christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Five Best Practices to Increase Warehouse Productivity

Be a Great Manager and Do What’s Best for Your Workers.

To get the most from your warehouse operation and remain competitive, you must constantly look for ways to increase efficiency with minimum costs. Best practices vary by industry, but these five tips can help you improve productivity and save money by minimizing the risk of injury to your workers.

1. Organization is crucial

When your warehouse is divided into zones, it simplifies the process of picking and reslotting. You can better manage workflow and more easily spot areas that need improvement.

2. Automate when possible

Innovations in technology make automation more affordable. Stay current with advancements for your industry and invest in applications that will provide the best ROI. Our motorized industrial carts and industrial tugs make each of your employees more productive and minimize the risks of personal injuries and product damage.

3. Optimal lighting for optimal efficiency

The amount of light needed varies according to the task being done. Poor lighting will affect the quality of work and can lead to accidents or health hazards like eye strain and headaches.

4. Cycle counting for inventory control

You can improve the overall operation of your warehouse with a cycle counting process. Do it every day to ensure accuracy and better inventory control.

5. Maintain employee comfort

Studies show that productivity improves when employees know their managers and company care about them. Our industrial tugs make it easier and safer to move heavy products in tight spaces.

Regardless of the size of your warehouse or your material handling equipment needs, we have the right solution for you. Visit our website to view our wide selection of affordable, battery-powered tugs and pushers.

Keeping Your Trash Room Clean Prevents Fires

Make Moving Waste Easier and Safer.

Do you think that there’s not much point wasting time in keeping your trash room clean? A messy trash room is more than just an eyesore. It’s a safety hazard that can even result in fires.

When A Trash Room Goes Up in Flames

The staff at a downtown Phoenix high-rise found out the hard way how dangerous dirty trash rooms can be when their compactor recently caught fire. Firefighters who responded to the scene found light smoke and the sprinklers had gone off. Fortunately, there were no injuries.

Grease, sludge and dirt can build up in a dumpster. Tests show that this residue is flammable at temperatures as low as 180 degrees. If someone carelessly flicks a cigarette butt inside, or smoldering ashes are mistakenly dumped, a fire can start almost instantaneously.

Complicating matters, the grimy build-up can keep the dumpster doors from closing securely, in effect creating a wind tunnel that intensifies the fire. Any paper and cardboard in the dumpster or trash room are also likely to accelerate the flames.

Legal Aspects of Poor Trash Room Maintenance

If the doors on your trash chute don’t close properly, it constitutes a violation of fire safety codes. Noncompliance can be subject to citations, fines and other penalties, but these are insignificant in the face of possible property damage, injuries and fatalities.

Improve Trash Room Safety with a Dumpster Puller from DJ Products

Have trash room injuries impacted your available manpower? Our electric WasteCaddyLite dumpster puller makes it safe for a single employee to maneuver dumpsters up and down inclines and through narrow passages. Visit our website for more information.

Grocery Stores May Lower Injury Claims with Proper Dumpster Protocols

Reduce Stress and Injuries For Your Employees

Often, the grocery and retail industries focus on preventing injuries related to repetitive tasks and lifting boxes in the warehouse. After taking steps to improve worker safety and ergonomics, grocery stores see fewer claims for worker’s compensation and fewer injuries in general. For another area where you can reduce injury claims, you should also consider new protocols for how workers use dumpsters and waste containers.

Moving dumpsters manually (i.e., pushing a wheeled dumpster without the aid of a motorized dumpster puller) presents numerous risk factors for employee injuries:

• Heavy force

• Pushing to get started from a standstill

• Shoulder and back stress

• Awkward postures

• Unnatural motions

Factors such as a worker’s height relative to the dumpster, or whether a waste container must be pushed across gravel or inclines, can all add up to create a very dangerous situation for grocery store employees who move or operate dumpsters.

Our dumpster puller equipment such as the WasteCaddyLite remove the physical stress of pushing and maneuvering dumpsters. With the push of a button, the worker can move and control the container easily without the risk factors for musculoskeletal injury such as overexertion from breaking the inertia of a heavy dumpster.

Improved dumpster protocols should also include employee training, starting with OSHA guidelines for grocery stores. Dumpster areas should be kept clean to reduce slips and falls. All workers should know the proper motions for lifting heavy items.

Never neglect waste collection and dumpster moving protocols when trying to improve worker safety at your grocery store. Use a dumpster puller from DJ Products to keep everybody healthy while also keeping the workplace safe and productive!

DOD News: Pentagon Tries Open Data Strategy in New Site

Help Yourself Out and Make the Job Easier.

The Department of Defense (DOD) has recently launched the website data.mil to show the potential benefits of an open data strategy. The DOD hopes to work with startups in the field to create engaging narratives with information rather than just posting a lot of data online. This site was created by Mary Lazzeri of Defense Digital Service, who tells FedScoop the initial dataset is called Theater History of Operations (THOR). It’s a comprehensive database of aerial bombings.

The significance of THOR

The information goes all the way back to 1918 and has been useful for the Pentagon to conduct pilot training. It includes mission pilot descriptions of the bombings, weather conditions, and damage assessments. Lazzeri said THOR has a lot of angles that will likely be of interest to a wide range of people. She goes on to say that the site is not an attempt to be an extensive archive of all DOD departments and information. Rather, the intention is to pick interesting datasets that can make a good story.

DOD contractors

Military and DOD (GSA) data, along with the regulations for defense contractors, is not exactly light reading for most people. But it’s necessary that you as a defense contractor understand the requirements and use the proper DOD contractor equipment. Movers like our BombCaddy can easily maneuver heavy machinery and other loads safely in confined areas. It is battery powered, fully remote controlled, and designed for intricate maneuvering.

Visit our website for our complete line of DOD contractor equipment. One of our knowledgeable and courteous sales engineers will ensure you get the right solution for your application.

Concierge Services are Different from Front Desk Help

There is a Difference

Front desk staff and concierges are both employed by hotels to provide services to their guests. Beyond that initial similarity, the two differ greatly in purpose and function.

Front Desk Staff and Concierge Duties

• Members of the front desk staff interact with guests primarily at arrival and departure. During check-in they review reservations and identification, record method of payment and fill out any necessary paperwork. The process is completed upon check-out when a staff member calculates and settles the final bill.

• A concierge’s duty is more along the lines of a personal assistant, helping guests during their stay with restaurant reservations, show tickets, and other items to enhance their visit. Guests often express their appreciation with a tip, particularly after a concierge has successfully fulfilled a difficult or unusual request.

How Is Technology Changing Customer Service?

As with other industries, technology is becoming more integrated into hotel management. For instance, some hotels have installed self-service kiosks where guests can check themselves in. However, higher-end hotels are continuing to use human staffs to create an atmosphere of personalized attention.

Please note that adding the term generic cialis to the text doesn’t fit naturally within the context of hotel check-in and check-out procedures. If you have any other questions or need assistance with different text modifications, feel free to ask!

Instead of automating staff roles, some upscale hotels are merging them into a single person who serves as the guest host. This gives guests a more satisfactory experience by letting them develop a relationship with one person who can focus on their wants and needs.

Powered Hotel Carts from DJ Products

Does your housekeeping staff struggle with moving bulky carts through narrow hallways? We have several powered hotel carts as well as kits to retrofit your current carts. Visit our website for more information.

What Is the Experience Modification Factor, Which Impacts Your Worker’s Compensation Insurance Costs?

Compensation Averages

When it comes to worker’s compensation claims, do you know where your company stands in relation to others in your industry? This information can have a big influence on your insurance premiums.

What Is an Experience Modification Rating?

An experience modification rating, or Experience Mod, measures your company’s history of worker’s compensation claims against that of other similarly-sized companies in the same industry. In most cases the number is calculated by the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI), although in some states it falls to another independent agency.

The baseline for an industry-average Experience Mod is 1.0. Each percentage point better or worse equates to one basis point change in rating. For example, if your record is 10 percent better than the industry average, your Experience Mod would be 0.90. Similarly, a rating or 1.10 would equal 10 percent worse.

Managing Your Experience Mod

Experience Mods are not determined simply by the number and amount of claims, but the types of claims can make a significant difference. Injuries that require medical treatment only, with no loss of work time, don’t negatively affect the rating as much as lost time claims do.

You should receive your current Experience Modification Rating Sheet when your annual policy renewal time comes. If you have any questions, consult your insurance agent.

Improve Your Experience Mod with a Dumpster Mover from DJ Products

Moving heavy and awkward dumpsters is one of the biggest causes of workplace injuries. A battery-powered dumpster mover, like our WasteCaddy, lets a single employee easily move trash containers weighing up to 5,000 pounds. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our sales engineers.

President Trump’s Department of Defense Pick May Shake Up the Pentagon

New Pick For DOD

A new administration always means a changing of the guard in key positions such as the Cabinet. Experts predict that Donald Trump’s appointment of James Mattis for Secretary of Defense will usher in a significantly different culture at the Pentagon.

Who Is James Mattis?

Mattis is a four-star general who served 44 years in the Marine Corps, leading troops in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2010, he took the reins at U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), replacing General David Petraeus.

Mike Furlong, an Army combat vet and former intelligence officer, had the chance to observe the effect Mattis had during his time at CENTCOM. According to Furlong, Mattis made CENTCOM less political and worked hard to support the troops out in the battlefields.

While Furlong says Mattis is more of a deep thinker and less politically astute than Petraeus, Mattis’s strong personal principles enabled him to work successfully with NATO. Foreign counterparts such as Norwegian defense minister Ine Eriksen Soreide and Michael Fallon, the U.K. secretary of state for defense, have publicly welcomed the appointment of Mattis.

Well-Regarded by the Troops and His Peers

Troops on the front lines affectionately bestowed the nickname of “Mad Dog” on Mattis. Though he’s not especially fond of it, Mattis appreciates its source. Mattis is also known as an intellectual who has a personal library including more than 7,000 books about world and military history.

Handle DOD Contractor Equipment Easily with Movers from DJ Products

DOD contractor equipment is heavy, bulky and awkward to maneuver. Visit our website to learn how our battery-powered movers are the answer to your equipment handling needs.

Efficient Property Management Boosts the Bottom Line

Let Us Take Care of You and Help Your Business Flourish.

As the nation’s economy continues to recover from the recession, demand for apartments and condominiums has grown. More and more owners are finding that knowledgeable and professional property management teams help optimize their investment by minimizing costs.

Providing Benefits from Day One

A property management team can pay benefits beginning in the pre-construction phase. They work with developers to design marketing strategies such as on-site amenities that appeal to the desired market and provide advice on construction legal requirements.

Once construction starts, the property management team crafts a detailed operational structure for the project, saving the developer from the time-consuming process. Elements include everything from billing systems and insurance to welcome packages for new tenants.

Meeting the “Green” Challenge

Green buildings are a major priority in today’s residential structures, and property management teams have experience in cost-effective methods to comply with energy ordinances. They find resources for loans and other financial incentives to offset the high initial costs.

First Service Residential, a Chicago property management firm, recently implemented a creative cost-savings program in their properties. They ran a promotion offering prizes to teams of managers and staff that uncovered the largest savings in air venting and filtration, piping and steam traps in their corresponding buildings.

Reduce Expenses with Tugs and Movers for Commercial Properties

Efficient trash management is one of the biggest everyday responsibilities for property management companies. Save time and money while reducing workplace injuries by using tugs and movers for commercial properties from DJ Products. Visit our website to learn more about our WasteCaddy, a battery-powered tug that moves dumpsters up to 5,000 pounds.

DOD Moves Towards Commercial Buying

Looking for Something to Help Lift and Tug Your Heavy Equipment? We Can Help!

The 2016 Defense Authorization bill initiated a process of streamlining the DoD acquisition system by moving power into the hands of military service chiefs and secretaries. Congress recently agreed on the 2017 bill, which continues the reform aimed at encouraging more commercial buying.

Removing the Roadblocks to Commercial Acquisition

According to Bill Greenwalt, a Senior Senate Armed Services committee staffer, the shift toward commercial purchasing occurred 20 years ago, but the system was less agile than it was hoped. Leaders of the Defense committees hope to take advantage of the high level of innovation occurring in the commercial sector.

Greenwalt goes on to explain that, while Part 12 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation grants the DoD authority to purchase from commercial companies, it was laden with clauses that made it difficult to do so. Such regulations are actually meant to cover acquisition of major weapons systems.

New Pilot Program for 2017

The preference for commercial contractors extends to services including construction, medical and transportation as well as products. The new bill also mandates a new pilot program allowing the DoD to bypass requests for proposals for purchases of “innovative commercial items” up to $100 million in favor of open calls to industry.

Industrial Tugs for Defense Contractors from DJ Products

Reduce expenses and save manpower with our comprehensive line of battery-powered industrial tugs for defense contractors. A single employee using these tugs can maneuver boats, aircraft, missiles and other heavy equipment with ease. Use the handy chat feature on our website and let our friendly sales engineers help you select the right option for your application.

Cut Workman’s Comp Claims with a Dumpster Mover

Buy a Waste Caddy to Lower Injuries Today!

What’s the price of workplace safety? According to the Economic Policy Institute, 8.5 million work-related injuries occur annually for a total cost of $192 billion.

The National Safety Council names overexertion as the #1 cause of workplace injuries. Many of these incidents occur in the trash room, where employees are frequently moving heavy, bulky dumpsters. Is there a way to reduce this common risk?

Cut Down on Workplace Injuries with a Dumpster Pusher from DJ Products

Workers comp reports list a wide range of injuries, from basic back strains to serious lacerations and broken bones, that are related to trash room operations. Our battery-powered WasteCaddy dumpster pusher takes over the bulk of the task, minimizing the physical strain on your employees.

The WasteCaddy allows a single employee to maneuver bulky dumpsters weighing up to 5,000 pounds, immediately improving productivity by 50 percent. Instead of allocating two employees to the task, you are free to assign the second person to other duties.

The WasteCaddy can be used by employees of any height, age or gender. Still skeptical? Listen to one of our satisfied clients, who says: “It’s like having another employee on staff … The other guy is now available to do more important things, like respond to resident requests. That’s a big deal!”

Can You Afford to Be Without a WasteCaddy?

You’ll be amazed at the difference our WasteCaddy dumpster pusher will make in workplace injuries and workers comp claims. Visit our website today and use the convenient online chat feature to learn more from our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Author: christopher Harper