DJ Products, Inc.

Particularly in a tight economy everyone wants to know where the jobs are and where they’re going to be for the next decade or so. Material handling and the related fields of logistics and warehousing are growth industries that offer good job potential now and into the future. International development is predicted to drive 5% annual growth in the worldwide material handling industry for each of the next five years (see our Sept. 22 post). In the U.S. retiring baby boomers are creating critical worker shortages in logistics and warehousing. However, automation and increasingly sophisticated technology are also creating a need for more highly skilled and more highly educated workers.

While the value of experiential education is still recognized, a bachelor’s degree is the new entre into a professional career; and a master’s degree, the ticket to climbing the career ladder, according to Mike Ensby of Clarkson University’s Engineering & Global Operations Management Department. “The three most important credentialing letters today seem to be ‘MBA,’” he said in a recent interview with Modern Materials Handling, particularly if you’re aiming for the boardroom.

Companies do still hire people right out of high school, and many professionals who began their own careers that way seem to place greater value on certified skills than college degrees. But material handling is in a state of transition. Industry experts say the drive to automation and integrated systems will increasingly demand a workforce with advanced technical skills. Tomorrow’s warehouse worker is more apt to operate a computer than a forklift.

In the coming decade, high school grads may find themselves stuck in a career track that rarely rises above skilled labor, such as order fulfillment. “Going into the future, not many people will have much success in their career progression without professional development of some kind,” Ensby said.

Next time: What courses will catapult your material handling career to success? What will employers be looking for?

The material handling industry is on the cusp of a major worldwide growth spurt. Increased automation at home and growing industrialization abroad, particularly in automobile production, are expected to increase worldwide sales of material handling products and systems by 5% a year for the next five years (see our Sept. 22 & 24 posts). Products that maximize worker efforts while decreasing the physical strain on workers will enjoy an ever-increasing share of the market. Particularly in the U.S. where a declining workforce coupled with escalating medical, insurance and workers’ compensation costs will drive a move toward more efficient material handling products, ergonomically-designed equipment and systems are expected to capture an increasing part of the material handling market.

DJ Products is well situated to help you meet the material handling challenges of tomorrow. We manufacture ergonomically-designed material handling carts and tugs designed to maximize work effort and safety. Our energy-efficient electric and battery-powered carts and tugs are less costly, smaller and more maneuverable than the traditional equipment used to move carts and equipment such as forklifts which kill 100 U.S. workers a year and result in 20,000 serious injuries.

All of our products are battery-powered walk-behind units that allow maximum operator control, even in tight, difficult spaces. The flexibility of our ergonomic equipment allows it to be used not only in manufacturing settings, logistics centers and  warehouses, but in hospitals, hotels and motels, and in the retail industry.

We make a number of efficient vehicle pushers for the automotive industry, including some for use on production lines. Our vehicle pushers can be used to push vehicles down and assembly line or move them from station to station. Padded to prevent dents, scratches and cracks, our vehicle movers preserve the paint and integrity of vehicles during production and processing. From our handy car/vehicle pusher to our heavy-duty truck pusher which is capable of moving 10,000 pounds, we make versatile automotive material handling products useful in every aspect of the automotive industry.

For complete information, specifications and videos of our ergonomically-designed carts, tugs and movers in action, visit the DJ Products website.

Automation and third world development are expected to drive the 5% annual global growth predicted in the material handling industry, according to a new study released by The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm (see our previous post). Durable goods will continue to lead demand, but opportunities in nondurable goods are also anticipated.

In 2007, durable good manufacturers led global demand for material handling equipment. Over the next five years, material handling growth will be led by a massive worldwide increase in motor vehicle production followed by increased demand for durable consumer goods, particularly electronics. However, rapid scientific and technological advances in nondurable goods, particularly the chemical and food and beverage industries, are also expected to create new demands for material handling products around the world.  

Rapid industrialization in developing countries in Asia, the Pacific, Eastern Europe, Africa, the Mideast and Latin America will increase demand for conventional material handling products such as industrial carts, tugs, trucks, lifts, conveyors, hoists, production line movers, cranes, etc. However, the Freedonia Group expects automated material handling products, including robots and automated guided vehicles (AGV), to post the best gains as industries in the U.S., Western Europe and Japan move to increase automation. Software, systems design, project management and other high-end services to these markets are also expected to post significant increases. Economic and manpower issues will drive the march toward automation and increased productivity in western markets with an emphasis on automated equipment and systems that can be easily integrated into large-scale automated factory and warehouse environments. 

High fuel prices, environmental concerns and worker health and safety issues will also play an increasing roll in shaping material handling demand, particularly in U.S. markets. The current shift away from fuel-intense gas-powered trucks to more energy-efficient battery-operated material handling movers and tugs that was sparked by high fuel prices is expected to accelerate. Escalating medical, insurance and workers’ compensation costs will likewise drive a move toward ergonomically designed material handling equipment and systems.