christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

eCommerce Fulfillment Moves into the Traditional Warehouse

The world of eCommerce is steadily becoming an integral part of the manufacturing industry. As the influx of orders stream from eCommerce to warehouses across the nation, the need for organization and specific selection is ever increasing.

Direct-to-consumer ordering is trending upwards and manufacturers are starting to jump on board. How can you adjust your traditional methods to cater to the technological conveniences of your time? It’s time to utilize warehouse equipment that has efficiency built into their overall design.

Utilizing Quality Tools

Facilitating quality control for the individualized eCommerce orders that flood your manufacturing process is important. Efficiently designating space to eCommerce orders that require less bulk and some careful product handling can be problematic when using the wrong equipment. DJ Products has industrial material handling equipment that encourages quality results with customized warehouse equipment.

You can reduce unnecessary man hours and the repetitive motion that cripples hard-working employees. When you employ modified machinery to play your programmed “middleman,” opportunities expand. The need for space in the warehouse is not decreasing but increasing as personalized orders stemming from eCommerce grows.

Stocking Up

Automation is the new sliced bread in manufacturing. Smaller machinery and manageable amounts of inventory can be highly lucrative when managed correctly. For the many varieties of orders whether small or large, industrial-grade warehouse equipment can lighten loads, relieve safety concerns and demonstrate efficiency in any space. Efficiency equals profit.

With the explosion of eCommerce in manufacturing, there’s an increasing need for creative efficiency solutions. DJ Products has got you covered with machines like the CartCaddyLite and many others to help you and your crew successfully maneuver through the winding aisles of eCommerce. When quality products are used to solve quantity issues, profit-making is soon to follow.

Collaboration Across the Supply Chain May Combat Amazon’s Growing Dominance

As the “Amazon effect” continues to send ripples throughout today’s business landscape, manufacturers are responding by making major shifts in philosophy. In addition to state-of-the-art warehouse equipment, technology investments are also being directed toward supporting a direct-to-consumer model.

Planning and Execution: Two Sides of a Single Solution

Supply chain is a key driver in the new retail-like role of manufacturers. In JDA Software’s Intelligent Manufacturing Survey, 51 percent of respondents indicated that they are putting an emphasis on internal and external collaboration across the supply chain to accommodate consumer tastes and behaviors.

More specifically, companies need to integrate sales and operations planning (S&OP), both mid- and long-term, with sales and operations execution (S&OE) via use of a single connected technology that spans all supply chain lines. Approximately one-third of survey respondents stated their commitment to this process.

Where Does Your Company Rank on the Digital Maturity Scale?

Unfortunately, that leaves two-thirds of manufacturers who are behind the curve. According to Fred Baumann, group vice president of industry strategy at JDA, their group sees many companies that concentrate on either short-term execution or long-range planning to the exclusion of the other, thereby limiting their chances of success.

Baumann goes on to explain that supply chain digitalization has become a necessity, not a luxury. Among survey respondents, predigital and digitally mature camps each equaled 18 percent, while 35 percent expect to reach digital maturity within the next two to three years.

Meet the Future with Top Warehouse Equipment from DJ Products

Successful execution includes providing employees with quality warehouse equipment. Our battery-powered tugs, movers and pushers are eco-friendly, ergonomically designed and cost-effective.

Visit our website and use the convenient online chat feature to learn more from our knowledgeable sales engineers.

Hotel Housekeeping Embraces High Tech Software to Prevent Bottlenecks in Service

Trouble between the front office and housekeeping staff of your hotel? Smart-tech and powered linen carts are driving a revolution, increasing the quality of communication between these two, often rival, staff subsets.

Beating Bottlenecks & Banishing Battles

Smart property management software, or ‘smart PMS,’ paired with powered linen carts, are revolutionizing the hotel industry, allowing for real-time, dynamic status updates that equal unprecedented hotel cost management.

Automatically alerting housekeeping staff via smartphone or mobile device of guest checkouts, smart PMS is reducing tension between housekeeping and front office staff, preventing the need for housekeeping to loiter while awaiting guest checkout, boosting efficiency and room prep times.

The Battle on the Frontline

As guests continue to look to ‘experience’ as a barometer, housekeeping is increasingly on the front line of exceptional service, relied upon to provide spotless rooms that are ready on-time, alongside providing a rapid response to hotel guest requests.

Improve operations with less resources and ensure a higher quality experience for guests by providing them a timely and tidy hotel stay. The future of housekeeping, like many industries, lies in mobile apps and automated technology.

The Future of Housekeeping Management

Leaving inefficient clipboards of printed reports and antiquated walkie-talkies in the rearview, smart PMS and well-organized, well-stocked, self-powered housekeeping carts are giving participating hotels an edge. They also prevent time-wasting trips to the front office and supply closets.

Alerting both housekeeping and front office staff to status changes, cleanings/inspections can be immediately addressed, and front desk staff alerted in real-time on the availability of rooms for early check-in, preventing interruptions in workflow.

Business lagging? Keep things shipshape and moving for employees, guests, and your business with the help of powered linen carts from DJ Products today.

In 2018 Intermodal Services between Semi and Rail are Set to Grow

Over 2018-2019, intermodal services between semi and rail are expected to grow between 6-9%. Although these services have potentially positive potential, they are not without challenges. Determining new ways to optimize today’s intermodal services is key.

Idiosyncrasies of Intermodal Services to Watch:

Driver Pay
Though a favored position for drivers who can return home each night, dray pay is lower than other delivery types, and must be carefully evaluated to avoid the loss of superior drivers to shared labor pools with better income opportunities.

Inventory Management
With shippers looking to consistent and reliable delivery in choosing carriers, tighter inventory control measures are necessary to offset the shipping times of reliable, but typically longer, intermodal services.

Higher Rates and Tighter Capacity
Higher rates and tighter capacity are making manpower and efficiency boosters like smart inventory management systems and electronic semi trailer movers more important than ever before. A team outlook, aligning your goals with those of your clients, can offer huge payoffs here, helping you retain your position as a favored shipper in today’s dog eat dog world of freight transportation.

Changing Service Times Due to ELDs
With intermodal services, typically the closer to ramps at pickup and destination, the more reasonable rates will be. Though still true today, electronic logging devices (ELDs) remain a wrench in the works, resulting in some types of fright taking longer to transport than ever before.

Need to add to your labor pool fast? Ensure shipping times with an electric semi trailer mover. With no CDL or health card required for operation, an electric semi trailer mover from DJ Products helps you save time and boost efficiency, while protecting your workforce and shipping schedule. Learn more. Contact us today.

Cryptocurrency Payments Coming to Container Shipping; is Trucking Next?

Cryptocurrency is increasing its impact on various industries through the world of finance. Since its inception in 2009, digital financial avenues are beginning to widen. The container shipping industry has now jumped on the cryptocurrency bandwagon.

Certain companies (like those involved in manufacturing) benefit from the cost-effective solutions cryptocurrency provides, directly or indirectly. One logistics business that is considering using digital currency in their day-to-day is the trucking industry. The implementation of cryptocurrency increases time and cost-saving opportunities, much like what quality products provide to trucking companies who incorporate their use in day-to-day operations.

Transporting Solutions

The trucking business touches all aspects of commerce, including manufacturing. From transference of products from place to place to employing yard trucks to make loading simpler, the trucking world is ripe with potential. And their need for sufficient data logging and record-keeping is well-known.

The man-hours required to ensure invoices, arrival dates, load documentation, supply chain info and other valuable data is properly secured and accounted for is astronomical. In the past traditional methods have proven woefully inefficient without utilizing advanced technology to make workloads lighter.

Cryptocurrency is a data safeguard for companies that have an internal and external need for accurate data transfer. Trucking logistics requires keeping accurate ledgers, inputting vital information, and producing proficient timing that works in sync with warehouses and other businesses.

Compiling information that is secured through digitized algorithms and computer coding protects blocks of data from illegal interlopers. Cryptocurrency offers the element of efficiency to an industry that thrives on timing and information security.

Like cryptocurrency, quality machinery by DJ Products through their line of quality yard trucks can move the truck industry towards better efficiency and an altogether less strenuous work environment.

2018 Truckload Market Trends – What to Know

Will you be hauling trailers for autonomous vehicles with your yard trucks in the coming year? Times are rapidly changing for the truckload industry. Here’s what to be on the lookout for in the near future:

2018-2019 Truckload Market Trends:

Hyper-Efficiency Continues
With truckload utilization efficiency of 95%+ since the 2011 pull-up from the recession, the market trend of efficiency in for-hire capacity is expected to continue, albeit at the price of elasticity in the market.

New Trucks Enter the Market
FTR Transportation Intelligence expects 60,000 more trucks than necessary will replace retiring trucks in 2018. Will you need more yard trucks? Whether this is additional/replacement capacity remains unknown.

Labor Issues Remain
Driver availability will continue to pose challenges. An abundance of parked equipment does not matter if hauling personnel remain absent. Several factors will continue to play a role here, including an aging workforce, wage increases, immigration, housing, and a shared labor pool with the oil, gas, and manufacturing industries.

Strengthening Economy Adds to Pressures
As GDP and manufacturing grows and strengthens, the demand for transportation will increase, adding pressure to already flailing fleet growth.

E-Commerce Continues to Change Freight Patterns & Efficiency
Orders shipped from retail, fulfillment, and manufacturing locations continue to alter the historical flow of freight, requiring higher cube for the same goods, and boosting market capacity used.

Fuel Prices Continue to Climb
45% higher compared to a year ago, despite fluctuations, the cost of crude oil is expected to continue its climb.

ELD Mandate Remains In-Question
Electronic logging and closer tracking of driver behaviors may/may not shift HOS behaviors, influencing availability.

Are you prepared to meet the coming years’ varied needs? Ensure success, boosting efficiency and preventing injuries with electric yard trucks from DJ Products today.

Small Aircraft Hangars Become Market Investments

Could you need an aircraft caddy sometime in the near future? The subleasing of hangar space is on the rise, and increasingly popular, due to the potential to operate space without the building and management headaches.

Space for Rent
So-called ‘condominium’ hangar space and long-term prepaid hangar leases offer a great return-on-investment. Depreciating (for tax purposes) and resalable, they offer sky-high earnings potential, with areas near airports showcasing a strong demand for space, as these companies attest:

Ribeiro Companies
Ribeiro Companies’ Quail Air Center offers hangar space adjacent to Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport. Outfitted offsite, tenants taxi aircraft though security gates to runways. Buy outright, rent or sublease. Alongside available hangar and office space for rent, Quail offers not-for-profit ground-support services. Tenant-only fuel services offer substantial savings: Enough for some frequent-flyers to pay for hangar space. Also in the works: Two-upcoming projects: Henderson Quail Commercial Aviation Center and Henderson Quail Air Center.

Ascend Development
Ascend’s $100-million, prepaid hangar project, 68-miles north of New York City where the cost of living is low, is second to its already operational SanFran Hayward Air Terminal. It will feature luxury accommodations, optional office space, and long-term 40+ year leases. Area airports will provide all fuel and ground services. With scarce land and fewer airports being erected, demand (and value) are expected to rise.

Premier Jet Facility
This McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, California spans 15-acres, including 19-hangars offered on a 30-year, prepaid-lease basis. An FBO, it offers special fuel pricing, sub-leasing opportunities, and the potential to operate your business via office space available at the facility.

Outfitting your hangar? Entice tenants with our terrific tugs. Safely move aircraft, navigate tight spaces, prevent injuries and reduce liability with an aircraft caddy from DJ Products today.

Surfacing New Waste Management Trends for 2018

What interesting cargo might your dumpster mover be hauling? As more environmentally-responsible ways of disposing waste come into the spotlight, dumpsters are becoming increasingly dedicated to transporting specialized loads.

2018 Trends in the Waste Management Industry
As government mandates regarding waste handling continue to change, waste management containers and disposal operations likewise evolve:

Recycling Systems for Safer Plastics
The phase-out of previously popular plastic packing materials such as polystyrene foam and shopping bags in communities nationwide due to environmental concerns has led to safer plastic options, such as polylactic acid resins. However these safer, biodegradable plastics require special handling to ensure they compost correctly. This is prompting municipal waste and recycling centers to put the proper systems in-place to ensure successful disposal.

New Methods for Sourcing Energy from Organic Waste
Anaerobic digestion technology, which uses food and other biodegradable waste as a means to produce energy, is under development in California. Used in Sacramento to process 100+ tons of organic matter daily. If its success continues, it is expected to spread eastward.

More Responsible Handling of E-Waste
Today’s glut of gadgetry requires constant upgrades, creating an increasing amount of electronic waste. As this issue becomes part of a broader discussion both nationally and globally, municipal and retailer recycling programs are expected to increase in prevalence.

Conscientious Disposal of Demolition Debris
Dumpster movers toting demolition debris are increasingly at-risk of hauling dangerous products, prompting the need to foster awareness of items that are treacherous to toss, from batteries and electronics, to cleaners, solvents, pesticides, and car fluids.

You’re careful about what goes into your waste containers, are you careful about how you transport them? Ensure the health and safety of employees and cargo with a dumpster mover from DJ Products today.

Tips on Understanding the Importance of Your Load Dimensions

Our electric terminal tractors can handle a wide range of trailers, but transporting flatbed loads over the road involves a different set of issues. In an effort to reduce risk to both drivers and products, states have instituted a number of regulations for oversized and wide loads that must be followed.

Guidelines for Transporting Oversized and Wide Loads

1. Know the Legal Limits

Here are the standard limits in the United States:

– Maximum height and width is 8’6″ each way

– Maximum length is 48′ to 53′

– Maximum weight is 46,000 pounds

Anything beyond these measurements is considered an oversized or wide load. Dimensions may vary slightly from state to state, so perform due diligence for any state through which your trucks pass.

2. Understand How Measurements Are Calculated

Weight restrictions are determined per-axle. While a load may not exceed total weight limits, it may go beyond per-axle limits, so rearranging the load can remove it from the oversized category.

3. Use Travel Escorts and Special Markings as Necessary

Shipments wider than 12′ often require travel escorts, sometimes referred to as pilot vehicles. Red flags and amber lights are required for the tractor or trailer to improve visibility, and these markings are also necessary for the travel escorts.

4. Factor Oversized Travel Rules into Your Schedule

Most states enforce specific hours of travel for oversized loads. Drivers also require permits for each state that outline the exact route to be traveled.

Battery-Powered Terminal Tractors from DJ Products

Maximize efficiency and improve worker safety with our popular Electric Yard Dog, which lets a single employee safely move trailers up to 100,000 pounds. Our friendly sales engineers are standing by to assist you on our convenient online chat feature.

Tips for Moving Your Supply Chain into the World of Digital

Digital technology has touched every part of our lives, so it’s no surprise that supply chain management is embracing this transformation. As consumers continue to demand faster delivery times, technology can streamline every step of the process, from forecasting seasonal demand to managing terminal tractors.

What Is Digital Business?

As explained by IT research and advisory firm Gartner, digital business refers to new business designs that combine the digital and physical worlds. A recent study by Gartner found that digital business is second only to the cloud in terms of top investment areas.

Technology provides the means to gather unprecedented amounts of data. Digital business requires an ability to connect directly with customers and partners in order to access, extract and analyze relevant information.

Benefits of Supply Chain Digitalization

– Real-time updates for inventory and freight are readily available.

– Decision-making is more accurate thanks to a greater understanding of supply and demand.

– Companies have the flexibility to respond immediately to sudden changes or disruptions.

Making the Move to Digital

Digitization involves much more than simply overlaying digital apps over current processes. In order to realize the full power of digital, it’s important to examine core processes in terms of how they support digital and align them accordingly.

According to Gartner, although most C-suite leaders believe digital disruptions are inevitable in the near future, only 25 percent of them have a digital strategy in place. As a result, Gartner recommends that businesses make it a priority to develop short- and long-term plans to incorporate digital into their supply chain.

Save Money and Manpower with Electric Terminal Tractors

The Electric Yard Dog from DJ Products lets a single employee move trailers weighing up to 100,000 pounds. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more.