DJ Products, Inc.

When companies purchase material handling equipment they usually consider the product and where and how it’s going to be moved. What they leave out of the equation is people. But as Bob Trebilcock reminds us in a March 24, 2009 posting on Modern Materials Handling online, it’s people who move products and supplies from point to point. Neglecting to consider the impact of workers on production will invalidate your productivity assessments.

Trebilcock mentions programs some companies have implemented to improve worker morale and health that were showcased at the recent annual meeting of the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association. He talks about one manufacturer’s installation of a company cafeteria for worker use to cut down on driving time during lunch breaks and to provide workers easy access to nutritious food. He mentions a firm that opened an onsite medical clinic and pharmacy to improve employee health, conduct medical screenings and reduce medical costs to its self-insured health plan.

What surprised us here at DJ Products is that Trebilcock failed to mention the health, cost and productivity benefits of using ergonomically-designed material handling equipment. Moving to ergonomic material handling equipment has been proven to drastically reduce on-the-job musculoskeletal injuries, improve worker morale and significantly increase productivity. Equipment costs are generally recouped within the first year, but savings in medical, health insurance, disability and workers’ compensation costs continue, as do savings from increased productivity. If a company is concerned about its workers’ health and safety, a move to ergonomic material handling equipment should head the list of improvements to be made.

A leader in the design and manufacture of ergonomic material handling equipment, DJ Products produces a wide variety of motorized carts and battery-powered cart movers for every application. From heavy industrial/manufacturing and assembly line settings to the busy, narrow corridors of hospitals and hotels, DJ Products’ ergonomic material handling equipment is improving workers’ health and safety and increasing their productivity across America.

DJ Products’ designs its ergonomic material handling equipment to take the strain of labor off the backs (and legs and arms and shoulders) of workers and put it where it belongs, on the material handling equipment they are using. Workers avoid the aches and pains that can make them less productive. Ergonomic equipment is less tiring to operate, keeping workers alert and productive for the entire length of their shift. Ergonomic equipment is easier to operate, allowing workers to complete each assignment more quickly, increasing shift productivity.

If you really want to do something that will benefit your workers and increase productivity, make the switch to ergonomic material handling. Visit the DJ Products website and let one of our ergonomic equipment specialists tell you how.

If you need to move wheeled loads or equipment, DJ Products’ CartCaddy pullers, pushers and movers provide the perfect solutions. The ergonomic design of all our products takes the physical burden of moving wheeled loads and equipment off workers, preventing debilitating strains and other serious musculoskeletal injuries. DJ Products’ CartCaddies allow a single worker to easily and safely transport supplies, products or equipment that would ordinarily require the manual muscle of two or more workers. For many applications in manufacturing, fulfillment, retail, medical care, hospitality, food and beverage, pharmaceutical and other industries, DJ Products’ CartCaddy pushers and movers provide smart, safe, cost-effective solutions to moving heavy loads and equipment.

DJ Products makes ergonomic CartCaddy cart and equipment pullers, pushers and movers in a variety of sizes to handle any job:

• The CartCaddyShorty is the smallest, most maneuverable tug on the market today, capable of handling loads up to 3,000 pounds.
• Our CartCAddy5WP has added weight over the drive tires to create the greater traction necessary to move heavier loads, from 3,000 to 20,000 pounds.
• The CartCaddyHD is the workhorse you need to move heavy duty loads and equipment up to 50,000 pounds.
• Our RiderCaddy is designed to transport the heaviest loads and can easily move loaded trailers. A built-in platform allows the operator to either sit or stand on the caddy while moving loads at speeds up to 6 mph.  

All DJ Products’ CartCaddy movers are equipped with standard 3-1/2-volt batteries (36-volt system) that provide 16 hours of continuous use before recharging — plenty of power for two full shifts. Our CartCaddies are designed as walk-behind units (or ride-behind in the case of our RiderCaddy) to provide operators maximum control and visibility. Variable-speed, ergonomically-designed twist grips prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and allow operators to maintain smooth control during maneuvering. CartCaddies are capable of both forward and reverse operation and speeds from 0 to 3 mph. A safety stop switch, an essential safety feature, is conveniently located on the back of the handle bar box, allowing the operator to stop the mover instantly to prevent injury.

Visit the DJ Products’ website to review the specifications of all our ergonomically-designed CartCaddy products. In addition to complete specifications, you’ll find videos showing each product in action. Our knowledgeable ergonomic sales engineers can help you select the right product for your application.

Pushing, pulling, lifting and carrying tasks place a greater strain on the human body’s soft tissues — muscles and tendons — than any other workplace tasks. Universal to nearly every work environment, these tasks are the source of musculoskeletal injuries that annually cost U.S. businesses tens of billions of dollars. Fortunately, most of these injuries are preventable. The debilitating and disabling strains and sprains that annually plague millions of U.S. workers can be largely prevented with the adoption of ergonomic practices and the use of ergonomically-designed equipment.

Workers come in all shapes and sizes, but work tasks and equipment are usually “one size fits all.” Most workplace musculoskeletal injuries occur when workers are forced to adapt their bodies to fit the task or equipment, torquing their bodies into awkward postures that increase stress on muscles and tendons. For example, when pushing, pulling or maneuvering a heavy wheeled cart, a worker must exert significant force to overcome rolling resistance. While handholds designed to assist in force delivery may be at the correct level for an average-sized male, even an averaged-sized female worker will have to stretch and strain to move the cart, placing undue stress on back, leg, shoulder and arm muscles. The risk of musculoskeletal injury is great when worker and equipment are not a perfect fit.

Ergonomics is the science of fitting the equipment or task to the capabilities of the worker to prevent musculoskeletal injury. Ergonomically-designed equipment, like the powered carts and movers designed and manufactured by DJ Products, takes into account a host of variables that affect worker production and efficiency. The type of task, force required, worker gender and diversity, optimal handhold height, distance, and frequency of the task must all be considered in the design of ergonomic equipment.

DJ Products is a major innovator in the design and manufacture of ergonomic solutions to material handling situations. Our ergonomically-designed electric and motorized carts, tugs and movers eliminate the strains and pains associated with manually pushing and pulling heavy carts, equipment or materials in a wide variety of industrial and retail environments. Our products are less costly, smaller and more maneuverable than traditional electric equipment used to move carts and equipment on production floors and in warehouses. Our battery-powered walk-behind movers provide maximum operator control and safety while offering superior maneuverability, even in narrow or tight spaces like busy hospital corridors and crowded grocery aisles. As a leading manufacturer of ergonomic powered carts and movers, DJ Products has built a reputation for developing ergonomic solutions to unique and specialized customer material handling challenges. Contact our ergonomic sales engineers today for an evaluation of your ergonomic needs.