christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Innovations in Warehouse Automation Allows Less to Do More

Our battery-powered industrial tugs let a single worker complete tasks that usually take at least two people. What is the fewest number of employees it takes to conduct day-to-day operations in your warehouse?

Amazingly, a warehouse in China is processing 200,000 orders per day with only four human employees, who principally service the robots performing the actual work. Is this wholesale conversion to automation a sign of things to come?

Warehouse Automation from Start to Finish

JD.com is a massive e-commerce company that is China’s largest retailer in terms of revenue. Due to JD.com’s continued growth, the company nearly doubled its warehouse space between Q1 2017 and Q1 2018.

The warehouse in question is located in Kunshan, just outside of Shanghai. A complex, fully automated network including conveyors, image scanners and driverless forklifts handles the entire process from receiving to shipping.

Meeting Expectations of a Demanding Customer Base

While JD.com has a firm foothold in China’s major cities, the company believes its automated fulfillment center will allow it to expand into more remote areas. JD.com expects to provide same-day delivery service anywhere in China when orders are placed by 11 a.m.

In order to satisfy demanding Chinese consumers, JD.com and its closest competitor, Alibaba, are constantly seeking ways to make supply chains faster and more efficient. One solution is moving repetitive tasks from a human workforce to robotic workers.

Save Time and Labor with Electric Industrial Tugs

Are you also looking for ways to optimize the supply chain in your warehouse? With industrial tugs from DJ Products, a single employee can move loads weighing thousands of pounds, freeing others to attend to more important jobs.

Visit our website and chat with one of our helpful sales engineers for more information.

Trucking ELD Mandate – Myths Debunked

There are many technology unknowns within the trucking industry. According to an informative article, the newest time-logging solutions known as ELDs(or electronic logging devices) have been under intense scrutiny and myths have emerged as a result.

Why veer away from the more traditional method of paper logging? Does new technology cause irreparable harm? What is a myth and what is real?

Factual Foresight

The facts acknowledge that ELDs solve complexities in logging, count driving times to the minute, and allow dedicated drivers to devote their time and energy to their deliveries. Similarly, DJ Products yard trucks use the newest advancements to take on the complex role of heavy-duty organization.

Progress continues to improve and eradicate the idiosyncrasies that cause costly mistakes. Likewise, yard trucks and ELDs bring an added sense of control and consistency to an industry fraught with the unexpected.

Are there areas in your business that need quality machinery to improve the work environment? The trucking industry is realizing that lower labor and logistics can go hand-in-hand. The right tools take the pressure off dedicated employees and allow them to manage their time wisely.

Well-designed, high-quality technology is the only solution to an industry that is racing to be current and applicable. The world is rife with the unexpected. Yard trucks are high-tech and the reliable constant in a constantly moving industry.

Fast-Forward to Success

It’s the age-old battle of familiarity versus progress. Don’t be left behind! Technology drives demand and demand drives technology. It’s important to safeguard the dedicated workers you have from extra labor and potential injuries on the job.

DJ Products can be the go-between solution for labor-intensive tasks that add unneeded strain on warehouse workers and drivers. Visit us today and discover high-tech problem-solvers!

Take a Quick Review Before You Sub Out Your Hotel’s Laundry Service

Businesses that strive to make quality first impressions thrive on delivering efficient hospitality. In the hotel/motel industry, the difference between a returning customer and a bad review could rely on something as seemingly insignificant as having freshly laundered linens. For the best customer satisfaction, having a quality regimen of machinery at your disposal is a wise business investment.

Real Estate or Mistake?

Hotel owners continue to improve and update their facilities with amenities that keep current with customer demand. Quality products like powered linen carts turn a “must have” business model, like subbing out laundry services for better efficiency, into a “maybe” option. Workout facilities, indoor pools, and other popular additions can attract customers, but powered linen carts allow your hardworking employees to improve their overall experience behind the scenes.

More Time with DJ Products

DJ Products allow those in the hospitality industry to take a breath, step back and review what makes the services they render worthy of a return visit. Is a linen service option right for them? Is investing in powered linen carts a wise solution? Our linen carts can extend the timeline you have to decide on what’s next for your guests.

Airing the Laundry

Ensure your linens are fresh and your bottom line stays in focus by utilizing products that facilitate the simple pleasures of hotel hospitality. Durable, long-lasting machinery can create a better experience for you and your guests, and put your worries to bed, sleeping comfortably. Test the benefits of powered linen carts and smell the fresh scent of success permeate your investment savvy.

Try DJ products today and find out why our safe, well-built products continue to impress long after the last linen of the day has been laundered!

Driver’s Pay on the Rise with Contract Increases

Keep An Eye Out for Semi Truck Driver's Pay to Increase. — Keep An Eye Out for Semi Truck Driver’s Pay to Increase.

The flourishing economy is producing opportunities for growth in the trucking and warehouse industries. According to a recent industry article, drivers in the industry are experiencing wage increases and excess opportunities for deliveries.

The lack of drivers in the industry is startling but the uptick in demand is expected to bring about positive change, yet it also brings concerns.The need continues to grow for simple-solution products like battery-operated semi-trailer movers.

Decreasing Concerns

How can you fill the tasks that experienced drivers already can do but don’t have the time to do? The technological advances found in battery-operated semi-trailer movers allow for much-needed task delegation. Any dedicated worker can now play an integral role in the logistics division when they utilize specialized machinery. Can one machine do the work of the middleman? It can and will.

Despite the noticeable decline in able-bodied experienced truck drivers in the industry, everyday warehouse employees and novice drivers can learn new tasks with minimal training.

Battery-powered semi trailer movers can move hundreds of thousands of pounds with precision and at safe speeds. Trailers carrying small or large freight deliveries are easily transferred to the appropriate areas for loading and unloading. If you invest in expertly-designed premium machinery, you can expect a much higher level of efficiency.

Increasing Assurance

DJ Products offers solutions that push beyond previous boundaries. Humans and machinery can work together in a synchronized model of precision and accuracy. The difficult task of moving large loads is easy when battery-propelled semi trailer movers are utilized. They effectively address the complexities and workload problems that seem insurmountable by facilitating safe simple answers.

If your wish is to make your hardworking employees work day a little easier, DJ products has ideal solutions for the job!

Machine Learning Tools Provide Welcome Fast Hauling Quotes to Shippers

Are you searching for innovative answers to delivery dilemmas? Now, reducing labor through data platforms and technologically advanced machinery is becoming the norm. If you’ve been waiting for progressive ideas and inventions to accommodate your business plan, wait no longer. The trucking industry is gaining steam on the technology front, utilizing automated “middleman” tactics instead of implementing traditional labor-intensive solutions.

Choosing On-Trend

People who are involved in producing and/or delivering products gain access to pricing tools and time-saving instant truckload booking when using machine learning tools. Similarly, innovations in machinery like our terminal tractors, are leading companies to utilize time-tested battery-operated answers to navigate and solve age-old questions.

Endless phone calls, distracting emails and hours of saturated research between carriers and shippers can cause efficiency errors and safety concerns for those involved. With the right tools, you can cut back on your concerns and increase positive results.

How To

You can protect your employees’ loads and interests by utilizing data collection and analytical technology to widen your business scope and decrease safety issues. Terminal tractors can facilitate safeguards and lower labor costs when you depend on DJ Products’ high-quality machinery to multi-task.

Dedicated employees using our terminal tractors can spend their quality time completing other duties, maximizing efficiency. A simple solution made of many premium moving parts caters to a growing need for simplicity in an often complex industry.

DJ Products’ Simple Solution

If you are seeking a solid answer to continual open-ended questions in your business, DJ Products can help. Terminal tractors and their creators have put in the extra effort so you don’t have to. Help your employees and your business with solutions that are worth the investment! Visit DJ Products today and we’ll get you started!

Is “Lidar” the Next Big Thing in Transportation Safety?

The Next Thing for Transportation Safety

Our battery-powered yard trucks greatly reduce risk of workplace injury for your on-site employees. What about the long-haul drivers who are responsible for transporting large tractor-trailers across hundreds or even thousands of miles of highway?

No matter how skilled and experienced a truck driver is, they can’t account for the actions of automobile drivers sharing the road. Lidar technology is on the verge of creating unprecedented safety features that can act as a driver’s extra “eyes.”

Lidar = Light + Radar

Lidar is an enhanced form of radar that measures distance using pulsed laser lights rather than radio waves. Thanks to the differences in laser return times and wavelengths, the data can actually create a 3D representation of the target.

Combinations of cameras, radar and lidar are currently used for passenger car features such as automatic emergency braking and blind spot monitoring. Velodyne, the Silicon Valley-based company that invented lidar more than 10 years ago, is working with tech companies and truck manufacturers to adapt lidar to large Class-A tractor-trailers.

Making “The Big Picture” Even Bigger

According to Andrew Nelson, North America commercial vehicles manager of Velodyne, lidar can provide a constant 360-degree view at nearly 1,000 feet. Velodyne’s system also uses infrared lasers, making them effective even at night or during poor weather conditions.

As with most new technology, cost has been the biggest roadblock to implementing lidar. Velodyne is focused on bringing costs down to mass-market levels, and Nelson believes companies will recognize that the benefits of lidar far outweigh the investment.

Put Safety First with Yard Trucks from DJ Products

Our Electric Yard Dog lets a single person move trailers up to 100,000 pounds, reducing the risk of common musculoskeletal injuries. Visit our website for more information.

Key Productivity Goals for Your Warehouse Operations in 2018

As the fourth quarter of 2018 approaches, it’s time to start creating your business plan for 2019. Once you firm up the budget for labor, material handling equipment and other expenses, turn your attention to establishing key productive goals that are both challenging and realistic.

Past performance is a starting point, but don’t simply recycle measurements from year to year. Use these helpful guidelines to set accurate goals that give employees a clear roadmap for success.

Use the SMART Method

The more precise your goals, the better equipped employees will be to follow them and the easier it will be to track progress. Make sure goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.

Maintain Open Communication

Workers are more likely to internalize goals when they feel as though they’re part of the process. Solicit input from employees at all levels and remain open to regular feedback throughout the year.

Determine Key Metrics

What metrics will give you the clearest picture of productivity levels? Units per labor hour, or UPLH, is an industry standard that’s straightforward and efficient.

Other metrics to consider include:

– Safety: Workplace injuries affect the number of experienced workers available and impact morale of other employees.

– Quality: Time spent handling quality issues has a direct impact on UPLH.

– Turnover: New employees have to be trained and they require time to develop the necessary skills, resulting in uneven productivity levels.

DJ Products: Material Handling Equipment for Today and the Future

When warehouse employees have access to high-quality material handling equipment, they can focus on performing job duties to the best of their abilities. Visit our website and let our sales engineers help you find the right electric tugs, pushers and movers for your specific applications.

Amazon Automation Moves Into Inventory and Planning

Thanks to innovations such as our battery-powered tugger carts, supply chain technology has improved the physical efficiency of warehouse and logistics workers. Today, Amazon is once again in front of the industry with using technology to refine inventory management, a job long considered the exclusive domain of human retailing experts.

Amazon Expands Its “Marketplace”

During Amazon’s infancy, when they began to branch out beyond books, the company struggled to convince companies to sell their products through the online platform. Amazon decided to recruit the best and brightest of business-school graduates and retailing veterans to build their own retail team.

Spurred by that success, Amazon started developing their marketplace concept, spearheaded by Fulfillment by Amazon. With independent merchants able to sell their products on a completely self-service basis, the retail team became less valuable.

By 2015, marketplace sales exceeded retail sales while also generating twice the operating profit margin. While retail vendors once enjoyed preferred status, the playing field leveled as marketplace vendors began receiving the same perks and benefits.

Reaching New Heights of Data Accuracy

At the same time, Amazon rolled out an initiative known as “Hands Off the Wheel” in which demand forecasting, ordering and other inventory-related tasks were moved to algorithms. Initially, humans had the power to override the software, but that changed as the system achieved unprecedented levels of precision.

In what seems to be an inevitable move, the retail and marketplace teams are now merging. As customer demands continue to grow, less reliance on humans keeps Amazon far ahead of competitors such as Walmart and Target.

Optimize Manpower with Tugger Carts from DJ Products

Are you allocating your workforce for maximum efficiency? Contact us to learn how our electric tugger carts can save time and money.

Livestock Haulers Look to New ELD Exemption

Here’s to lookin’ at the cargo staring back at you from your powered trailer dolly:

A hot-button issue, the Senate Appropriations Committee is seeking electronic logging device (ELD) exemptions for livestock and insect haulers, set to be required by law October 1st. Though the issue isn’t specifically addressed in the 2019 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (THUD) bill, report language encourages the Department of Transportation to further consider ELD rules and exemptions for this segment.

MOO-ve Over

The unique challenges presented by transporting live animals and insects, such as bees, critical to the agriculture industry for pollination, fall hard on the trucking industry. Hauling live organisms, far different from inanimate objects, requires the ability to keep the animals and insects safe from exposure and environmental stressors. If the ELD exemptions are not granted, drivers transporting live organisms more than 150-air-miles from their loading point will be required to turn on the devices, and prohibited from driving more than 11-hours at a time.

Buzz-Off

A top issue among ranchers and farmers who want to expand the exemption radius to 300-air-miles, the future of ELD exemptions for livestock and insect haulers remains in question. It will likely be ironed out between the House and Senate, and potentially used as a negotiation tool.

Critics against the exemption argue safety, the known consequences of tired truckers, and the industry’s continued problems surrounding compliance with hours of service regulations, with segments are already shirking requirements. Truckload Carriers Association Vice President of Government Affairs David Heller agrees that exempting parts of the industry from complying with rules and regulations is not the answer. He advocates further engagement in discussions to find alternative ways to improve compliance and safety.

Make safety an integral facet of your organization. Uncover the benefits of a powered trailer dolly from DJ Products today.

Rail Freight Growth Trends Stymied by Tariff Implementation

When other uncontrollable factors play a role in your success, bringing in infallible machinery can help the wheels of progress continue rolling smoothly. Without a safeguard against the unknowns, the unexpected can wreak havoc on your business plan.

For some businesses, the state of the economy is a definite profit-maker. For others, getting on board the money-making train is not so simple a feat. Inserting technologically sound solutions into the railroad business, like the addition of a railcar mover, helps you leave worry back at the station.

Are Tariffs Bringing Freight to a Screeching Halt?

After the recent trade tensions and tariff implementations, the bridge to a brighter future for rail freight growth may be suffering under the weight. A railcar mover can bridge the gap between safety and efficiency and provide a buffer against rising concerns. Investing in durability, and products that facilitate a better work environment can assuage many of your worries.

Update your workplace with numerous time-saving machinery solutions and watch other costly expenditures ease. A budget boost can do wonders for those who depend on the transportation industry to take them where they want to go. No matter what the newest industry news brings, you can rest assured that the right preparation allows for a cushion against the unexpected.

The Business in Boxcars

A railcar mover may seem like a simple solution in the grand scheme of things, but simple solutions can solve seemingly insurmountable mysteries. In the railroad industry, every day is a journey! Using a railcar mover and a process that facilitates success, your business won’t be caught up in the economic maelstrom for long. Escape the numbers and the uncertainty by using ingenuity to offset any upset you experience!