Tag: Warehousing

Our Predicted 2023 Warehouse and Distribution Center Trends

Trailer Dolly
The Future of Warehousing

Warehouses and distribution centers are heading into 2023 with many opportunities and challenges. Safety improvements are always important, making the use of trailer dolly solutions an ongoing trend. From supply chain and inventory solutions to increased interest in the use of automation, these are some of the other top trends in the warehouse and distribution industry for the new year.

Electric Delivery Vehicles

More companies are looking into using electric delivery vehicles to help cut down on pollution, noise, and costs. This involves the use of smaller vehicles, such as vans and small trucks, rather than box trucks. The use of these smaller vehicles is more practical in some areas, while also offering a way to reduce environmental damage.

Autonomous Lift and Reach Trucks

The use of forklifts in warehouses and distribution centers comes with a risk of injuries. Businesses are exploring the possibility of using autonomous lift and reach trucks to improve safety and efficiency. These trucks can make it easier to move items around with a lower risk of worker injuries.

Neighborhood Distribution Centers

Real estate costs and limited inventory on the market are pushing business owners to find other solutions for storing products. Some are turning to neighborhood distribution centers or mini-warehouses for storing goods. These localized distribution centers and warehouses could help make up for a lack of larger warehouse space.

Automation

With the rise in eCommerce, warehouse and distribution center owners are showing a growing interest in adopting automation. The use of automation can offer a solution to the problems the industry faces due to supply chain issues, labor shortages, and rising costs.

Supply and Inventory Solutions

With the supply chain improving in some areas, companies are looking into solutions for managing inventory more efficiently. Some companies face shortages of certain products, while others are dealing with too much inventory. Solutions might involve reducing prices on overstocked items or finding ways to obtain low inventory items.

If you’re looking into solutions for moving large vehicles safely in warehouses, hangars, or other facilities, please contact DJ Products. We offer trailer dolly solutions that make it much safer to pull or push large vehicles and other items.

Part 4: Why Businesses Fail

Financial experts seem to be teetering on the verge of labeling the country’s current economic situation a recession. It’s a label the government seems loathe to use, believing it will wreak further havoc on the stock market and send the economy spiraling down even further. No matter what you call it, things are difficult and it looks like they’re going to stay that way for a while. The economy is slow, credit is tight, fuel is high and bankruptcies are up. For many companies, the combination has delivered a knockout punch and they’re down for the count.

Last week we started a series on Why Businesses Fail (see our July 14-18 posts). We figure it’s better to learn from the mistakes of others than repeat them yourselves. This week we continue our list of the most likely reasons businesses fail:

  • Inappropriate inventory. You can’t sell what customers don’t want. Too much or the wrong inventory causes cash flow problems, wastes sales time and drains profits. By constantly tracking individual inventory items, you can make adjustments and effectively manage product flow on a weekly and monthly basis. Don’t make the mistake of relying strictly on accounting summaries to track inventory. Accounting tracks inventory by dollars, lumping moving and non-moving inventory into an average. To adequately control inventory, you need to track the actual physical items.
  • Excessive capital investments. Americans seem to equate success with things. Bigger cars, bigger houses, the latest gadgetry. In business there can be a tendency to buy newer, bigger, more expensive tools and equipment as a mark of success. But success in business is really based on the quality of the product or service you produce. That’s what drives sales and repeat business. Equipment purchases should relate to your ability to improve or maintain the quality of your product. Certainly, you need to update equipment as technology changes to be competitive. And often the expense of new technology can be recouped in short order by savings in energy, floor space or worker health and safety. But capital equipment purchases should always be evaluated for their ability to enhance the production of a quality product. 


If you’re looking for a cost-saving solution for your capital equipment investment, turn to the material handling experts at DJ Products. At DJ Products we manufacture ergonomically designed electric carts and motorized cart pushers for business, industry and service providers like hospitals. Our products are smaller and more maneuverable than traditional powered equipment like fork trucks, walkies and riding tugs, yet are capable of moving the same sized loads with ease. A smart capital investment, our products are less costly than purchasing traditional powered equipment. Because our carts, tugs and equipment movers are ergonomically designed, you’ll also realize an attractive savings in worker health and safety costs, including medical bills, insurance payments, workers’ compensation and lost man-hours. Visit the DJ Products website to check out our full line of ergonomically designed electric and motorized carts.


To be continued

More Tips to Improve Warehouse Efficiency

Continuing our Monday post, today we provide more tips to ramp up warehouse efficiency by improving material handling processes in distribution centers. In a recent Supply Demand Chain article, TriFactor systems engineer Greg Tuohy offered these suggestions:

  1. Re-evaluate pick tech. Eliminate paper-based picking in favor of auto-enhanced technology. Implementing radio frequency (RF), pick-to-voice or pick-to-light technology can make your operation more efficient. Evaluate the density of SKU locations, throughput, product characteristics and specialized procedures such as serial number tracking to determine the pick technology best suited to your operation, Tuohy advises.
  2. Evaluate pick method. Decide which picking method is most cost effective for your operation. Piece picking where the picker walks the aisles picking and completing one order at a time is the most time-consuming and, therefore, most costly. Small, maneuverable powered tugs can facilitate far more efficient batch picking where all orders are picked simultaneously in a single pass. Dolly pullers and electric tugs can also be used to streamline operations that use assembly-line style zone and wave picking. Powered carts and tugs help streamline your operation by increasing the speed and volume of work that can be accomplished by each worker.
  3. Multi-task. Practice task interleaving which combines picking with the put-away process, Tuohy suggests. Interleaving ensures that operators and equipment are always tasked, that time and energy are not wasted on empty loads. The idea is to create a continuous loop where equipment is always loaded, bringing materials to pick locations and returning empty pallets or delivering picked product to shipping locations.
  4. Minimize downtime. Equipment requires planned maintenance. A proactive maintenance plan will minimize downtime and save time and money. Planned maintenance should be conducted on equipment and automated systems on a regular schedule. Correct small problems immediately and keep frequently needed spare parts on hand.
  5. Protect power supply. Assess the vulnerability of your power supply. Lightning strikes, power outages and power spikes can wreak havoc with distribution systems, says Tuohy. Work with your local electric company to install surge protectors and other recommended protections. Battery-powered carts and tugs with enough juice to work through an entire shift can be the lifeline that keeps your operations moving when Mother Nature throws a fit.

Should You Hire Temporary Staff at Your Warehouse?

Should One Hire Temporary Staff?
Should One Hire Temporary Staff?

Of course, ultimately, a question like this can only be answered by the management staff at any warehouse, but consider these warehouse management tips when it comes to hiring on a staffer.

  • When compared to permanent employees, staffers have an overall productivity and effectiveness of 99.8%. That figure essentially means there is no difference in how a staffer performs than a regular employee.
  • Most staffing services offer their own insurance and benefit packages, and that keeps overhead lower when you hire a staffer than when you hire on a full/part time employee.
  • The best staffing companies routinely do pre-employment testing for drug use, honesty and health. When your staffer comes to work on that first day, you’ll know they are ready to go.
  • For seasonal work, which overloads your regular employees, a staffing service can’t be beat.

Try Before You Hire

Perhaps the best reason for a staffing service is searching for a new employee. Contract a staffing service for a worker, see their performance and their interaction with other employees, then make a decision on permanent employment. If that particular staffer doesn’t work out, you can terminate their contract through the staffing service, with essentially no hassle in doing so, which may be one of the best warehouse management tips you can have.

The Bottom Line

Yes, there may be some downsides in hiring a staffer, like overall employment cost and possible union pressure, but in virtually all situations, the question of whether or not to hire from a staffing service should be a resounding “yes!”

For more information, check out our blog at DJ Products, Inc.

Tips to Improve Warehouse and Distribution Productivity

There are three key areas to consider in improving productivity at your warehouse, distribution facility or fulfillment center:

  1. Information flow must match physical flow. When the flow of information matches the physical flow of goods, inventories can be better managed and storage, pick-and-pack and retrieval operations can be streamlined, increasing productivity. It is important to realize that optimal inventory does not necessarily mean minimal inventory. To efficiently manage inventory and the flow of goods, look beyond weekly order statistics. Today’s global market demands consideration of complex logistics. If goods must be shipped from distant or multiple locations, maintaining a higher inventory of certain products can enable faster and more efficient customer response. Gathering maximum information about each specific facet of your operation allows you to discern customer and supplier patterns and the interrelationship of the many logistical factors that connect them. Developing a thorough understanding of “the big picture,” puts you in position to more effectively and efficiently direct the flow of goods through your facility.
  2. Know and improve your total operation first. Before implementing new technology, particularly before engaging in the requisite evaluation that precedes a major change in your operation, make certain you have a thorough understanding of every aspect of your present operation. Current processes should be honed and improved to maximum efficiency and productivity before embarking on the time, expense and training involved to implement new technology. A thorough understanding of your total operation will enable you to make optimal use of current processes and pinpoint areas that can best profit most from new technology.
  3. Automate where possible. As labor becomes more expensive and laborers become harder to find, automation is the key to increasing productivity. With the Baby Boomer generation reaching retirement age, the traditional U.S. workforce is beginning to shrink. There are fewer people available to replace the retiring workforce, and fewer young people are seeking jobs in warehousing, distribution and fulfillment. A smaller available workforce will be in a position to demand higher wages. Increased automation and, where automation is not possible, the use of equipment that allows a single worker to accomplish more tasks in less time can decrease necessary workforce and labor costs while increasing efficiency and productivity.

Electric Lift Table Puts Work Materials at Optimal Height

We all know how much faster and easier a job is when all our materials are at optimal height and within easy reach. It’s a minor annoyance when we have to lift a heavy object or stretch for tools when we’re at home doing the weekend warrior bit; but when we have to lift and stretch hour-after-hour on the job, that minor annoyance can quickly become a painful injury. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overexertion injuries from repetitive lifting and awkward reaching cost employers an average of eight days of workers comp time per injury. That’s a pretty high price to pay for avoidable injuries.

Lifting injuries that cause pain and damage to the lower back are a leading safety issue in manufacturing, assembly, fulfillment, pick and pack, and numerous other industries. Ergonomics is the solution. Ergonomics is the science of designing equipment and tasks to safely accommodate the breadth of variety in the human work force. Ergonomic material handling equipment addresses safety issues created when workers of various sizes must perform the same work tasks. By making the individualization of work platforms possible, ergonomic material handling equipment minimizes the risk of injury from lifting, stretching and straining. DJ Products’ ergonomically-designed lift tables, scissors lifts and adjustable carts and platforms allow each individual worker to position materials at his personally-optimal work height.

Unfortunately, many plant operations were set up before manufacturers realized the importance of ergonomics in protecting workers’ health and safety, increasing productivity and managing costs. Fortunately, DJ Products manufactures a complete line of mobile adjustable lift tables, scissors lifts, carts and platforms. Our compact, battery-powered, electric lifts allow workers to lift materials and perform tasks at optimal work height, eliminating injury-inducing stress and strain. Contact DJ Products for complete information. We manufacture a full line of material handling products and can design an ergonomic solution to your unique problem.

Avoiding the Number One Citation from OSHA

According to statistics released in publications for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the number one reason for citations in warehouses across America is the forklift.  This makes perfect sense if you consider that more than 100 individuals die each year as a result of forklift related accidents and that nearly 100,000 people are injured in forklift incidents every single year.

If your employees, even ones that have been driving your forklift for a substantial period of time, don’t closely adhere to the proper safety guidelines when driving, they are putting themselves, other employees and your entire operation at risk.  Forklifts can be a huge asset to the warehouse and material handling environment, but only if they are used in a consciously safe manner.  Many forklifts are also loud and run on combustible fuels, which can add another element of risk to operation and storage.

Though forklifts have many potential benefits, if you run a warehouse or distribution center, there may be safer and easier alternatives to your material handling needs.  Battery powered carts from DJ Products create no noise pollution and operate free of combustible fuels – they are powered by a long life battery that can easily handle an entire, fast paced shift on a single charge, making them much more efficient and much less expensive to operate than a traditional forklift.

Keeping your employees safe is integral to running a successful business and the battery powered carts from DJ Products are designed with employee safety in mind.  All carts are ergonomically designed to prevent over use injuries and the overall operation is so simple that a single employee can transport heavy loads safely with very little physical effort.  This gives your employees the power to perform work as quickly as they could with a forklift, without the potential hazards often associated with forklift operation.  By trading in the biggest risk of employee injury for a much safer alternative you can greatly increase your company’s overall productivity while at the same time reducing risks to your valuable employees – that’s a winning situation for everyone.

Featuring the Paper Roll Pusher

Material handling equipment must perform on multiple levels to be effective. In addition to protecting employees from injury and allowing them to move large, heavy materials, it must do all this in an efficient manner, and the operator controls need to make maneuvering the product easier than any other feasible alternative.

The Paper Roll Pusher

CartCaddy Roll Pusher Paper rolls and wire spools are among the most difficult products to move around manufacturing environments. Any material handling equipment must be capable of handling these extremely heavy spools, while also having a way to control momentum. The CartCaddy Roll Pusher uses an easily adjustable roller system that is mounted on its front to push against the bottom of paper rolls and other round objects.

Total control for the operator

Applying pressure to the CartCaddy increases the traction of the drive wheels. The front-mounted rollers move the reel forward by rotating in the opposite direction. The operator controls momentum with the variable speed of the handlebar controls. When the operator slows the CartCaddy Roll Pusher, the rolling product also slows.

The CartCaddy Roll Pusher uses a 36 volt, 3 three battery system to move round objects up to 20,000 lbs. The charger works with 120/220 Hrz outlets. It has adjustable and custom rollers. The rollers extend beyond the cart’s profile to facilitate picking out rolls lined next to one another.

Regardless of your industry, DJ Products has a full line of material handling carts that will improve the efficiency of your business. Call 800.686.2651 to discuss your unique needs with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

How to Create a World-Class Warehouse

There are five essential steps to creating a world-class warehouse, according to Dr. Edward Frazelle, founder of The Logistics Institute at Georgia Tech and director of the school’s Logistics Management Series. A pioneer in modern logistics, Frazelle is an industry legend who has trained more than 50,000 logistics professionals and coached countless companies and government agencies in achieving logistics excellence.

  1. Profile. Frazelle believes in creating profiles of every element of a warehousing operation. Profiling order, activity and planning activities makes it possible to identify the causes of problems as well as pinpoint opportunities for improvement.
  2. Benchmark. It is necessary to determine a benchmark for warehouse performance, practices and infrastructure against which comparisons can be made to worldwide standards or future achievements. Benchmark comparisons allow you to determine the need for improvement or new technology.
  3. Innovate. Based on the information obtained during phases 1 and 2, warehouse processes are streamlined and made as efficient as possible.
  4. Automate. Computerize where possible to increase efficiency and productivity. Computerization should focus on simplifying tasks, increase performance and maximize resource use. Mechanize where justified to maximize production and storage density and to assist operators in performing complex tasks.
  5. Humanize. Involve warehouse operators in the redesign process. Recognize individual performance, promote team goals and implement ergonomic improvements in every possible warehouse activity to safeguard your workforce.

The order in which the above 5 elements are applied to warehouse design and redesign is important, warns Frazelle. Keep in mind that:

  • Design adjustments are much easier and cheaper to make in the early profile and benchmark phases.
  • Mechanization investments are less flexible and more expensive than computerization.
  • Protect your workforce. Ultimately your most valuable resource is your workforce. They are your last element of consideration only because your workforce requirements will be dictated by the preceding elements.

Frazelle’s five elements of warehouse development can be successfully utilized to design a warehouse master plan, redesign existing operations, develop requirements for management systems and guide improvement projects.

Material Handling Offers Good Job Growth Potential

Particularly in a tight economy everyone wants to know where the jobs are and where they’re going to be for the next decade or so. Material handling and the related fields of logistics and warehousing are growth industries that offer good job potential now and into the future. International development is predicted to drive 5% annual growth in the worldwide material handling industry for each of the next five years (see our Sept. 22 post). In the U.S. retiring baby boomers are creating critical worker shortages in logistics and warehousing. However, automation and increasingly sophisticated technology are also creating a need for more highly skilled and more highly educated workers.

While the value of experiential education is still recognized, a bachelor’s degree is the new entre into a professional career; and a master’s degree, the ticket to climbing the career ladder, according to Mike Ensby of Clarkson University’s Engineering & Global Operations Management Department. “The three most important credentialing letters today seem to be ‘MBA,'” he said in a recent interview with Modern Materials Handling, particularly if you’re aiming for the boardroom.

Companies do still hire people right out of high school, and many professionals who began their own careers that way seem to place greater value on certified skills than college degrees. But material handling is in a state of transition. Industry experts say the drive to automation and integrated systems will increasingly demand a workforce with advanced technical skills. Tomorrow’s warehouse worker is more apt to operate a computer than a forklift.

In the coming decade, high school grads may find themselves stuck in a career track that rarely rises above skilled labor, such as order fulfillment. “Going into the future, not many people will have much success in their career progression without professional development of some kind,” Ensby said.

Next time: What courses will catapult your material handling career to success? What will employers be looking for?