christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

Power Tugger Helps Greenhouses Grow Their Bottom Line

In an interesting online article on Nursery Management & Production, John Bartok, Jr. schooled nursery and greenhouse owners in the value of using material handling equipment to streamline their operations. Faculty emeritus of the University of Connecticut’s Department of Natural Resources Management and Engineering, Bartok noted that labor is the biggest cost in plant production. He recommended “incorporating material handling techniques and mechanization into a growing operation” to improve nurserymen’s bottom line.In selecting material handling equipment for nursery operations, Bartok cautioned growers to consider the following to which we’ve added our comments based on DJ Products’ years of experience in the material handling business:

Consider available production space. Small spaces require small-scale equipment like DJ Products’ CartCaddy power tugger that maneuver easily in narrow aisles and can pivot loads a full 90 degrees without jackknifing.
Select equipment that will reduce peak labor requirements. Manually transporting plants uses valuable personnel resources. DJ Products’ power tugger and electric carts can transport loads of heavy plants quickly and easily, eliminating the need to hire additional workers during peak seasons.
Bartok said growers can save by reducing walking. By his calculations, at a labor rate of $10/hour, each trip to the end of a 100-foot greenhouse adds 15 cents to a grower’s costs. Using DJ Products’ power tuggers to consolidate trips and maximize productivity can keep costs down.
Bartok recommended purchasing standard equipment that is expandable. Good advice, but we’d add versatile. The more tasks a single piece of equipment can perform in your operation, the more productive it is.
Ensuring employee comfort increases productivity. Ergonomically designed DJ Products’ CartCaddy power tuggers and movers are built to eliminate musculoskeletal stress and strain.

Ergonomically designed, compact material handling equipment like DJ Products’ CartCaddys power tugger can help nurseries and other retailers and wholesalers increase production and decrease costs.

How to Hire Only the Very Best Matches for Your Business

People with the right job skills for your warehouse may not already work in a warehouse. They might be office managers, bartenders, auto mechanics, community college students, or something else altogether.

Risk management expert David Leng has tips for sourcing better job applicants:

Ask HR and marketing to work together on job ads

Use an employee referral program

Promote from within as a motivator for everyone

How Do You Know Who to Hire?

Be thorough, track applicants throughout the process, and keep your eyes open:

Loyalty should be valued. Avoid workers who change jobs frequently. Give full consideration to workers with a disability or other hindrance to finding another job — as Leng says, they may actually miss work less and work harder.

Character matters when you need hard workers, self-starters, and team players. Conduct personality tests and other assessments.

Insight from current employees helps hiring managers to understand who will be a good fit for each position.

Get More Out of Existing Employees

The expense of hiring — HR, training, payroll — makes it very attractive to get more out of current employees. You can rely on overtime and even less-skilled temporary workers if you provide the right tools to maintain energy levels, morale, and job performance.

Industrial tugs that remove physical strain can let your best warehouse employees get more done, with fewer injuries and lost work time. It’s more cost-effective to outfit your workers with ergonomic tools like industrial tugs than to add additional employees to an injury-prone job involving manual labor.

For information about cart pushers, platform carts, and other kinds of motorized industrial tugs, visit DJProducts.com.

Preventing Ergonomic Injuries in the Workplace

DJ Products makes industrial tuggers and powered movers that are designed not only to assist workers who need to transport heavy items and large loads but to also help those workers avoid injury. It takes research and thought to make equipment that can move loads in a way that does not cause the operators to experience muscle strain and injury.

The National Safety Council has a publication called “Injury Facts” and in this year’s edition it noted, “overexertion is the third leading cause of unintentional injuries in the United States, accounting for about 3.2 million emergency department visits. Ergonomic conditions are disorders of the soft tissues often caused by factors such as overexertion while lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling or reaching…”

The council also listed some indicators that someone is in need of an ergonomic intervention. These include: pain, swelling, numbness, tingling, tenderness, clicking and loss of grip strength.

Ergonomic injuries can affect workers on the job and at home and are often preventable. Using equipment that is designed to help the body move without unnecessary strain can help workers avoid injuries that can lead to missed work time and a loss of productivity and decreased morale.

In addition to providing ergonomically designed equipment, DJ Products also offers access to an Ergonomic Load Calculator. Our Ergonomic Load Calculator is designed to assist the Ergonomist, Safety and Health Specialist, and other professionals interested in improving health and safety practices in their workplace. The calculator is designed to estimate the amount of horizontal force necessary to move loads (on wheels) using inputs from particular workplace environments.

Ergonomic Material Handling Equipment Prevents Strain and Injury

When you hear the word “ergonomics,” the first part of the body you think of may be the back, but ergonomically designed equipment helps reduce strain all over the entire body. Overusing certain muscles repeatedly while completing work tasks can lead to pain and injury that affects an employee’s psyche and ability to work.

According to About.com, “Ergonomics derives from two Greek words: ergon, meaning work, and nomoi, meaning natural laws, to create a word that means the science of work and a person’s relationship to that work.”

DJ Products makes Ergonomic Material Handling Equipment that moves naturally with the body and can eliminate the strain of manually pulling heavy product, parts carts, or wheeled equipment. We make “walk-behind” units that allow for better contra by the operator because they work as extensions the body. Rather than attempting to push, pull or otherwise coerce a cumbersome piece of equipment that likely is weighed down with a lot of supplies to move, workers who use DJ Products equipment can guide our products to where they need to be. Because of this operating flexibility, our electric cart movers can be used in more applications than standard material handling equipment and they work better in tight, difficult spaces.

Take some time to peruse the products on our website to find the products that match your specific need. Or if you prefer, you can call one of our Sales Engineers at 800-686-2651 so we can recommend a product that will help decrease the chances that your employees will experience strain or injury as they complete certain tasks.

Hiring Seasonal Staff? Find Out What the Feds Say You Should Know

Hiring seasonal staff is beneficial to your business and helps many people by providing them some extra money for holiday expenses or vacations. To avoid problems and ensure the hiring and utilization of your seasonal workforce goes smoothly, keep the following Warehouse Management Tips in mind.

They are covered by the same laws

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes it very clear that seasonal workers have equal protection from harassment and discrimination. They are entitled to the same workplace safety and health standards of any other employee. To minimize the risk of workplace injury, keep user-friendly cart movers available for maneuvering heavy objects and bulky material.

Keep job descriptions and training current

Your customers expect the same quality, regardless of whether the work is done by a seasonal staff member or someone who has been with your company for many years. You will prevent most potential problems by having ergonomic cart movers, providing proper training for the newly hired workforce, and by ensuring they have a thorough understanding of their job.

Independent contractors

These self-employed individuals often have the desired experience you need. You do not have to pay unemployment taxes or withhold taxes, Medicare, and Social Security. You can, however, determine what hours they will work. Visit the SBA website for some more Warehouse Management Tips on hiring independent contractors and more information on your legal obligations.

Industrial equipment from DJ Products will improve productivity without significantly increasing your operating cost. Call 800.686.2651 to speak with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers. They will help you determine the safest and most economical material handling solutions for your particular business.

Industry Show to Highlight Innovations from Electric Tugs to Assembly Solutions

The time has come to register for the ProMat 2011 show sponsored by the Material Handling Industry of America. The Promat 2011 show will have in excess of 700 exhibits of the latest assembly and delivery solutions that will be of great interest to anyone involved in the industrial, manufacturing, distribution or logistics industries.

In addition to the wide array of manufacturers presenting their latest wares, there will also be educational seminars to help business owners make their businesses as safe and productive as possible. Keynote speakers will cover topics like improving workplace safety as well as the latest innovations in material handling equipment.

Promat 2011 is scheduled to take place starting Monday 3/21 and will run through Thursday 3/24 and registration and attendance to the event is free.

The importance of providing ergonomically correct material handling equipment is a big part of minimizing workplace injuries and increasing productivity. That’s why this hot topic will be covered by speakers at ProMat 2011 and why it is an integral part of the design of the electric tugs and other equipment produced by DJ Products.

Electric tugs from DJ come with a smooth, variable speed control which helps to prevent repetitive use injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome and makes it easy for employees to control heavy loads. The ultra quiet operation of the electric tugs from DJ also allows employees to maintain focus on their surroundings as they move heavy carts, minimizing the possibility of accidents that could cause injury.

In order to keep productivity levels high your valuable employees must remain healthy and injury free. Ergonomically correct and easy to use material handling equipment like the electric tug from DJ Products is essential for environments where employees need to regularly move heavy or cumbersome materials.

Get Things Moving with DJ Products’ Vehicle and Heavy Equipment Pushers

DJ Products makes ergonomic equipment to help transport a variety of heavy loads—even if that load is something that is also used in transport.
If your cart, car, or piece of equipment has all straight wheels or is on a rail, then the there are ergonomic products that can help solve material handling applications where no turning is required, or an operator will turn the wheels while a CarCaddy pushes from behind, as in the case of pushing a bus down an assembly line.

Car and Vehicle Pusher: While our car pushers have industrial applications, they can also be used to move a stalled vehicle. The front push pad of the vehicle pusher can help preserve the paint and the look of stalled vehicle.

Trailer Mover, Puller or Pusher: Our powered trailer movers are not as bulky as traditional puller products. They can push or pull RVs, campers, boats or equipment trailers. This is a perfect solution when a trailer is being moved down an assembly line, in a show room or at a trade show.

Paper Roll Pusher, Spool Pusher: This can help you move large rolls of paper, fabric or rubber. It is designed to move heavy objects that roll.

Equipment Pusher, Equipment Puller: These can eliminate the stress and strain associated with moving heavy equipment. One of our cart movers can push or pull cars up to 50,000 lbs., while a powered trailer dolly can lift tongue up to 15,000 lbs.

You can take the time to find a specific electric cart pusher on our website, or call our Sales Engineers for a recommendation on your proper solution.

Hospital and Nursing Home Workers Have High Rates of Work-Related Injuries

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has initiated a new program to help people who work as nurses and at residential care facilities. Last year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nurses and residential care workers had “one of the highest rates of lost workdays due to injuries and illnesses of all major American industries.” So while people in these industries are caring for others, they are not always taking care of themselves.

According to OSHA, “Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had the highest rates of musculoskeletal disorders of all occupations in 2010.” OSHA’s National Emphasis Program for Nursing and Residential Care Facilities was created to help change that. After all, it is difficult to be a caretaker when you are injured. And the high proportion of people in this field who get injured means that their colleagues who aren’t injured have to pick up the slack. This can lower the morale and physical fitness of non-injured employees and increase the chances that they too will get injured.

While some of the illness among those who work in the nursing and caretaking professions can be linked to exposure to hazardous materials and disease, “The data further indicate that an overwhelming proportion of the injuries within this sector were attributed to overexertion as well as to slips, trips and falls.”

Employers can invest in powered movers such as the motorized hospital cart mover from DJ Products to help lessen the risk of employee injury. Motorized carts like these help employees move linen and other goods throughout the hospital and DJ Products offers motorized cart pullers and motorized cart pushers, depending on your need.

Avoid Strain and Lost Productivity with Ergonomic Material Handling Equipment

On the topic of musculoskeletal disorders, the Centers for Disease Control says, “…employers often find themselves paying the bill, either directly or through workers’ compensation insurance, at the same time they must cope with the loss of the full capacity of their workers.”

While some injuries are beyond your control, there is plenty that employers can do to prevent muscle strain that results from attempting to transport heavy loads. DJ Products make Ergonomic Material Handling Equipment, including motorized carts, equipment pushers, trailer movers and shopping cart retrievers. You don’t have to deal with the loss in productivity that can occur when employees are injured.

You also don’t have to go through the experience of leaning too heavily on healthy employees because of employee injury. Planning ahead and looking for material handling solutions in advance can save you from lost revenue and morale.

We make battery powered “walk-behind” units that allow workers better control, even in tight, difficult spaces. This operating flexibility means that our electric cart movers can be used in more applications that standard material handling equipment.

Not only do our material handling solutions help you prevent injury, they are also versatile, which can save you money in other ways. DJ Products carts and tugs can eliminate the use of a more costly and cumbersome piece of equipment designed for a different material-handling task.

As the CDC notes: “…very often productivity gets an additional and solid shot in the arm when managers and workers take a fresh look at how best to use energy, equipment, and exertion to get the job done in the most efficient, effective, and effortless way possible.”

Stainless Steel Dolly Pushers Enhance Ergonomics and Safety

Although a dolly is used to help transport objects, there are times when even a dolly could use some help. For those times, DJ products makes a small, maneuverable, walk behind battery-powered dolly pusher.

Our dolly pusher has variable speed grips that make it possible to easily maneuver up to 15,000 lb. carts in tight areas. Where else will you find that kind of versatility? You can push a heavy load even when you don’t have a lot of room to play with. The three 12v batteries used to power its 36-volt motor make it possible for this DJ Products dolly pusher to be used without recharging for an entire shift.

A dolly can be a very useful piece of equipment but if the load it too heavy or it’s used improperly, this can cause injury. Even when an employee is not out of work because of an injury, past injuries and the fear of further strain can diminish productivity. Cost conscious ergonomic and safety equipment, like the CartCaddy™ dolly pusher, when used for prevention can easily pay for itself almost immediately.

However, we are aware that moving heavy materials in compact spaces is not your only concern. In some industries this kind of work must be performed in places where certain chemicals, such as the ones found in paints and powders, are prohibited. This is why we have introduced stainless steel versions of our equipment pusher and dolly puller models. These units can be used in a variety of work environments, but they are especially useful for the sterile environments that are necessary for facilities working with food and pharmaceuticals.