SM(ART) RECYCLING : JAPANESE ARTIST TRANSFORMS ALUMINUM BEER CANS TO POP ART

How would you react if you knew someone who drinks beer, takes the aluminum cans then transforms it into art ?

Well this japanese artist, MACAON is the kind of person who does this kind of thing. From basic and used aluminum materials he imitates well known characters like Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Gundam robots, Pikachu and even a cool mask of Dark Vader !

The fun thing about this artist is that most of his works are imitations of already famous characters which allows a wider understanding and appreciation from the public’s point of view. Although each of this figure doesn’t represent a deep meaning, the message that Macaon transmits, directly or indirectly, is to wake up the collective consciousness of recycling ; as the world consumes more, it is in our best interest to stop wasting basic materials and start thinking new strategies as to reusing them better. We live in world where beer cans can be transformed into your favorite cartoon, movie or animated character.

Totoro figure by Macaon

As you can see, aluminum beer cans here are reused in a sophistic way and are not wasted. Without basic and flexible material like aluminum, consuming society like ours would have difficulties to satisfy our needs. Simple gestures like recycling aluminum cans can lead to a better future and that is what Macaon’s creativeness can influence to later generations.

It’s amazing how a common material like aluminum can have different types of uses. That is exactly what Shanghai Metal Corporation can provide you !

As representatives of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metal quality products in the global field. As a major producer of aluminum, stainless steel, copper, shipping containers and other metal products and service, we essentially are committed to the universal use that metal can offer by delivering overseas and promoting environmental sustainability.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter,Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

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#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

广告

RIDE WITH STYLE WITH RETRO BICYCLES !

DITCH THE CAR AND TAKE A BICYCLE WITH YOU INSTEAD !

Bicycles are a BIG MUST if you live in a big city. Why ? Well first of all, riding a bicycle allows you to have a physical exercise while doing your normal routine ; going to work, run some errands, visit friends, etc. WHICH is good for your health and body !

Second reason is that bicycles reduce pollution. Preserving our planet is one of our top priorities ! So again, invest on buying good bicycle then on other vehicles like bikes or cars. Plus nowadays, there are a lots of types of bicycle that would suit your own needs and your own aesthetics.

For those who are striving for sexy retro bicycles, check out our list :

• TOKYO BIKE: 

Approximate price : 400$

• BRILLIANT BICYCLE CO.

  

  Approximate price : 399$ 

• LEKKER SPORTIEF.

Approximate price: 598$

• SIDDHARTE.

Approximate price: 299$

• ERENPREISS ORIGINAL.

Approximate price: 800$

• BIANCHI PISTA.

Approximate price: 1000$

The thing about retro bikes is that they fascinate many people with their stylish and classical style. Some of these bicycles brands know how to capture your nostalgia self reminiscing the old days or the present itself. Retro bikes are timeless and that is what gives them their eternal charm. Once you have one of these bikes, you don’t need to pretend to be someone else because these bikes alone give you automatically an original and fresh look of your whole being.

Bicycles are made of special elements like metal. It’s amazing how a common material like metal can contribute to create wonders like these ! That is what Shanghai Metal Corporation can provide you !

As representatives of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metal quality products in the global field. As a major producer of stainless steel, copper, aluminium, shipping containers and other metal products and service, we essentially are committed to the universal use that metal can offer by delivering overseas and promoting environmental sustainability.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

Follow us on these social media platforms:

    

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

VERTICAL FARMS: ECO SOLUTION FOR URBAN CONSOMMATION

As the world population continues to expand everyday, one of the main question of today’s researchers is to find new ecological and sustainable solutions to feed everyone.

In big cities, most of the food come generally from the outskirts of their territory. Having little space or even none at all, urban zones cannot produce their own food and rely their food stock on productions outside of their active territory. Therefore, the system is mostly based on peripheral to central relation that consists mainly on feeding the large number of population concentrated in the central or in the city itself.

DICKSON DESPOMMIER, an american professor of microbiology and public health, has proposed a solution concerning this matter : THE VERTICAL FARM CONCEPT.

 

So what exactly is it ? 

The Vertical Farm consists of cultivating plants mainly for human consumption such as vegetables within a skyscraper or on a vertically inclined surface, hence the name. The concept is almost similar to glass houses which captures the optimal natural sunlight. The use of artificial lightning is also possible to accelerate the growth of the plants and to modify their properties according to different dietary preferences.

The idea of this concept is a possible answer to some of the urban issues we mention before :

1. Vertical surfaces are more suited for the lack of space in urban cities.

2. Producing food IN the urban zone reduces pollution related to transportation, food waste, etc.

3. Vertical Farms permit to produce various types of food in a small surface and therefore can satisfy different needs of the population.

Various models of Vertical Farms :

Singapore’s and world’s first commercial vertical farm

Spanish architect Javier Ponce reveals his plans for a vertical farm in Tai Po

Completely constructed from glass and steel, this model is just one of Despommier’s designs of a vertical farm

Tell us your opinion about this farm of the future ! Brilliant ideas like this one is important in times like ours where the main goal is keeping up with the population growth by maintaining a good environmental level. Shanghai Metal Corporation shares this vision and wants you to spread innovations like Vertical farming and sustainability.

As representatives of the metal industry, Shanghai Metal Corporation is one of the leading businesses in the manufacturing of metal quality products in the global field. As a major producer of metal related products and reliable services, our most important value is to promote environmental sustainability.

To know more about our company please visit our website. Also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can also download our new mobile application by scanning the QR code below.

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Maria // SMC Editor

#AddingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Maria // SMC Editor

Solar-Powered Water Wheel in Baltimore cleans 50,000 Pounds of Trash per Day

source: http://www.nbcnews.com

If you go to Baltimore this summer,you might see a strange looking machine strolling slowly in the Harbor. This machine is called the Inner Harbor Water Wheel and its main task is to clean up the trash that gets thrown into the water.Powered by 30 solar panels and the water current, the wheel is able to remove approximately 50,000 pounds of trash per day. It’s estimated that the wheel will stay in use for at least 15 years and by 2020 the harbor will become clean enough to be used for recreational purposes.

Baltimore solar powered wheel – source: healthyharborbaltimore.org

The wheel was invented by John Kellett and it works as follow: two orange booms help funnel debris towards the Wheel, where  trash is intercepted and pushed it onto a moving conveyer belt which empties out into a 16 yard dumpster, located on top of a floating dock. Once the dumpster is full, the dock is detached, hooked up to a boat, and then taken to a RESCO waste-to-energy plant, where the trash is incinerated and turned into electrical energy. The incredible machine has also a secondary use which is to put more oxygen into the water through the rotation of the waterwheel. It helps to attract more fish and improve habitat conditions and water quality. . As a project of the Healthy Harbor Living Laboratory, the Water Wheel also serves to educate people about storm-water management and the Inner Harbor.

source: blog.savatree.com

source: nbcnews.com

The important element about the wheel is the material used. In fact Galvanizing was chosen as a coating because of its sustainability and its reaction to a constant contact with water. Galvanized steel has a very high resistance to humidity but also doeasn’t require costly maintenance over the next 15 years.  Another factor was keeping down maintenance costs to a project that already cost over $800,000 to put together.

source: inhabitat.com, galvanizeit.org

Shanghai Metal Corporation understand the importance of a green environment and is a manufacturer of Galvanized steel and many other products used for sustainable projects all over the world. For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Distribution Poles: From Wood to Hot Dip Galvanized Steel

With the increasing demand of eco-friendly ans sustainable products from both the public and private sector, the main sector to improve is the energy sector itself.
Distribution pole are the main vectors of electricity and have become over the century a common view of our roads and fields. 

wood distribution pole

Steel poles are becoming increasingly popular among utility companies for building  distribution lines or for replacing the traditional wood poles. Many reasons push these companies to use steel ans invest in the new distribution poles. In this article we will try to summarize the benefit of hot dip galvanized steel mainly reported from linemen who have worked with both wood and steel

distribution pole – source: wikipedia.org

Wood pole VS Steel pole

Lighter: 

For similar strengh, a steel pole is 30 to 60% lighter than a wood pole. This makes them easier to lift, load, install and  handle in general.

Cheaper: Thanks to continuous improvement of quality and manufacturing process of steel poles the cost of steel poles come down to a point where they became competitive with wood. 

Flexible:  

Unlike wood poles which can only have a certain maximum size determined by the size of the tree taken from,  the size of wood poles can be determined freely according to the need. Steel poles can be made to handle virtually any load and in any length and can also be made as single piece poles or in sections if that would help handling them in the field.

More Sustainable: 

Galvanized steel poles were a response deforestation issues steel is one of the most recyclable materials around so there is never any environmental concern over disposing steel. an old pole will be recycled to make a multitude of other products. Also , the protective system that is required to cover steel poles is made of zinc which is also an environmentally friendly material and virtually 100 percent recyclable. In addition. The coating systems have been improved so much over the years that it has reduced  the maintenance needed and improved their life expectancy of the poles.

Safer:  

The steel structures do not require a full-length copper grounding wire. They are already self conducting for grounding purposes. As a result, no installation of a ground wire is required.

lineman on distribution pole source: wikipedia.org

source: steel.org,  smdisteel.org

Shanghai Metal Corporation manufactures hot dip galvanized steel products because it believes in its potential and encourages its use for a more sustainable industry and a clean environment.
For more information, you can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

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Houria // SMC Editor

Aluminum, Metal of choice for sustainable cans

crashed soda cans

the Aluminum Association and Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) new report states that aluminum cans are the most recycled beverage containers in the market, they have the highest recycling rate. A can usually contains 70% of recycled content, which is 3 times more than plastic or glass containers all this while being around 300 percent more valuable than other materials. A can is generally turned into a new can and back on store shelves within 60 days.
In addition aluminum cans have become lighter by 38 percent since 1972 in the United States, with a weight of 12.99 grams approximately. Aluminum cans are more than 15 times lighter than standard 12 oz. glass bottles, which makes it easier to transport bigger quantities of beverage and optimizing their transportation costs.

An Aluminum can goes through several steps during its life span from one recycling process to a new one

Stage 1 : Can Shredding

In this step cans are shredded into pieces the size of a walnut. The shreds are then passed through a double magnetic drum separator to remove any steel that may have been mixed into the bale.

Stage 2 :  De-coating

Any paint or other chemical coating on the aluminum is removed by blowing hot air (around 550°C) through the shreds on a slowly moving insulated conveyor. The exhaust gases from this process are first passed through an afterburner and then used to heat incoming process air via a heat exchanger, minimizing the energy requirements of the system

Stage 3 : Melting

After the de-coated process, the aluminum shreds are put into a melting furnace containing submerged stirrers that create a vortex in the pool of molten aluminum and drag the shreds quickly down into the melt.

Stage 4 : Aluminum Casting

The molten metal is transferred into a furnace to remove impurities and start the casting process then Ingots are cast from the remaining pure metal.

Once in the mold, cool water is sprayed around and through the base of the mold. The aluminum ingot ten solidifies for the next three hours. The finished 18-ton ingots, each containing approximately 1.5 million used cans, are shipped to a mill for rolling into the sheet from which aluminum can makers subsequently produce new cans and the whole process begins again.

source: www.aluminum.org and homeguides.sfgate.com

Shanghai Metal Corporation offers a wide range of aluminum products and is conscious about ecology and sustainable business . You can visit the company’s website or contact us for any inquiry.

Scan the QR code below and stay informed about our latest updates:

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Houria // SMC Editor

The New Building Trend : Green Building

Green building, also known as green construction or sustainable building is a building structure that is “environmentally responsible” and “resource-efficient”. It has the objective to reduce the negative effect of built environment on human health and the natural environment by :

• Efficiently using resources (energy, water, etc.)
• Protecting occupant’s health & improving the employee’s productivity
• Reducing environmental degradation (waste, pollution)

According to a study, green building construction is increasing across the globe as it is more and more viewed as a long-term business opportunity. More and more building owners and developers switch from new building design to a more green building. Green building is hitting the mainstream, therefore, to distinguish themselves, developers focus more and more on designing green building.

Graphic from World Green Building Trends

There are different factors that drive the construction of green building and they vary around the world. Australia, USA and European Countries are mostly influenced by business factors (market & client demand). Singapore, UAE and South Africa are more influenced by regulation (government’s policies) and ethical reasons.

Several green building certification has been established and may attract competitors.  One of the most notable are LEED and BREEAM. Below you can discover some buildings that has been awarded with a green building certification.

Taipei 101, Taiwan

This skycrapper is the tallest and largest building of LEED Platinum certification in the world since 2011.

Abad Nucleus Mall, India

This mall is India’s first LEED certified gold-rated green mall.

The University of Texas, USA

This is the first academic building in Texas to receive LEED Platinum certification.

Shearer’s Foods plant, USA

We have here the first food manufacturing plant to receive LEED Platinum status.

David L. Lawrence Convention Center, USA

This is the first convention center in the world to have received the Gold and Platinum LEED rating.

There exists thousand of other construction that has been awarded as green building and the number keeps increasing. We are getting more and more involved in fighting against environmental degradation. Shanghai Metal Corporation cares about the future and participate in reducing energy consumption. We offer solar panel that can be designed according to your projects and drawings. We also have eco-friendly material for buildings and we can help you with many types of construction projects. Please feel free to contact us if you need further information. Also follow us on social media to have a quick update of our products.

    

Credits to : wikipedia, World Green Building Trends, bdcnetwork
Photos : google image

Ayu P.//SMC editor

China – The World’s Leading Market of E-Bikes

The process of industrialization has given much contribution to the development of a country. However there is a price for it. China is often criticized for its industrial pollution which has caused widespread environmental and health problems. Pressured by the international communities and the health problems of its population,the country has made one of the most important improvement to protect the environment. Some has said that China has done more for the environment than other industrialized countries during their earlier stages of development.

There is a fast increase of cars and traffic jams in China. However, most of the individuals still uses bicycle as transportation. When I first arrived at Shanghai on November 2014, I was really surprised by the number of 2 wheeled vehicles that circulates on the road. Most of them are electric bikes.  Let’s check them out.

The model in the photo below is very common.

The vespa-style electric bikes are eye-catching and are popular among expats.

Many main roads in China have paths for bicycle. Even though not all Chinese respect the traffic rules, it is quite safe and convenient to transport with bike if you’re extra careful.

Today, China is the world’s leading producer of e-bikes. Recently, China’s largest search engine, Baidu, revealead that they’re working on the production of a smart bike, called DuBike.

In Shanghai Metal Corporation, we also want to help in protecting the environment. We manufacture bike rack that is convenient for bike-sharing system and also other metal products that is need to manufacture bicycles. We accept customized order. Feel free to contact us if you’re interested or if you need further information. We have English speaking staff who will be glad to help you find your best product. Follow us on social media to know us better.

    

Sources :
Wikipedia
Chinatravel
shanghai.wikia.com
dubike.baidu.com
Google Image

Ayu P.//SMC editor

Shanghai Metal Corporation-The Solution To All Your Metal Needs

SMC being the leading Manufacturer and Supplier of metal products has demand for its products varying across several sectors of society and industries. Whether its the construction industry looking for heavy duty industrial materials and building systems, or direct consumers looking for new, unique ways of enhancing their homes, we’ve got everyone covered! Container swimming pools are the new urban, hip way to design pools, and are also environmentally friendly,as they’re made with recycled containers.

SMC offers a wide range of high grade products, serving needs of customers all year round. With products like Glass Wool board, our customers can enjoy winter with proper insulation provided by our glass wool and aluminium thermal insulation.  At SMC the environment is also a great concern  of ours, for instance, glass wool insulation makes the home more energy efficient, since less adding heating such as electric heaters are needed when the house ceilings are insulated with glass wool. Again, with recycled shipping containers, one can enjoy unique movable swimming pools in their home. Why not? Who wouldn’t want to be able to move their swimming pool!

More fun and unique goods can be derived from our main products.Metal has also proven to be a more sustainable and durable material to use in home decor items and consumables. Contact us for more information.

With this said, SMC provides products across all sectors of the economy. We supply inputs to other industries such as the manufacturing and car industries; our main customers in these areas being Toshiba, LG, Philips etc.  SMC also provides products such  as aluminium and galvanized steel for roofing material directly to the construction industry. Many products such as household hardware within the home get their metal components from us.  SMC feeds metals to both the light metals industry (appliances and small machinery) and the heavy industry.

Ever wondered where the foil used to get your hair tinted comes from? SMC aluminium is used to make products like foil paper.  You may find another cool discovery being that we also provide the aluminum sheet which is used to make the tins used to store canned drinks such as Coca-Cola etc.  That’s us! SMC has the solution to ALL your metal needs!

Lebogang Seopane// SMC Intern

Download our new mobile application and get clued up, just scan the QR code below

 

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Pictures and original articles: Google images, Shanghai Metal Corporation website

 

Container Garages – The New Homes of Harleys

For many companies, such as Apple, HP and Mattel, their first offices were garages. Today the new low-cost solution for office facilities is using shipping containers. Actually shipping containers narrow the gap between offices and garages even closer as people are really starting to use containers as garages.

Shipping container construction in general is a trend for sustainable and environmentally friendly architecture. If you consider the many advantages that shipping containers posses, it is not impossible to imagine why so many people wish to build their homes, summer houses or swimming pools using shipping containers.

Shipping containers are in many ways an ideal building material. They are designed to resist harsh environments and therefore they can offer shelter even for natural disasters. They are also designed to be modular what makes it easy to use additional construction material to complete the buildings.

Shipping container construction is said to have lower labor costs compared to traditional construction. This can be explained by their simple steel structure that only requires welding and cutting procedures to be modified. Building a garage for your Harley-Davidson, BMW or Mercedes could not be more pleasant!

As prefabricated and container architecture are gaining global recognition and going mainstream, Shanghai Metal Corporation is proud to be positioned as a reliable partner and a provider of construction material. Our English speaking staff is highly-skilled and is more than happy to assist in any construction related questions. Just send us an inquiry or visit our webpage. Please also remember to follow us on our social media platforms.

    

Tuomas P. // SMC Editor

Pictures and original articles: Wikipedia, HD History & News, Home in a Box, Totaho.com, Youtube, Nealev in Blogspot