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Presto 04820 PopLite hot air popper
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DescriptionPlug in Presto's PopLite and the party begins. In less than 2-1/2 minutes you'll have up to 18 cups--two large bowlfuls--of fluffy popcorn with virtually no unpopped kernels. And because the machine uses hot air instead of oil, the resulting snack is healthier and lower in calories... |
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Victorinox 40520 Fibrox 8-Inch Chef's Knife
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DescriptionNothing is worse than going to cut with your cutlery, and having the handle slip around in your hand. To combat this potential for injury, Victorinox has created this Fibrox chef's knife. The Fibrox® handle is textured and provides a firm grip, even when wet, and does not slip or slide around... |
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Weber Style 6445 Professional-Grade Stainless-Steel 3-Piece Barbeque Tool Set
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DescriptionProfessional Grade 3-Piece Barbeque Tool Set (6445) Stainless |
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Serious Hits Live
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Description15 LIVE hits. Light marks on disc will not affect play. BMG club version. Small name written on the back of booklet. |
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Steven Curtis Chapman: Greatest Hits
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DescriptionIn 10 years, Steven Curtis Chapman has charted 26 No. 1 hits, three Grammy Awards, and 32 Dove Awards (Christian music's equivalent of the Grammys). This release offers some of Chapman's best work in addition to two newer singles, "Not Home Yet" and "I Am Found in You," and rerecordings of "Lord of the Dance" and "The Walk," from the brilliant Signs of Life release... |
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12 Pack Kids Party Favor Super Songs CD (Packaged in carrying case with Stickers, Crayons and Coloring Book)
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DescriptionThis 12 Pack Kids Party Favor Super Songs CD will be a big hit at your next birthday party. This party favor set includes 12 individual activity kits. Each kit has: 1 CD with 50 Super Songs that kids are sure to love (see track listing for entire list of songs), Stickers, Crayons and a Coloring Book all packaged in a convenient carrying case... |
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Belkin BE112230-08 12-Outlet Home/Office Surge Protector with Telephone and Coaxial Protection
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DescriptionAmazon.com Product Description .caption { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica neue, Arial, serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; } ul.indent { list-style: inside disc; text-indent: 20px; } table... |
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AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener
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DescriptionVersatile and easy enough for anyone to use safely, the AccuSharp 001 Knife Sharpener lets you quickly sharpen a wide variety of bladed tools, from straight and serrated knives to cleavers and axes. Its unique, ergonomic design guards your fingers while a dependable, diamond-honed tungsten carbide blade puts a precision edge on your tools... |
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Dalen OW6 Gardeneer 16-Inch Molded Owl
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DescriptionDALEN GREAT HORNED OWL *18" high *Hand painted *Plastic *Natural predator of small animals and birds *Effective scarecrow |
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Courageous
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DescriptionIn this faith-based drama, four Georgia policemen struggle to contain the gang violence erupting in their community. After one cop suffers a terrible tragedy, he turns to devout religious faith to give him strength and peace, inviting his colleagues to join him in his beliefs and use them to better their lives, their families, and their crusade for justice on the streets... |
Currency Trends and Modular Homes
While you may not suspect the currency market could affect the modular home industry, it actually does. The impact of this currently has been regionally, but as time moves forward, modular home competition may occur in a global market. As a result, the strength of the U.S. dollar would determine how strong the modular home market is in the U.S. itself. If the dollar weakens in relation to foreign competitors, it may become more cost effective for global manufacturers to compete for modular home consumers not only within their own country but also abroad.
In the New England region, especially in states such as Maine and New Hampshire, Canadian manufacturers of modular homes had a significant advantage in the recent year supplying homes to residents. Transport costs were inexpensive because the region of interest was close to the Canadian factory, and prices could be dropped for the consumer since the Canadian currency had surpassed the U.S. dollar in value. It was difficult for the U.S. manufacturers to compete on a cost basis.
Regardless, U.S. manufacturers were able to diversify into other areas of the country and still compete on a patriotic platform to homebuyers. But what if this occurred on a larger scale? With continental trade alliances, import costs are negligible in some cases, and it may be that manufacturers with ample resources of labor and materials could pose serious competitive threats. Shipping costs for placing modules on a barge headed for the U.S. may be affordable since there would be savings in other costs of production. In short, despite the additional shipping expense, a modular home could be made and sold for less money compared to a U.S. manufacturer.
Suppose the currency in other countries continued to increase in value compared to the U.S. dollar. If a country had a starting point of 30 percent greater value in their currency strength, then effectively they could compete in many markets including the modular home market. There would be value already built in to offset export and import costs. If another country was able to add even further to production efficiency and quality, this would be an even larger issue. In effect, this would be similar to the explosion of foreign automobile manufacturers in the 1970's.
Global competition has yet to reach the modular home industry, but certainly there are other modular home factories overseas and around the world. The largest market for consumers however remains in the U.S. currently, and therefore, the battleground for foreign competition will likely be here. For the consumer, a less expensive, higher quality product is a win-win, especially when the U.S. dollar is shrinking and housing markets readjusting. But eventually it affects employment opportunities locally and other factors.
It is therefore important that U.S. manufacturers continue to be alert to opportunities to improve efficiency, quality and expense so that the best product can be developed. Likewise, seeking areas elsewhere in the world where modular homes may offer great rewards may be strategic.
About the Author
Michael Zenga founded ZN Custom Building in 2002 which specializes in Modular Home Construction in the Boston, MA area. Known as the Custom Modular Building Specialist, Michael is an unabashed advocate for the industry and contributes related articles to many publications.