christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Typical Causes of Forklift Accidents

When it comes to material handling equipment, most warehouses aren’t complete without forklifts. These compact but powerful vehicles are also involved in thousands of injury accidents each year.

Here are some of the more common causes of forklift accidents and how they can be prevented.

Lack of Training

You wouldn’t consider hiring a truck driver who didn’t have the necessary training, and forklift operation should be taken equally seriously. Provide appropriate training that must be completed by employees before using a forklift.

Mechanical Problems

Malfunctioning equipment, such as failing brakes or jammed forks, often leads to accidents. Follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule and remove old forklifts from service.

Improper Loading

Broken pallets or poorly stacked loads can result in unstable forklift operation or hazards from cases falling off the fork. Instruct employees in the correct methods of loading forklifts so the pallets are balanced and the driver’s vision isn’t obstructed.

Operator Error

Forklift operators should follow the same safety precautions used when driving any vehicle.

– Maintain a safe speed.

– Seat belts should always be fastened when forklift is in use.

– Use caution when backing up.

– Always check for obstructions in the path of travel.

– Passengers should be sitting in seats, not on the load or on the fork itself.

Workplace Design

Keep aisles, intersections and doors free of obstructions. Set up workstations away from the aisles and lay out clearly marked walkways.

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Tips to Improve Efficiency in Your Terminal Distribution Center

The rise of e-commerce companies has lead to a boom for terminal distribution centers. A significant part of the manpower and overall operation of distribution centers involves picking orders, packaging, and shipping orders. Equipment like the battery-powered terminal tractors from DJ Products can help maximize manpower, reduce injuries, and save money.

The following are a few more tips that can help improve the efficiency of your terminal distribution center:

Utilize available technology

There have been some extraordinary advancements made in the area of industrial robots in recent years. Along with robots, there are now smart conveyor systems, and warehouse management systems (WMS) that not only keep things running smoothly but also make tracking incoming shipments and monitoring inventory easier than ever before.

Innovations like the TrailerCaddy Terminal Tractors from DJ Products reduce injuries to employees and damage to trailers and buildings.

Improve inventory management

By keeping inventory low you spend less effort managing products that are sitting on the shelf. There are WMS solutions to help monitor inventory in real time and lower costs due to damaged products.

Frequently evaluate your processes

People working on the floor are the first to notice problems and can identify areas that are not flowing as efficiently as possible. Be sure your warehouse personnel know their input is heard and appreciated. People work more efficiently when they are not fatigued or overexerting themselves. Incorporate equipment that allows one person to do the work of several both easier and safer.

Consult with experts

If you’re looking for ways to reduce workers comp claims, lower operational costs, and increase productivity, contact one of the knowledgeable and courteous sales engineers at DJ Products for a consultation about your businesses and which products are best for your needs.

Distribution Managers – Transportation Metrics That You Should Monitor for Success

Using electric yard trucks to move trailers is one way to immediately boost productivity and reduce costs. How do you uncover those less obvious but equally important areas for improvement? Transportation metrics help you implement and measure best practices to strike the right balance between service and cost.

Tips for Incorporating Transportation Metrics in Your Logistics Operation

– It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of available data. Choose the measurements that are most aligned with your goals and focus on three to five key performance indicators (KPI) per functional area.

– Don’t assume that you understand the various metrics. Make sure you know what each one measures, what variables affect them and how they are relevant to your specific business.

– Set goals that are aggressive enough to result in true growth, but realistic enough to be obtainable.

– Designate a person or department to take ownership of achieving a goal and be sure you’re all on the same page.

– The most sophisticated metrics mean nothing without corresponding action. Evaluate results and create plans to make any necessary improvements.

Commonly-Used Transportation Metrics

– Freight cost per unit shipped is particularly helpful when standard units of measure are being used.

– Percent of truckload capacity used reveals opportunities to maximize efficiency.

– Transit time is vital for quoting accurate lead times.

– Truck turnaround time is a good overall snapshot of your operations, including receiving and shipping processes.

– Freight bill accuracy can detect small errors that add up to big savings.

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Tips for Starting a Recycling Program at Work

Starting a recycling program at work is much easier than most people realize. To get things going, you should first have an understanding of the trash your company currently generates. While you are evaluating your company’s garbage and disposal process, it’s a great time to talk to the pros at DJ Products about how their dumpster moving products can save your company time and money.

You can maximize manpower and avoid many common workplace injuries with our energy-efficient and easily-maneuvered cart tuggers.

Build an enthusiastic team

A company recycling program is a great thing that many employees will gladly support. You probably already have several environmentally-conscious people with knowledge about things like the best recycling bins the local recycling haulers use. These people will gladly research the many benefits of your recycling program and get other employees excited about participating.

Help them create a plan

Your plan should start with the program’s objectives and include ways to reduce overall waste. Deciding what materials can and should be recycled is not simple. You will need a thorough waste assessment of what is currently being thrown out and in what quantities.

A good recycling program can establish your company as a community leader in responsible waste management. Once your recycling program is underway, celebrate the accomplishment and show your gratitude to the people who made it happen.

Your employees and team members are crucial to your company’s success. Another way you can show you appreciate the hard work they do daily is to provide them with economical dumpster moving equipment. Our products can help prevent many common workers comp claims.

Contact a DJ Products sales engineer today to discuss which waste container movers are best for your company and your recycling program.

Trucking Industry 2018: Tight Capacity and Strong Demand

What adjustments have your trucking firm made to prepare for 2018? Based on expert predictions for the transportation industry in the upcoming year, you’ll need sturdy semi trailer movers to help accommodate the demand.

Business Expansion = Higher Demand

According to Don Ake, trucking industry analyst for FTR Transportation Intelligence, confidence and business conditions are “at their highest level since the Great Recession.” Positive indicators are leading experts to anticipate extended business expansion, both at home and abroad.

This optimism is built on a number of factors:

– Tax reform is expected to create more a favorable regulatory environment for the trucking industry.

– There are signs that Congress and the Trump administration are ready to start considering an eagerly anticipated infrastructure funding proposal.

– Growth in real gross domestic product is expected to continue, climbing from 1.5 percent in 2016 to 2.8 percent in 2018.

Economy’s Impact on the Trucking Industry

A surge in business means a greater need for trucking services. Rachal Snider, vice president of Customer Supply Chain at consulting firm AFN, cites reports predicting an increase in demand of 3.6 percent over the coming year.

With the Great Recession prompting carriers to pare fleets and reduce expenses, the boost in demand will lead to tighter capacity. Other contributing causes include a shortage of drivers and implementation of the ELD (electronic logging devices) mandate, which can reduce capacity by as much as 8 percent.

Keep Trailers Moving with the Yard Dog from DJ Products

Get ready for a successful year with our battery-powered semi trailer movers that improve productivity while reducing risk of workplace injuries. Visit our website or call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Ecommerce and the Speed of Fulfillment Drives New Robotic Technology into Warehouses

As e-commerce growth continues to surge past brick-and-mortar sales, how will online retailers keep up with order fulfillment? It may not be long before order-filling robots take their place alongside the rest of your material handling equipment.

Can E-commerce Response Keep Up with Consumer Demand?

According to Ken Goldberg, a roboticist from UC Berkeley, Amazon and other ecommerce companies are delivering orders at an astonishing rate of 500 packages per second. With online sales projected to reach $600 billion in the U.S. by 2020, that number will only increase.

While robots aren’t new to warehouses and fulfillment centers, they’ve been limited to literally doing the heavy lifting. Advancements in technology are allowing robots to pick orders and perform other nuanced tasks.

Robots Go to “School”

Human hands are still more suited to packing orders, the final step in order filling, but a San Francisco startup named Kindred is teaching this task to robots with a two-step method surprisingly similar to how humans learn.

– The process begins with imitation learning, in which engineers actually steer the robots to show them how to handle products from a wide range of shapes and sizes.

– During reinforcement learning, robots essentially “practice” what they’ve learned, refining their movements to increase speed and accuracy.

Will humans eventually become obsolete? Not according to David Schatsky of Deloitte, co-author of a report on robots in the workplace. Schatsky predicts that jobs will evolve, with humans shifting into creative and supervisory roles.

Boost Warehouse Efficiency with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

There’s still a lot of heavy lifting that needs to be done by your employees. Visit our website and use the convenient online chat feature to learn more about our full line of tugs, pushers and movers.

New Logistics Company Roadie Looks to Disrupt Transportation Models

Logistics and warehousing companies typically focus on providing services for small, large and medium-sized businesses, but individual consumers could soon have their own version of delivery services to use. Roadie, a new delivery network, plans to focus on providing convenient and cost-effective services for individuals.

Competition for Amazon and Walmart

Amazon and Walmart are positioning themselves as innovative businesses when it comes to delivering goods to customers. Both companies are considering offering delivery services using local drivers instead of relying on major shipping companies. The idea behind this is to reduce costs to consumers while providing even faster service.

Where does Roadie fit into this? Roadie plans on using registered and rated drivers who are already going in the customer’s direction to pick up items and deliver them. This is more of a gig rather than a traditional delivery service, and it’s not just intended for consumer products.

The Roadie Community

Roadie is set up to make deliveries that fall outside the realm of delivering products and purchases to customers. Individuals who need personal belongings shipped or brought to another location and even those who need transportation for pets will be able to make delivery arrangements through Roadie.

The community includes drivers who are registered with the app and have been rated. Individuals who need pickups and deliveries can create a job, review the rated drivers who are available and choose one. While Roadie might not become immediate competition for traditional logistics and warehousing companies, it’s still a good idea to be aware of these trends.

If you need a semi truck tow dolly or other equipment to help your company save money and manpower, please visit DJ Products. We offer high-quality semi truck tow dolly options and other products.

Truck Cams Assure Proper Accident Documentation and Reporting

Our powered trailer dolly improves safety in warehouse and distribution center yards. Now you can reduce risk for your drivers when they’re on the road with video intelligence systems.

Capturing Real-Time Data on the Road

Did you know that three-quarters of accidents involving cars and semi-trucks are not the fault of the truck driver? Unfortunately, conventional wisdom tends to blame the truck, especially in the absence of solid evidence.

A Minnesota-based company called PeopleNet is hoping to change that. In 2016, PeopleNet launched their Video Intelligence system, which combines forward-, side- and rear-facing cameras to capture a near-360° view around a truck.

In addition to visual data, Video Intelligence captures real-time information, including truck speed and GPS location, for a comprehensive picture of any road incident. This “testimony” is free of any conscious or subconscious bias that can accompany versions related by the participants.

A Constantly Evolving System

Video Intelligence moves beyond the traditional concept of using driver-facing cameras that record an incomplete story. According to Jim Angel, PeopleNet’s Vice President of Video Intelligence Solutions, the company is continually using customer feedback to update and improve the system.

Here are some of the enhancements added just in the first year:

– Executive Summary Dashboards that provide a high-level overview

– A Snapshot feature that offers real-time views of cameras on a specific truck to back office personnel

– Expanded filtering options to identify driver trends

The Electric Yard Dog from DJ Products

Increase productivity and avoid the expense of outside shunting services with our powered trailer dolly. With the TrailerCaddy, a single employee can easily move trailers weighing up to 100,000 pounds.

Visit our website and use the convenient on-line chat system for real-time assistance from our sales engineers.

Top Hotel Trends for 2018 – Reinvention of the Traditional Hotel

Rapidly changing technology, new startups, and how much consumers are embracing technology in their everyday lives are all adding up to big changes in the hospitality industry. Innovative hotel and hospitality supply movement products like powered hospitality cart pullers can save money and improve hotel profits by saving time, maximizing manpower, and preventing injuries to service workers. The following are some trends that hotel industry analysts are predicting for 2018.

Independent hotels have good opportunities

An article by TravelMarketReport says independent hotels are faring well in the current economic climate and are perhaps in a better position than large hotel chains that compete with the likes of Airbnb and VRBO. The more connected hotels are to their local community, the better the guest experience they can deliver.

Hotels work closely with local arts and other institutions

TravelMarketReport states that the more successful hotels are seeking to find new guest experiences by working closely with local museums, academic institutions, and other local attractions.

Little things always matter in the hospitality industry

Marc Jongerius, managing partner of flexible accommodations company Zoku, advises hoteliers that if Airbnb is taking their business, they need to take a closer look at their business. Travel patterns change and hotels must be adaptable to remain profitable.

Take care of your staff and your guest

The hospitality industry is very much a people business. It’s important that every person from the hotel manager to the housekeeper be working together to provide every customer with an optimal guest experience. Hotel and hospitality supply movement equipment from DJ Products is designed specifically for businesses like yours.

Contact us today to speak with one of our sales engineers about how our products can prevent worker injuries and maximize manpower.

Projected Rise in Global Ecommerce Impacts Warehouses

Turn to DJ Products for a material handling equipment supplier that can help you maximize productivity in this changing industry.

Continued growth in ecommerce around the globe is making warehouse space and transportation more sought-after than ever. Turn to DJ Products for a material handling equipment supplier that can help you maximize productivity in this changing industry.

Booming Ecommerce Raises Demand for Logistics

While the United States is still the major player, the ecommerce boom crosses all international borders. As a result, Transparency Market Research reports that the global ecommerce logistics market is projected to jump from $122.2B in 2014 to $781B in 2024 for an estimated compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.6 percent.

With this massive increase in business comes a heightened expectation of transparency and efficiency in ecommerce logistics providers. Sellers will be looking for more customization in services, including warehousing and transportation. For their part, providers are seeking effective ways to reduce costs.

The Rise of the Asia Pacific Region

The countries in Asia Pacific are home to approximately 60% of the global population, making this region a natural target for expanded ecommerce business. Its growing middle class is another positive factor. This translates to a forecasted CAGR of of 22.4 percent between 2016 and 2024, which is even more robust than the projected global CAGR.

In contrast, the outlook for the ecommerce logistics market in Europe is relatively murky. It’s anticipated that Brexit will cause regulations to become more complex, which in turn will make compliance more difficult.

DJ Products: Your First Choice for a Material Handling Equipment Supplier

Are you looking for ways to reduce costs without sacrificing productivity? Material handling equipment like our best-selling CartCaddyLite provides greater efficiency and safety, allowing employees to get more done with less risk of workplace injuries.

Visit our website to learn more from our helpful sales engineers.