christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Got Power Movers for Industrial Uses? Get Electric Carts for Your Office, Too

At DJ Products, we make a number of material handling solutions that are used in warehouses, hospitals, hotels and a number of other workplaces where workers need to transport heavy loads. And if you are already using our products in these areas, then you know that our power movers and trailer movers eliminate the pain and strain of manually pulling and pushing a heavy cart and wheeled equipment and are also less costly, smaller, and more maneuverable than traditional powered equipment.

But have you also considered using a simple electric cart for other areas of your enterprise? People in your offices may have need of an electric cart for transporting office supplies—boxes of paper, printer cartridges, samples for demonstrations, food orders for group meetings, and presentation materials such as projectors.

Just as you do not want the staff on the industrial side of things becoming strained, you also do not want your office staff hurting themselves either. There is a temptation for people in offices to think that they can just carry heavy loads on their own since they are not doing the kind of heavy lifting that warehouse workers do on a regular basis. They may not have an appreciation for the kind of musculoskeletal strain that carrying a cumbersome load ‘just this once’ can produce.

You and your busy staff will appreciate how our electric cart arrives charged and requires no assembly, so you can put it to use right away. In fact once you have an electric cart for use in the office, you will wonder how you managed without it.

New Marketing Strategies Needed to Survive Lean Years Ahead

With the economic prognosis dim for 2009, U.S. manufacturers and businessmen need to rethink basic marketing strategies. Gone are the comfortable days of order backlog that manufacturers have enjoyed since the post-WWII. Everyone is scrambling to find new customers and new markets for their products. As Doug Gregory of Diamond Group Marketing pointed out in a February 9, 2009 article on Manufacturing & Technology eJournal, “you can’t cut and save your way to survival and profitability.”

To survive the next few lean years, you’re going to have to take excellent care of your current customers and work hard to find new ones. Gregory recommends a number of marketing strategies proven during previous downturns to help companies survive and even thrive. We’ve added some comments based on the benefit of our own experience here at DJ Products in building a successful material handling company with a national reputation for innovation, quality products and superior customer service.

Aggressive marketing. Many companies cut back on marketing efforts during a downturn. Survivors will buck the tide and increase marketing across the board. During tough economic times, potential customers do more shopping around looking for the best bargains. Getting your company name out there where they’re looking gives you a better chance to snag the sale.
Customer service. Without your customers you won’t have a business. Keeping customers happy must always be a top priority. During economic downturns competition heats up and you have to work even harder to keep your customers from jumping ship and going with the competition. Keep in regular contact with your customers so you’re right there to meet their needs as they arise. In a downturn, companies typically decrease inventories to cut expenses. You’ll benefit if you can provide customers with fast order turnaround and guaranteed delivery dates.
Strategic diversification. A tight economy forces you to expand and diversify your customer list, but make sure you don’t lose your core focus. You don’t want to dilute the expertise that sets you apart from your competitors and draws customers to you in the first place. Look for new customers with needs similar to those you now serve. Take a look at your current customers’ competition. With the same needs as your present customers, they present a ready market for your products.

Next time: Where to look for new marketing opportunities.

Where to Find New Marketing Opportunities

Competition is even tougher than it was before. Most sectors of the economy are expected to post losses through 2009 with little improvement expected until sometime in 2010. The bottom line is that for the next year or two everyone is going to be scrambling for a bite of a much smaller pie. In our last post we shared survival tips from DJ Products’ own experience and from Doug Gregory of Diamond Group Marketing (see his February 9, 2009 article on Manufacturing & Technology eJournal). Aggressive marketing, superior customer service and strategic diversification can help your business survive a bear economy, but to thrive you’re going to have to start searching for new customers.

Gregory and others agree that there are bright spots glimmering amidst the general economic gloom. Certain industries are expected to thrive and grow in the coming few years despite the downturn. Savvy firms will target marketing and sales campaigns to take advantage of expected growth in the following economic sectors:

Food industry. As Rally’s, a local burger joint, advertises, “You gotta eat!” The entire food supply chain from farm to table provides multiple opportunities for growing your customer base. Agricultural equipment, fertilizer, transportation, processing, packaging and retailing are just the tip of the food industry pyramid.
Pharmaceutical/health care industries. Baby Boomers, the world’s largest population segment, are aging. Demand for pharmaceuticals, health care products and health care services is expected to increase and remain steady over the next three decades.
Energy industry. Companies that produce, process or deliver energy products are excellent growth targets. With support from President Obama, increasing federal funds will fuel the development of alternative energy options. However, viable nationwide replacement of current energy sources is years, even decades, in the future. Current oil, gas and coal operations are expected remain strong with increases coming in their development of new, cleaner, more cost efficient applications for their products.
Transportation industry. Traditional transportation will still flounder for a while until production volumes and consumer spending improve. But there will be opportunity in infrastructure improvement and rebuilding fueled by federal stimulus spending and job creation. And watch for opportunities in new public transportation options still on the drawing board. Last year public transportation ridership posted a 52-year record high. As America struggles with energy issues and global warming, expect increases in innovative mass transit projects.
Look south. Southeast and Gulf Coast states are experiencing a manufacturing boom benefiting in part from post-Katrina spending. Census figures indicate that Americans are moving south, seeking jobs and better weather. Environmentalists are leery about the Southwest, however; which is already experiencing water shortages and some fear believe is on the cusp of long-term, possibly terminal draught.

Transport Trailers and Boats with the Trailer Caddy HD

Although tractor trailers have wheels they cannot be driven everywhere. There are times when instead of doing the hauling, a tractor trailer itself needs to be hauled.

The Trailer Caddy HD Chain Drive tractor trailer pusher is a powered pusher designed for pushing or pulling trailers that require lifting on one end before maneuvering.

Most often used with RVs, campers, equipment trailer, and boats, a Trailer Caddy can be used to transport these items across show rooms or down assembly lines, as well as in or out of storage. A Trailer Caddy can be of great use to individual owners or campers and trailers as well as to those who own and rent out this equipment.

Other equipment you may have used in the past probably allowed you to push an RV or a boat, but how did you feel afterwards? If you felt any strain or pain and it wasn’t too serious, chances are you forgot about it but you never know when this kind of strain will lead to a more challenging injury.

You really don’t want to take any chances with your health when transporting this kind or equipment. The powered Trailer Caddy HD Chain Drive tractor trailer pusher is less bulky than the traditional electric puller product, and that is useful because if you think about it, the trailer or boat itself is already bulky. The relative compactness of the Trailer Caddy HD does not mean that it is ineffective; instead it results in fewer accidents, lower maintenance costs, and minimal damage to surrounding parts and equipment due to the maneuverability and control the operator has using the Trailer Caddy tractor trailer pusher in tightly confined areas.

Motorized Cart eliminates strains and pains from pushing heavy materials, food and linen supplies.

DJ Products of Minneapolis has introduced a walk behind self-propelled motorized cart that carries large amounts of food, materials, and linens. Called the PartsCaddy®, the unit is design for moving heavy loads from one point to another in hospital environments, eliminating the manual pushing of heavy carts food, materials, and linens.

Continue reading “Motorized Cart eliminates strains and pains from pushing heavy materials, food and linen supplies.”

How Could YOU Use the Wagon Caddy Tow Tractor?

Of course an electric cart mover would benefit your warehouse by speeding up material handling — but it can also bring fundamental improvements to the way you operate. With our Wagon Caddy tow tractor, more of your employees can handle heavy loads. And they can move things easily through tight spaces anywhere in the warehouse. It opens up a ton of possibilities to get more done.

Make Picking and Stocking a Breeze

Moving up to 3000 lbs. at up to 5 mph, the Wagon Caddy tow tractor makes material handling easier and simpler. Whether a worker needs to move one small box or a heavy load of equipment, he or she can load it on the Wagon Caddy and hop on for the ride. Less walking, less carrying, and less strain — in other words, more productivity with fewer injuries.

Get More Out of All Your Employees

Not all your employees need to be strapping young men and women. Hire smart and reliable people and the Wagon Caddy lets you worry less about muscular strength and physical conditioning. Just about anyone can operate our electric cart movers.

Make Warehouse Logistics Easier

With maneuverable motorized carts for hauling materials around the warehouse, your logistics get easier. You can plan on easily moving heavy, awkward-to-carry items from point A to point B. Employees can even ride on the Wagon Caddy tow tractor and navigate through narrow spaces. Simply put, this electric cart automates and speeds up labor — and that productivity boost makes warehouse management easier.

Check out the versatile and powerful WagonCaddyR/W and call our Sales Engineers at 1-800-686-2651 for more info.

How Force Affects Pushing and Pulling Activities

Pushing and pulling tasks are among the most common industrial activities. Pallets of goods need to be moved from one point to another and equipment needs to be moved to a usage point. Workers at factories, hospitals, distribution centers, grocery stores and many other businesses engage in pushing and pulling activities numerous times a day. The Ergonomics of Manual Material Handling – Pushing and Pulling Tasks provides a useful overview of the costs and consequences of neglecting ergonomics in common industrial tasks that involve pushing and pulling. Click here to read the white paper published by Darcor, an industry leader in the design and manufacture of ergonomic casters and wheels, and Ergoweb, an ergonomic web resource.

While often taken for granted, wheeled carts and equipment are integral to the operation of nearly all manufacturing and distribution facilities as well as many businesses. Musculoskeletal disorders from pushing and pulling injuries cost American businesses billions of dollars each day in medical, insurance, disability and downtime costs. Ergonomically-designed carts, wheels and casters can significantly decrease the incidence of musculoskeletal disorders.

To be effective, ergonomic design for push/pull tasks must consider:

Human factors such as height, weight, age, gender, strength, posture and physiological capacity.
Task factors including distance moved, forces required to initiate and sustain movement, direction and nature of movement and task duration.
Cart/equipment factors such as size, weight, stability, caster/wheel specification and handhold type, height and orientation.
Floor/ground factors including surface characteristics, slope and contaminants.

Contrary to popular belief, horizontal push force is more significant than load weight in pushing and pulling tasks. Proper wheel or caster selection and equipment design can enable workers to move thousands of pounds safely and efficiently. Caster/wheel choice alone can reduce push force significantly. Rolling resistance refers to forces that resist movement and defines the amount of force a person must generate and apply to move wheeled equipment.

This force — called the starting or initial force by ergonomists — is always greatest at the start, just before movement begins. Fortunately, starting force must only be exerted briefly. Once acceleration is achieved, less force — called the sustained or rolling force — is required to maintain movement. The final major force that affects cart movement is turning force which can occur while the cart is in motion or during positioning.

Next time: How ergonomics mitigates force.

Pushing vs Pulling Manual Carts

Pushing and pulling are the two most frequent actions workers execute in the course of doing their jobs. So in maneuvering manual carts, which is easier for the worker and creates less risk of injury — pushing or pulling?

Experts say pushing is preferable to pulling for a number of reasons. Research has demonstrated that people are able to exert higher push forces than pull forces. Given that horizontal push force, not the weight of the load or equipment, is the most significant factor in determining the effort required to move a load, that’s a significant consideration in selecting equipment.

Think of what happens to the body when you push something. Your entire body is used to create push force. In pushing an object, your body is more centered which allows you to concentrate force. Limbs are generally held closer to the body, limiting the possibility of extension injuries.

Pulling on the other hand, creates tremendous stress on individual body parts. When you pull an object and you are facing the direction of travel, one arm is stretched behind your body. This places the shoulder and back in awkward postures, increasing the potential for painful injury through overextension or awkward twisting. If you use two hands to pull an object you must have your back to the direction of travel. Walking backwards without a clear view of your path is an invitation to an accident. On an incline momentum can increase unexpectedly and the cart can careen into the worker or “run over” his feet.

There are times when pulling is the only way to maneuver a manual cart into the proper position, but at all other times pulling should be avoided. Pushing is the safer, more ergonomic way to move a manual cart.

Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming Material Handling Shows

It’s spring and time for our industry’s annual material handling shows. Circle the date on your calendar and start making travel plans. Here’s the low-down on what’s planned:

MHIA — April 21-24 — Cleveland, OH

The Material Handling Industry of America will host its North American exposition, NA 08: Solutions that Make the Supply Chain Work, at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Participants will have the opportunity to inspect and operate the latest manufacturing, distribution, material handling and IT solutions designed to increase supply chain productivity and profitability. Exhibits of products and services will be organized into four Solution Centers: manufacturing and assembly, fulfillment and delivery, information technology and knowledge which will showcase educational, benchmarking and research resources.

Sustainable, green solutions will receive special emphasis at the show. Andrew Winston, a nationally recognized expert on green business, will present the keynote address on Tuesday morning, April 22. The corporate environmental strategist will speak on Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value and Build High Performance Supply Chains.
More than 70 education sessions will be offered addressing best practices, new equipment developments and leading trends.

MHEDA — May 3-7 — Orlando, Florida

Accelerate in ’08 is the theme of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association 53rd annual convention and exhibitors’ showcase. The convention will be held at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando in the theme park capital of the world, Orlando, Florida. At the show the emphasis is on education and networking, with ample opportunities to explore new technology and trends, improve business knowledge and skills and network and socialize with material handling peers. Fun activities for spouses and kids are planned for those who want to make this a family affair.

An exciting variety of educational presentations, round tables and workshops are planned on innovation, business growth, leadership, sales, marketing, customer service, financial and people management. Among several dynamic speakers will be Brian Beaulieu, an economist with the Institute for Trend Research, speaking on Planning for Change and Steven Little, Senior Consultant with Inc. Magazine, who will speak on Growing Your Business in the 21st Century.
At the May 5 Exhibitors Showcase you can check out the latest trends and developments in material handling. Hundreds of manufacturers and consultants from around the world will be on hand to showcase and demonstrate their products and services.
A golf tournament and biking tour are among numerous optional tours available for the fun-seeking. Ticket discounts to area theme parks are also available.

Webcast: World-Changing Material Handling Trends

The challenges facing American business and our world are mind boggling: recession, labor shortages, global warming, war, the brain drain. Politicians are ranting, people are discussing, and everyone is worrying about what to do. Solutions run the gamut from fantastic to ludicrous. Given the realities of moving and managing resources, surprisingly few of the ideas being bandied about in the press seem realistic. Modern Materials Handling magazine suggests that the most realistic solutions are coming from the world of logistics. The magazine has assembled a panel of experts to discuss some of the most promising solutions to the world’s problems and the trends in material handling that will make them possible.

Trends that will change materials handling — and the world is the subject of an upcoming webcast sponsored by Modern Materials Handling magazine. The live webcast will begin at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Tuesday, August 29. Click here to register for the material handling trends webcast.

Editor-in-Chief Tom Andel will moderate a panel that will include:

John Hill, TranSystems/ESYNC, who will discuss enticing new talent to the logistics workforce through supply chain execution technology.
Ron Giuntini, OEM Products-Services Institute, will provide insight into the material handling implications of the service vs product model and its effect on both the economy and environment.
Col. Alan Will of the U.S. Marine Corps will share logistics best practices learned on the front lines in Iraq.
Dr. John Usher, PhD, a professor with the University of Louisville Department of Industrial Engineering, will describe a future in which Direct Digital Manufacturing will redefine material handling in production environments.