Today’s blog is by Margaret Stewart, Director of HR and Administration at SafeSourcing Inc.

Many places and businesses are beginning to reopen after closures from the Covid-19 pandemic. From retailers and salons, to gyms and daycares, many people are planning on getting back, but what does that really mean? The concern over the virus is still present, so in order to even open doors, numerous precautions must be taken.

First, employees must be given masks. There has and still is a shortage of masks that effectively protect people from the virus. There must be enough masks for every employee, which means any business will need to have a supply already. Right now, you can use your procurement partner for help in sourcing the masks you will need to get your business on its way to reopening.

Next, the places where employees are working must be cleaned, thoroughly and often. This means common areas must be disinfected. This likely means a hefty supply of sanitizer and cleaners will be needed and must be available before reopening. Again, your procurement partner can help you source the supplies you need and help find the right supplier for your needs.

Finally, getting back to work will require social distancing. For many, this is especially difficult. For example, restaurants will need to move tables apart, often 6 feet or more, which can reduce the number of tables that can fit in a dining area. This can reduce the number of people seated at a time and can greatly reduce the amount of business. Other businesses will have to make other adjustments, like separating cubicles, reorganizing stores to make aisles wider, and reducing the number of employees in the business at one time. Some businesses may bypass the social distancing altogether and have their employees continue working from home indefinitely.

While it may take some preparation and getting used to, businesses will reopen and things will get back to regular routines. This is where you may rely on others to get through this. A procurement partner, like SafeSourcing, can help your organization find the suppliers of supplies you will need to get things back up and running. They are ready to help and have the experience you might need during difficult times like this.

For more information on how SafeSourcing can help your procurement efforts, or on our Risk

Free trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative. We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

Today’s post is from our archives at  SafeSourcing Inc.

Are you in the middle or end of a contract and stuck as to what to do next?  Has pricing increased

year after year, but service or product delays have been more frequent? Let SafeSourcing, Inc. help YOU! How, you say? With our custom e-procurement process that takes supplier vetting off your plate, helps you establish a contract ready terms and conditions that protects you, and creates a specifications that is detailed for your needs.

You see, we take all your hours of work off your plate and do the work for you, bringing you a reliable supplier base, clean contract ready terms and conditions, and an equal to or better service or product need. And we can do it quickly!  But what is e-procurement?

Wikipedia defines E-Procurement as electronic procurement, sometimes also known as supplier exchange is the business-to-business or business-to-consumer or business-to-government purchase and sale of supplies, work, and services through the Internet as well as other information and networking systems, such as electronic data interchange and enterprise resource planning. The e-procurement value chain consists of indent management, e-Informing, e-Tendering, e-Auctioning, vendor management, catalogue management, Purchase Order Integration, Order Status, Ship Notice, e-invoicing, e-payment, and contract management. Indent management is the workflow involved in the preparation of tenders. This part of the value chain is optional, with individual procuring departments defining their indenting process. In works procurement, administrative approval and technical sanction are obtained in electronic format. In goods procurement, indent generation activity is done online.

Are you interested in more information on how SafeSourcing can assist you in exploring your procurement solutions for your business or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service Representative.  We have an entire customer services team waiting to assist you today.

We look forward to your comments.

Today’s post is by Troy Lowe; Vice President of Development at SafeSourcing.

I was looking at a website that I frequently browse for deals the other day when I came across something that I have never seen before. It was a set of rechargeable emergency LED light bulbs. These LED bulbs work like regular light bulbs. The difference is that they contain a battery backup system that will provide light in the event of a power outage. You just plug the bulbs into a standard fixture and the bulbs will charge when the light is turned on. When the power goes out the bulb will run off of the internal battery as long as the fixture is in the on position. Some of the bulbs come with an accessory that you can screw the light bulb into and switch it on an off without having to use a lamp. This will allow you to move the light bulb from room to room in case of a power outage. Just like standard LED bulbs, they come in different lumens (brightness) to suit the needs of your environment. I purchased a set of four and I will be placing them in areas throughout the house in which lighting at night would be necessary for safely navigating. This includes the basement since this is the darkest part of the house and one of the places you need to go during tornado warnings. See below for other advantages of using rechargeable LED bulbs.

• 4-5 Hour Emergency Lighting
• Energy Efficient
• Long Life
• Environmentally Friendly/No Toxic Elements
• No Warm Up Time/Instant On
• Cold Temperature Operation
• Durability
• Safety – No Heat Released
• Dimming Capabilities

If you are looking to purchase new lighting and would like help researching available options, feel free to contact SafeSourcing.   We can gather all the necessary information for you and help you decide which one meets your needs. If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.

Honey

Today’s post is by Gayl Southard, Administrative Consultant at SafeSourcing, Inc.

There has been a growing concern in the decrease number of honey bees due to pesticides killing them and parasites that get into the hives.

The global consumption of honey is due to exceed 2.8 million tons by 2024. This is largely driven by the growing consumer consumption preference of natural and healthy alternatives to artificial sweeteners. The health benefits of honey range from home remedies such as weight reduction, improved digestion, prebiotic support, acne cure, and a natural exfoliator. China is the largest producer and consumer of honey worldwide.

A few interesting bee facts:

• Honey bees have pockets in their legs to store pollen called corbiculae. By the end of the day these filled pockets will result in a weight increase of 15%.
• When it comes time for an older queen bee to be replaced, the worker bees know it and they build new queen cells in the hive. They load the new cells with healthy pupae and flood the cells with royal jelly. They “ball” the queen which means they cluster around her causing her body temperature to rise and she dies. There is only one queen bee per hive. If two are produced, they fight until there is only one survivor.
• Bees are cold blooded. When the temperature drops below 50 degrees, they can’t fly. Honey bees do not sleep. They remain motionless at night to conserve energy for the next day.
• The drones’ job is to mate with the queen; however not with the queen in their hive. They travel to other hives. After they mate, they die. They represent 15% of the hive. When temperatures drop in the fall, the drones are kicked out.
• “Bearding” refers to a form of bees that hang out of the hive (or a cluster of bees) that allow the hive temperature to regulate when internal temperatures get too high.

We look forward to and appreciate your comments. For more information please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Services Representative.

References:

Dorothea Benton Frank, Queen Bee, pp 409-411

http://www.strategyr.com/MarketResearch/ViewinfoGraphNew, 7/3/2019

Today’s Post is by Eli Razov, Senior Account Manager at SafeSourcing Inc.

A meat analogue, also called a meat alternative, meat substitute, mock meat, faux meat, imitation meat, vegetarian meat, or vegan meat, approximates certain aesthetic qualities (e.g. texture, flavor, appearance) or chemical characteristics of specific types of meat. Generally, meat analogue means a food made from vegetarian ingredients, and sometimes without animal products such as dairy. Many analogues are soy-based (e.g. tofu, tempeh) or gluten-based, but now may also be pea protein-based. The market for meat analogues includes vegetarians, vegans, non-vegetarians seeking to reduce their meat consumption, and people following religious dietary laws.

A meat analogue looks and tastes like meat from an animal. These products use proteins from plants with fat, coloring and flavoring to replicate poultry, beef or seafood. In some cases these products are used as fillers in meat. There are many companies that manufacture and sell different meat analogue products from patties and ground to breakfast meats and sausages. With growing vegan and vegetarian diet trends more restaurants are beginning to offer meat analogue menu items. That being said more foodservice companies are beginning to explore and offer more product lines offering vegan and vegetarian options. Many of these products claim to taste exactly like their meat counterparts. These products can be found in almost every grocery store and are beginning to pop up in convenience store roller grills nationwide.

Here at SafeSourcing we have a growing database of meat analogue manufacturers and distributors. We work directly with these vendors to help our clients save on these products. With the growing popularity in meat analogue products there is a chance you could be seeing them on your shelves if you haven’t already. Contact SafeSourcing and let us help you save on your meat analogue costs today!

For more information on how SafeSourcing can assist you or on our “Risk Free” trial program, please contact SafeSourcing  we have an entire team waiting to assist you today.

References…………………………………………………………

Source- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meat_analogue

Today’s post is by Troy Lowe; Vice President of Development at SafeSourcing.

As a tech enthusiast I get excited when I hear technology news. I recently purchased a surround sound system for my family room that supports Dolby Atmos. For those of you who do not know what Dolby Atmos is, it’s basically an expansion of Dolby Digital 5.1 and 7.1 to include speakers that reside above which adds height to the sound. This technology allows for the sound to be played directly to certain speakers throughout the room. So, for example, when there is a scene of a plane flying overhead and to the left, the sound will start from behind you, then move overhead and then move to the left and fade away. When a scene contains rain, it will sound like the rain is coming from directly above. The reason I am bringing this up is because Netflix just announced earlier this month that they developed and launched high-quality audio. With this new technology they are able to improve the sound quality to “studio quality” audio that sounds closer to what the creators hear within the studio. This results in higher quality audio to all of their content without needing more bandwidth or buffering. If you are looking forward to utilizing this new platform you will need to meet the following requirements:

• A Netflix Premium plan is required for the Dolby Atmos
• Compatible Television or device such as Amazon Fire TV Cube
• Sound System that supports 5.1/Dolby Atmos
• Watch movies or shows with 5.1 or Dolby Atmnos support
• Internet connection that supports 5 Mbps for HD and 25 Mbps for 4k/HDR

If you are interested in upgrading any of your electronic devices, feel free to contact SafeSourcing. We can gather all the necessary information for you and help you decide which one meets your needs.

If you would like more information on how SafeSourcing can help you, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.  We have an entire team ready to assist you today.