September 27, 2017 - DJ Products

Warehouse Ergonomics Reduce Worker Injuries

Warehousing and storage may not sound like a particularly risky industry. But in fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers in this segment suffer musculoskeletal injuries twice as frequently as those in general private industry.

Improve workplace safety and reduce injuries by implementing sound ergonomic principles for the more common physical tasks.

Placing and Picking

• Teach proper body alignment so employees aren’t forced to twist their back.

• If possible, organize the workplace so employees don’t have to reach up or bend down to perform activities.

• Use a dumpster puller or other battery-powered mover for heavy loads.

Packing

• Make sure employees maintain a neutral posture: straight neck and back, shoulders down, elbows at right angles, wrists straight.

• Minimize the need to apply force such as pinching, pushing, pulling or gripping.

• Use carts and conveyors to reduce manual movement of items.

Shipping and Receiving

• Enforce proper lifting techniques to engage knees and legs rather than the back.

• Use mechanical assistance whenever possible.

• Keep loads in the zone between knees and shoulders. Particularly heavy loads should be between knuckle and elbow height.

Boost Workplace Safety with a Dumpster Puller from DJ Products

Surprisingly, the trash room is the most dangerous spot in a workplace. Injury risks range from overexertion due to moving heavy loads to pinching fingers and hands in dumpster lids.

Satisfied customers say that our WasteCaddy is “like having another employee on staff.” A single employee of any age or size can perform an activity that usually requires two workers.

Call 800.686.2651 to get cheerful assistance from one of our knowledgeable sales engineers.

The Hospitality Industry Runs via a Robust Immigrant Work Force

Recent controversy about immigration policies in the United States has sounded an alarm among members of the hospitality industry. Potential regulation changes could seriously impact the robust immigrant workforce in restaurants and hotels.

How the Hospitality Industry Relies on Immigrants

According to the National Restaurant Association, nearly one-quarter of restaurant employees nationwide are immigrants. That number is even larger among chefs, where immigrants make up 45 percent of the total.

The ratio is borne out in individual states such as New Mexico, where approximately 22 percent of hospitality workers are immigrants. Numbers are even higher at some individual businesses such as the Inn of the Governors in Santa Fe, where immigrants are one-third of the hotel’s 75 employees.

“The Hardest Workers”

Cynthia Fresquez, general manager of the DoubleTree Hotel in Albuquerque, estimates that 50 percent of housekeeping workforces are comprised of immigrants. Fresquez adds that immigrants are “the hardest workers” who keep the businesses going.

That sentiment is echoed by Sam Gerberding, general manager of the Inn of the Governors. Gerberding says that immigrants are “profoundly important” because they are willing and able to perform jobs that would otherwise go unfilled.

Fernando Olea, owner and chef at Sazon, a Mexican restaurant in Santa Fe, employs a staff that is roughly 30 percent immigrants. Olea admits that he doesn’t know “how restaurants would be able to operate” without the immigrant workforce.

Lighten the Load with Battery-Powered Hotel Carts

As Cynthia Fresquez pointed out, housekeeping is the backbone of hotel operations. Visit our website to learn how you can improve staff efficiency and safety with electric hotel carts from DJ Products.

The Made in America Supply Chain as a Top 2017 Trend

As technology continues to advance at lightning speed, changes in warehousing and logistics reflect new methods and products. What are today’s hot trends in the supply chain?

“Made in America”

Policies of the current administration are likely to result in decreases in trade with China and Mexico. Europe is facing a similar situation, but the slow pace of Brexit negotiations could delay a decline in trade between Great Britain and Europe.

Logistics Is Becoming Increasingly Automated

Driverless vehicles are still on the distant horizon, but robots are decreasing the need for warehouse workers. In a recent survey by ARC, 15 percent of warehouse executives said that autonomous robots are a priority in their three-year plan.

The current threshold is development of robots with arms that can function as order pickers. Once that issue is solved, the loss of warehouse jobs is expected to accelerate.

E-commerce Continues to Revolutionize Shipping

As online shopping became more popular, logistics struggled to keep up with increased volume, culminating in the holiday season of 2013 when an estimated two million packages were delivered late. Large 3PLs like DHL are meeting the opportunity with innovative solutions such as drones and crowdsourcing.

Digital Supply Chain

The Internet of Things has progressed to the more wide-ranging Digital Economy. Next is the concept of a supply chain control tower, where IoT data is turned into actionable tasks.

Warehousing and Logistics Solutions from DJ Products

Are you looking for ways to improve productivity without sacrificing safety? Visit our website and chat with one of our sales engineers for information about the CartCaddyShorty and other electric movers, tugs and pushers.

Hotels Embrace a “YOUniverse” Experience to Woo Bookings

From the lobby to the guest room, people want to feel a connection with the places they stay. What if every aspect, from the decor to experiential moments, felt utterly personalized?

If hoteliers can predict what their guests want rather than waiting for surveys and feedback, it’s much easier to get people’s attention and win their loyalty. Instead of just keeping on trend in terms of shower curtains and healthy food options, a hotel needs to be proactive about delivering the kinds of experiences that guests love, or even share on Instagram.

Data analytics can now go further than ever before to provide this kind of proactive insight. Sabre Hospitality describes the effect in its report on the “Youniverse,” which means the idea of creating a product or service tailored to various individuals’ tastes and preferences. Today’s highly connected world with big data available makes it possible to correctly predict, not guess, what your hotel customers want.

Much the way Amazon can guess what products a consumer wants, hoteliers can predict what amenities will delight a guest and make them feel a brand connection.

Staying Ahead of Hotel Trends

Though your customer demographics may vary, the biggest trends in hospitality right now center on experience, collaborative spaces, and clean design.

DJ Products makes powered carts for hotels to help automate the processes of housekeeping, supply carts, and more. By removing the task of manually pushing carts—a rigorous, repetitive injury-prone part of the day—your employees can improve the guest experience across the board.

Want to streamline services with powered carts for hotels? Browse DJ Products hospitality carts for more info!

Warehouse Dock Maintenance Tips

Do your operations grind to a halt whenever a dock suddenly needs critical maintenance? Many dock problems can be prevented with more proactive care, cutting down greatly on the overall costs of your warehousing and logistics facilities, says Modern Materials Handling.

Gary Forger reports that insufficient maintenance accounts for up to 85% of all dock equipment problems. Planned maintenance can prevent much of that while also reducing the frequency of emergency repairs.

Options for Planned Dock Maintenance

Warehousing and logistics managers have multiple options for better planned maintenance:

• Add or appoint an in-house employee

• Partner with dock equipment suppliers to advise in-house staff

• Outsource to a structured dock maintenance program

Tips for Warehouse Dock Maintenance

The first step is to determine how often various components need recommended inspections and maintenance. Some parts need annual care, others should be maintained every 90 days.

In addition to checking for broken or worn-out parts, workers should test for energy leaks that may be costing a fortune.

Keep hydraulics working efficiently with proper fluid levels and lubricate moving parts regularly to prevent small wear-and-tear from becoming major damage or causing a shutdown.

Finally, consider how dock maintenance can improve worker safety. Dock-related injuries are common, resulting in good workers missing days and leading to claims.

On that note, DJ Products has industrial cart movers for the warehousing and logistics industry that can significantly improve your bottom line—through reduced injury risk as well as better productivity. We also have a line of trailer movers for improved safety around dock doors.

Contact DJ Products for more info about material handling solutions for warehousing and logistics.

What’s Trending in Technology for the Hospitality Industry?

With newer technology like mobile wallets changing people’s expectations in a tech-saturated world, the hospitality industry is catching up with the trends. Beyond the booking apps, hotels can use technology to radically change the way employees work and the guest experience itself.

At DJ Products, we know how to boost your staff’s productivity with powered carts for hotels. With the touch of a button, loaded housekeeping carts can roll down the hallways—protecting you from the ticking time bomb of repetitive stress injuries that lead to downtime and compensation claims.

Today, we’re rounding up hospitality tech trends including such highlights as:

Wi-Fi and Conferencing Equipment: Unless you operate a small bed-and-breakfast, it’s time to add cellular signal boosters and high-density Wi-Fi so guests and conference attendees can get reception.

Smart Check-In and Room Keys: Smartphones can now make key cards obsolete, so guests can check in online and stroll right to their rooms.

Robots: Room service, towels, and more can be delivered by robots. For a more personal touch, our powered carts for hotels can get your smiling human workers around the property faster.

Infrared Sensors: Putting an end to early morning door knocks, infrared sensors can tell staff if a room is occupied.

Smart Home Features: Reward your valued guests by letting them input preferred heating and air conditioning levels and more, integrated with smart home features that activate upon arrival.

The technology is already here for many of the new hotel amenities that people will soon expect. Get started with powered carts for hotels from DJ Products to speed up and improve hotel guest services.

Warehousing for eCommerce – Capturing a Piece of the Profit Pie

As ecommerce has changed the face of the traditional retailing model, so too has it triggered new methods in warehousing and logistics. Has your company incorporated these best practices for ecommerce warehousing?

7 Methods to Improve Ecommerce Warehousing Efficiency

>Use a cluster-picking strategy with multiple order containers in a single cart. Pick rates will go up while order pickers have to make fewer trips throughout the warehouse.

>Timely and accurate communication between retail and warehouse locations is imperative. Integrated systems such as distributed order management (DOM) help ensure smooth processing of all sizes of orders from any point of origin.

>The natural progression from a multi-channel model is omni-channel, which focuses on enhancing the customer experience by providing consistent service across all purchasing options. Designing facilities that consolidate these operations results in better cost-effectiveness.

>Use level-loading throughout the year to avoid the seasonal disparities of order processing.

>Don’t discount the value of warehouse management systems (WMS) as a solution to ecommerce challenges. Many WMS vendors are including more automation in their systems to meet the demands of higher volumes of smaller orders.

>Warehouse seasonality doesn’t always correspond with holiday seasonality. Make sure you understand the specific seasonality of your business so you can plan for the highs and lows.

>Consider using pop-up fulfillment centers to better accommodate order flow.

Warehousing and Logistics Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

Maximize your workforce with our best-selling CartCaddyShorty or any of our other battery-powered tugs, pushers and movers. Visit our website and use the handy chat feature to let our of our sales engineers help you find the best solution for your application.

Tips for Personalizing the Hotel Experience for Your Guests

Retail companies have successfully leveraged IT platforms to personalize the customer experience with actions such as suggesting purchases based on individual preferences. However, the hospitality industry is lagging behind in offering personalized service.

Bringing Personalization to the Hotel Guest Experience

Hotels have two significant roadblocks to personalizing a guest’s experience:

>Using different platforms for booking, POS, loyalty and other activities makes it difficult to efficiently capture the required data.

>Many guests book rooms through online travel agencies such as Expedia, so hotels don’t have access to email addresses unless desk clerks request them at check-in.

When Customer Service Misses the Mark

Carolyn Murphy, a marketing specialist for hospitality consulting firm Revinate, wrote about a less-than-satisfactory experience she had when checking into a hotel. The desk clerk asked Murphy if it was her first visit, despite the fact that she had stayed there twice before.

Murphy went on to add that she had posted a review of her original experience at the hotel on TripAdvisor and received a reply from the general manager. In addition, the day before Murphy’s arrival she tweeted about anticipating her visit and included the hotel’s Twitter handle.

According to a Yahoo survey, 78 percent of respondents expressed a preference for more personalized service. Giving guests a satisfying experience can pay off in more repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

Powered Carts for Hotels from DJ Products

Hotel guests value comfort and convenience. Our powered carts for hotels let your housekeeping staff perform their duties quickly and discreetly.

Visit our website and use our online chat feature to get assistance from one of our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Made in America – Meets National Security Needs for Department of Defense

Following a push for “Buy American,” the Trump Administration has rolled out another executive order regarding the sourcing of defense equipment from domestic manufacturers. Soon, contractors may be required to source made-in-the-USA materials from a DoD equipment supplier whenever feasible.

A more thorough analysis of what we know so far about the new DoD equipment supplier requirements has been made by Inside Government Contracts. Among the takeaways:

> The manufacturing order is intended to assess the military’s procurement methods as well as to boost the country’s defense manufacturing industry.

> The Secretary of Defense must complete a report by April 17, 2018, detailing the “resiliency and capacity” of the defense industrial base, so exact laws and regulations will be clearer around that time.

> Requirements to buy American products will most likely impact purchases for products that are already made or could be made domestically, and are not prohibitively more expensive than foreign-made alternatives.

DJ Products, a USA-Made DoD Equipment Supplier

Our company’s mission is to provide ergonomic, safe, and affordable solutions for material handling equipment such as warehouse cart movers and trailer tows. As a DoD equipment supplier, we have GSA-approved products such as our CarCaddy Military Truck Pusher, which can haul Humvees and other heavy trucks.

DJ Products is based out of Minnesota, and our material handling solutions are made in the USA. Rest assured that our DoD contractor equipment will satisfy any kind of domestic procurement law that may affect your operations in the near future.

Contact DJ Products to learn more about our cost-effective options for military contractors who need vehicle, trailer, or equipment moving solutions.

Day: September 27, 2017