Category: Pushing Cars And Trucks

Hope for the Future: Redefining the Auto Industry

Despite harsh criticism, the President and Congress seem poised to throw a lifeline to America’s struggling auto industry. Critics say Detroit’s problems stem from 30 years of short-sightedness and poor decision-making. Failure to recognize future trends toward smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles compounded by failure to aggressively address budget-busting labor demands head critics’ lists of the poor management practices that have led to the U.S. auto industry’s financial woes (see our Nov. 12 post). Today, the auto industry defends itself.

U.S. auto industry representatives dispute their critics, saying critics oversimplify the issues and don’t credit automakers for the significant progress made in recent years. “In the last five years, there’s been more restructuring done in the automotive business than any other business in the history of the United States,” said Tony Cervone, General Motors VP of communications.

Auto industry spokesmen cite a decade’s worth of tough cost cutting measures, improved productivity and their switch to the production of more competitive, fuel-efficient cars as indications that Detroit has been working hard to reverse course and increase its competitiveness with popular foreign imports. They point out that their ability to compete is severely hampered by the demands of powerful labor unions and the strictures of multiple government regulations.

The recessionary economy and tight credit have placed additional burdens on automakers. New car sales are down, in part, because consumers aren’t spending. Across the economic board, consumers are harboring their financial resources and taking a wait and see attitude about the nation’s economic future. Adding insult to injury, the tight credit market has made it nearly impossible for people who want to buy a new car to get financing. Burned by the mortgage meltdown, banks have reined in lending practices and raised loan requirements.

The news isn’t all doom and gloom, however. Capitalizing on fuel-efficient designs initiated in 2000, Detroit is finally rolling out cheaper, competitive alternatives to the Asian-designed vehicles that dominate that sector of the market. Financial pressure is forcing the industry to consolidate and streamline production practices. President-elect Obama’s reminder to the American people that we will all have to sacrifice if the country is to weather the current economic crisis could play out in more reasonable labor contracts. And that Congressional lifeline is likely to come with lots of strings attached that should give Detroit the needed incentive to redefine itself more competitively.

Next time: Lessons to be learned from the auto industry meltdown

Trailer Mover Maneuvers RVs with Ease

The recreational vehicle industry is celebrating its centennial year. It’s been 100 years since Pierce Arrow rolled the first mass-produced RV off the assembly line in 1910. In the past century, RVs have gone from little more than primitive wooden boxes to sleek, luxurious homes packed with compact comfort. After a recession-caused dip in sales, new RV sales started been regaining traction in the last quarter of 2009. RV manufacturers have rehired laid off workers and even increased their workforce which employs more than a quarter million Americans. With the economy recovering and retiring baby boomers flocking to RV shows to indulge their wanderlust, the RV industry is poised to begin its second 100 years stronger than ever.Big business in the U.S., RVs are an exclusively U.S. product, made by Americans in America. In fact, 60% of RVs are made in the Elkhart, Indiana area. More than 12,000 RV related businesses employing more than a quarter million people serve the RV nation which is growing every year. The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) estimates that one in every dozen U.S. families  — about 8.2 million households — owns an RV and an awful lot of them are travel trailers.Every time those millions of recreational travel trailers are moved down the assembly line or across the factory floor and out to the storage lot or across a dealer showroom or in and out of a convention center for an RV show or around a repair service yard they have to be hooked up to a vehicle OR you could just use one of DJ Products’ handy TrailerCaddy trailer mover. Designed to maneuver full-size commercial cargo trailers, our versatile, compact, electric-powered trailer mover makes quick work of moving RV travel trailers, 5th wheels, toy haulers, pop-up campers and even RV park models. Visit the DJ Products’ website to find out more about our ergonomically-designed electric trailer mover.

America Needs to Rebuild Industrial Base to Survive

The auto industry bailout and its repercussions are topics of hot debate. It now appears that federal money will come with some long apron strings that will force Detroit to become smarter, leaner and more forward-thinking. That’s never a bad thing for any business and could enable a mighty phoenix to arise from today’s ashes.

Detroit’s problems put a glaring spotlight on America’s loss of the massive industrial base that made us a world superpower. Many of the major industries and manufacturing enterprises that once dominated the American economy have been shipped overseas. To stay competitive with the flood of cheap foreign products that have inundated our markets, American businesses have been moving manufacturing plants overseas where labor and often transportation and natural resources are cheaper. Since 2001, millions of U.S. manufacturing jobs have been lost, contributing to the more than 10 million Americans now unemployed. Politicians are just beginning to understand the high economic price exacted by outsourcing our manufacturing base.

In a recent column posted on the Alliance for American Manufacturing’s blog ManufactureThis, the economic benefits of manufacturing jobs were explained by Peter Navarro, a CNBC contributor and professor at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California-Irvine. “Without a robust manufacturing base, the U.S. economy will lack the core strength to sustain any robust longer-term economic growth,” Navarro says. With nearly 3 million American workers relying on the auto industry and its supply chain for their income, America can’t afford to lose an industry that constitutes one-fifth of the 15 million manufacturing jobs left in America.

It’s the “multiplier effect,” the ability to create jobs downstream, that makes manufacturing jobs so valuable to economic stability and growth. Service jobs, which account for the bulk of U.S. jobs today, have a multiplier effect that is less than half that of manufacturing jobs. As Navarro explains, “This means that for every one job created — or saved! — in manufacturing, an additional four to five jobs are created downstream — from cops, firefighters, and teachers to dry cleaners, insurance agents, plumbers, and real estate brokers.”

But the economic effect of manufacturing jobs is even greater because they generally pay more than service sector jobs. This means more money going back into the economy, Navarro points out. Bailing out the auto industry, one of America’s last major manufacturers, is essential to our economic recovery. As Navarro says, “the U.S. economy will still never return to its former levels of long-term growth, glory and prosperity without a full restoration of its manufacturing base.”

A Trailer Mover can Help Manage Increases in Sales During Vacation Season

Spring is on the way and that means that many families will be planning and getting prepared for the impending vacation season.  New campers might need to be purchased or new boats, jet skis or ATVs might need to be towed which ultimately means an increase in business for the manufacturers of trailers and recreational vehicles.

While it’s easy to haul around a trailer or RV on the open road with the help of a pick up truck, moving them around the showroom or sales lot isn’t always a breeze.  There usually isn’t enough room for a full sized pick up to tow trailers around a crowded lot which can make the task quite difficult for lot workers and sales people.

Manually trying to move a heavy trailer of RV could cause serious injury and potentially do quite a bit of damage if employees where unable to keep the unit under control.  This is precisely why trailer and RV dealers need a high quality piece of equipment like the trailer mover from DJ Products to assist employees in relocating their products.

The trailer mover from DJ Products much smaller and easier to use than the majority of other trailer pushers on the market which makes it ideal for use in smaller or more crowded lots.  A single employee can easily hook up the trailer mover to a camper, boat or RV and move it to the required destination for viewing or repair without fear of overexertion or doing damage to other vehicles.  The trailer mover is the perfect way to increase employee safety and efficiency in a high volume trailer or RV distributor, especially during the spring and summer when sales tend to increase.

Preparing for Camping and Fishing Season with a Trailer Mover

June has arrived and that means that families all over the country are preparing for daytrips, long weekends and full vacations.  Many folks who have fallen in love with the great outdoors are preparing to upgrade their boats, jet skis or RVs in order to make the most of the upcoming vacation season.

This seasonal increase in interest has camper and trailer manufacturers working harder to keep up with the higher volume of sales.  If employees on the assembly line don’t have the right equipment to assist in the manufacturing process this increase in business could lead to an increase in employee injuries though.  Employees who need to manually maneuver trailers down an assembly line are at risk of suffering serious musculoskeletal strains and injuries that could require extensive medical care.

A piece of equipment like the trailer mover from DJ Products can instantly increase the efficiency of employees on the assembly line while simultaneously reducing the risk of injuries.  The trailer mover is powerful enough to haul trailers and full sized RVs over short distances without putting any undue strain on the operator.

The small frame size and tight turning radius of the trailer mover allows assembly line employees to navigate trailers and RVs around tight corners and through cramped quarters.  This ability to keep the trailers under complete control minimizes the chances of damage and keeps the product in the best condition during the assembly period. 

Investing in a piece of equipment like the trailer mover is the perfect way for a trailer and RV manufacturer to keep up with potential increases in business during vacation season.  The trailer mover allows valuable employees to remain injury free and ensures that the final product can be delivered to the showroom floor in ready to sell condition.

Boat and Camper Maintenance Made Easy with a Trailer Pusher

The end of the Summer is upon us and for many people that means officially having to close up shop at the campground or marina.  Boats and small campers have been utilized to their fullest for the last few months and may need either minor or major repairs prior to being stored away until next year’s vacation season.In dealerships or facilities that repair, restore, distribute or even manufacture boats, campers and trailers there is nothing that makes the job easier than a trailer pusher.  In environments where a trailer pusher isn’t available, employees might be required to move a heavy trailer manually, which could potentially result in serious injury.  A trailer pusher quickly and easily hooks up to standard ball coupler, gooseneck or kingpin trailers and allows a single person to safely move even a heavy camper or boat from one location to another, with minimal chances of personal injury or damage to the unit or surrounding property.Trailer pushers are compact in design and operate on battery power, which means that they are quieter while in use and quite a bit easier to store than a bulky, propane operated forklift.  A trailer pusher has a much tighter turning radius than a full size forklift so employees will have a much easier time maneuvering boats and campers around in small repair bays or crowded parking lots, resulting in less of a chance of bumps, scrapes and scratches that would make for unnecessary additional work.Boats, campers and trailers are just too large and cumbersome for employees to try and move around manually and using improperly designed equipment will often result in accidental minor damage.  Using a trailer pusher to get a boat or camper from point A to point B on the assembly line or in the repair shop is the best way to keep both your employees and the units themselves as safe as possible when a move needs to be made.