christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

What You Need to Know About the TrailerCaddy Terminal Tractor and Electric Yard Dog

Looking for a way to immediately boost efficiency without the red tape involved with implementing many new processes? TrailerCaddy semi trailer movers deliver! Allowing any worker to navigate trailers at a moment’s notice without a CDL, certification, or health card, TrailerCaddy terminal tractors and electric yard dogs are an ideal way to streamline your services, easily integrating into your current operation.

Keeping it Simple

With TrailerCaddy semi trailer movers, there’s no need to log driving hours or involve employees in long and complicated training sessions. Smaller and more maneuverable than a yard truck, our terminal tractors and electric yard dogs are the perfect addition for tight docks and yards. With forward, walk-along operation, precise steering and speed control, and better sight lines, they are easy for anyone to operate, improving safety.

Boosting Efficiency & Controlling Costs

Tired of waiting for a hostler? Less than 1/4 the price of costly shunt trucks, with no need for a specialized operator, TrailerCaddy semi trailer movers easily boost efficiency, further helping your control operating costs with no expensive annual maintenance.

Safeguarding Employees

Most accidents, injuries, and damage to trailers, tractors, and buildings occur in the yard, not on the road. With easy wagon-wheel steering and forward operation, the exceptional maneuverability of TrailerCaddy terminal tractors and electric yard dogs reduce the risk of damage to docks, trailers, and equipment. No more looking over your shoulder to backup, no more crawling in/out of the cab.

Helping You Make a Big Move in the Right Direction

TrailerCaddy semi trailer mover 48-volt batteries provide long run times, allowing any employee to move tank and semi-trailers up to 100,000-pounds, even those with air brake systems when equipped with optional compressor.

Learn more about semi trailer movers from DJ Products today.

Tips to Protect Your Warehouse Employees and Boost Performance

All warehouse managers strive to optimize productivity, but unfortunately some let good safety practices fall to the wayside in pursuit of their goal. Our industrial tugs are one way to increase efficiency without sacrificing safety.

Don’t let costly injuries offset valuable productivity gains in your warehouse. Use these expert tips to help employees be more effective while avoiding common risks of workplace injury.

Conduct Ongoing Safety Training

Regular safety training enables proper procedures to become second nature with employees and demonstrates your commitment to a culture of workplace safety. Include training as part of the onboarding process and hold periodic refresher courses. Test managers and supervisors to make sure they’re setting a good example.

Post Instructions for Safety and Emergency Procedures

Reinforce safety training by posting checklists and visual aids in prominent places around the workplace. Topics can include:

– How to handle hazardous materials

– Recommended lifting techniques

– Machine and equipment operating instructions

Provide Quality Personal Protective Equipment

Have appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) on hand and readily available. Establish an inspection schedule and immediately replace any PPE that shows signs of wear and tear.

Invest in Safety Amenities

Supplement PPE use with warehouse features and add-ons that contribute to a safe environment. Industrial tugs, generous lighting, guard rails and ergonomic workstations are just some of the extras that can be easily incorporated in a warehouse for maximum results.

Perform Safety Audits

Create daily, weekly and monthly checklists of items and details to be inspected and verified.

Combine Safety and Productivity with Industrial Tugs

At DJ Products, warehouse safety and efficiency is our main concern. Call 800.686.2651 and let our cheerful sales engineers explain why eco-friendly industrial tugs like our best-selling CartCaddyShorty are the solution to your specific needs.

Changes in Store for Calculation of Carrier Safety Scoring

Transportation industry stakeholders are constantly searching for ways to improve safety. Our battery-powered yard trucks are ergonomically designed to reduce risk of injury when shunting trailers, while the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is focused on safe conditions for drivers.

In 2015 President Obama signed the FAST Act, a five-year transportation funding bill. Last August, in accordance with one of the requirements contained in the bill, the FMCSA filed a report with Congress about proposed changes to the Compliance, Safety, Accountability carrier safety rating program.

Prioritizing Safety in Transportation

The FAST Act included the following mandates for the FMCSA:

– CSA’s public SMS percentile rankings were to be pulled immediately from public view.

– The FMCSA was to contract the National Academies of Science (NAS) to study CSA and offer recommendations to improve its fairness and accuracy.

– Finally, the NAS findings were to be incorporated in a corrective action plan that the FMCSA would then submit to Congress.

Opening the Channels of Communication

In addition, the FMCSA planned a public meeting in late August to get feedback from industry stakeholders about the best methods to incorporate the corrective action plan. Prospective reforms in their 10-page report include:

– Changing the methods of calculating scores using improved data.

– Making the scores more user-friendly for carriers to interpret and calculate.

– Instituting an absolute scoring program that provides a universal standard rather than relying on relative scores.

Testing of the new system was scheduled to begin in September.

Promote Workplace Safety with Yard Trucks from DJ Products

Did you know that most injuries and property damage originate in the yard? Visit our website to learn how our Electric Yard Dog can make workers more productive with a lower risk of accidents and injuries.

As More Warehouses Are Built, Managers Find Skilled Workers Harder to Find

As online shoppers demand faster and less expensive shipping, it’s created a warehouse boom in several parts of the country. Companies are investing in high-tech facilities and state-of-the-art warehouse equipment to provide an elite level of customer service.

Unfortunately, there’s a downside to this seeming success story. While the number of warehouses grows, it’s become increasingly hard for employers to find enough qualified people to staff them.

The Shrinking Labor Force in Warehousing and Logistics

The problem is readily apparent in the Midwest, where many companies are locating their distribution centers to be close to a larger segment of the public. One example is Cincinnati-based Proctor & Gamble, which recently opened a mile-long facility not far from Dayton International Airport.

According to P&G’s Jeff LeRoy, the entire warehouse is digital, allowing them to get product to the customer in less than 48 hours. But LeRoy adds that the influx of warehouses is making competition for employees tougher, with the biggest demand coming for jobs that robots are still unable to do.

How to Beat the Competition for Qualified Workers

In order to attract qualified applicants, P&G is offering a starting wage of $15 per hour, which is more than $5 higher than the area standard for low-skilled warehouse jobs. LeRoy says that as automation becomes more integrated in supply chain and logistics, future workers will require a different set of skills.

Mark Cohen of Columbia Business School says that communities need to support programs to develop these new skill sets. Ohio Governor John Kasich is also urging companies to better align training programs.

Provide Employees with High-Quality Warehouse Equipment from DJ Products

Show your commitment to worker productivity and safety with our electric warehouse equipment. Visit our website for more information.

Warehouses Will Never Profit Using a Gig Economy Model with Employees

Your company pays close attention to the money invested in quality warehouse equipment. But as today’s gig economy changes the traditional concept of a workplace, how much are you willing to invest in your employees?

Are Warehouse Workers Truly Expendable?

While labor is the largest expense in the warehouse industry, workers are often viewed as easily replaceable commodities. In fact, experts recommend taking the opposite approach and treating employees as your company’s most valuable asset.

With factors such as increased competition creating a sharply reduced labor pool, it’s more important than ever to consider the environment you create for your employees. A worker who feels appreciated puts forth a better effort and is more likely to internalize a company’s mission and goals.

Starbucks: A Culture of Employee Appreciation

Starbucks has maintained an enviable track record of success in the face of stiff competition. While cashiers and baristas are not highly skilled positions, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz firmly believes that these customer-facing associates are indispensable to the company’s success.

More importantly, Schultz backs up his philosophy with action. Starbucks employees receive a generous benefits package that includes stock options and free college tuition.

Efficient warehouse operations depend on workers who pay attention to details and keep the customer in mind. It’s hard to maintain that level when employees are passing through a revolving door. Why not make it worthwhile for associates to share your vision and culture?

Warehouse Equipment from DJ Products: Tools for Success

Employees work harder when they’re given the training and tools to succeed. Our battery-powered warehouse equipment takes the drudgery out of the toughest jobs and reduces the risk of workplace injuries.

Visit our website and use the handy online chat feature to learn more.

Tesla’s Smart Self-Driving Semis Boon or Safety Hazard?

Do your terminal tractors need to stay out of the way of Tesla semis? Tesla’s new self-driving semis have a reputation for faster acceleration, even uphill. But how does this translate into on-the-road safety?

A New Breed of Semi

The Tesla company has reported many advantages of using its autonomous vehicles. They won’t jackknife; they go faster uphill – but will they have problems slowing down? The typical 18-wheeler is known for its propensity to runaway downhill. It reaches speeds that defy engine braking, experiences decreased braking force from air brake pressure loss (though this is less likely on modern haulers), and experiences drum fade with prolonged braking.

However, the Tesla semi is a different animal, with no gears/gearbox, and electric motors on drive axles for producing regenerative braking power.

Are ‘Regenerative’ Capabilities Enough?

Regenerative braking provides braking forces to 8-of-18 wheels, but doesn’t eliminate air pressure loss or brake drum fade. On an 80,000-pound, fully-loaded semi, will regenerative braking prove sufficient? Eight-million-pound diesel-electric freight trains utilize a similar stopping process with their dynamic braking systems, and store the friction-generated power in a battery. And as with Tesla’s autonomous semi’s, when used in conjunction with air brakes, it provides reliable speed control, which is relied upon in areas with heavy grades.

There’s No Replacement for Safe Driving

Though it remains unknown how Tesla semis in Autosteer will fare with steep downhills, due to their ability to accelerate faster, this will land the semis into more situations where speed is carried into the downhill leg. While in total, it’s likely there will be fewer runaway Tesla self-driving semis, there may be some.

Are you toting trailers safely? Reduce the possibilities of injuries and damage with terminal tractors from DJ Products today.

Amazon’s New Logistics Model Focuses on Contracted Small Fleet Delivery Agents

Will your terminal tractors soon be toting goods for Amazon shipping entrepreneurs? Amazon is instituting a new division, Delivery Service Partners, formed to help hundreds of entrepreneurs across the U.S. create their own Amazon shipping businesses.

Prime Opportunity

A fair percentage of Amazon deliveries are already made by independent contractors who participate in the company’s Uber-like ‘Flex’ program. However, instead of unmarked uniforms and varied and unrecognizable vehicles, with the Delivery Service Partners model soon to begin, small fleets of employees from contracted carriers will now fly Amazon-branded uniforms and ‘Prime’-bannered Sprinter trucks.

Prime Benefits

Amazon plans to keep startup costs as low as $10,000, and has set aside $1-million in financial assistance to encourage military veterans to take up the challenge, a segment the company sees as an ideal match: Those with a cultural, leadership mindset who enjoy being out in the community around people. Amazon plans to keep each company small, with 20-40 vehicles, allowing for a more manageable owner/operator setup. The ‘Zon will provide the goods for delivery, back-end infrastructure and management assistance, help with taxes and payroll, and discounts on truck leasing, fuel, and insurance.

Prime Pay

Amazon estimates the potential for $300,000 profit annually, based on delivery volume. Those involved in the Delivery Service Partners beta test have already expressed happiness with the opportunity for a great, steady income with benefits and paid-time-off, unlike the Flex setup’s absent benefits and competition for customers and sales.

Prime Ultimatum

As Amazon’s shipping services expand, the possibility of it taking on FedEx, UPS, and USPS seems inevitable.

Looking to get in on something new? Shave time off product shipments and take a load off labor with the help of terminal tractors from DJ Products today.

Amazon’s Delivery Dream Becomes Your Nightmare

While Amazon has grown from a simple bookseller to a retailing behemoth, motorized trailer dollies have not been an item normally associated with the company. That may be changing as Amazon steadily works to fulfill its dream of becoming a package delivery service.

So what does this ambition mean for FedEx, UPS and other shipping mainstays? If Amazon’s track record of success is any indication, the news isn’t good.

A New Player in the Package Delivery Industry?

Amazon has continued to pay lip service to its partnership with FedEx and other delivery services, saying that its own shipping infrastructure is merely a supplement to handle excess demand. But as the online giant continues to build a network of warehouses, package sorting centers, airplanes and truck trailers, the endgame is hard to deny.

Securities filings show that in 2017, Amazon spent $13.2 billion on building its logistics networks. That amount is five times the comparable expenditures in 2015 and more than double the capital spending of both FedEx and UPS last year.

Meeting FedEx and UPS Head-On

If there was still any doubt about Amazon’s intentions, the company struck a direct blow earlier this year with the rollout of Shipping with Amazon in the Los Angeles area. While the service currently handles deliveries only for Amazon’s third-party vendors, it’s anticipated that the company will eventually move to include other cities and customers.

DJ Products Offers the Best in Motorized Trailer Dollies

Why rely on expensive outside shunting services? With our Electric Yard Dog, a single employee can easily and safely move trailers weighing up to 100,000 pounds.

Visit our website and let our friendly sales engineers help you discover which of our motorized trailer dollies is best suited for your applications.

New Cold Storage Warehouse Construction Focuses on Technology and Regionalization

Workers In Distribution Warehouse — Changes Are Coming to Warehouse Construction.

While our industrial tugs are sturdy and versatile enough to accommodate a wide range of uses, cold storage warehouses and distribution centers are subject to factors different from those that affect other types of facilities.

What trends are currently shaping cold storage warehouse construction? Here’s a look at six major topics that are influencing the industry today.

1. A Shift to Regional Distribution Centers

Online shopping has expanded the reach of smaller brands, but companies can’t afford to sacrifice freshness of product to meet delivery demands. As a result, many sellers are creating smaller, locally-based distribution centers that are supplied by redistribution services.

2. Upgrades in Employee Amenities

The shrinking labor pool and harsh working conditions make cold storage warehouse jobs difficult to fill. Companies are implementing perks such as onsite meals and recreation to make employment more attractive.

3. Acquisitions

As in many industries, larger cold storage companies with more resources are buying up smaller ones. With more at stake, these companies are prioritizing high standards and streamlined operations.

4. Technology

Improvements in technology allow for better accuracy and efficiency in every stage of cold storage facilities, from design and construction to day-to-day operations.

5. Threat of Steel Tariffs

Steel is used extensively throughout cold storage facilities, so it’s no surprise that tariffs would cause higher costs and delayed construction.

6. Packaged Refrigeration

Packaged refrigeration is a part of a green initiative that many cold storage facilities are incorporating to move away from ozone-depleting refrigerants.

Industrial Tugs for All Uses

What do warehouses, fulfillment centers and cold storage have in common? DJ Products has a variety of industrial tugs to solve any needs. Visit our website or call 800.686.2651 to learn more about our electric pushers and movers.

New Trends Appearing in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

Do you have the right material handling equipment to keep up with industry changes? MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) and WMS (Warehouse Management Systems) are merging. To meet changing operations, such as warehouses taking on manufacturing roles, tighter/leaner order requirements and ever-faster shipping expectations, new trends are emerging, syncing WMS and MES to allow for real-time knowledge of materials flow and finished goods status.

Smaller, More Frequent Work in Progress (WIP) Replenishment

Instead of large production runs and big loads, e-commerce bigwigs are trending toward smaller production runs and more frequent replacement. Since MES governs production, and WMS governs inventory/material movement, these two systems must work in synchronization to ensure accurate inventory levels and safeguard shipping times.

More Value-Added Services

WMS vendors are moving toward increased manufacturing/customization capabilities, completing assembly/customization with key components which are later assembled in manufacturing areas of warehouses. Here, the synchronization of WMS and MES are key, ensuring ‘just in time’ (JIT) replenishment by supplying a dynamic ‘shopping list’ of what needs to move into assembly centers, and when. This JIT replacement cuts WIP inventory space on the warehouse floor as much as 95%, dramatically streamlining operations.

Integrating WCS with WMS

Integrating WMS with Warehouse Control System software, which controls automated materials handling equipment, offers access to real-time data from automation processes. This facilitates material movements into/out-of manufacturing work centers, prevents disruptions/bottlenecks, identifies them, adjusts the movement of material to adapt to the situation, and prevents (and potentially predicts) further issues.

Increased Use of Robotics

The integration of WMS and MES can also help users more precisely manage fleets of autonomous mobile robots, fine-tuning operations and optimizing routes from storage to shipment.

What’s moving your business? Find the material handling equipment you need at DJ Products today.