Enzymes: Pool Water Treatment

Enzyme treatment of your pool water is a natural way to break down organic material which is one of the many benefits when incorporating it into your weekly maintenance. Enzymes are a catalyst for a biochemical reaction which naturally breaks down certain compounds to their chemical building blocks. This will reserve chlorine to combat harmful bacteria. Enzyme treated pool water can require 50% less chemical shocking. Free Chlorine usage will be ideal and your water quality, filtration, and even staining on the pool wall surface will improve.

Enzymes are present in all living things. Although not considered to be a living organism they naturally feed on oils. They search out oils and simplify the molecules. Enzymes are used in large scale oil spill clean-up efforts when massive volumes of crude oil are dumped into our oceans. Through the help of enzymes, environmental and ecosystem damage is reduced.

We often underestimate what we introduce into our pool water. Suntan lotions, body waste, cosmetics, oils and lotions are among the top elements being left behind from the average swimmer. These residues can coagulate and coat the filter cartridge or other filtration medias. Filter cartridges will have the pores of the fabric clogged which can cause filtration issues and the cartridges will need to be cleaned or replaced. D.E. grids are also subject to becoming damaged while filters with sand or Zeobest can form mud balling. Mud-Balling refers to the media sand becoming clumped up within the filter which leads to less effective filtration.

Excessive organic and oil build up can cause:

A scum line around the perimeter of the pool. A “bathtub ring” that can tarnish and dull the tile line of the pool

•       Chemical odors due to the increase in Chloramines

Filtration media having reduced efficiency which will lead to premature replacement. Cartridges and DE grids as well as filter sand clumping and mud-balling

Poor water clarity. Excessive sun tan lotion can even appear as an oil slick across the surface of the water and organic particles can cause water to be murky

Benefits of using an Enzyme based product:

Reduce Chlorine demand. The water chemistry and contaminants that are introduced will dictate the difference. Enzyme use can lead to 50% or more in a chlorine use reduction

Prolonged filter media. Less cleaning and maintenance. Although effective, cleaning chemicals can shorten the life of a cartridge or grid element

Foaming of the pool water is eliminated. Foaming can be caused by several factors that include lotions, oils and fats from soap

Organic build up on the tile line will be removed and continual enzyme use will prevent a returning “scum line”

Water Clarity can be noticeably better. Organic saturation, which can cloud water with particles that are not big enough to be filtered out, will be eradicated. Enzymes will also soften the water

Pool enzyme products mixed with phosphate removers will stunt algae growth by eliminating the algae main source of food and killing the existing algae spores. Natural Chemistry’s Pool Perfect and Great Lake’s Orb-3 are natural enzyme based formulas combined with all natural botanical extracts that powerfully biodegrade organics in your pool water. These swimmer safe products are used on a large scale around the world at well known water parks and water resorts. Even uncirculated ponds can benefit from treatments to reduce slim and algae build up.

Summer is heading into the homestretch, and with fall on the horizon, now is a great time to think about your pool’s energy efficiency. Why? Well, because October is National Energy Awareness Month — aimed at promoting the importance of energy sustainability. In this article, we dive into a few simple ways to increase your pool’s energy efficiency and reduce its environmental impact. So let’s discuss why having a “green pool” isn’t always a bad thing!

6 Ways to Reduce Energy Costs and Increase Your Pool’s Efficiency

Swimming pools offer enormous benefits to pool owners and are an invaluable addition to anyone’s backyard. Whether relaxing in the sun or spending quality time with family and friends, pools provide people with a way to have fun, stay fit, and wind down.

However, while the advantages of pools are many, it’s important to know that pools can have a significant impact on the environment. From water use to energy consumption, it takes numerous resources to properly maintain a swimming pool. But thankfully, there are quite a few ways to reduce the impact your pool has on the environment, without reducing its well-being.

1. Upgrade to a Variable Speed Pool Pump

Your pool pump is the beating heart of your pool, responsible for circulating the water and distributing chemicals. Without a hard-working pump, your pool will quickly turn into an algae-filled swamp. Ensuring your pool water receives enough circulation is one of the first steps to maintaining a safe, healthy pool. That’s where variable speed pool pumps come into play.

In recent years, single speed pool pumps have been pushed aside in favor of more energy-efficient variable speed pumps. These high-powered, low-energy-consuming pumps allow pool owners to switch between various high or low speed settings. Unlike single speed pumps, which only operate at full speed, variable speed pumps can be adjusted depending on the need.

This feature is particularly beneficial during the hot summer months. While single speed pumps should run 1 hour for every 10°F of air temperature (100°F = 10 hours), variable speed pumps should run roughly 3–4 hours on high, and 8–9 hours on low. So while variable speed pumps may run longer, they use significantly less energy — up to 90% less — because they run on a low speed for the majority of the time.

Still need more proof? Check out our energy calculator! Just plug in your pool’s volume, your pump’s current horsepower, and select which state you live in. The calculator will show you your monthly and yearly energy savings, as well as the total percent savings.

PRO TIP: Want more information on the benefits of variable speed pumps? We have an article for that! Check out 5 Benefits of a Variable Speed Pool Pump for a deep dive into what makes these pumps so great.

2. Reduce Pool Heating Expenses

Don’t worry, we’re not asking you to turn your gas pool heater off completely and swim in a freezing cold pool! But consider only using your pool heater when you use the pool. If you’re the weekend warrior type, keep the heater off during the week and only turn it back on in time to warm the pool for the weekend. Doing so can save you a significant chunk of change on your monthly energy bill.

Or better yet, invest in a heat pump. These units use electricity, refrigerant, and the surrounding air to heat your pool water, which is a fraction of the cost compared to natural gas or propane. However, heat pumps do have a few disadvantages. While they cost much less to operate than natural or propane gas heaters, they’re more expensive to purchase. Additionally, because heat pumps use ambient air to heat the water, most models don’t work well in temperatures below 50°F. They don’t heat the water as quickly as a gas heater for on-demand heating purposes, but work great for maintaining a consistent pool temperature. Some pool owners will use a gas heater for quick heat-ups, then use a heat pump to keep the temperature consistent throughout the week.

That said, the best way to increase heating efficiency and reduce overall heat energy costs is to keep heat in the pool, which brings us to tip #3…

3. Use a Solar Cover

As the ultimate eco-friendly, energy-saving pool accessory, solar covers help conserve water and significantly reduce heating costs. Solar covers absorb and transfer heat from the sun into your pool water, raising the water temperature by up to 15°F on its own. When coupled with a heat pump or pool heater, solar covers trap heat and keep your pool warmer for longer. Most of a pool’s heat is lost to evaporation, and solar covers prevent this by blocking up to 95% of the evaporation from your pool. Aside from saving you money on heat energy, preventing evaporation can save you quite a bit on water and chemical expenses, as well.

4. Invest in a Robotic Pool Cleaner

If you’re looking to increase your pool care efficiency, investing in a robotic pool cleaner is the way to go! Their advanced cleaning abilities and ease of use can drastically reduce the time you spend cleaning your pool each week. Furthermore, unlike suction side or pressure side cleaners, robotic pool cleaners run independently of your pool pump. This means your pump doesn’t need to be running in order for the cleaner to work, which saves energy. As an added bonus, robotic cleaners bring extra circulation and filtration into your pool, resulting in cleaner, clearer water.

5. Upgrade to LED Pool Lights

A typical 500-watt halogen or incandescent pool light consumes 0.50 kilowatts of electricity every hour of operation. If you have the light on for 3 hours every night, it would use 10.5 kWh per week. LED pool lights, on the other hand, use as little as 14 watts, or a little over 0.1 kilowatts of electricity per hour. At 3 hours per night, that’s only 2.1 kWh per week — a pretty impressive difference!

However, keep in mind that the price per kilowatt hour ranges from 5–50 cents, depending on where you live. So, while upgrading to LED lights may not drastically increase your pool’s energy efficiency, it will still make an impact. Depending on the upgrade, pool owners can save as much as 85–90% on pool light expenses just by upgrading their halogen or incandescent bulb to an LED light.

6. Switch to a Cartridge Filter

If you have a sand or diatomaceous earth (D.E.) filter, you may not realize just how wasteful these filters can be. Upgrading to a cartridge filter can save you lots of money on water, but can also help maximize the energy efficiency of your pool pump.

When it comes to water savings, cartridge filters can save you thousands of gallons of water per year. Whenever the pressure gauge on a sand or D.E. filter reaches 8–10 psi higher than normal, you must backwash the filter to clean and clear out the system. This process can waste upwards of 500 gallons of water, depending on how long the backwash cycle takes. On the other hand, you don’t need to backwash a cartridge filter — simply take the cartridges out and either hose them down or soak them in a cartridge cleaning solution. Either process uses significantly less water than a backwash cycle.

The pleated cartridges inside the filter housing also provide a high surface area, which helps to increase water flow. This setup ultimately puts less strain on the pump. When cartridge filters are used with a variable speed pump, the lower speeds and increased filtration area helps maximize energy savings, and can also improve filtration for cleaner, clearer water.

And there you have it! These 6 ways of reducing your pool’s energy consumption can even save you a few dollars along the way! In fact, most of the upgrades listed above will pay for themselves very quickly, over the course of a pool season or two. But there are many more ways you can save money on pool care while also helping the environment. For more ideas, check out the Eco-Friendly Pool Tips category in our blog!

• Premium goat leather construction
• Fixed breathable water resistant membrane
• Padded knuckle
• Hook and Loop wrist closure
• Pre-curved fingers
• Leather and aramid palm reinforcements
• Cable wrap / glove holder included

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We all require a little boost of income every now and again, and getting your hands on some quick cash is not always easy. For those who may struggle to borrow money via more traditional means like personal loans and credit cards, borrowing from a friend or family member can take the pressure off but it does come with its challenges.

Money can be a tricky subject, and it’s not always easy to talk about it – even with your closest allies. If a friend or relative comes to you and asks to borrow some money, what would you do? It can be a real test for your relationship, and it’s always better to be prepared. Here are our essential tips for lending money to loved ones, whether they’ve asked you for a small amount or for something more substantial.

Think about it carefully

If you are asked to lend money to someone, it can be easy to feel pressured and to want to help – especially if you are very close to the person in question. Before you say yes however, it’s important to think about it for a while first. Consider whether you are financially able to lend the money above all else – if it will make things difficult for you then it will only create further hassle and costs down the line. You must also consider the possibility of not getting part or all of your money back – how will that affect your finances and your relationship with the borrower? If you have any doubts, you can always say you are not in a position to lend to them, and perhaps offer support in other ways.

Agree on terms and stick to them

If you’re happy to lend money, make sure the terms of the loan are completely clear and fully understood by both of you. Ensure the amount is agreed upon, as well as a timeframe for paying back the money. It’s important to be practical, and to take their ability to pay into consideration: there’s no point asking for all of the money back in a short space of time if the borrower won’t be paid enough by then, for example. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about their finances and what they can manage, as this will help to focus your expectations.

Always stick with cash or bank transfer

The next thing to consider is how to get the money to them. There are a number of ways you can do this, but giving cash or paying via bank transfer are the most sensible. Never give away your credit card to be used by someone else, as not only is this illegal in practice, it also risks your credit rating, and it could land you with expensive charges and repayments.

Depending on the amount, you should be able to make a bank transfer using your online banking facility, or alternatively you can withdraw the cash and either pay it straight into the recipient’s account, or give it to them in person.

Be prepared for hiccups

Always be aware issues can arise during the loan term, and it’s important to be prepared and have a contingency plan. Do not rely on the money being repaid for your essential expenses, as a failure to pay could land you in financial hot water. What happens if the person you lent money to loses their job, or their car breaks down during the repayment term? Discuss the possibility of problems with them and lay down ground rules so it doesn’t negatively affect your friendship. It’s easy for relationships to break down over money, and the preservation of what you have is an essential consideration.

Always put it in writing

To ensure all details are clear and understood, you should always put the loan in writing and make sure each of you has a copy. Both of you should sign the paper. You can find blank loan agreements on websites such as Law Depot, which could offer you some legal protection in the future in the case of non-payment. This step can also give you peace of mind the borrower fully understands the terms, and serves as a reminder to both of you this is something to be taken seriously and not done in haste.

Consider alternative ways to help

If you feel uneasy about lending money to your friend, or if you are financially unable to help them, there are other ways you can offer support. Why does your loved one need to borrow from friends and family? Perhaps it’s because they would be turned down for a more conventional loan on their own merits – their credit score may be bad, for example. In this case, there are other avenues to try.

If they have any valuables they’re willing to part with for a short time, a pawn loan could be the right solution for them. With a pawn loan, your credit rating is not checked as part of the application process, as the security for the loan rests within the value of the item used. If this sounds like it could be helpful, direct them to us here at H&T for more information. Alternatively, they can drop in and see us at any of our 250+ UK branches.

Don’t let it take over your life

While the loan is still being paid back, try to act as you usually would around your friend, and never ask them about it in front of others. While it can be easy to scrutinise their spending over this time, try to remain relaxed and trust the agreed terms will be met. If you have communicated your expectations properly, and you’re confident they are able to pay you back within the timeframe, then there’s no need to let it affect your day-to-day interactions.

Arrange as part of the deal to meet up every so often to have a private chat about how it’s going, and their ability to pay the next installment. Keeping the lines of communication open and being upbeat can really lessen the chances of issues forming, and will preserve your relationship for many years to come.

本教程适用版本：WPS 365 点击免费使用

在我们日常使用excel表格中，经常需要合并几个单元格的内容。很多人面对这种情况都会选择一个个复制粘贴，今天我们教给大家一个非常快速的办法，那就是用&轻松合并单元格内容。它是如何操作的呢？下面我们一来学习一下。

首先我们打开一个excel文档，看到其中有一些个人信息，我们要在D列输入具体地址，也就是合并B、C列内容，在F列输入QQ邮箱：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

我们点击D2单元格，在其中输入=B2&C2：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

此时我们看到D2单元格已经完成了内容合并：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

鼠标移动到D2单元格右下方，待光标变成黑十字，拖动鼠标进行填充，这样所有单元格都完成了内容合并：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

在F列，输入“=E2&”@qq.com””，需要注意的是，所有的符号要是英文输入下完成：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

点击回车，最终完成了单元格和输入内容的合并：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

按照上面的方式拖动鼠标，最后完成所有单元格内容的合并：

>>免费升级到企业版，赠超大存储空间

以上就是我们今天学习的Excel表格技巧中用&轻松合并单元格内容的技巧，看起来是不是很简单，大家学会了么？

Nowadays, with more complex machines being introduced, it brings greater challenges to the manufacturing industry and machine makers. The complexity of manufacturing is also more and more obvious. Many excellent manufactures have seen the value of digital production, then they decide to fully integrate all resources to realize the digital production while boosting quality, reducing the time to market, and improving the delivery timeframes.

What is Digital Part Production?

Digital Part Production (DPP) is a kind of advanced production technology, firstly proposed by Siemens, which provides a fully connected thread that realizes the big merging of the digital and physical world. This process is dynamic which can continuously send digital communication and feedback loop to parts manufacturers understand each update to the parts influences the large production process.

Some manufacturing processes are very complex, then the parts manufacturers usually rely on integrated digital solutions. The method is based on an overall digital twin, which enables machine builders to not only master the precision of the production of the part but also improve the efficiency of operation and the ability to manage the shop floor. In other words, digital parts production offers the new engineering and manufacturing practices to follow the ever-growing complexity, driving the highest production output and high-quality part production. It connects the overall production process with the digitals, thus upgrading the coordination and automation between the shop floor and manufacturing.

This approach is based on the combination of comprehensive digital twin and production digital twin, realizing the highest quality while optimizing the resources and controlling the costs of production, thus promoting the automation of the parts from developing to producing. Those digital twins allow the company to carry simulation design and manufacturing before the materials are cut and the fixtures are installed. Now, it can fully connect the overall production process, reduce the data transmission and repetition, upgrade the cooperation and automation in all-around aspects.

To accomplish this goal, digital parts production has three key differentiating factors that enable to create the perfects with high-quality and accuracies:

Define your digital part production process with highly automated CAM 

As we know, highly automated CAM can repeatedly re-use the verified data to automatic programming and improve the machining process to produce the same results, upgrading the quality and accelerating the time to market.

Synchronized parts manufacturing can increase the effectiveness

Synchronized parts production is greatly improving the whole operation efficiency by using one unified system to design, simulate and make the parts.

Additive manufacturing enhances the digital part production and design

It’s hard and impossible to make the parts with the creater complex geometries. Additive manufacturing can overcome this challenge. Besides, these complex geometries are tougher and lighter compared with their counterparts with the traditional methods. 

Outstanding companies found that the future of digital part production adopts the new software tool that connects various applications and processes by the use of the digital twin. Digital part production connects the production process, reducing the data transmission rate replication, strengthening the cooperation, automating the engineering and machining procedures.

More importantly, digital parts production comprises information-sharing loops across the whole organization, constantly improving and becoming more simplified.

How to Realize the Precision of Perfect Part Through Digital production

To remain competitive in the forceful machinery industry, the manufacturers usually seek the last solution to size the market quotation and delivery the innovation in the shortest time. The customers are desired to get highly customized products to meet their specific needs, and one size doesn’t work anymore.

Higher Operational Efficiency Overcomes the Complexity 

DPP builds a bridge that connects the digital, which can help you to incorporate your digitals and physical process. In the closed-loop, you can know the all details of each part’s production, once you find out the error, the results can be updated timely. It can connect your whole operation and production, automating all produce, improving efficiency, and making your manufacturing smoother and easier.

Fully Merging the Digital and physical process to promote innovation

DPP has a strong belief that helps the machine builders to solve the difficulties, enhancing operational efficiency and shop management. Digital part production( DPP ) is a powerful platform that allows you to fully merge your digital resource and physical process. It combines engineering with the manufacturing plan, which makes the independent team can easily access similar information, helping you to deliver high-quality products, optimizing the process, and shortening the time to market.

Conclusion

If you are looking for machining services, or need to manufacture perfect prototypes and parts, welcome to upload your CAD files and our team will give you fast feedback and the best services. 

1. 投放时间设置：

        通过广告定时投放设置，您可以设定在每天的特定时间段或每周的特定几天展示您的AdWords广告。例如，您可以安排只在工作日投放广告，或者在每天下午 3:00至 6:00投放广告。通过广告定时投放设置，您可以将广告系列设置为全天投放、一周内每天都投放或每周只投放 15 分钟。例如，如果您发现上午 8:00 至 11:00 投放广告的效果最好，则可以提高对该时间段的展示次数或点击次数的出价。

2. 语言定位：

      可以针对特定的语言定位广告系列，这样只有将界面语言设为这些语言的用户才能看到您的广告。你可以点击Google主页搜索框右侧的"使用偏好"链接查看界面语言设置。如果您的界面语言未包括在广告系列语言定位选项中，您可能需要修改广告系列语言定位才能查看广告。

3. 地理定位：

可以针对特定国家和地区、区域及城市投放广告系列。

4. 使用设备：

“手机”   “平板”    “电脑”

5. 年龄定位

“18-24 岁”、“25-34 岁”、“35-44 岁”、“45-54 岁”、“55-64 岁”、“65 岁或以上”

6. 性别定位：

“女性”、“男性”和“未知”

7. 家庭收入：

收入最高的前 10%”、“11-20%”、“21-30%”、“31-40%”、“41-50%”、“收入较低的 50%”和“未知”。

8. 生育情况：

“育有子女”、“无子女”和“未知”

9.下载关键字列表：

创建列表时，请站在客户的顾客角度想一想。目标顾客会使用什么字词来描述客户的产品或服务？生成一些适当的关键字后，为列表添加尽可能多的关键字相关变体。我们可以能过Google adwords关键字工具帮你解决关键词搜索数据。

10.否定与我不相关的行业：

加与与我们不相关的否定关键字让不相关的用户无法搜索到我的广告。例如，如果你的关键字是"卡丁车"，可以在把“跑跑”作为否定关键词，当用户输入跑跑卡丁车无法看到我的广告。

#Industry News

The state of material handling automation

Latest warehouse automation trends reveal the market has been on a tear in recent years, driven by the need to augment operations with flexible automation to weather the next supply chain shock and address critical labor shortages.

To analyze the current state of the material handling automation market, Vecna Robotics partnered with CITE Research to survey over 1,000 supply chain professionals across industries including automotive, third-party logistics (3PL), consumer goods, manufacturing, e-commerce and retail to uncover the key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the market.

You can read the entire report here (PDF), but the research provides this quick snapshot of the state of the market:

Warehouses are facing a significant labor shortage. The majority of the market is 10-25% understaffed, with material handlers and forklift drivers to move pallets representing the largest labor gaps at 34% and 31% reporting difficulties in filling these positions, respectively.

Automation is here to help. Most supply chain professionals view automation as a positive for workers, with 70% highlighting improved retention and over half recognizing it as a means to upskill employees and create new job opportunities.

Autonomous pallet moving has just started to scale. Automation remains largely untapped, with 76% of companies having never deployed an automated guided vehicle (AGV) and 70% never implementing an autonomous mobile robot (AMR). Nevertheless, larger facilities are embracing automation, with 50% of those exceeding one million square feet having introduced AMRs. E-commerce leads the adoption rate at 39% with automotive closely behind at 38%.

Case picking is everywhere. The majority of respondents (78%) are already using case picking in their operations, with a whopping 90% using it in the consumer goods industry, and yet this is still almost completely manually performed today.

By 2025, the global warehouse automation market is projected to expand to $69 billion. The following data will help explain the drivers, barriers and financial considerations of adopting automation. In addition, the data informs how to achieve automation at scale to offset increasing product demand and global supply chain disruptions while keeping existing workers happy.

To deploy or not to deploy? That is the question

As many problems cripple the material handling industry, companies are turning to automation to help, with 85% of respondents planning to deploy some form of automation in the next 12 months.

Drivers for automation adoption

Unsurprisingly, the primary drivers for this adoption are the labor shortage (25%) and supply chain disruption (22%). Smaller facilities are particularly impacted by the labor shortage, while larger facilities are driven to automation due to supply chain disruption. Among industries, retail and e-commerce are most affected by the labor shortage and supply chain disruptions.

Barriers to automation

While it’s no secret that automation is gaining steam, with 4 in 10 reporting a strong return on investment (ROI) from previous deployments, there still remain a number of obstacles to adopting automation. Let’s dig into these.

In today’s volatile economy, cost concerns are at the top of the list of obstacles to implementing automation solutions, with budget (41%) and cost/ROI (40%) being the most significant. Cost/ROI was also the main obstacle to adopting automation efforts previously, with 54% of supply chain professionals stating that it has hampered their implementation plans.

Digging into the data, we discovered that all barriers to automation adoption show a negative correlation with facility size, except for cost/ROI. Surprisingly, the larger a company’s revenue, the more budget and cost/ROI become obstacles to adoption, which could reflect the following:

1. Long-term strategic vs. short-term ROI: decision-makers at larger firms may be under more pressure to show short-term returns to their business unit vs. smaller companies that have more runway to consider automation as a strategic long-term investment and competitive differentiator.

2. Capex vs. Opex models: dated capex cost models are delaying rapid adoption of automation at scale.

3. Prove value: new technologies have to do a better job at proving value (no science projects please!) in environments with more financial discipline and in order to compete with other types of tech investments.

When it comes to adopting automation at scale, the barriers remain widespread. Cost/ROI remained the top barrier (44%) but was followed closely by training/change management (43%). Implementation complexity (39%), integration challenge (38%), and operational fit (38%) also represented significant barriers to adopting automation at scale.

Interestingly, facilities exceeding one million square feet behaved differently than the average-sized facility with their main barriers to adoption being performance, implementation complexity, integration challenges, and training/change management.

Our analysis also reveals that the 3PL industry is the least affected by these obstacles, while the consumer goods sector is the most impacted.

Getting to scale

So, how does automation become mainstream? Let’s look at what is affecting automation adoption at scale.

The economic downturn is not significantly impacting adoption. 74% of automation projects are not impacted by fear of economic downtown. In fact, 15% are accelerating adoption. However, 26% of respondents reported that automation

projects have been postponed or delayed indefinitely due to economic headwinds.

Larger companies require a corporate strategic imperative to drive automation projects. Around 50% of companies with $1 billion or more in revenue rely on a corporate strategic imperative to adopt and scale automation.

Increasing product demand and global supply chain disruptions are causing automation adoption at scale. Respondents cited increasing product demand (30%) and global supply chain disruptions (26%) as the largest factors in adopting automation at scale. Tightness in access to skilled labor (13%) and reshoring of production back to North America (11%) are less impactful.

From October 24 to 30, the long-awaited Bauma (Munich International Construction Machinery, Building Material Machinery, Mining Machinery, Construction Vehicles, and Construction Equipment Fair) in Germany successfully kicked off at Munich Exhibition Center.

Despite the chaotic and complicated international situation and the dangerous form of the epidemic, QGM, although late to the German Bauma exhibition, heavy attack. 24 October, under the leadership of general manager Fu Xinyuan, a total of 10 people fully loaded set off for Germany, together with Zenith Maschinenfabrik GmbH.

The Bauma exhibition in Germany has a total exhibition area of 614,000 square meters, and over 3,000 exhibitors from 58 countries will gather together, attracting the attention of construction machinery people around the world! QGM will be at the core of the industry, showing the latest technological achievements and products for clients from all over the world. We invite you to share our innovative power and pulse the future of the industry!

This time, ZENITH exhibited its latest technology ZENITH 870 single pallet block machine in the core booth area of this world-renowned “giant” exhibition, showing the hard-core strength of ZENITH manufacturing to the world. It attracted a large number of potential clients and visitors and received unanimous recognition and praise.

During the exhibition, “Eagle Eye” automatic inspection system was demonstrated on-site, attracting a large number of potential clients and visitors to the booth. 3 years of the epidemic has accumulated too much desire to come to the booth to consult and negotiate. Clients who seek cooperation come from all over the world, some came from far away, and Some of them came from all over the world. All of them have expressed their appreciation for the equipment exhibited by QGM & ZENITH.

During the 7-day exhibition, we received hundreds of batches of customers. they expressed their love for Zenith equipment during the conversation with our sales manager, Among them, there are many clients who have been using machines from QGM & ZENITH for more than ten or twenty years to make a fortune. Also, during the period, it is are directly signed several orders, and many high-intention clients will communicate with us further.

Adhere to the focus of development on the real economy, promote a new type of industrialization, accelerate the construction of a strong manufacturing country, a strong quality country, a strong aerospace country, a strong transportation country, a strong network country, and a strong digital China is our new development direction, in the current domestic and international double cycle background, QGM keeps pace with the times, client demand-oriented continuous innovation, strengthen technology and intellectual self-sustainability, and further show the world the hardcore strength of QGM.

如今，API 已经成为了每个重要信息技术趋势的核心内容。移动设计、云计算、物联网、大数据及社交网络等应用都依赖于一个基于web 的界面与它们的分布式组件进行连接，为全球范围内的各个商业领域提供具有创新性和颠覆性的解决方法。智能电网（Smart grid）技术改变了能源行业的形态，联网汽车（Connected Car）解决方案则被视为自动汽车行业中的关键因素，亚马逊使得每个所接触的行业都产生了具大变化。在所有这些例子中，API 的使用既是催化剂，也是促成这一成果的主要力量。

由于API 对于商业的巨大影响，因此有关“API 的商机”的各种文章也是层出不穷。在开放性的互联网上，使用API 作为一种外部频道进行创新及盈利已经成为一种独特的商业模型。在由 Kin Lane 所创建的 API 传道（Evangelist）网站中可以找到关于这一话题非常全面的信息， Mehdi Medjaoui 则在最近的一篇帖子中用精练的语言对此进行了总结。然后，在跨科技领域的API 应用范围内，开放式API 模型仅仅表现出其实用性的冰山一角。实际上，Web API 的主要能力还没有从各种使用API 实现的解决方案中被发掘出来。从这种意义上说，API 的商机本身就是一种商业模式。

本文将从商业角度对API 进行全面的讲解分析，无论它是否是开放式并且公开发布的。我会谈到尝试用API 为你带来商业价值的重要性、分析在其中应该使用的数据类型、并学习Aamzon 及Twilio 的成功经验。希望这些内容能够有助于你打造有用的、并且可用的API。

评估API 的商业价值

API 的通用商业价值是可以进行评估的。一切从数据出发，许多公司及组织将他们的数据视为一种负担，毕竟服务器和存储方案的价格不菲。但在如今这个越来越趋向于电子化的世界中，很显然，数据也是一种宝贵的资产。数据提供了各种宝贵的客户资料，它能够产生可辨别的商机与新的收益方式。“大数据”狂潮正是追求通过海量数据的分析处理电子中的混乱信息。即将到来的物联网（IoT）爆炸将使数据的规模呈现指数级的增长，因此对各个公司来说，对于数据进行正确的分析就变得至关重要。

对于一家公司来说，数据到底是一种资产，还是一种负担，是取决于以下三个方面的：即数据的可访问性、准确性和可应用性。每个 Web API 都在某种程度上提供了某些数据的可用性，而有价值的 API 则为公司的核心商业数据提供准确的数据。这使得公司能够达到一种我称之为“Data-Enabled Disruption”的迭代发展模式，在下文中我会为这种模式做出解释。此外，在决定应该由 API 暴露哪些数据及服务时，以及如何实现这些 API 时，这三个方面的数据属性也提供了一种有效的方法论。

数据可应用性

• 这些数据是否有助于我的商业目标决策？
• 这些数据是否能够为我的业务带来独特的价值？
• 如果我将这些数据公开化，是否能产生某些商机？

数据准确性

• 当前提供的数据时效性如何？
• 数据的来源是否可靠？
• 数据是否由期望中的用户所使用？是否用于正确的目的？

数据可访问性

• 哪些数据是可以由编程方式获取的？
• 有哪些不同的方法可以获取这些数据？
• 开发者创建使用这些数据的应用难度有多大？
• 数据访问的规模能否满足客户的需求？

如果从 API 的角度对这套方法论进行验证，那么可以将数据的这三种属性合并为 API 的两种属性：

1. “实用的 API”提供准确与合适的数据
2. “可用的 API”提供可访问的数据

显然，最有价值的 API 应当满足实用与可用两个条件。不过，为了更进一步定义这些 API 属性，让我们分别来进行一下分析。

实用的 API

在开发 API 时，人们最常见的一种错误就是认为所有的数据都是有用的。有一种流传甚广的奇谈是这么说的：一旦你拿出这些数据，神奇的开发者们就会出现在你面前，他们会撒下一些具有魔力的粉末，让你的收益得到增长、涌现各种创新的想法、并打通各种商业渠道。但仅仅使用 API 和开放数据是不足实现这几点的。正是这种“媒体即讯息”的想法造成了过去十多年间在企业整合这一领域中出现了大量失败的 SOA 尝试。某家超大型企业曾经花费了 5 千万美元以上的资金企图打造一个 SOA 及私有云的项目。而当我问及他们打算为哪些客户提供什么样的服务时，他们立刻就哑口无言了，因为他们只关心如何打造基础设施。毫无疑问，这个项目最终失败了。

从好的方面来说，如果能够使用正确的 API 公开正确的数据，那么就能够实现收益的增长与创新的进步。Google Maps 利用 Google 压倒性的占有率所提供的基于 API 的服务，正好填补了市场在这方面的空白。由于这一服务相当便利，因此 Google 可以将它作为商业产品收取大量费用。由于 API 的存在，Google Maps 也成为了早期 iOS 平台上的常驻应用，而苹果自己推出的替代品在一开始的反响就相当差，这反而突显了 Google Maps 的价值。由 Facebook 与 Twitter 领衔的社交网络平台的发展与成功也离不开 API 的应用，正是后者促进了他们的 web 链接数目与移动平台上的应用实现。实用的 API 甚至对联邦竞选活动产生了深远的影响。

Amazon 的 API 故事

正如我在文章开头所说的一样，企业从 API 中获得商业成功的潜力远远大于开放 API 在表面上的能力。Amazon 就充分利用了这种潜力，其实它们的 API 最初只是在公司内部进行使用。API 为 Amazon 所带来的这种长远的成功在任何一个行业中都找不出相似的案例。Amazon 为使用其 API 的客户提供了宝贵的经验，帮助这些企业使用它们的 API 获得商业上的成功。

Amazon 为我们所上的第一堂课，也是最为明显的一堂课，就是它是怎样将 API 设计为产品与解决方案的构造块的。Brad Stone 在由他编写的书籍中专门用了一章的篇幅来描述Amazon 是怎样将基础API 发展为它的技术航母的。Kin Lane 也对Jeff Bezos（Amazon 的CEO）是怎样从固执的陈旧观念中慢慢转变，让Amazon 最终提供编程式访问能力的过程进行了精彩的总结。按照这些报告及一些其它资料所说，产品经理必须指出他们的提案中的商业价值的最小公分母。随后技术团队就会利用这些原始数据创建API，将这些商业价值提供给其他开发者，让他们继续创建整个方案中剩余的部分。背后的逻辑在于这些商业价值的增长能够直接使用，并且能够非常容易地进行结合，以进行未来的产品开发。这就是为什么Amazon Web Services 能够如此迅速地发布及改善：Amazon 对它们的基础设施服务都进行了API 化，从而优化了扩展基础设施能力的过程。AWS 的产生过程就是将这些内部功能转化为外部产品。正如你所见，Amazon 不仅仅保证了他们所提供的API 提供了有用的数据，而是走得更远，他们将这一原则进行了倒转，保证了整个解决方案中的每一份数据都能够由API 方式进行提供。

Amazon 在 API 方面的另一个例子是它如何使用基于 API 的方式进行有价值数据的收集、分析、改善以及分布的。当早期的 Amazon 还以在线书籍的销售为主营业务时，Jeff Bezos 对于 Amazon 的核心价值观念就有了清晰的预期：“我们不是通过销售盈利，而是通过帮助客户进行采购决策而盈利。”他始终保持公司的运营与这一核心价值观相一致，从而产生了策略方向的各种改变，例如提供个性化及扩展频道等举措。实际上，从以上核心价值观中就可以看到，正是这些适用的、准确的、并且可访问的数据为客户的决策作出了引导，让Amazon 一步步走向成功，而不是靠着在线图书或其它商品的销售获得的成功。在Amazon，正是API 将数据进行不断积累与改进，这一周期性的过程刺激了Amazon 的成长。我将这个360 度的周期称之为数据革新“Data-Enabled Disruption（DED）”，下图是我对它的总结：

DED 的成功运用，使得 Amazon 得以击败无数竞争对手。由于在整个数据生命周期的每一步都应用了 API，因此 Amazon 能够持续地改进数据的准确性、适用性及可访问性。

我们最后将学习 Amazon 是怎样在公司的战术产出和策略定位之间进行平衡的。自从 Jeff Bezos 认识到万维网的潜力，并制定出“提供所有商品的商店”这一愿景之后，他就非常清楚地认识到这种平衡的重要性。Bezos 认识到他先要从一个较小的目标开始，经过对市场进行一番分析之后，他认准了在线图片销售这一领域，它的发展时机已经成熟，并且供应链也十分理想。在随后的发展中一方面保证快速的执行，一方面始终不忘对未来的愿景设计，这种齐头并进的发展理念已经成为了 Amazon 文化的一条根深蒂固的宗旨。每个解决方案既要为公司产生价值，也要为未来的发展铺好基石。基于 API 的交付方式就是实现这种原则的一种理想的方式，因为 API 不仅能够服务于新的应用与服务，也能够为未来的各种用例打好基础。这种迭代式发展的方法论促进了亚马逊业务的不断发展（见下图的说明）。

图片中的每个服务都对应着一套外部的API ，同时，每套API 都是建立于已经完成的API 基础之上的。任何一家打算纵向或横向进行业务扩展的公司，都可以认真参考一下Amazon 是如何打造一套有用的API 的方法：持续地收集和获取可用的数据、使用API 作为这些数据的通用访问点、只交付短期内有用的数据，同时兼顾长期的发展计划，以此作为公司的竞争力进行不断扩展。

可用的API 及API 设计的重要性

尽管Amazon 在这方面取得了令人瞩目的成就，并且API 在公司的成功中扮演着重要的角色，但Amazon 的API 仍然没有被公认为设计最优秀、使用最简单的API。随着 API 数量的爆炸性增长，并且对于 API 的必要性的认可度也在不断增加，API 的可用性正是让那些在行业中处于支配地位的公司，甚至是那些仅仅打算用API 建立创新性服务的创业公司能够获得成功的关键因素。

移动设备的出现及IT 的消费化趋势，是对于传统的企业级应用开发的一次全面转变。在过去，普遍存在着各种功能单一的终端主机、客户- 服务器系统、以及最近出现的web 的分布式布局。我过去也曾谈及这种我称之为“层的脱落”的现象，即将业务从n 层的web 模型转向以API 为中心、以移动和云为优先的设计。这种转变也包括了代码开发从Java 企业版转到JavaScript 及其衍生语言的情况。所有以上这些都表明，正有一波新的开发者，他们将逐渐成为开发新企业级解决方案的主力。这些开发者们习惯于主动寻找有什么API 可以满足他们所需的功能。当前的公司应当预计到这种转变的发生，并迎合新一代开发者的需求，方式就是拥抱 API 的可用性。

让我们看一下电信业的情况。多年以来，各大电信巨鳄们都在处心积虑地想要打倒竞争者，同时也在积极地推出各种跨网络的增值服务。这个行业在过去的 15 年间产生了巨大的革新，包括 VOIP 的出现、业务及运维服务的整合，以及移动设备服务的革命。在种种革新的进程中，API 都扮演了重要的角色。即使在传统电信服务方面仍占据领先地位，但这些电信巨鳄们也难以从这波革新浪潮中受益。而当他们试图与 Parlay X 及 OneAPI 等创业公司进行合作时，他们遇到的困难比这些小公司更多， Alan Quayle 在他的一篇文章中就总结了这一现象。如果这些大佬们都难以抓住这次机遇，又有谁能做得到呢？

创建于 2007 年的 Twilio，其发展目标就是为客户提供易于使用的语音及文字消息服务，并且完全在云端进行托管。他们一开始就计划打造这样一个平台，并且意识到 API 会成为他们第一位的业务方向。SMS 和 VOIP 服务固然很有用，但为了与电信巨鳄们展开竞争，他们所需的不仅仅是一些便利的电话服务而已。

Twilio 最关键的洞察力在于：他们已认识到所提供的服务的第一批客户并非那些调用 API 的应用的终端用户，而是那些负责开发这些应用的开发者本人。他们也知道，移动端应用的增长速度必然是最高的。因此，他们定制了一套指标，用以衡量这批客户对 API 的满意程度。除了传统的终端用户统计数据，例如端到端的 API 调用响应时间之外，他们还额外对新开发者注册这套 API 所需的时间进行衡量，并且设定了很高的目标。这套指标的设定改善了 API 的可用性，从而为 Twilio 建立了对于各大电信巨鳄的领先优势。当应用开发者们在为应用的开发选择 SMS 或 VOIP 提供者时，Twilio 的这套响应迅速的轻量级服务就明显比起竞争们胜出一筹。有了这套实用的 API 之后，Twilio 就可以理直气壮地对服务收取费用，通过客户的每次 API 调用的付费实现盈利。也正是因为这套实用的 API，Twilio 提高了公司的名气，同时也增长了公司的利润。

电信之外的各个行业也对数据革新的方向准备就绪了。就拿 Ingenie 来说，这家保险业的创业公司在基于精算的定价方法方面推陈出新，对于 16-25 岁这一阶段的年青人会进行适当的惩罚。他们通过在每台汽车里安装的一种专利智能设备对每个驾驶员的数据进行收集，随后依据这些数据为这些驾驶员们提供相应的保险折扣。实用的、可用的 API 使得 Ingenie 能够实现数据带来的革新，让他们像 Twilio 一样征服了整个保险行业。

实用的、可用的 API 指南

在此进行一下总结，要确保 API 的成功，可以通过以下几个步骤来实现：

• 确保你的 API 与公司的策略相一致
• 在 API 中包含可访问的、准确的并且适用的数据
• 确保你的 API 是实用的，并且可用的
• 学习 Amazon 的方式，建立一种规范的文化，迭代式地实现数据带来的革新
• 学习 Twilio 的方式，创建一种优秀 API 开发者体验，从而使你的业务更胜于其它各大竞争者。

只要按照这套指南的方法，你的 API 终将为你的业务带来巨大成功，并成为这方面的典范。只有你能够最好地判断怎样为客户提供实用的 API。

关于作者

Matt McLarty(@mattmclartybc) 是 CA Technologies 公司的 API Academy 部门的副总裁。该部门为各公司提供 API 策略、架构及设计方面的专家指导，以帮助他们在电子经济时代茁壮成长。

查看英文原文： Article: A Business Perspective on APIs

本文转自《从商业角度探讨 API 设计》，译者：邵思华