Chinese New Year is coming...
Plan ahead to minimize out of stock problems

Every year the Chinese New Year holiday period has an impact on production in our business.

The Year of the Rooster - 4702 - begins February 9, 2005. While that may seem like a long way off, now is the time to place orders to assure delivery before the 15 day holiday period begins. In the past, China has started to slow down the week before the holiday period and it often takes another week after the holiday for many factories to resume normal production schedules.

Please take a look at your projected needs and remember there is a 90 day lead time. If you need to place an order or confirm the status of an existing order, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can make sure your business will not be interrupted by the traditional Chinese holiday.

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China Update
A monthly look at news from China that impacts all of us
Click the title to read the story

SMMEs drive the job market in China
Beijing - Small and medium-sized enterprises, many of them in the private sector, create three out of four new jobs in China, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

Rising middle class redefining China
In an unusually candid study of the rising new class on the mainland, a book entitled Investigation of Chinese Middle Class was recently published by Beijing-based Unity Press.

China to encourage growth of private sector
Sources from the Chinese Commerce Ministry revealed that China will further promote the growth in the private sector, and help Chinese businesses break into the international market, CCTV reported Monday.

China prepares for economic challenges
China's economic success over the last 20 years is nothing short of a miracle, but the next stage of its development will present some of the toughest problems yet.

China: 1st rate hike in 9 years
Economic powerhouse lifts interest rates in boldest move yet to provide soft landing for economy.

How do we calculate bearing life?
by Mike Mortensen - Director of Engineering RBI-USA

Bearing life refers to the amount of time any bearing will perform in a specified operation before failure. Bearing life is commonly defined in terms of L-10 life, which is sometimes referred to as B-10. This is the life which 90% of identical bearings subjected to identical usage applications and environments will attain (or surpass) before bearing material fails from fatigue. The bearing’s calculated L-10 life is primarily a function of the load supported by (and/or applied to) the bearing and its operating speed.

There are many other factors which will have an effect on the actual life of the bearing; temperature, lubrication and improper care in mounting. As a result of these factors, an estimated 95% of all failures are classified as premature bearing failures. Once you know the bearing you are interested in and its Basic Dynamic Load Rating, you still need to know the speed and load to be applied to the bearing. Click here for the formula used to calculate L10 bearing life in hours.

Have a question or topic you would like to see covered? Click here to let Mike know!

Final Word
Thanksgiving Day 2004

What many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving took place in December 1621 as the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest.

The day did not become a national holiday until 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month, not on the occasional fifth, to encourage earlier holiday shopping.

The photo above is a cranberry harvest in Boston, part of the 658 million pound total harvest this year according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The cranberries should look nice next to the 263 million turkeys and 1.6 billion pounds of sweet potatoes that will be served later this month. For more facts and figures about Thanksgiving from the census bureau click here.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at RBI Bearing.

We Get It Done.

RBI Connections is a publication of RBI Bearing, Inc and is intended to provide useful company and/or industry news and information. We understand and respect your need for privacy. Email addresses in our files are from our customers or published materials. Please accept our apologies if you believe this email to be unsolicited. We are sorry for the inconvenience. Any personal information provided to us will be stored in a secure environment and will not be misused. RBI Bearing, Inc. does not make email addresses available to third parties for their use. RBI Bearing would like to send news releases and special promotions to you from time to time. If you would not like to receive these emails from us, please click this link and type the word "unsubscribe" in the subject. © 2004 RBI Bearing, Inc.