Day: June 14, 2016

Hiring Tips for Hourly Warehouse Employees

Most businesses rely on hourly employees for certain positions. Many workers simply prefer the flexibility and freedom of part-time work. For today’s managers, it’s crucial to get excellent warehouse productivity from hourly employees while operating an effective hiring process.

Here’s how to find the right people for the hourly positions in your warehouse:

Expect turnover when you design jobs. Mostly hourly workers want their job to become a full-time career, but plenty don’t. With turnover rates at around 20% annually, warehouse managers should create some jobs with easy training so the company does not bleed profits by constantly training new workers.

Recruit workers of all ages. You might be surprised at how many older workers are more interested in hourly and part-time work. Aside from following age discrimination laws, employers can get the best results by considering workers of all ages for various positions.

Recruit locally. Hourly workers usually look for employment within 5 miles of their home, so make sure to target local communities. Local workers are less likely to show up late or quit due to frustration with a long commute.

Be competitive with other employers. When applying for hourly jobs, most people submit applications to three or more companies. When you see a good resume, take action and get the interviewing and hiring process done quickly to secure the best talent.

To get the most out of hourly employees, you can also add cart movers to make the work environment more productive and safe. Find out how material handling equipment makes warehouse jobs easier and more efficient for everyone on staff.

5 Tips to Improve Your Warehouse Team in 2015

When attempting to improve efficiency in your  warehouse, there are a lot of moving parts that require attention. You must manage the movement of incoming goods from suppliers, maintain accurate inventory, coordinate deliveries to suit your customer’s needs, and protect the safety of your personnel the entire time.

The new year is a good time to implement changes that will boost performance in all areas.

  • Ask your team for ideas. You probably have more experience and knowledge than anyone in the warehouse, but they are on the front lines everyday. While looking at the big picture, it is possible to miss seeing some crucial details that need attention.
  • Schedule frequent training classes. Humans are creatures of habit. It is easy to develop bad habits that go unnoticed. Formal training classes will keep everyone following proper protocol.
  • Use automation to lower injuries and cost. Motorized carts, tugger carts, and electric tugs will prevent injuries and decrease fatigue. Your staff will be more alert and productive throughout the day.
  • Offer advancement opportunities. Everyone wants to take pride in what they do. When team members have individual goals, it is easier to accomplish the goals you have for the whole team.
  • Cross train personnel. By understanding the different jobs and functions of the warehouse, team members are more inclined to work together.

Regardless of your industry or the size of your warehouse, DJ Products has the material moving carts, cart movers, or other tuggers that will help you operate safer and more efficiently in 2015 and for many years ahead. Call 800.686.2651 to speak with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

Introducing the WagonCaddyHD

No longer will you need to expend extra time and labor transporting awkwardly-sized loads that don’t fit neatly on the cart. The new WagonCaddyHD from DJ Products provides a unique solution for easy maneuvering of difficult items.

Your employees are sometimes required to move large products or items that hang over the ends of the cart. The bulkiness and weight of the load makes it impossible to push manually. In addition, it’s difficult for a motorized tugger to reach underneath and grab the load. Attempts to transport the load can lead to damages, injury or both.

The WagonCaddyHD powered cart makes use of a side-steer mechanism that allows loads of up to 10,000 pounds to be moved safely and efficiently around your workplace. Since the operator is standing clear of either end of the cart, the overhanging product no longer obstructs his movements. Three 12-volt batteries supply enough power to last an entire shift.

Material handling tasks can often cause injuries that have serious financial and operational effects on your company. The WagonCaddyHD is designed with safety and comfort in mind. It operates on battery power, reducing physical strain on the operator. Ergonomic features such as a variable speed twist grip eliminate the harsh movements that can cause repetitive stress injuries.

The WagonCaddyHD is just the latest in Team Cart Caddy’s comprehensive line of battery-powered material handling solutions that handle applications from carts and dumpsters to trailers and aircraft. Use our online chat feature to get real-time assistance from our friendly and helpful Sales Engineers.

Working Safe in a Cold Winter Warehouse

When it comes to the temperature of your warehouse, you are largely at the mercy of the current outdoor temperature. Large expanses of cold concrete floors, high ceilings, little to no insulation, and frequently opened bay doors all add up to a bone-chilling work environment during winter months.

Potential problems

The cold weather brings many problems.

  • Hypothermia: Without equipment like cart pullers, workers sweat more and increase heat loss. Hypothermia can kill quickly and older employees are at high risk in any environment below body temperature.
  • Chilbains: The tissue damage can be acute, lasting 1 to 2 weeks, or chronic and cause permanent damage. It occurs subtly and even minor cases cause lifelong sensitivity.
  • Equipment damage: Machines may freeze up and the melting ice or high moisture can damage electronic components.

Preventing problems

You can easily avoid some serious conditions.

  • Prepare your equipment by covering any metal handles or bars with an insulating material.
  • Educate employees about potential problems and symptoms of overexposure.
  • When someone works up a sweat, they are at higher risk of cold-related health problems. Use ergonomic material moving equipment and be sure everyone takes frequent breaks in a warm area.

Regardless of your industry or the size of your warehouse, DJ Products can help you operate safer and be more productive throughout the year. Call 800.686.2651 to discuss your equipment needs with one of our courteous and knowledgeable Sales Engineers.

Management by Walking Around – Can It Help Improve Warehouse Productivity?

Warehouse managers often overlook the many benefits walking around can have on productivity. If you are writing a movie and want the boss portrayed as arrogant, out of touch, and the villain, put him in a glass-walled office that looks down on employees and keep him there. But to be the best manager you can be in the real world, interact with people and see what they are facing firsthand.

Frequent walks around your warehouse benefit in many ways:

  • Identify bottlenecks- When you get an up close perspective of the day to day operations, you can more easily identify areas that could be improved by automation and industrial power movers.
  • Improved awareness- There is no denying that employees are more conscious and mindful of following proper procedures and maintaining quality when the boss is nearby.
  • Improved trust- It is much easier for employees to trust you when they get to know who your really are and do not have misconceptions about you. By interacting with them naturally, you remove barriers to open communication.
  • More accountability- Agreements that are made in person and conversations that take place one-on-one are more meaningful. Everyone is more likely to follow through when you interact with your team members on a daily basis.
  • More openness- When people feel comfortable, they are more like to express ideas. Some of their ideas can really be creative and beneficial.

To discuss ways our line of material movers and cart pullers can improve both the safety and efficiency in your warehouse, call 800.686.2651 to speak with one of your knowledgeable and courteous sales engineers today.

Outsourcing Logistics Expected to Revolutionize Warehousing

A shift toward logistics outsourcing could spell revolutionary change for the warehousing industry that could result in leaner, more efficient business models. That was the conclusion of logistics industry experts speaking at the recent Warehouse Educational Research Council’s (WERC) annual conference in Chicago.

“In the 20th century the common business model was a large integrated company that owned, managed and directly controlled its assets,” Andy Dishner, senior director of client solutions for TMSi Logistics, told conference participants. “But in this new century we have seen a major cultural shift toward outsourcing many key functions. It really comes down to evaluating whether logistics is your core competency.”

Damian Burke, a principal with logistics consultancy Conveying Solutions Inc., joined Dishner in urging the warehousing industry to streamline logistics. Currently, companies are forced to split their resources by handling their own logistics, an area in which they may not have sufficient expertise. Burke said many companies are turning to third-party logistics providers (3PL) to solve their logistics problems. By outsourcing logistics, companies can concentrate on their primary business and leave the logistics to experts, thus streamlining their own operations.

While recommending the use of 3PLs to handle company logistics, both Burke and Dishner reminded conference participants that they could not afford to ignore logistics management. “We realize that a lot of manufacturers realize that it could be professional suicide if the choice [of a 3PL] doesn’t work out,” Dishner said. “Relationships and measurements are key,” Burke added. “We are certainly not advocating reckless investment in systems you don’t trust.”

Implementing a Forklift-Free Program

Forklift trucks are expensive to maintain and are a significant source of worker injuries and even deaths each year. The high cost of using forklifts in manufacturing, warehousing and logistics environments is pushing an increasing number of businesses to go forklift-free (see our June 11 post). Going forklift-free can reduce inventory and equipment needs, improve material flow and customer response, increase cycle efficiency and overall productivity, and decrease operating costs. At the same time a forklift-free work environment significantly improves plant safety; decreases liability concerns; and markedly decreases worker injuries and associated medical, insurance, disability and lost man-hour costs.

Implementing a forklift-free program can be challenging and will require a coordinated effort by top-level management, all affected departments, and suppliers, say John Neuman and Larry Tyler in American Machinist. They emphasize that success will require the ability to maintain “a big picture overview of the project as well as an understanding of how each department and suppliers, both internal and external, will be impacted.”

A successful transition to a forklift-free environment begins with a clarification of plan targets and goals and the identification of waste, ergonomic and safety threats. Neuman and Tyler suggest beginning by asking how operations and your supply chain will be impacted by a forklift-free system. Typical project leaders include manufacturing and industrial engineers and material logistics personnel. Input should be gathered from safety teams, production managers, line operators, tug drivers, market supply teams, your purchasing department and suppliers. Good communication, efficient information coordination, and clear assignment of responsibilities are important to success at this stage of the project, warn Neuman and Tyler.

Performing a trial run that physically traces each step of operation from the supplier to the receiving dock through assembly and back to the shipping dock allows the implementation team to uncover any potential problems before initiation. Role playing allows each individual who will participate in the new process to experience and try out the actual movements they will need to undertake in a forklift-free production. The suggestions gained from a physical dry run can provide valuable insight into operational, personnel and supplier issues that must be addressed before full implementation of a forklift-free system.

Obviously, implementing a forklift-free environment in an existing plant presents a significantly greater challenge than in a new or remodeled facility where changes can be incorporated in the planning phase. Neuman and Tyler warn that “existing plant constraints may make the best forklift-free strategy less than optimal.” Aisle widths, conveyor heights, set backs, line space, ceiling height and floor quality are among the challenges that may need to be overcome. Incremental conversion beginning with one or two work cells or a common assembly area may allow for greater success in brownfield operations. Despite the added challenges, positive results can be achieved in brownfield operations though initial cost and implementation time may be somewhat greater.

The Future Is Now!

If you have kids, you’ve probably seen trailers for the new Disney-Pixar animated film WALL-E. Robots like WALL-E and his cohorts represent the wave of the future in material handling, though let’s hope they get the kinks worked out before they start installation. Can you imagine the chaos if a bunch of inept robots was allowed to run amuck on your plant floor? Life, after all, is not a movie. The hero almost never arrives to save the day in the final seconds of a plant emergency!

Robot prototypes that allow us to glimpse and plan for the future of material handling are already on the market. British tech firm RTS Flexible Solutions has introduced a 3-D vision-based robot automation system that can grip complex shapes and profiles, pick at variable heights and even perform some inspection and defect rejection actions.

“Advances in technology mean we can deliver applications which have been difficult for conventional 2D technology,” commented RTS managing director David Bradford. While 2D vision-guided robotic automaton works on grayscale, color or line-scanning vision systems, the new 3D system can process on X, Y and Z coordinates. For the first time this allows a robotic application to accurately gauge height, depth and surface contours, opening new possibilities for material management. 

It will be a while before robotic applications can effectively perform many material handling functions, but that day can already be glimpsed on the horizon. Computer software and management skills are more apt to define material handling workers of the future. It’s going to be a whole new ball game!

Sustainability Takes “Green” to Next Level

Everyone is “going green” these days. Concern for the environment sparked “green” businesses, but skyrocketing fuel prices have ignited those efforts, pushing environmental practices ever more quickly toward sustainability.

What is sustainability? Sustainability takes environmentally-friendly practices to the next level. It improves upon the protection and husbandry of the world’s natural resources by utilizing processes that reclaim and reuse the products and byproducts of industry. Production comes full-circle: resources are used to create products which are then used and, at the end of their life cycle, recovered and reused to create new products.  The ultimate goal of sustainability is to complete the cycle without creating unusable byproducts or waste and without polluting the environment.

Supply Chain Sustainability and Green Sustainable Supply Chain are the coming watchwords in the material handling and logistics industries, said Patrick Penfield of Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management in a 2007 article for On the MHove, a MHIA publication. Growing concern over environmental pollution and dwindling natural resources are driving the push for sustainability.  “Humankind has inherited a 3.8 billion per year store of natural capital. At present rates of use and degradation, there will be little left by the end of the next century,” authors of the book Natural Capitalism warned in 1999. Less than a decade later, scientists are concerned that the crisis point could be reached far sooner.

Despite the Bush administration’s failure to embrace global environmental efforts (and there are many valid arguments on both sides of that issue), European legislation restricting pollution and hazardous substances presage the future. Experts predict that the world will be unable to support its populace if the global community — including the U.S., China, Brazil, India and developing countries around the world — does not embrace environmental protection and work quickly to implement sustainable industry.

Next time: Supply Chain Sustainability

Ergonomic Plan Can Help Attract and Retain Workers

This week we’ve been talking about the growing worker crisis that faces the material handling, manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and related industries (see our Nov. 3 post). By 2010, American industry will face a 50% shortfall in its material handling workforce. Attracting workers to material industry jobs is one of the biggest challenges of our industry (see our Nov. 5 post), particularly with worldwide growth in our industry expected to remain robust over the next several decades. Developing and instituting a comprehensive ergonomic plan in your company is an excellent way to attract new workers and retain your current workforce.

Ergonomics is the science of designing equipment and planning work tasks with the goal of eliminating workers’ risk of musculoskeletal injury. Equipment and tasks are designed around the capabilities of workers and seek to make it possible for workers to perform tasks with a minimum of physical strain and effort. A comprehensive ergonomic plan combines the use of ergonomically-designed equipment with ergonomically-planned task procedures to make it possible for workers to perform tasks more efficiently with a minimum of potential injury-causing motions.

Any time a worker has to bend, stretch, reach, push, pull or lift, he runs the risk of serious musculoskeletal injury. These injuries cost U.S. businesses more than $150 billion a year. More than 13 million American workers suffer non-fatal injuries each year, and 6,500 people die from workplace injuries. Workers’ compensation costs U.S. businesses $60 billion annually, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. More than 25% of those claims are for back injuries caused by repetitive lifting, pulling, pushing and straining. Back injuries alone affect more than 1.75 million workers a year, costing American businesses more than $12 million in lost workdays.

When you implement a comprehensive ergonomic plan, you send an immediate message to your employees that you respect their contribution to your business and value their health and safety. That, in turn, engenders worker appreciation and loyalty. The ability to offer a safe, ergonomic work environment is a powerful inducement in attracting and retaining your workforce.

DJ Products is an industry leader in the manufacture of ergonomically-designed electric and motorized cart pushers. Our equipment is less costly, smaller and more maneuverable than traditional equipment used to move carts and equipment. Ergonomically-designed equipment increases worker efficiency, thus improving production efficiency. In most situations where ergonomic equipment is introduced, businesses recoup purchase costs within the first year in medical, insurance, workers’ compensation and lost work-days savings alone. An investment in ergonomic equipment is a win-win situation for both businesses and their workers. DJ Products’ ergonomic specialists can help you assess your equipment needs and explore custom applications to benefit your business and your workers.