Day: June 22, 2016

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

The Property Manager’s Guide to Recycling

Future Recycling Tips
Future Recycling Tips

Recycling has become one of the key words in this modern world of managing waste removal. The more items that can be recycled, the less garbage that ends up in landfills. That’s a good thing for both the community, as a whole, and the environment.

The First Step

Dumpster management is important for recycling to be a normal part of any commercial property. Most waste removal companies feature recycling as a regular part of their business, with a minimal or no extra charge. Having a dumpster set aside just for recyclables, goes far and away to promote a recycling mindset, because people will literally separate recyclable materials from trash, if given the option. And that’s what dumpster management is all about.

Signage

The second step is to make sure that people are aware that they have a recycling option. Signage and notifications, on printed media that can be posted in common accessible places, like laundry areas for example, are good reminders that items should be separated and placed in the correct receptacles. This can be done as a regular reminder in newsletters, notices can be tacked to bulletin boards, and signs can be mounted to the enclosure that houses the dumpsters. In this way, you’ll always keep the idea of recycling front and center, and doing so will always lead to more participation.

For more information about the easy way to move your dumpsters around, or for other industrial cart movers that may suit your warehouse or other industry, like trailer movers or small aircraft tuggers, please contact DJ Products. We have the right moving solution for any industrial need.

How to Prevent Trash Fires in Your Warehouse Dumpster

Prevent Dumpster Fires
Prevent Dumpster Fires

Although not common, trash fires in your warehouse dumpster should always be a concern. Greasy oily rags under the right conditions, can spontaneously combust. A cigarette or cigar butt thrown in, can light paper trash or cardboard refuse on fire. Even such things as a spark from welding or grinding, whether it comes from building or routine maintenance, has the potential to start a fire in your warehouse dumpster.

Of course, prevention is the best way to limit fires in any dumpster. Signs can be posted to make employees aware of only putting non-flammables inside. A sturdy metal cover will not allow random sparks to get in, and if it is tight enough, it may even inhibit spontaneous combustion. To that end, oily rags should have their own container, and receptacles for smokers should be well marked and available.

Safety First

Another safety consideration is the use of dumpster tows. If there is a fire, a dumpster tow can be quickly hooked onto the dumpster, and it can then be moved quickly outside, and out of harms, way by only one person instead of the three or four that are normally required.

In every case, dumpster fire prevention should always be a priority. But if there ever is a dumpster fire, a dumpster tow will get that dumpster out and away from the warehouse, minimizing both damage to the property and  safety concerns for your employees. Safety should always come first.

For more information about dumpster tows and how they may work for you, please contact DJ Products. We have the easiest and safest moving solutions, for any industrial need.