christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

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

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

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

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!

What to Know About Dumpster and Trash Fires

According to the National Fire Protection Association, dumpsters and trash rooms are among the primary sites of reported fires. Use these tips for preventing dumpster fires to reduce risk of loss and injury in your workplace.

Keep Hazardous Waste out of Dumpsters

Dumpsters are not a catch-all for any type of waste. Gasoline, oil and other flammable liquids don’t belong in the trash room. This rule also applies to sealed or empty containers and items such as rags that are saturated in chemicals.

Not all hazardous waste is liquid. The Environmental Protection Agency cites ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity and toxicity as the primary characteristics that define hazardous waste. Their website includes detailed information regarding identification and disposal.

Watch for Signs of Spontaneous Combustion

Fires don’t always require an accelerant. Organic waste generates heat as it decomposes, which can result in temperatures sufficient to cause combustion.

Many locales have regulations governing disposal of grass clippings, compost and other dead plant matter. Check with your local community to make sure you’re in compliance.

Always Secure Dumpsters

Unfortunately, dumpsters often attract vandals who cause destruction simply for its own sake. If it’s not possible to store the dumpster in a fenced, locked area, be sure to lock down the dumpster lid.

WasteCaddy: “Like Having Another Employee on Staff”

Fires are only one of the reasons why trash rooms are the most dangerous spot in a workplace. Our popular WasteCaddy reduces injury risk factors such as pushing heavy dumpsters or pinching fingers in the lid.

Visit our website to learn more about the WasteCaddy and other battery-powered tugs, pushers and movers from DJ Products.

Top Technology Trends in the Logistics Industry

The newest logistics technology is radically reshaping the way we buy groceries, shop for clothes, and even how we do our own jobs. Warehouse managers today are quite likely to rely heavily on technology that didn’t even exist just a few years ago.

A look at the top five trends in logistics technology covers everything from software to your friendly neighborhood robots:

• Warehouse robots have been popularized by Amazon, but other companies continue innovating their own solutions. Most prominently, motorized equipment can assist human workers with faster, safer fulfillment.

• Augmented reality for pickers and other warehouse workers can be used in smart eyeglasses to assist with finding items accurately and quickly.

• Predictive analytics up to and including “anticipatory shipping” before a customer actually buys and Uber-style trucker-to-shipper matching will continue to revolutionize the warehouse data game.

• Autonomous vehicles may be the solution to the truck driver shortage while lowering the cost per mile.

• Drones are poised to fulfill their destiny as the solution for last-mile delivery.

Data and Equipment, Working Together

Data shapes decisions in logistics, and your warehouse equipment supplier has the tools to put that data into action.

At DJ Products, our industrial cart movers help with the human side of the equation. Heavy stress from pushing loaded carts and repetitive stress in warehouse jobs both contribute to productivity loss and worker injury.

Powered material handling equipment, from our CartCaddyLite cart puller to the WagonCaddy industrial power mover, enable your workers to move at the speed of modern logistics. Get a free demo from DJ Products, your warehouse equipment supplier for powered cart movers and more.

Direct-to-Consumer Sales Turn Stores Into Local Warehouses

Facing pressure to match the e-commerce giants, more retailers have begun using brick-and-mortar locations as fulfillment warehouses. With the right adjustments, stores can deliver faster, cheaper shipping than using a remote distribution center.

For warehousers, this ups the ante for efficient and affordable third-party fulfillment services. For retailers, it creates a new need to alter retail space and train employees differently.

Pymnts.com recently examined the direct-to-consumer warehouse trend by looking at how Kohl’s has invested billions of dollars to turn its big box stores into warehouses. It may be just what traditional retail needs to keep up.

Businesses need to invest wisely with a warehouse equipment supplier for the right tools to make brick-and-mortar locations as effective as fulfillment centers. A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed questioned whether retailers are prepared for the challenge.

Challenges for turning a store into a warehouse include:

• Customer shopping replaced by the new labor of employees picking

• Retail employees need different skill sets for warehouse work

• Small storage space can be difficult to maneuver boxes, carts, forklifts

As a warehouse equipment supplier, DJ Products understands the challenges of workers picking items and moving cart loads of boxes and inventory items around tight spaces. Employees face high injury risk when maneuvering loads around corners and carrying heavy packages in and out of the warehouse.

An industrial cart mover can transform your storage room into a high-functioning distribution center. The CartCaddyShorty motorized cart puller, for example, pulls up to 3,000 pounds and can be operated safely by virtually any employee.

Contact DJ Products to speak with our helpful warehouse equipment supplier team today.

Communities Focus on Reducing Solid Waste – Can You Help?

How quickly does your dumpster get filled up? Many communities are working to save the environment by focusing on reduction of solid waste. Here are some ways you can join the fight.

Tips to Reduce Solid Waste

1. Throw Fewer Things Away

Common sense dictates that the fewer things you throw away, the less garbage you’ll have. Get into the habit of thinking twice before automatically disposing of an item. Has it really outlived its usefulness? Maybe you can repurpose the item or pass it along to someone else who can put it to use.

2. Be Mindful of Packaging

Earthworks Group, a consulting firm that specializes in sustainability projects, says that packaging comprises approximately one-third of the contents of our country’s landfills.

Even if your business doesn’t actually package products, it uses items that come in packages. Look for suppliers that use minimal packaging made from recycled materials.

3. Promote Recycling

Recycling pays double dividends. It keeps items out of landfills and reduces the need for natural resources.

Some of the more common recycling programs include:

• Curbside recycling containers for widely-used items such as newspapers, glass bottles and aluminum containers

• Community recycling centers or recycling zones

• Composing programs that gather organic waste for mulch or landfill cover

Improve Operations with an Electric Dumpster Pusher

No matter how heavy your dumpster gets, a single employee can move it safely and efficiently using a dumpster pusher from DJ Products. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more about products like our best-selling WasteCaddyLite, which can move loads of up to 2,000 pounds.

Congress Pads Bills with Preferential Treatment for Military Sole Source Contractors

Much of the business world is moving toward greater transparency these days. Some clothing retailers even explicitly state their costs per garment while touting their openness. In the defense industry, things don’t work like that. In fact, sole-source contractors for the Department of Defense were just given free rein to sell more to Uncle Sam without providing any cost info for labor or materials.

Funding the military meets with wide agreement, even among members of Congress. As David Dayen of The Intercept recently wrote, the National Defense Authorization Act passes on-time more than any other recurring vote.

Cost data must be provided for competitive contracts as part of the bidding process. For supplies or services with a sole-source contractor, there was previously no need to share cost data for contracts up to $500 million. That just got quintupled up to a $2.5 million limit.

As you can imagine, this means that suppliers who already have a monopoly on their work can now do even more business without transparency.

Smaller contractors have to worry about the cost of DoD contractors’ equipment needs and labor while bidding competitively. One could argue that’s the best thing for taxpayers’ interests and for maintaining a free market.

As Dayen notes in his coverage, this preferential treatment for larger, sole-source contractors takes away focus on minimizing costs for DoD spending. It also lets certain players avoid disclosure to rig the system in their favor.

DJ Products serves DoD contractors’ equipment needs with trailer movers, powered cart movers, and more GSA-approved equipment. Browse our site for solutions that can help your firm stay competitive for DoD contracts.

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.

The Trouble with Trash!

If your trash bill was charged by the pound, would you throw away less? Many experts in the field of waste management and waste reduction believe that Americans aren’t very concerned about trash because we typically pay flat fees for trash collection. That, and the fact that few of us encounter landfills in our day-to-day lives. Out of sight, out of mind.

We’ve all heard about the dangers of pollution and hazardous waste going to landfills. Yet it feels like a distant problem.

Proper waste management plays a role in avoiding some of the biggest trash problems facing people and the planet:

• In some cases, landfills leach toxic chemicals into the soil, which ends up polluting our water supply.

• Clogged garbage drains cause disastrous floods.

• Toxic fumes from trash can even pollute the air.

• Countries without modern waste control have higher rates of diseases and illnesses, such as from drinking polluted water or breathing in smoke from burning trash.

• Many developed countries ship toxic waste to foreign countries where it gets disposed of improperly.

• The U.S. spends $200 billion a year related to trash.

Life necessitates trash, but the U.S. waste output far exceeds other developed countries. We all might consider ways to reduce and reuse, and be aware of where our garbage winds up.

At DJ Products, we make the WasteCaddy dumpster mover to make it easier for businesses to handle waste effectively.

Do your employees have to manually push dumpsters around the property or out to a curb for pickup? If so, a dumpster mover makes the process easier, safer, and more efficient. Contact DJ Products for a free demo!