a new 24-hour truck stop at its Brecon depot.

In welcome news for UK haulage companies with drivers regularly delivering loads to, from and around Wales, oil distributor Oil 4 Wales has launched a new 24-hour truck stop at its Brecon depot, providing a much-needed facility for the local transport industry.

A Family Affair

Oil 4 Wales is a family-run company that has grown exponentially to become the leading provider of petroleum products in the country, turning over around £50m in its first year and £110m in its latest financial results. Managing Director Colin Owens enjoys a long history in the oil industry: he established Owen Fuels in 1991 and built it up to a turnover of £350m a year before selling to Texaco in 1997. The family wanted to establish an authentic Welsh brand, believing that as major oil companies pull out of “downstream supply”, the door is opened to small independents to capitalise on the ability to offer a more community-based service.

As well as supplying products to the commercial, domestic and agricultural markets, Oil 4 Wales has plans to establish a chain of retail garages across south, mid and north Wales, and has invested more than £500m into the local community at truck stops in Maesteg and Powys. The company employs a large staff across its depots in Wales and contributes generously to charitable agricultural projects in support of the local farming industry.

The company’s development of the Brecon truck stop is a true passion project, with Director Sally Owens expressing their personal pride at being able to provide such a vital facility for the region. 

The Brecon Truck Stop

With over £70m of investment, the Three Cocks site at Brecon is already proving itself to be an invaluable service for local haulage companies and independent lorry drivers. The fuelling facility provides Adblue, diesel and red diesel via the pumps, with Oil 4 Wales declaring their aim to support and service not only haulage companies, but also vehicles used in the local agricultural industry. The Brecon region is heavily utilised by the transport industry and the availability of 24-hour fuel is a much-anticipated and long overdue service.

In the interests of optimum convenience, the truck stop accepts all versions of fuelcards across the widely used Keyfuels system. For haulage companies or drivers who currently do not use a Keyfuel fuel card, Oil 4 Wales has ensured that obtaining the free card is easy through their dedicated department. (The Oil 4 Wales Fuel Card Department can be contacted on 02920 674917.)

A Positive Development for the Transport Industry

The 24-hour fuelling facility at the redeveloped Brecon truck stop is a very positive development for anyone making a living doing delivery work in the greater Welsh region. The immediate and overwhelming take-up of the facility suggests that investments into the local infrastructure by companies like Oil 4 Wales not only benefit the transport industry, but the entire community. Industry stalwarts are hoping that the Welsh model’s success story will encourage investors to develop similar facilities across the country.

Are you planning to build a wine storage unit at home? The first step is to find a suitable wine storage design expert as per your preferences. By contacting an expert, you can get comprehensive ideas on a range of spectacular designs. Now, you have to choose the right one for your purpose.

For constructing a cellar, there is a need for an impressive wine storage design. Although the aim is to store your favourite drinks safely, a cellar lets you flaunt your collection.

If you want to provide a traditional look to your storage unit, you have to choose one from the list of classic cellar designs. Other than this, you’ll get many options such as spiral cellars.

After all, you have to choose the best type of rack for meeting your particular needs. It is imperative to select a top-notch design for constructing your storage unit. Suppose you’re thinking about storing 100 bottles at a time, building a small cellar can be effective. Building a spiral cellar is going to offer you a compact space for storing all your favourite drinks.

Types of Wine Cellar Designs

Of course, there is an importance of determining the right type of design for flaunting your collection in style. Some of the topmost design options include-

• Classic Cellar

As already discussed, this type of design offers a sophisticated and vintage feel to the owners. Once constructed, it looks amazing and unique. However, it is often asked to build a standard size classic cellar to keep its beauty unaltered. This may not be the ideal approach for a few homeowners with limited amount of space available. In this context, you can choose another design.

• Contemporary Cellar

Today, most individuals prefer constructing contemporary wine cellars at home. The main reason is that contemporary designs look stylish and modern. Also, you can upgrade the design depending on your requirements. Whether you need a small-sized or a large-sized storage unit, you can ask the contractor to build this cellar accordingly.

• Spiral Cellar

Another popular choice of cellar design is the spiral storage unit. It can be built in a compact space at your desired location. This type of cellar is quite suitable for constructing underground storage units. Not to mention, this could be a pleasing way of storing wine bottles in the property. It is often asked to build a glass door/window for enhancing the beauty of this cellar.

• Bespoke Cellar

While choosing the right design for wine room construction, many individuals have specific plans. Are you one of those wine enthusiasts who want to transform their ideas into reality? By selecting a top-rated contractor, you can opt for bespoke cellar design services. Now, share your requirements with experts to let them analyse the feasibility of the project.

Which Is the Best Cellar Design for Homes?

For finalising the design for home wine cellar construction, you have to consider your requirements. If you want to store an extra bottle of your favourite drinks after having a party, you can go with spiral cellars. It lets you store a limited count of wine bottles.

Some individuals set up a dining space in the cellar room. In this context, you need a standard size or a large storage unit. So, you can either go with classic cellars or contemporary ones. In other words, the choice of the design for a wine room depends on your particular needs.

Bottom Line

Designing a cellar is always important when you want to display the collection. By hiring the professional services of a reputed contractor, you can find several wine storage designs. If you are confused about picking the right one, get assistance from experts. Starting from the cellar design to cellar components, qualified contractors guide you in selecting the most-suited one.

So, don’t waste your time when you could hire a professional for wine room construction.

the cost estimate of the remodeling project and what aspects to consider while choosing the vanity. In the first place, know that bathroom remodel is a highly tricky and challenging task that is best done by professionals. This is because they have a vast amount of experience in dealing with a variety of situations and also they have the necessary techniques, contacts and implements to do the job to perfection. Therefore the first thing you must do is to hire the right bathroom remodeling professionals and discuss with the all the aspects you will like to see in your bathroom. Once the ground work is ready, then you can proceed in the most systematic and planned way to be able to accomplish the bathroom remodel within the budget planned and within the time frame decided. Here are a few points you must take into account to achieve the perfect bathroom remodel.

Plan the cost
In the first place, know from experts what a bathroom remodel will cost you. Before commencing any project, you need to note down your expectations and decide how much money you will have to invest in fulfilling them in the perfect way. This will need you to work with the size of your bathroom, the fittings and fixtures you will like to see there and what extra additions you can plan within the budget if it permits. With their experience, the Bathroom Remodel Austin professionals can help you out the right way.

Plan the spacing, location and arrangements
Plan the arrangements and the effective use of the available space. Decide what will look best where. However, you cannot try out complete reorganization of the existing arrangements when you go for remodeling since any decision that you land on must take into account the water inlet lines and the drain lines. If there is any drastic change of the arrangements, then you will have to rework on them with an accomplished plumber which is going to cost you so much extra. Therefore you must take into account this fact and see to that there is minimum disturbance to the existing arrangements.

List out the new provisions you will need
What you wish to remove, what you wish to include and what provisions you must see newly must all be finalized after consulting all of your family members. Bathroom is the common place that needs to address the requirements of all of your family members. Therefore you should be able to meet all their needs at once while thinking of the bathroom remodel. Therefore it is a good idea to ask them what changes they would like to see of course explaining them what is possible and what is not depending on the special constraints, plumbing lines and the cost of the project. Wherever you come across some challenges, you can discuss them with the remodeling professionals and find the right way out solving them in due course. Once you move in this systematic approach, you shall succeed in getting the perfect bathroom remodel.

A company should be able to stand up to industry standards with its quality of services, no matter which field it functions in. Immense competition has forced businesses to look for new ways to impress clients and thereby expand their business. Quality is defined by a company’s infrastructure. Businesses add modern equipments to their list to ultimately deliver better results.

Small businesses may not be able to stretch their investment to keep on purchasing new equipment every time their existing ones get outdated. Such businesses can take advantage of small business lease services. Small business lease firms provide the entire inventory for starting, running and developing a business. Firms in the medical equipment leasing field offer leasing of all kinds of medical equipments from first aid box and stethoscope to ventilators, ultrasound and laboratory equipments.

In most cases, the lease period is 1-5 years or longer. With the aid of small business lease firms, small businesses can lease modern, costlier equipments with lesser capital and rentals. By opting for leased furniture and other equipments, small and newly established businesses can divert the capital required to buy the new equipments into other endeavors. Most small business equipment leasing firms offer flexible payment structure and easy methods of payment.

Special offers are often provided for new firms. At the end of the lease period, the hospitals or clinics also get the provision of buying the equipment. You can also enjoy tax advantages with medical equipment leasing. Other advantages include improving your cash flow and managing your balance sheet better with small business lease.

However, proper research should be carried out before choosing any equipment leasing company. Always look for reputed firms who have a clear history in equipment leasing. You should also ensure that you receive competitive prices and the firm provides quick service in case of equipment malfunction. Always opt for leasing companies that provide specialized transportation of equipment and free insurance coverage.

We would like you to concentrate on your Business Processes
automation requirements in trying to understand which small business accounting
package will fit the best for your enterprise

1.      
Database Platform.  There are several reliable and relatively
inexpensive SQL oriented DB platforms on the ERP market: MySQL (good option if
you are making custom programming in PHP platform), Microsoft SQL Server 2005
Select (also consider Microsoft SQL Server 2008 for Small Business Server 2008)
– also you can get scaled down version from Oracle, which is outside of the
scope for this paper.  SQL compliance is
in our opinion critical, and it is not recommended to choose proprietary DB, typically
coming together with such accounting applications as MYOB, Peach Tree, Quick
Books

2.      
Words of respect to Linux and other free
Operating Systems.  We recommend you to
review such Linux platforms as Suse, for example, where you can get software
free of charge, and where you pay per customer support case only as you
go.  We would like to keep reservations
at this time to recommend ERP selection on Linux, however we encourage you to
make your own ERP market discovery

3.      
SAP Business One.  This ERP and MRP application for Small
Business comes from SAP and we trust this ERP brand.  SB1 is available on Microsoft SQL Server 2005
and with version SAP Business One 2007A it is now pretty reliable and localized
for United States: 1099, Sales Tax, Barcode, Warehouse management, Credit Cards
Processing, eCommerce module, CRM.  SAP
Business One SDK allows you to customize user interface as well as Database
transactions: EDI, Integrations with legacy systems: Microsoft CRM, Lotus Notes
Domino, Oracle

4.      
Great Plains Dynamics GP.  This solution is coming directly from
Microsoft Dynamics subdivision.  If you
are one-person-operations, we would like you to review Microsoft Small Business
Accounting – both SAP BO and Dynamics GP would be probably too expensive for
you.  Current Dynamics GP, belonging and
supported by Microsoft Business Solutions had long small business accounting
trace: Great Plains Accounting for DOS: 9.2 and 9.5 were the most popular
versions, Great Plains Small Business Financials 7.5, 8.0 and 9.0 were
dedicated to small business scaled down versions of Microsoft Great
Plains.  Current trend in SBF is upgrade
and migration to Dynamics GP Business Ready

5.      
MRP.  Both
SAP Business One and Great Plains Dynamics GP offer discrete Manufacturing and
MRP modules.  SAP Business One is closer
to small business in our opinion, where you can do intuitive Production Module
self discovery.  Great Plains, however
has Bill of Materials module, which could cover small business manufacturing and
assembly

6.      
Great Plains eConnect versus SAP Business One
SDK programming.  Both SDK packages are targeted
to custom ecommerce applications and software developers.  We would like to treat them with the same
respect and recommend for deployment

7.      
Corporate ERP reporting.  In both cases we recommend you to consider
Crystal Reports.  In the case when you
are tight with the budget, try to consider Microsoft SQL Server Reporting
Services or SSRS, as this extension is coming free with Microsoft SQL Server
2005 or 2000 Standard or Enterprise

8.      
Legacy accounting data conversion and migration.  If you company deployed such proprietary
accounting packages as PeachTree, MYOB, QuickBooks, we recommend you to
consider printing modules reports and saving them in Text tab or comma
delimited files, Excel also is good option

9.      
ERP for International Business.  Even Small Business could be involved in
international operations, such as purchasing your merchandise from China,
India, Philippines, Brazil, Mexico, Russia. 
If this is your scenario, please try to make the research of Microsoft
Business Solutions ERP products support internationally.  At this time Dynamics GP is supported in
English Speaking countries, and SAP Business One is localized for major
nations: Latin America, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Brazil, Israel to
name a few

If you want your small business ideas to grow into a successful profitable business you will need to have a business plan. It is your route to success, without it you are planning to fail

Your business plan needs to be a live document that is in constant development and is continually checked and updated, You must know if you are meeting your goals and if you do not continually check your business plan it can not work for you. Your business plan will allow you to make the needed changes to adjust to your small business growth or lack of growth.

The basic outline of a business plan is to detail the systems you will use and the task that are needed to accomplish your goals. By reviewing your business plan on a monthly basis at first you will be able to check your progress or lack of it. Once your business is up and running inn the direction you desire you may want to revise the time you review your plan. If your small business is progressing the way you planned and growth is steady checking your plan quarterly might be a good choice.

At first financial goals should be small. Although small they should be accomplished in the time frame you set. The initial small goals are as vital to your overall plan as the larger goals you have set for later dates. If your plan is working correctly in the early stages you will be able to determine if the complete business plan is achievable. Make sure that each goal is achieved as planned.

As in most aspects of life the best of plans can fail. You must ask yourself two questions. 1. Did you complete each goal in the time period you set. Were you able to achieve some of your goals but not all of them.

2. Were you able to use the systems you put in place and did they work as planned. Some of them will have met the goals you set while others did not.

Look carefully at your answers and analyze them. You will have systems that worked correctly and performed as expected. Keep those and continue working with them. The will also be systems that did not meet the goals you had set and the plans you had made. Look at these systems and find why they did not work.

You need to know why they did not work, if the system was flawed, were there steps in the system you may have missed. In answering those questions you can adjust future plans to accommodate errors that may have been made or discard the system completed and replace it with a new one.

A good solid business plan will continually improve and adjust. Adjusting and manipulating your plan for future growth will not only improve the effectiveness of your plan it will insure continued growth of your business.

Along with helping to build your small business ideas a business plan can give you confidence. A business plan is like a silent partner that helps keep your business on track.

Good business ideas come from spotting a good sized market of customers who want to buy a product or service that you are selling. In today’s economy, there are plenty of viable business ideas on the internet. Not only are the start up costs considerably less than traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses but the internet allows you to easily expand your business beyond the confines of your physical location. Here are a sample of online business ideas to get you started.

1. Create Your Own Digital Information Product.

People use the internet to find information and although there is plenty of free information online, a lot of the time it does not provide the detail that you need or, even worse, it is factually incorrect. People will pay for information that is valuable and beneficial to them and that they can get instantly. A digital information product, like an ebook, report or video tutorial can be downloaded immediately somebody buys it. The topic of your information product can be about something that you’re very knowledgeable or it can be something that you become knowledgeable about by research. You can even outsource somebody to write it for you.

2. Sell Other Peoples’ Products Online.

It’s easy for you to leverage the good business ideas of other people and sell them online as an affiliate. Product creators pay affiliates a commission for sales that they generate for their product. The affiliate does not have the work involved with product creation, payment systems, product delivery or customer service. The product creator gets their marketing done for them by their affiliates and pays nothing if the affiliate does not sell anything.

3. Online Freelance Services.

If you have a particular set of skills the internet offers the widest possible market for selling them. Anyone from graduate students to individuals with comprehensive professional careers can find assignments online where they can earn an income. Online freelance websites like Elance and oDesk have countless numbers of customers looking for copy writers, graphic artists, linguists, website designers, marketing and advertising staff, legal and financial professionals and more.

4. Create A Membership Website.

This is where you get paid to pass your knowledge onto others. It is no different to being a consultant in the traditional offline world, where you help and advise clients with your business knowledge. Due to the reach of the internet and modern communication technology, an online membership website allows you to have customers from all over the world. Membership websites make great internet based business ideas because they provide a recurring income every month for a long as your members remain within your program.

Remodeling any room in the home can have its positive and negative aspects that will need to be considered before you begin the project. This is especially true when you’re doing some remodeling on the bathroom, as there are likely to be some unexpected items that come up during the remodel. If you are considering remodeling the bathroom, here are some tips that can help you to get started and will help you to see it through to completion.

Perhaps the most important thing for you to consider when remodeling the bathroom is the budget. You are going to need to stay within the budget so you should consider all of the items that are going to be changed within the bathroom before you start any work. Be sure that you give yourself a little bit of room in case you have some unexpected problems that occur. This is not unusual when you are remodeling the bathroom and we will discuss it in further detail in this article.

Have you considered going green with your project? There are plenty of green products that are available, including eco-friendly tiles that can be used on the floor and on the walls. You might be surprised with the diversity that is available when choosing green products for your bathroom remodel. Typically, you will be able to choose from such items as thin bricks and larger wall tiles for use in the shower. You should also consider the fact that it is not always necessary for you to spend the extra money in order to be eco-friendly. At times, you may be able to save the environment by reusing some of the old cabinetry in the bathroom instead of tossing it to the curb.

As we discussed earlier, there are likely to be problems that occur during the remodeling project that were not foreseen in advance. This is especially the case when you begin to move items around in the bathroom and disturb the walls. Any time you are working in an area with plumbing, there is going to be room for issues to occur. Just make sure that you plan for the possibility of those problems, both in the amount of time that you spend and then the money that you have available.

Are you going to be doing the project on your own or will you be hiring a contractor? Contractors can be beneficial for numerous reasons but they are going to be more expensive than doing it on your own. You may also want to consider hiring a general contractor for some larger projects. They can coordinate all of the different subcontractors that are going to be necessary to get the job done properly.

Finally, give yourself some time to research the project before you begin to do the work. You should look at everything in advance, from the color that you use on the walls all the way to the lighting that is going to illuminate the bathroom. By researching this information in advance, you will be likely to make the choices that will be right for you and your family.