March 05, 2010
By: CartPro
Category: Business Tips, Material Handling, Productivity Tips, Safety and Ergonomics, Warehousing, ergonomics, fulfillment
Too many warehouses and material handling companies view safety as secondary in order of importance compared to customer service – but a clean, safe and clutter free workplace can have a huge effect on productivity.
Organization is key in being able to deliver optimal customer service as orders can be pulled, stationed, packed and shipped much more quickly and efficiently in an environment that is clutter free and safe. There is also a much lower chance of injury in an environment that is organized, properly equipped and well designed.
Warehouse and plant managers shouldn’t wait for fire or safety inspection time to roll around to get their operations organized and clean - the possibility for greatly increased productivity and, in turn, an increase in the bottom line along with a loyal customer base are readily available for business that can provide lightning quick and pin point accurate service.
Employees who work in atmospheres where the equipment is outdated and unreliable are more likely to have to perform the brunt of their jobs manually; this can lead to oversights and errors that may affect the accuracy of orders and of your inventory. It can also result in material being left in areas that weren’t necessarily meant for storage, potentially leading to accidents or injuries.
Upgrading your material handling equipment to battery powered carts that are quiet, ergonomic and long lasting will allow your employees to work at a faster pace without having to worry about resorting to manual handling when the equipment fails. Nothing hurts moral and performance worse than equipment failure during the picking or stocking of a large order when the pressure is on to perform.
Electric Carts from DJ Products have the power to last for an entire, fast paced shift of shipping/receiving without any worry about failure. This means that your employees can fully receive stock orders and put them away, or pull and stage large orders without interruption – with the right equipment; your warehouse will be clean, organized and operating at the highest possible level of efficiency.
No Comments →
March 01, 2010
By: CartPro
Category: Business Tips, Manufacturing Industry, Material Handling, economy, ergonomics
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), also known as ergonomic injuries, accounted for 29 percent of all workplace injuries and illnesses in 2008. This translates into 317,440 cases of MSDs for the US workforce. On average these injuries result in the worker taking off 10 days of work. Doing some simple math, this means that the US economy lost well over 3 million days of productivity in 2008 alone. Certainly the number would be higher for 2010. Additionally, businesses will often need to hire temporary labor to compensate for any absent employees. Clearly, the productivity loss and extra labor costs for businesses that rely on manual labor can be quite substantial.
Aside from the significant loss of productivity, businesses are faced with the additional costs arising from injury lawsuits. These lawsuits, at a minimum, result in increased administrative work for the company as well as costly legal fees. If the court rules in favor of the injured worker, the payout could result in astronomical losses for the business.
Even in the event that employees have relinquished their right to sue their employer, as when they accept workers compensation insurance, the company still needs to pay expensive premiums in industries that suffer from high-injury levels.
Another cost that is associated with labor-intensive industries is the likelihood of laborers seeking an earlier retirement to avoid their work’s physical strain. This results in the business having to hire and train new employees more frequently. The required training period effectively reduces productivity as well.
Businesses looking to reduce costs and increase productivity over the long-term, can find a simple solution in ergonomic material handling equipment. Ergonomically designed products decrease physical injuries which directly improve productivity as well as reduce insurance and legal costs. Additionally, with the physical strain being decreased, worker turnover will drop allowing companies to retain skilled labor for longer periods. Businesses that have invested in ergonomic products have quickly recouped their cost with the increased upside of greater productivity and lower costs.
Discover today how DJ Products can increase your company’s productivity while reducing unnecessary cost and workforce churn.
No Comments →
February 24, 2010
By: CartPro
Category: Business Tips, Future Trends, Material Handling, Productivity Tips, Products, Warehousing, economy
Having to cutback, downsize or merge with a competitor has become the reality for many logistics and storage companies if the want to keep their doors open. There just currently aren’t enough customers and enough money/product moving around in order to keep every company busy enough to justify, or even allow, them to operate at the level that they had prior to the economic downturn.
Mergers with competitors can pose a whole host of issues in terms of operations; the most obvious would seem to be the personal and computer program interactions. Adopting a brand new and potentially very different system of daily operations and having to interact with a bunch of new personalities can be a daunting task, but few people view just how much difference their can be in the warehousing and storage aspect and it’s profound affect on the employees involved.
Differences in equipment, inventory control and shipping and receiving practices can be difficult obstacles to overcome. In order for a newly developed company with employees from two different backgrounds to be successful, some operational changes may be a necessity. Customers coming from both businesses will need to see accuracy and speed at least comparable, if not improved, to what they were used to in order to feel confident with the new situation.
Increasing speed and accuracy may require upgrade changes in equipment as well as operations. Outdated, inefficient and unreliable machines could spell doom to a company who is attempting to keep current customers from leaving during a period of transition. The proper material handling equipment will more than pay for itself in a very short period of time with reduced fuel/energy costs and increased employee productivity; and the capability of delivering goods quickly and accurately will keep customers loyal and could possibly increase your bottom line.
DJ products offers affordable, reliable and easy to use solutions for material handling, the exact type of equipment needed for a warehouse to maintain, or exceed customer expectations during the transition period of a merger.
No Comments →