christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

New Tuggers Reinvent the Process of Material Handling

In today’s society where people expect next-day delivery and a large supply of product, the ability to move items quickly through a distribution center or warehouse is essential. Continuing innovations in industrial tugs make this task easier while “increasing ergonomics, productivity and safety for workers on the floor,” according to the article “Casters, carts, and tuggers: Reinventing the Wheel” from Modern Materials Handling.

Specialized casters

Suppliers are finding new, creative ways to improve traditional caster design. These new, specialized casters capable of withstanding the weight associated with high volumes of products can help distributors transport heavier loads more often while reducing noise levels and risk of injury to workers.

These casters include motorized industrial casters that don’t use a shaft and swivel casters that rotate around two separate vertical axes. Using these casters in industrial tugs such as those available from DJ Products, greatly improves efficiency and safety in distribution centers and warehouses.

Industrial tug benefits

According to the Modern Materials Handling article, the use of industrial tugs and carts improves efficiency as “operators can unload products and replace empty containers on the production line multiple times in a single pass.” This is a vast improvement over the use of forklifts that could only transport a single load at a time and it can reduce employee injury while creating better ergonomics and less noise. Tuggers are easier to turn around tight corners than forklifts and this allows operation in narrower areas of the warehouse.

Contact our professionals today to learn how industrial tugs and cart movers from DJ Products can help improve the safety and efficiency of your distribution business.

Hospitals Move to Microfiber Flat Mops to Improve Ergonomics

Keeping healthcare facilities clean and free of hospital-acquired infections (HAI) is a full-time and laborious job that involves mopping and wiping down all surfaces. This type of work takes a toll on the body and can cause injury. American Laundry News explains that one way to reduce strain is by switching to microfiber flat mops. By using hospital ergonomic equipment including lighter mops and hospital cart movers, employees and patients have a healthier, safer work environment.

Equipment changes that improve ergonomics

American Laundry News emphasizes the ergonomic benefits of switching to microfiber flat mops as they’re lighter, can be operated with less strain on the back and result reduced cleaning frequency which helps avoid repetitive motion injuries in workers. However, cleaning with microfiber mops is just one way to improve the safety and functionality of healthcare facilities.

Keeping a hospital clean, organized and running smoothly requires easy access to necessary supplies and an effortless way to transport them. Using hospital ergonomic equipment such as cart movers enables workers to transport supplies swiftly and without strain on their body as the powered cart supplies the strength.

Investing in hospital ergonomic equipment

Just as American Laundry News explains that not all microfiber mop systems are equal, not all ergonomic equipment is equal either. An experienced, professional supplier of hospital equipment can provide high-quality, efficient cart movers to help maneuver carts weighing up to 1,000 pounds without straining the employees operating them. Workers avoid overexertion and the cart movers aid in freeing up valuable space in hallways and rooms.

Cart movers from DJ Products can improve the safety and efficiency of healthcare facilities. Contact us today to find out more about our solutions for hospitals.

Feds Work to Shut Out Contractors as Punishment

In July 2014, the Fair Play and Safe Workplaces executive order was enacted in an attempt to punish federal contractors who have a history of labor abuses. As Congress addresses funding for the Department of Defense, the order is causing members to take sides regarding its enforcement.

Is the “Fair Play” Order Necessary?

The order covers a wide spectrum of labor abuses, but the primary issue is wage theft, which occurs when employers don’t pay employees the full amount they are owed. In the absence of general anti-wage theft laws, the White House has used the policy to withhold federal agency contracts from offending companies.

This past May, the funding bill came before Congress, and it included a provision to make DoD contract equipment and other contracted services exempt from the President’s order. Rep. John Kline of Minnesota, author of the provision, argued that the order is redundant based on the effectiveness of current safeguards.

A House Divided

Rep. Keith Ellison, also of Minnesota, objected to the provision, citing evidence from a Senate labor report showing that $81 billion in contracts had been awarded to 49 companies with significant wage and safety violations on record. However, Ellison’s amendment to remove the provision was dismissed.

The House ultimately approved the funding bill, which is now before the Senate, but it still faces an uncertain future. The White House has suggested that President Obama will veto the entire bill unless major changes are made.

DoD Contract Equipment from DJ Products

Our reliable and cost-effective material handling solutions fill a multitude of military and DoD applications. Contact us for more information.

Preventing Workman’s Compensation Claims

Workman’s compensation claims are a fact of business life, especially when the work involved is primarily physical. Unfortunately, they take a serious toll on your company’s operations. First and foremost is the temporary or permanent injury to the affected employee. In addition, they cause losses in terms of work interruptions, turnover and increased insurance premiums.

While it’s impossible to eliminate all accidents, there are measures you can take to reduce the number of claims in your workplace. Implementing these ideas can help boost safety awareness throughout your organization.

Safety programs are often spread across separate departments, including human resources, loss control and data analysis. Integrating these parts into a unified safety program ensures that everyone is working on the same page and understands each other’s roles.
You most likely have on-the-job safety training included for new hires. However, you should also make sure they’re being trained in the administrative side of safety measures. All employees should know the proper procedures for reporting an incident, including who can help them fill out the paperwork. Emphasize the importance of reporting claims as soon as possible before they grow into bigger problems.
Ensure that your company has a well-rounded return-to-work program with a number of modified-duty job options. Develop a relationship with your local clinic to facilitate effective injury treatment.
Use equipment that’s ergonomically designed to reduce stress and strain on operators. Promptly repair or replace any machines, vehicles or tools that present a safety hazard.

DJ Products can assist you in maintaining high safety standards with our full line of efficient, easy-to-operate tugs, carts and pushers. Call 800.686.2651 and let our Sales Engineers help you find the best solution for your application.

DoD Service Contract Program Change is on a Slow Track

In January 2016, the Department of Defense instituted a policy aimed at streamlining their services contracting with better oversight and control. While the new policy is expected to make the process more cohesive, it may take another dozen years before coming to full fruition.

“A 15-Year Effort”

More than half of the Department’s procurement budget is allocated to services, with the remainder for purchases such as contract equipment. According to Ken Brennan, deputy director of services acquisition, the goal is for contracts to become part of “the general culture and policy” rather than standalones.

In Brennan’s view, the new policy is “a 15-year effort” that is already about three years along. Brennan adds that is making significant progress, and he anticipates potential for guidance soon in the areas of small businesses and administrative services.

Functional Domain Experts

One major change involves the creation of functional domain experts, or FDEs, to lead each of the individual service sectors. Claire Grady, director of defense procurement and acquisition strategy, explains that this lets people with particular expertise create strategies to improve planning and execution while reducing costs.

FDEs will also implement metrics to monitor contract performance, determine best practices and recommend policies. Grady says will be paying close attention to the metrics established by these new domain leaders.

Military and Material Handling Solutions

DJ Products offers quality options for contract equipment. Our battery-powered tugs and movers handle applications like maneuvering aircraft in and out of hangars and pulling heavy engines and parts. Visit our website to have your questions answered online by one of our knowledgeable sales engineers.

What’s Driving up Physician Hospital-Based Employment?

According to data offered at Becker Hospital Review‘s recent meeting in Chicago, nearly 70 percent of physicians today are working in hospitals rather than private practice. What factors are driving this trend, and what does it mean for compensation and fair market value?

Reimbursement cuts and lifestyle changes provide motivation

Becker‘s seventh annual meeting included a presentation on physician employment trends conducted by Jim Carr, partner in HealthCare Appraisers, a national consulting firm providing fair market value (FMV) analysis. Carr cites reimbursement cuts and lifestyle changes as major impetuses behind the move to hospital-based employment.

Impact on fair market value

This far-reaching trend is causing hospital administrators to rework compensation contracts accordingly. Carr gave the following suggestions to consider when calculating FMV:

• While work-related relative value units (RVU) are still the most widely-used metrics, physicians are increasingly resisting them in favor of base salary guarantees and/or longer guarantee periods. The feeling is that production in a hospital setting is governed by many factors beyond their control.

• Many physicians are demanding compensation for any activity, such as committee meetings or resident supervision, which affect RVU.

• Quality-based bonuses are becoming more common, but the definition of “quality” is shifting from clinical metrics to value-based criteria such as patient satisfaction.

DJ Products supports these trends with motorized hospital service carts

More efficient operations in your hospital mean greater production from your physicians. Our motorized hospital service carts allow employees to get more done with less effort. Contact DJ Products and let one of our knowledgeable sales engineers help you find the best solution for your material handling needs.

The Condo Owners Guide to Dumpster Safety

Shards of glass, broken furniture, heavy and awkward items — taking out the trash represents an enormous liability for multi-tenant properties. As a condo owner, you and the condo staff face the risk of injury both from accidents and the physical strain of handling waste and moving heavy dumpsters around the property.

Condo owners should set aside time to go over safety practices with employees. The Work Safe Center offers this help checklist for dumpster safety that you can review with your workers.

Avoiding Accidents and Hazardous Materials

Employees should recognize that dumpsters may contain dangerous items such as bent metal, broken glass or even medical waste.

Tips for safe waste collection include:

Avoid back and shoulder strain; do not throw objects or handle heavy items with only one hand.

Use safety gloves when filling or emptying dumpsters.

Break down dangerous items into manageable parts.

Place warning signs about hazardous waste that should not go in dumpsters.

Dumpster Moving Tools for Safe & Easy Waste Handling

Tools are available to help with the weight and strain of filling dumpsters and carting them around the property. Motorized dumpster movers help prevent injury when moving dumpsters up and down inclines, across rough asphalt, or through inclement weather.

Even in normal use on flat ground, a dumpster mover helps by reducing the strain on the back, legs, and shoulders.

In addition to dumpster moving tools, containers can be made safe and ergonomic with easy-grip handles and tools to help lift lids and deposit heavy items.

Property managers can find out more about dumpster movers and waste bin pullers at DJProducts.com.

Shoulder-Mounted Jammers Aim to Take Down Drones

In the era of drones, new technology has begun proliferating to effectively shut down unwanted drones. The latest is something like a ray gun — a shoulder-mounted “rifle” that blasts radio waves of interference.

Radio-Powered Interference to Stop Drones

The DroneDefender was recently unveiled by an Ohio company called Battelle. The device operates on GPS and ISM radio bands and features a range of up to 400 meters. Specs remain somewhat secretive. What’s clear is that the DroneDefender has power over most commercially available consumer drone products.

When a drone flies over private property (or perhaps over restricted military areas), a jammer like the DroneDefender can interfere with the radio signals to force the drone into a hovering position. The operator then must land the device or return it home.

This technology should prove beneficial to police and military, as well as civilians wishing to protect private property from trespassing drones operated by other civilians.

DOD Contractor Heavy Equipment for Drones

Whether drone jammers should be available to the general public remains up for debate. For now, the technology seems to be a stopgap solution for unregulated drone flying by civilians. In the world of military and DOD contractor heavy equipment, jamming technology like the DroneDefender should not pose an issue.

For more information about DOD contractor heavy equipment, you can visit DJ Products to find out about electric platform carts, parts caddies, and motorized equipment movers. This includes tool and equipment solutions as well as aircraft and vehicle pullers with GSA authorization for DOD contractors.

Department of Justice Wants to Preserve Competition Between Contractors

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are urging defense contractors to keep producing arms. Weapons and ammunition production are essential to keeping the peace for both law enforcement and the military.

Mergers

There have been several mergers between companies that supply weapons in the past year, which may be good for keeping prices competitive and products readily available. But mergers can also mean a slowing of development for newer and better weapons, and both the DOJ and the FTC want to make sure this type of development does not stop. This is why they have partnered to keep both development and production going, making sure there is no lull.

DOD Contractor Equipment

Weapons and ammunition demand signals will continue to drive the procurement of DOD contractor equipment. Heavy loads will need to be moved via carts, trailers, rail cars, etc., and shuttled from one place to another.

Wagons, waste and even such specialized munitions like bombs must be moved around, either within the factories themselves or out to the loading dock. Many of these require specialized moving machines, and all of them are available at DJ Products, who have industrial solutions for every market sector.

For more information on warehouse equipment suitable for any job, contact DJ Products, makers of trailer movers, dumpster movers and even aircraft movers. We have the mobile solution for your DOD warehouse floor management from munitions to waste removal.

Car Dealerships Look Forward to Sales Boosts from New Dashboard Designs

The automotive industry has long embraced analog dashboards as being simple to manufacture and easy to use. Familiarity is a major factor in their continued use, but a company in Finland is looking to change the way we see our dashboard instrumentation in the not too distant future.

Totally Digital

Granted, on car dashboards today, there are some electronic and digital guages, but a company called Rightware wants to change all that. They have pioneered the “virtual dashboard” with an LCD screen as your dash, with superimposed digital gauges that tell you what your vehicle is doing. It’s positioned on a backdrop video monitor showing you the road ahead. In essence, even when you’re looking at the dash, you’ll still be keeping your eyes on the road.

Not Science Fiction

This virtual dashboard is already being installed on the Audi V-8 supercar, and even though it’s a high-end model, this is a practical application of things to come. Rightware hopes that in the near future their new technology will bring the entire automotive industry into the digital age, and they want to be on the forefront of this unique product line.

Massive Sales

When the automotive industry begins to convert over to the virtual dashboard, the companies that produce them are going to be flooded with massive sales to supply the automotive sector. Such helpful and effective machines, like DJ Products Car Caddy, will be incredibly useful for maneuvering vehicles in and around work stations at all levels of assembly.

DJ Products leads the way in equipment movers, from the Car Caddy, Parts Caddy, RailCarCaddy, and everything in between.