Ceenex LC

In the News...

Mar 3, 2006 -

Dec 30, 2005 - Ceenex extends its best wishes for 2006

Oct 15, 2005 - Conference on Business Process Improvement (BPI) in the Extractive Industries: Ceenex article available for download

Ceenex presented a paper titled “Applying Modeling & Simulation as a part of Business Process Improvement of Complex Mining Logistics” at the annual meeting of the Industry Summit on Mining Performance: How to Improve It, How to Sustain It, How to Reduce Costs. This second annual meeting was held in downtown Denver, Colorado, September 21-22, 2005 and hosted by The Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University and the Colorado School of Mines.

The Ceenex article presented by Martin Franklin (Senior Consultant) and Jan-Diedeleff Gertenbach (Director) is available for download here (573KB).

Jun 29, 2005 - Ceenex to present at the upcoming Penn State and Colorado School of Mines Conference on Business Process Improvement (BPI) in the Extractive Industries

Ceenex is proud to be selected to provide a presentation titled “Applying Modeling & Simulation as a part of Business Process Improvement of Complex Mining Logistics” at the upcoming annual meeting of the Industry Summit on Mining Performance: How to Improve It, How to Sustain It, How to Reduce Costs. This second annual meeting to be held in downtown Denver, Colorado, September 21-22, 2005 is hosted by The Department of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering at The Pennsylvania State University and the Colorado School of Mines.

The conference will be a gathering place to discuss performance improvement issues, opportunities, and challenges and will include presentations from industry leaders in key mining sectors--coal, metals, and nonmetallic minerals--as well as from customers, suppliers, and others with a keen interest in mining industry performance.

For more information about the conference, including a preliminary program, click here.

May 4, 2005 - IIE Chapter 50th Anniversary Gala a great success

The Institute of Industrial Engineering National Capital Chapter 50th Anniversary Gala, held on April 30th 2005, has been an event to remember. The speakers, reflecting on the past years and development in the industrial engineering profession, blended as if rehearsed. Furthermore, the food was excellent, and the DJ/dancing topped it off splendidly.

Ceenex LC, as bronze event sponsor, is proud to have been associated with this successful event and is looking forward to future interaction with the IIE National Capital Chapter and its activities towards serving the Washington D.C. metro area Industrial Engineers. The Gala evening provided lots of great memories for all. For more information please visit www.iienationalcapital.com.

Dec 15, 2004 - Ceenex LC delivers Case Study at Winter Simulation Conference 2004

Ceenex LC has attended and presented a Case Study at the annual Winter Simulation Conference 2004 held in Washington D.C. The Case Study track is a new addition to the conference and dedicated to successfully applied real-world simulation projects.

Martin Franklin represented Ceenex LC and the title of the presentation was "Strategic Analysis, Modeling and Simulation (SAMS) of Logistics as Part of a Planned Vertical Mega Shaft System". The case study highlighted the Ceenex Business Engineering approach to client projects, specifically related to a SAMS project and the application of expert tools such as the Gensym G2 (www.gensym.com) software platform.

For more information on WSC'04 please visit www.wintersim.org or download the presentation here (803KB) - Adobe Acrobat format.

Oct 29, 2004 - Ceenex LC announces Gensym Partner Agreement

McLEAN, VA - Ceenex LC, an international independent management and technology consulting firm, announced a systems integrator (SI) agreement with Gensym Corporation (OTC Bulletin Board: GNSM), a leading provider of software and services for expert operations management.

Ceenex LC, subsidiary company to Ceenex Pty Ltd in South Africa, has recently been established in the U.S. to instigate their international presence. Ceenex consists of a team of Professional Business Engineers with extensive experience in helping organizations to redesign and optimally deploy their strategies, processes, systems, structures and resources.

Gensym Corporation (www.gensym.com) is a provider of software products and services that enable organizations to automate aspects of their operations that have historically required the direct attention of human experts. Gensym's product and service offerings are all based on or relate to Gensym's flagship product G2, which can emulate the reasoning of human experts as they assess, diagnose, and respond to unusual operating situations or as they seek to optimize operations.

Please refer to the Strategic Analysis, Modeling and Simulation (SAMS) pamphlet for more information on the Ceenex SAMS deliverable. (SAMS pamphlet - Adobe Acrobat format).

Sep 20, 2004 - Ceenex LC one of 260 foreign affiliated firms located in vibrant Fairfax County

Fairfax County's pro-business climate, highly skilled work force, and the enviable quality of life in the Washington region combine to create a unique and effective business advantage for foreign-owned firms. Nearly 29,000 businesses are already located in Fairfax County, including more than 260 foreign-owned or affiliated corporations.

Fairfax County's 4,400 plus technology companies are leaders in the fields of:

• Internet
• Optical Networking
• E-commerce
• Biotechnology/Bioinformatics
• Telecommunications
• Satellite Communications
• Software Development
• Aerospace
• Systems Integration

This article and a complete listing of foreign firms in Fairfax County is available here.

News of Interest...

Jul 12, 2007 - Virginia Again Wins Forbes.com Ranking as Best State for Business

Forbes.com has again named Virginia the best state for business. The second annual Top States for Business survey examined U.S. states in six categories: business and living costs; job and income growth; business climate; educational attainment; venture capital investment; and quality of life. Virginia finished in the top 10 in four of the categories. Utah, North Carolina, Texas and Washington round out the top five states.

As the locality with the largest business community in Virginia, Fairfax County plays a leading role in the economic vitality of the Commonwealth. Fairfax County companies received 42 percent of venture capital invested in Virginia in the first quarter of this year. Fairfax County companies received almost $11.7 billion in federal contracts in fiscal 2005, 31 percent of Virginia’s total. Time magazine this year called Fairfax County "one of the great success stories of our time," and a U.S. Labor Department study called Fairfax County the private-sector job-creation leader in the Washington, D.C., area.

Fairfax County has seven Fortune 500 headquarters. It is home to about 4,900 technology companies and 350 foreign-owned businesses, seven of the 100 largest African American-owned businesses in the U.S., and 12 of the 500 largest Hispanic-owned companies in the nation. Fairfax County has 105 million square feet of office space, making it one of the largest office markets in the country.

Source: Advocacy Update, Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce

Apr 20, 2006 - African economy, delights and worries

The African economy will grow by more than 3.7 percent annually and per capita GDP will rise over 1.5 percent by 2010; most African countries will see their economies maintain at 4-5 percent at the beginning 25 years of the century, according to a recent report on Africa's economic prospect.

The report, issued by the United Nations, United Nation's Economic Commission for Africa and International Monetary Fund, also indicates the African countries still have to face many difficulties and obstacles if they want to achieve sustained economic growth.

When people are optimistic about Africa, they should also be aware that overcoming difficulties, eradicating poverty and promoting development are a long-term and arduous task.

The common prosperity of the world would not be successful without Africa, and if it wants to realize the goal of the United Nations, it needs world help.

People's Daily Online. April 19, 2006. Full article

Mar 17, 2006 - Citigroup report supports environmental, social sustainability in mining

A report issued by Citigroup this week asserts that more traditional-thinking mining and exploration companies, which cling to old beliefs that institutional investors care more about profits than the potential risks of environmental and social issues, may eventually go out of business.

In their analysis, "Towards Sustainable Mining," Citigroup Research unveiled the Citigroup Sustainability Mining Index to identify companies "that are best positioned to create value from sustainable development and those which are at risk of destroying value." The index has determined that the major sustainability gurus in mining are BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto and Anglo American. "The laggards are Kazakhmys, CVRD and Norilsk Nickel," according to the report.

The analysts asserted that competition between mining company processes and local communities will exacerbate stresses on mining water use. "To mitigate against the risk of any increased costs in water supply, investors will be looking for companies that have undertaken comprehensive water availability audits at all of their sites," Citigroup stated.

Citigroup research analysts in London, Sydney, New York, San Francisco, Moscow, and Johannesburg participated in the report.

Mineweb. March 17, 2006. More

Mar 6, 2006 - Ministers of energy and water affairs take action on hydropower

Continental ministers of energy and water affairs are to co-operate at a conference on developing hydropower's potential to provide affordable energy to Africans. The two-day conference is taking place in Johannesburg, attended by representatives of the African Ministerial Council of Water, the World Bank, United Nations, and the African Union.

"I believe it is the first time that ministers of water and ministers of energy on the continent of Africa will sit together in deliberations on this issue. The water sector and the energy sector are two distinct sectors and hydropower, and the potential that it holds, is bringing us together," said South Africa Minerals and Energy Minister Lindiwe Hendricks in a statement prepared for the African Ministerial Conference on Hydropower and sustainable development.

Independent Online. March 6, 2006. More

Mar 3, 2006 - World's most precious commodity is getting even scarcer

Ask yourself what the world's most precious commodity is, and you might say gold; you might say diamonds. You'd be wrong on both counts. The answer is water.

If by "most precious" we mean what's most desired by most people, nothing comes close to water - fresh, clean water, that is.

Michael McCarthy. The Independent Online (UK), Feb 28, 2006. (registration req'd)
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Feb 27, 2006 - Report says outsourcing fears exaggerated

A new report from the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) argues that fears of a wholesale migration of high-tech jobs away from the United States are not supported by the data so far. Representing a year's work by a study group, the report predicts continued offshoring of 2 to 3 percent of IT jobs each year for the next decade, but it notes that the number of high-tech jobs continues to grow and already exceeds the number at the height of the dot-com boom. Although the report acknowledges losses to lower-wage markets and notes that the marketplace for technology is tightening, "the notion that information technology jobs are disappearing is just nonsense," according to Moshe Vardi, computer scientist at Rice University and cochair of the study group. David Patterson, president of the ACM and computer science professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said that exaggerated fears of outsourcing have hurt the U.S. market by discouraging college students from pursuing careers in IT, which, in turn, will lead to fewer qualified members of the U.S. IT workforce. New York Times, 23 February 2006 (registration req'd)
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Feb 20, 2006 - The International Conference and Exhibition on Water in the Environment opens today in South Africa

Water Resources Management is a challenge to many countries, especially those with limited resources. Many aspects must be considered to supply people with clean water and to guarantee the water quality. Continuous improvement of water (drinking water as well as wastewater) treatment technologies and the results of R&D must be transferred to real applications.

This conference will be an effective tool to organise the exchange of know-how locally, but also an opportunity for contributions and co-operation from international water experts.

More information available at http://www.envirowater.de

Feb 9, 2006 - World Day for Water 2006: Water and Culture

The UN body designated to coordinate World Water Day 2006 activities is:

UNESCO Division of Water Sciences.

We plan our cities near water; we bathe in water; we play in water; we work with water. Our economies are built on the strength of water transportation - and the products we buy and sell are all partly water, in one way or another. Our daily lives are built on water, and shaped by it. Without the water that surrounds us - the humidity of the air, the roughness of the river's current, the flow from the kitchen tap - our lives would be impossible.

In recent decades, water has fallen in our esteem. No longer an element to be revered and protected, it is a consumer product that we have shamefully neglected. Eighty percent of our bodies are formed of water, and two thirds of the planet's surface is covered by water: water is our culture, our life.

The theme 'Water and Culture' of WWD 2006 draws attention to the fact that there are as many ways of viewing, using, and celebrating water as there are cultural traditions across the world. Sacred, water is at the heart of many religions and is used in different rites and ceremonies. Fascinating and ephemeral, water has been represented in art for centuries - in music, painting, writing, cinema - and it is an essential factor in many scientific endeavours as well.

Each region of the world has a different way of holding water sacred, but each recognizes its value, and its central place in human lives. Cultural traditions, indigenous practices, and societal values determine how people perceive and manage water in the world's different regions.

Keep an eye on their web page for updates.

This article sourced from: www.worldwaterday.org

Feb 7, 2006 - Cell phones as tracking tools

Companies that use cell phones to track people have seen significant increases in business in the past few years. In Britain, firms such as Followus and Verilocation frequently work with employers who want to keep tabs on staff, despite concerns that the service infringes on individuals' civil rights. Kevin Brown of Followus noted that his company's service requires the consent of those being tracked. Users must agree to having their cell phones tracked, and periodic messages are sent randomly to users reminding them that their movements are being followed. Officials at Verilocation pointed to such events as the bombings in London last summer as times when being able to locate all of your employees is highly valuable. Experts on business processes said being able to track employees can allow companies to provide better service to customers by, for example, letting them know exactly where a technician is and when he will arrive at a customer's home. Officials from Liberty, a civil rights group, were unconvinced, saying that employees' rights in the workplace have been eroded and that there is a significant risk that businesses will misuse tracking data. CNET, 5 February 2006
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Feb 7, 2006 - AOL and Yahoo experiment with e-mail postage

In an effort to limit unwanted and fraudulent e-mail, AOL and Yahoo have announced plans to begin charging "postage" for delivering some e-mail to their customers. Under the system, companies that pay to have their e-mail delivered--between 1/4 and 1 cent per message--will receive preferential service. A third party, Goodmail, will collect the fees and verify the source of messages. E-mail from nonpaying senders will still be delivered, but it will be routed through spam filters and other mechanisms, which could prevent it from reaching its target. The hope is that the fees will discourage spammers from sending billions of unsolicited messages every day. A spokesperson from AOL compared the plan to the current functioning of the postal system. Certified mail, for example, is guaranteed to be delivered "in a way that is different from other mail," he said. Some analysts said e-mail postage will only lead to disagreements between senders and ISPs. Many e-mail marketers also rejected the idea, saying that there are already mechanisms in place, such as a service called Bonded Sender, that verify the legitimacy of e-mail and that cost significantly less than the proposed charges. New York Times, 5 February 2006 (registration req'd)
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Dec 1, 2005 - USA: President Bush signs Water for the Poor Act into law

President Bush signed the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act into law on December 1, 2005. The Act, introduced by Congressmen Earl Blumenauer (Democrat) and three of his Republican colleagues, makes access to clean water a central aim of US foreign assistance. While the US Agency for International Development (USAID) put about US$ 500 million into water projects in 2004, that assistance went largely to Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the West Bank and Gaza, while only about US$ 7 million went to Sub-Saharan Africa. Under the new Act, the US government funding to Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America is expected to double, with US$ 50 million going to Africa. About US$ 250 million is likely to go to new water programmes.

In his speech to Congress on November 7, 2005, Congressman Earl Blumenauer, stressed the health, economic, social, environmental and political benefits of improving access to safe water and sanitation. The investment needed to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for water and sanitation was “less than the cost of one takeout pizza per American family per year”, Blumenauer said.

Sep 12, 2005 - EVENT: The Phoenix Project: Rebuilding the Pentagon after 9/11/01

On September 11, 2001, in response to a call for help from the Pentagon, Mr. Kilsheimer was the first independent structural expert to assess the damage and what would be required to repair and/or replace it. Within days he was selected to be the professional in charge, lead structural engineer and owner’s representative for the rebuilding, which became known as The Phoenix Project. Under his leadership and that of Walker Lee Evey, the design and construction team rebuilt the iconic structure within 11 months, well ahead of schedule and well under budget.

The project required not only design and construction expertise, but also – and even more important – the capability to engage and facilitate an unprecedented sense of teamwork among design professionals and construction workers, and to coordinate and direct the efforts of this unusually diverse team. By its striking success, the project not only helped to restore a symbol of our nation, but also helped the American people to heal after the September 11th tragedy.

SPEAKER: Allyn E. Kilsheimer, P.E., CEO, KCE Structural Engineers, P.C.

DATE/TIME:
September 13, 2005
6:00pm – 6:45pm Reception
6:45pm – 8:00pm Presentation

Cash bar and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be available; No admission fee. Donations to the Pentagon Memorial Fund are warmly encouraged and will be gratefully accepted.

LOCATION:
The Galaxy Ballroom at the Sheraton National Hotel 900 South Orme Street Arlington, Virginia 22204. Free parking; free hotel shuttle from Pentagon City Metro.

SPONSORS:
National Capital Chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE)
Washington, DC Chapter, The Institute for Operations Research and management Science (WINFORMS)
They gratefully acknowledge the co-sponsorship and generous support of General Dynamics – Network Systems Division, which is proud to have provided information technology for The Phoenix Project.

CONTACT: Martin M. Franklin (IIE) at +1.571.213.1008

Feb 11, 2005 - IIE National Capital Chapter celebrates 50 years of service to IEs in the metro Washington, D.C. area

Fifty years ago a group of energetic idealist industrial engineers came together to form the National Capital Professional Chapter of the Institute of Industrial Engineers. They had a need to share new ideas and to help one another grow. They shared thoughts and concerns at professional meetings and they came together socially to network and mix with people who had similar interests.

Times have changed, but in many ways the function of the chapter remains the same. You can help shape the future of the industrial engineering discipline and the IIE by becoming active in a local chapter. Please make plans to attend the 50th anniversary of the National Capital Chapter. For more information please visit
www.iienationalcapital.com.
(Abstract from the February issue of IE magazine)