christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Warehouse Dock Maintenance Tips

Do your operations grind to a halt whenever a dock suddenly needs critical maintenance? Many dock problems can be prevented with more proactive care, cutting down greatly on the overall costs of your warehousing and logistics facilities, says Modern Materials Handling.

Gary Forger reports that insufficient maintenance accounts for up to 85% of all dock equipment problems. Planned maintenance can prevent much of that while also reducing the frequency of emergency repairs.

Options for Planned Dock Maintenance

Warehousing and logistics managers have multiple options for better planned maintenance:

• Add or appoint an in-house employee

• Partner with dock equipment suppliers to advise in-house staff

• Outsource to a structured dock maintenance program

Tips for Warehouse Dock Maintenance

The first step is to determine how often various components need recommended inspections and maintenance. Some parts need annual care, others should be maintained every 90 days.

In addition to checking for broken or worn-out parts, workers should test for energy leaks that may be costing a fortune.

Keep hydraulics working efficiently with proper fluid levels and lubricate moving parts regularly to prevent small wear-and-tear from becoming major damage or causing a shutdown.

Finally, consider how dock maintenance can improve worker safety. Dock-related injuries are common, resulting in good workers missing days and leading to claims.

On that note, DJ Products has industrial cart movers for the warehousing and logistics industry that can significantly improve your bottom line—through reduced injury risk as well as better productivity. We also have a line of trailer movers for improved safety around dock doors.

Contact DJ Products for more info about material handling solutions for warehousing and logistics.

What’s Trending in Technology for the Hospitality Industry?

With newer technology like mobile wallets changing people’s expectations in a tech-saturated world, the hospitality industry is catching up with the trends. Beyond the booking apps, hotels can use technology to radically change the way employees work and the guest experience itself.

At DJ Products, we know how to boost your staff’s productivity with powered carts for hotels. With the touch of a button, loaded housekeeping carts can roll down the hallways—protecting you from the ticking time bomb of repetitive stress injuries that lead to downtime and compensation claims.

Today, we’re rounding up hospitality tech trends including such highlights as:

Wi-Fi and Conferencing Equipment: Unless you operate a small bed-and-breakfast, it’s time to add cellular signal boosters and high-density Wi-Fi so guests and conference attendees can get reception.

Smart Check-In and Room Keys: Smartphones can now make key cards obsolete, so guests can check in online and stroll right to their rooms.

Robots: Room service, towels, and more can be delivered by robots. For a more personal touch, our powered carts for hotels can get your smiling human workers around the property faster.

Infrared Sensors: Putting an end to early morning door knocks, infrared sensors can tell staff if a room is occupied.

Smart Home Features: Reward your valued guests by letting them input preferred heating and air conditioning levels and more, integrated with smart home features that activate upon arrival.

The technology is already here for many of the new hotel amenities that people will soon expect. Get started with powered carts for hotels from DJ Products to speed up and improve hotel guest services.

Warehousing for eCommerce – Capturing a Piece of the Profit Pie

As ecommerce has changed the face of the traditional retailing model, so too has it triggered new methods in warehousing and logistics. Has your company incorporated these best practices for ecommerce warehousing?

7 Methods to Improve Ecommerce Warehousing Efficiency

>Use a cluster-picking strategy with multiple order containers in a single cart. Pick rates will go up while order pickers have to make fewer trips throughout the warehouse.

>Timely and accurate communication between retail and warehouse locations is imperative. Integrated systems such as distributed order management (DOM) help ensure smooth processing of all sizes of orders from any point of origin.

>The natural progression from a multi-channel model is omni-channel, which focuses on enhancing the customer experience by providing consistent service across all purchasing options. Designing facilities that consolidate these operations results in better cost-effectiveness.

>Use level-loading throughout the year to avoid the seasonal disparities of order processing.

>Don’t discount the value of warehouse management systems (WMS) as a solution to ecommerce challenges. Many WMS vendors are including more automation in their systems to meet the demands of higher volumes of smaller orders.

>Warehouse seasonality doesn’t always correspond with holiday seasonality. Make sure you understand the specific seasonality of your business so you can plan for the highs and lows.

>Consider using pop-up fulfillment centers to better accommodate order flow.

Warehousing and Logistics Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

Maximize your workforce with our best-selling CartCaddyShorty or any of our other battery-powered tugs, pushers and movers. Visit our website and use the handy chat feature to let our of our sales engineers help you find the best solution for your application.

Tips for Personalizing the Hotel Experience for Your Guests

Retail companies have successfully leveraged IT platforms to personalize the customer experience with actions such as suggesting purchases based on individual preferences. However, the hospitality industry is lagging behind in offering personalized service.

Bringing Personalization to the Hotel Guest Experience

Hotels have two significant roadblocks to personalizing a guest’s experience:

>Using different platforms for booking, POS, loyalty and other activities makes it difficult to efficiently capture the required data.

>Many guests book rooms through online travel agencies such as Expedia, so hotels don’t have access to email addresses unless desk clerks request them at check-in.

When Customer Service Misses the Mark

Carolyn Murphy, a marketing specialist for hospitality consulting firm Revinate, wrote about a less-than-satisfactory experience she had when checking into a hotel. The desk clerk asked Murphy if it was her first visit, despite the fact that she had stayed there twice before.

Murphy went on to add that she had posted a review of her original experience at the hotel on TripAdvisor and received a reply from the general manager. In addition, the day before Murphy’s arrival she tweeted about anticipating her visit and included the hotel’s Twitter handle.

According to a Yahoo survey, 78 percent of respondents expressed a preference for more personalized service. Giving guests a satisfying experience can pay off in more repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Powered Carts for Hotels from DJ Products

Hotel guests value comfort and convenience. Our powered carts for hotels let your housekeeping staff perform their duties quickly and discreetly.

Visit our website and use our online chat feature to get assistance from one of our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Made in America – Meets National Security Needs for Department of Defense

Following a push for “Buy American,” the Trump Administration has rolled out another executive order regarding the sourcing of defense equipment from domestic manufacturers. Soon, contractors may be required to source made-in-the-USA materials from a DoD equipment supplier whenever feasible.

A more thorough analysis of what we know so far about the new DoD equipment supplier requirements has been made by Inside Government Contracts. Among the takeaways:

> The manufacturing order is intended to assess the military’s procurement methods as well as to boost the country’s defense manufacturing industry.

> The Secretary of Defense must complete a report by April 17, 2018, detailing the “resiliency and capacity” of the defense industrial base, so exact laws and regulations will be clearer around that time.

> Requirements to buy American products will most likely impact purchases for products that are already made or could be made domestically, and are not prohibitively more expensive than foreign-made alternatives.

DJ Products, a USA-Made DoD Equipment Supplier

Our company’s mission is to provide ergonomic, safe, and affordable solutions for material handling equipment such as warehouse cart movers and trailer tows. As a DoD equipment supplier, we have GSA-approved products such as our CarCaddy Military Truck Pusher, which can haul Humvees and other heavy trucks.

DJ Products is based out of Minnesota, and our material handling solutions are made in the USA. Rest assured that our DoD contractor equipment will satisfy any kind of domestic procurement law that may affect your operations in the near future.

Contact DJ Products to learn more about our cost-effective options for military contractors who need vehicle, trailer, or equipment moving solutions.

Don’t Pull, Push Heavy Dumpsters

Safety Is Key. Always Know Your Company’s Protocol.

Have you ever seen someone step in front of a vehicle that begins rolling without someone behind the wheel? It can be a 3,000-pound car and otherwise intelligent people sometimes put themselves in harm’s way in an attempt to stop it from rolling out of control. It’s an instinctive response that can result in serious injury. Trash dumpsters can also begin rolling out of control when being moved, so it’s best to push dumpsters rather than pull them from in front.

Why pulling is more likely to cause injuries

When a person pulling a cart has to stop suddenly, the cart is going to continue moving forward. It can cause lower leg lacerations, falls, or even more severe injuries. When a person is manually pulling a heavy trash dumpster, they are walking in a twisted position with their legs moving forward and their shoulders, back, and hip turned at an angle to their forward motion. This makes them highly vulnerable to strains and back injuries.

Pushing gives the individual more control

When pushing, the person doesn’t have to turn their head to see where they’re going. The load is more manageable and will not run over the individual if they stop suddenly. However, the best option is a motorized dumpster mover. With a DJ Products WasteCaddy, one person can easily and safely maneuver heavy loads on inclines and surfaces covered with snow and ice. The ergonomically designed dumpster mover controls make starting and stopping a breeze.

We have a wide range of dumpster movers capable of moving 500 lbs to 10,000 lbs. Contact us for a free demo.

The Right Tool for the Right Job – the WasteCaddy Dumpster Mover

This is the Tool You’ve Been Needing at your Job.

You may already know that workers in the waste management sector have significantly higher incidents of accidents and injuries than people working in other fields. People working for your company may be exposed to many of the same risks associated with waste management, even though it’s not their primary responsibility.

In fact, manually moving heavy dumpsters full of trash is a time-consuming process that takes your employees away from other duties. Do your part to keep them safe and working efficiently by providing them with the best tool for the job.

How injuries often occur

Trash dumpsters are designed to hold large amounts of practically any type of material that gets thrown in. To hold up to the demands, dumpsters are heavy and bulky, and when filled with trash, a dumpster can weigh up to 2,500 pounds. Yet many companies still have their employees manually moving dumpsters across wet floors, through narrow areas, on loading ramps, across uneven pavement, and in all types of weather.

WasteCaddy Dumpster Mover

A motorized dumpster mover is like adding another employee to help your team members move heavy loads but at a fraction of the costs of hiring someone new. In addition to preventing workers comp claims due to back injuries, falls, and muscle strains, you can reduce the likelihood of property damage. If your employees must manually move a dumpster across busy parking lots, there’s always the possibility the dumpster could get away from them and strike a person or vehicle.

Contact DJ Products to speak with one of our sales engineers about which motorized dumpster mover is right for your business.

Tips for Keeping Your Dumpster Clean and Pest-Free

It’s Natural for Trash to Smell. We Have Some Tips to Protect Against the Pests it May Attract.

Garbage attracts roaches, rodents, and other pests. You can significantly reduce your risk of an infestation with proper dumpster management and by keeping dumpster areas clean.

You should keep dumpsters at least 50 feet away from your business, but most pest control professionals recommend placing dumpsters 100 feet or more away from the nearest entry door. Many businesses don’t do this because manually moving trash containers is strenuous work and takes a lot of time.

Dumpster moving equipment

Proper trash management requires frequent removal of trash from buildings. WasteCaddy trash container movers use a 36 Volt 3 battery system to move dumpsters weighing up to 2,000 lbs. A WasteCaddy is like having another employee without the associated costs.

Additionally, waste container movers reduce the likelihood of workplace injuries. Manually moving trash containers causes back strains, shoulder injuries, and falls. Powered tugs maneuver in tight spaces, work on inclines, and on snow or ice.

Lids keep pests out

Be sure your dumpsters have lids that function and seal correctly. If lids become damaged, have them repaired or replaced promptly. Small pests can easily fit under bent lids. Larger pests maneuver lids open when the mechanisms designed to keep them closed are broken.

Clean trash bins regularly

Powered dumpster moving equipment saves money and time. Your staff will have more time to eliminate smells by cleaning dumpsters. Also, you could hire a professional dumpster cleaning service.

Dumpster moving equipment can save money on pest control services, workers comp claims, and eliminate much of the stress associated with garbage management. Contact DJ Products to speak with one of our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Tips to Increasing Your Hotel Stay Bookings

Increase Your Hotel Stay Bookings with These Tips.

For hotels, customer acquisition costs matter as much as how many beds are filled. Direct bookings avoid commissions of up to 25% charged by online travel agents, making these guests most desirable and profitable. How do you compete with those well-advertised travel sites, though?

To increase occupancy, especially for direct bookings, it’s all about making your hotel visible online and then capitalizing on the traffic. As Hotel News Resource explains in fuller detail, there are three key tips for increasing hotel bookings:

Take charge of SEO and social media: Pay-per-click ads can pay off if you know how much a lead is worth to you. Hotel brands can also gain traffic organically by blogging about events, posting lovely photos on Instagram, and using social media for hoteliers.
Respond to online reviews: Hotel guests, unfortunately, love to complain loudly about bad experiences. Reach out on various review sites to let other prospective guests know you care.
Make online booking easy and exciting: Use the latest web design trends to make your booking process user-friendly, and promote limited-time offers to lock down customers.

Great Guest Experiences Bring Loyalty and Word-of-Mouth

Customers value perks like early check-in, a clean lobby and hallways, and responsive customer service. At DJ Products, our powered hospitality industry carts empower your staff to do their jobs quickly, efficiently, and comfortably. The benefits include fewer worker injuries, better team morale, and faster housekeeping.

Powered hospitality industry carts like our motorized housekeeping cart may be just what your hotel brand needs to improve service, win loyalty, inspire great reviews, and generate more bookings. Contact DJ products today for more info!

Blockchain Technology is Changing the Logistics Market

Blockchain has been called “the new Internet” due to its potential to revolutionize commerce just as significantly as the web did. Created for Bitcoin financial transactions, blockchain technology for logistics holds the key to open new trends for the logistics market.

From improving your record keeping with each warehouse equipment supplier to tracking your goods while they’re out on the truck, your company’s data can do more with blockchain technology.

What Is Blockchain Technology?

If you’ve used peer-to-peer downloading or Bitcoin, you’re familiar with blockchain technology already. Data gets stored across multiple stations rather than one central server. Imagine a single spreadsheet of all your inventory data— and that it can be accessed anywhere, updated in real-time, and stored with heightened security.

Benefits of Blockchain for Logistics

Blockchain makes logistics smoother, cheaper, more agile, and more future-proof. Specifically, just a few of the significant improvements and benefits of blockchain for logistics:

• Share unused space in a warehouse, trailer, or intermodal container

• Optimize truck routes and shipping logistics

• Create an easily accessible, constantly updated database of transactions

• Provide status updates on goods in transit

• Use “smart contracts” to handle transactions without lawyers

• Eliminate errors and missing data from paperwork issues

Logistics Technology Trends

At DJ Products, we keep up with the latest logistics news to help you stay informed. As a warehouse equipment supplier, we also bring you solutions for better warehouse productivity. Our industrial cart movers, trailer tows, truck pushers, and other material handling solutions help your team move at the new speeds made possible by improved logistics.

Author: christopher Harper