christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Planning Your First Warehouse Staff Holiday Party? How to Make it Memorable

Social Gatherings Can Set the Tone for Your Office, Make Sure It’s a Good One!

The holidays are a time to put away material handling equipment for a while and celebrate with your warehouse employees. Staff holiday parties are a great way to help employees bond and show your appreciation for their hard work.

Company parties involve different considerations than strictly social events. If you’re planning your first warehouse staff party, here are some useful tips to make it a festive holiday event for all.

Tips for Planning a Warehouse Staff Holiday Party

– It’s impossible to choose a date that will accommodate everyone. Conduct a survey offering three or four options and select the one that receives the majority of votes.

– Set a budget and allocate funds based on the priority of different elements. For example, you might spend 50 percent on entertainment, 35 percent on food and 15 percent on decorations.

– Decide what type of party you will hold. Do you want formal, casual, themed, activity-based? Make sure that whatever style you settle on is inclusive of all attendees.

– Possible venues include workplace, off-site facility or private home. The budget will be the primary deciding factor.

– Food can range from appetizers or pot luck to buffet or sit-down dinner. Don’t forget to ask guests about allergies beforehand and include vegetarian dishes for non-meat eaters.

– If alcohol will be served, don’t take any chances with drinking and driving. Hire a bus or other private transportation, provide credits for ride-share services or have sign-up sheets for carpools with designated drivers.

DJ Products: Material Handling Equipment for Any Time and Season

Promoting workplace safety throughout the year demonstrates concern for the well-being of your employees. Contact DJ Products and let our knowledgeable sales engineers help you find the right material handling equipment for your applications.

Our Top Tips for Truckers for Winter Driving

As we roll out our newly-built semi trailer movers for delivery to help you manage the influx of holiday shipping, Mother Nature is likewise delivering her cargo in the form of winter snow and icy rain. To help you ensure a safe and cheerful holiday season at home with your family, your friends at DJ Products thought we’d share a few of our top winter driving tips.

Watch the Weather

Snow and ice make for challenging driving conditions. Ensure a safer trip by staying vigilant of the weather to prevent ending up in unexpected situations. Leave earlier/later as needed. Drive with more caution during snowy and icy weather: Slow down, leave more space, brake sooner, and remain hyperaware. This is especially important on busy city streets, which are more congested with fellow motorists and pedestrians during the busy holiday season.

Don’t Get Distracted

Keep your eyes on the road and off your cell phone. Distracted driving is a leading cause of traffic fatalities. Pull over and stop if you must make a call or text. Just a two-second distraction doubles the chance of an accident.

Dress (Your Vehicle) for Success

Remove ice/snow to ensure maximum visibility and avoiding hazards. Ensure safety when stranded by stocking your rig with basic supplies such as warm blankets, water, and food to increase your chances of survival in life-threatening scenarios.

Avoid Impairment

Avoid driving impaired whether due to sleepiness or eggnog overindulgence, respectfully sharing the road with other motorists and ensuring everyone enjoys safe holidays at home with family. Report suspected drunk drivers (weaving, straddling the lane, erratic braking). A simple call can save lives.

Keep semi trailer movers, cargo, and drivers moving safely this holiday season with the help of DJ Products today.

Forklifts Embrace Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

Our eco-friendly tugs, pushers and other material handling equipment use rechargeable batteries instead of costly and emission-laden fuels. A third option is on the horizon – green forklifts that incorporate hydrogen fuel cells for cleaner operation and higher productivity.

The Science of Fuel Cells

The “fuel” used by fuel cells is actually a mix of hydrogen and oxygen, which the cell then converts to electricity. Unlike gasoline and other traditional fuels, this form of energy produces only water vapor and heat as byproducts rather than toxic emissions that damage the environment.

Hydrogen is available in gas form, which is suitable for low-volume usage, as well as liquid form, which is recommended for heavier usage.

Benefits of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Forklifts

– Lead acid batteries currently used in most forklifts must be replaced or recharged in a cumbersome process that can cost a minimum of 20 minutes downtime each four- to eight-hour period. In contrast, hydrogen fuel cells can be refueled in as little as three minutes.

– Hydrogen fuel cells provide a consistent level of energy, allowing for maximum forklift performance throughout the charge, while productivity of lead acid battery-powered forklifts drops as the charge wears down.

– Lead acid batteries have approximately three to four years of useable life and disposal can be problematic. On the other hand, hydrogen fuel cells last for 10,000 hours, making them more cost-effective.

– Not only are hydrogen fuel cells completely emission-free, generating hydrogen on-site can result in a 33 percent reduction in harmful greenhouse gases as opposed to lead acid batteries.

Go Green with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

Our electric tugs, pushers and movers provide superior performance for any application. Contact us to learn more about our wide range of material handling equipment solutions.

A Fleet Manager’s Job is All About Performance and Driver Retention

Thanks to the explosion of online retailing, it’s more important than ever for companies to set themselves apart from the competition with superior delivery service. From choosing terminal tractors to training drivers, fleet managers are responsible for optimizing truck and trailer performance.

The function of a fleet manager has remained fairly consistent over time, but technology is expected to create a major shift in job expectations. Here’s a look at today’s fleet manager and the changes on the horizon.

Responsibilities of a Fleet Manager

– Fleet managers use delivery forecasts and company budgets to determine how many trucks and trailers are needed. Some businesses own their fleets outright and some rent vehicles, while others use a hybrid approach with a blend of both methods.

– Out-of-service trucks and trailers severely hamper prompt delivery service, so fleet managers oversee the maintenance schedule and make sure repairs are completed in a timely manner. In addition, fleet managers must ensure that vehicles are compliant with all safety regulations.

– Fleet managers communicate with drivers to provide all necessary tools and training.

– With tight margins in transportation, fleet managers can positively impact the numbers with good performance management, such as choosing the right type of fuel.

What Does the Future Hold?

Just as it has impacted virtually every other industry, technology is changing the face of fleet management. While managers have traditionally come from the mechanical side, future managers will likely have analytics and IT backgrounds with extensive knowledge of telematics, logistics software and other digital tools.

Terminal Tractors from DJ Products: Solutions for Today and Tomorrow

Our terminal tractors are safe, sturdy and cost-effective, making them a perfect solution for all facets of a fleet manager’s job. Contact us today for more information.

The Airbnb Concept Arrives in the Warehouse Space

Companies can scale warehouse equipment and other assets up and down to accommodate changing needs. But a warehouse itself is a fixed property that involves major financial commitments, which can become detrimental to a company’s bottom line.

The warehouse industry is now on the cusp of a major disruption that could put the traditional model in the past. Some innovative companies are taking a page from the Airbnb book to create a warehouse sharing model.

Matching Supply with Demand

One such company is Stowga, a startup in the UK. According to CEO Charlie Pool, they realized that many warehouses had spare capacity while demand for warehouse space was increasing, so why not match up the two sides?

Stowga and US competitor Flexe offer high-tech platforms for companies to rent their unused warehouse space to other companies for variable lengths of time. Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and other industrialized countries are now scrambling to develop their own warehouse sharing services.

Benefits of Warehouse Sharing

– Warehouses are transformed from long-term, static assets to short-term, variable ones.

– Companies can be more agile in terms of expanding into new markets and pulling out of unprofitable ones.

– Warehouse sharing fits perfectly into the PAL (personalized, automated, localized) supply chain concept.

– Costs will be lower when companies can obtain warehouse space in proximity to their customer bases rather than remaining locked into cumbersome, far-away distribution chains.

– Fewer companies will need to rely on outdated, expensive and rigid solutions such as offshore manufacturing and global supply chains.

Warehouse Equipment for All Applications

Battery-powered tugs, movers and pushers from DJ Products are well-suited to carry your company from today’s warehouse models through future innovations. Visit our website where our friendly sales engineers are ready to assist you.

Tow Device for Moving Your Dumpster Safely

Work Smarter, Not Harder. Get a Dumpster Caddy Today!

When trash day rolls around, do your employees struggle to maneuver the dumpster to the designated pick-up area? Our battery-powered dumpster mover lets a single worker easily handle the job with reduced risk of injury.

Our dumpster tow device is so effective that it was featured in an article for American City and County, a magazine for state and local government officials. Here’s what they had to say about the WasteCaddy from DJ Products.

Battling the High Costs of Trash Room Injuries

Fully-loaded trash dumpsters can weigh thousands of pounds. Manually moving these loads can result in serious back and shoulder injuries, causing expensive medical claims and costly loss of productivity.

Benefits of the WasteCaddy

With our WasteCaddy, a single employee can maneuver dumpsters weighing up to 5,000 pounds up and down inclines, around tight corners and through narrow hallways. If your business or organization is located in a cold-weather area, the WasteCaddy works through snow and ice as well.

The unit’s 36-volt, three-battery system is recharged with a charger that uses 120/220-volt outlets. Ergonomically-designed features such as the variable-speed twist grip help prevent common repetitive-motion injuries that can have chronic long-term effects.

WasteCaddy Works for All Applications

American City and County serves state and local governments, but our dumpster mover is appropriate for any business or organization that produces trash. The WasteCaddy is used in facilities as varied as warehouses, office buildings, multi-family housing units and retail complexes.

Which Dumpster Mover Is Right for You?

DJ Products offers a number of dumpster tows with a wide range of standard and optional features. Visit our website and use the convenient online chat feature to learn which dumpster mover is the best solution for your specific needs.

Hotel Bedding Trends Are Consumer-Driven

Hotel Bedding Trends are Consumer Driven

Our powered hospitality carts make hotel supply movement more efficient, but how much attention are you paying to what’s actually being loaded on them? Increasingly health-conscious guests are demanding high levels of cleanliness and top hotels are ensuring that their properties meet and exceed consumer standards.

As hotels strive to recreate the experience of sleeping at home, they’re conscious of the fact that not all retail products are practical for their beds. Experts weigh in on the optimum ways to adopt current bedding trends.

Linens

If you want to add color to the rooms, stick with paint and accessories. Classic white sheets are still accepted as a sign of cleanliness by hotel guests.

But consumer expectations don’t stop with sheets. Blankets, comforters and anything else that goes on top of a mattress should be washable. Kim Deetjen of TruEx Collins Interiors explains that many hotels are triple-sheeting beds with a protective top sheet over a duvet.

Pillows

According to Pacific Coast Feather Company’s Brett Rife, a choice of soft or firm pillows is no longer limited to luxury hotels. Full-service and midscale hotels are recognizing that offering a selection of pillows is part of personalized service.

Memory foam pillows are enjoying a surge in popularity, but this is one trend that hotels are avoiding. Foam doesn’t have the durability to sustain the numerous washings required for hotel bedding.

Beds

Bedskirts and box-spring covers complete a polished look, but they’re high-maintenance. Platform beds and upholstered foundations provide an option that’s stylish and attractive but requires less work.

Powered Hotel Supply Movement Solutions from DJ Products

Our powered hotel movement supply carts help improve housekeeping productivity while reducing workplace injuries. Visit our website to learn more from one of our sales engineers.

Tips for Hiring Seasonal Warehouse Staff

According to CNBC, experts are predicting a prosperous holiday season for retailers this year. That translates to a greater need for temporary employees to pack orders, handle industrial tugs and fill other positions in your warehouse.

Unfortunately, low unemployment rates are likely to make qualified workers even harder to find. Use these tips to fill your seasonal hiring needs while maintaining high productivity.

Start Early

You have only one chance to take advantage of robust holiday business, so don’t put off the hiring process until the last minute. Create a game plan with timelines and required qualifications that allows you to bring in temporary workers at least three weeks before the big push starts.

Contact Previous Temporary Employees

Previous employees will already be familiar with your operations and procedures. When you can bring in experienced help that’s work-ready from day one, it’s a win-win for both of you.

Crunch the Numbers

With high-tech tools such as warehouse management systems, it’s easier than ever to analyze past years’ business and project this year’s trends. Pay particular attention to times when you may have been understaffed.

Maintain High Standards

Companies sometimes sacrifice quality for convenience when adding seasonal staff. Don’t let the temptation to cut corners keep you from using the same hiring criteria for permanent and temporary employees.

Be Honest

Some job-seekers accept seasonal employment hoping to get a foot in the door for a permanent position. Be specific about the time frame of the job and don’t discuss the possibility of full-time employment unless it truly exists.

Industrial Tugs Improve Year-Round Safety and Productivity

Electric industrial tugs from DJ Products can be used effectively by a single worker and don’t involve a complicated learning curve. Contact us for more information.

Fuel Gelling – What to Know When Cold Weather Arrives

When rigs stop running in frigid weather, bringing your semi trailer mover to a screeching halt, fuel gelling is often the first thing blamed. Typically, however, it has to be -15 degrees before fuel begins to gel, so what gives?

Is it Really Gelling?

With gelling, ice crystals form from condensation, followed by paraffin wax dropping out of fuel. Only after that does gelling occur. This often starts in fuel filters, when trucks haven’t run long enough to warm fuel. Though many are quick to blame poor fuel and failure to have the right additives, it’s ultimately the result of poor planning.

With the Right Tactics, You Can Avoid the Gelling ‘Blame Game’

Plan ahead.
People driving in the northern states/Canada don’t have issues with gelling because they manage the predictable. Don’t rely on ‘winter blends.’ Know what you’re getting. With frigid temperatures YOU WILL need water-absorbers and kerosene/jet fuel, since additives only work down to 5-degrees. Take control: watch 10-day weather forecasts and TELL fuel suppliers the percentage of kerosene you want:

10 degrees: 10% blend

0 degrees: 20% blend

-5 to -10 degrees: 30% blend

-15 degrees: 40% blend

-20 degrees: 50% blend

Tanks on location?
Keep 80% kerosene on hand for upcoming temperature dips to mix with current tank gallons on-hand.

On-the-road purchases?
ASK for kerosene percentages.

Maintain en-route
Vacuum or drain the condensation buildup (water) from the tanks every night.

Crank-up the heat
Consider the addition of an in-tank fuel heater plumbed via heater core or an electric/coolant-fueled heater.

No shortcuts
Do NOT change micron ratings on fuel filters.

Don’t let downed rigs gum up the works. Keep things moving with proper planning and the help of a semi trailer mover from DJ Products today.

Extreme Cold Impacts Semi Truck Performance – What to Know

As climate change continues to fuel winter temperature extremes, trucks and truckers shoulder an increased burden. Though your powered trailer movers will push on through such extremely cold temperatures, your hauler may not, pulled down by the weight of fuel gelling.

Frozen in Time

With extremely cold temperatures, diesel fuel and diesel exhaust fluids freeze. More than an inconvenience, this poses a rather large problem as the regeneration process necessary from an emissions control standpoint cannot sustain at certain temperatures. What’s your best chance of keeping vehicles on the road?

Weighty Matter

In colder climates such as in Minnesota and Canada, drivers understand the risks of temperature extremes, swapping their usual fuel for a winter-weight diesel fuel mix and additives that allow them to keep their vehicles moving. Fleet drivers in warm to moderate climates, however, are often ignorant of this need, watching their progress literally freeze as soon as they go north and their vehicles come to a stop.

Half Empty/Half Full

When driving in winter conditions, it is strongly advisable to keep the fuel tank at least half full. This will allow drivers to keep rigs running long enough for the vehicle to hit the temperature necessary to go into its regeneration cycle. Otherwise, haulers may get stuck due to emission controls.

When Push Comes to Shove

In normal weather this is not an issue, however sub-zero weather requires more energy (fuel) to sustain the vehicle’s temperature necessary for regeneration. Idling overnight or warming the block with a heater are not enough – the vehicle must be driven, even if it’s just a few yards at a time.

Are your operations stuck? Get things moving with a powered trailer mover from DJ Products today.

Author: christopher Harper