Day: January 30, 2018

Tips to Improve Efficiency in Your Terminal Distribution Center

Tips to Improve Efficiency in Your Terminal Distribution Center
Tips to Improve Efficiency in Your Terminal Distribution Center

The rise of e-commerce companies has lead to a boom for terminal distribution centers. A significant part of the manpower and overall operation of distribution centers involves picking orders, packaging, and shipping orders. Equipment like the battery-powered terminal tractors from DJ Products can help maximize manpower, reduce injuries, and save money.

The following are a few more tips that can help improve the efficiency of your terminal distribution center:

Utilize available technology

There have been some extraordinary advancements made in the area of industrial robots in recent years. Along with robots, there are now smart conveyor systems, and warehouse management systems (WMS) that not only keep things running smoothly but also make tracking incoming shipments and monitoring inventory easier than ever before.

Innovations like the TrailerCaddy Terminal Tractors from DJ Products reduce injuries to employees and damage to trailers and buildings.

Improve inventory management

By keeping inventory low you spend less effort managing products that are sitting on the shelf. There are WMS solutions to help monitor inventory in real time and lower costs due to damaged products.

Frequently evaluate your processes

People working on the floor are the first to notice problems and can identify areas that are not flowing as efficiently as possible. Be sure your warehouse personnel know their input is heard and appreciated. People work more efficiently when they are not fatigued or overexerting themselves. Incorporate equipment that allows one person to do the work of several both easier and safer.

Consult with experts

If you’re looking for ways to reduce workers comp claims, lower operational costs, and increase productivity, contact one of the knowledgeable and courteous sales engineers at DJ Products for a consultation about your businesses and which products are best for your needs.

Trucking Industry 2018: Tight Capacity and Strong Demand

UTrucking Industry 2018: Tight Capacity and Strong Demand
Trucking Industry 2018: Tight Capacity and Strong Demand

What adjustments have your trucking firm made to prepare for 2018? Based on expert predictions for the transportation industry in the upcoming year, you’ll need sturdy semi trailer movers to help accommodate the demand.

Business Expansion = Higher Demand

According to Don Ake, trucking industry analyst for FTR Transportation Intelligence, confidence and business conditions are “at their highest level since the Great Recession.” Positive indicators are leading experts to anticipate extended business expansion, both at home and abroad.

This optimism is built on a number of factors:

– Tax reform is expected to create more a favorable regulatory environment for the trucking industry.

– There are signs that Congress and the Trump administration are ready to start considering an eagerly anticipated infrastructure funding proposal.

– Growth in real gross domestic product is expected to continue, climbing from 1.5 percent in 2016 to 2.8 percent in 2018.

Economy’s Impact on the Trucking Industry

A surge in business means a greater need for trucking services. Rachal Snider, vice president of Customer Supply Chain at consulting firm AFN, cites reports predicting an increase in demand of 3.6 percent over the coming year.

With the Great Recession prompting carriers to pare fleets and reduce expenses, the boost in demand will lead to tighter capacity. Other contributing causes include a shortage of drivers and implementation of the ELD (electronic logging devices) mandate, which can reduce capacity by as much as 8 percent.

Keep Trailers Moving with the Yard Dog from DJ Products

Get ready for a successful year with our battery-powered semi trailer movers that improve productivity while reducing risk of workplace injuries. Visit our website or call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our friendly and knowledgeable sales engineers.

Distribution Managers – Transportation Metrics That You Should Monitor for Success

Distribution Managers - Transportation Metrics That You Should Monitor for Success
Distribution Managers – Transportation Metrics That You Should Monitor for Success

Using electric yard trucks to move trailers is one way to immediately boost productivity and reduce costs. How do you uncover those less obvious but equally important areas for improvement? Transportation metrics help you implement and measure best practices to strike the right balance between service and cost.

Tips for Incorporating Transportation Metrics in Your Logistics Operation

– It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of available data. Choose the measurements that are most aligned with your goals and focus on three to five key performance indicators (KPI) per functional area.

– Don’t assume that you understand the various metrics. Make sure you know what each one measures, what variables affect them and how they are relevant to your specific business.

– Set goals that are aggressive enough to result in true growth, but realistic enough to be obtainable.

– Designate a person or department to take ownership of achieving a goal and be sure you’re all on the same page.

– The most sophisticated metrics mean nothing without corresponding action. Evaluate results and create plans to make any necessary improvements.

Commonly-Used Transportation Metrics

– Freight cost per unit shipped is particularly helpful when standard units of measure are being used.

– Percent of truckload capacity used reveals opportunities to maximize efficiency.

– Transit time is vital for quoting accurate lead times.

– Truck turnaround time is a good overall snapshot of your operations, including receiving and shipping processes.

– Freight bill accuracy can detect small errors that add up to big savings.

Optimize Efficiency with Yard Trucks from DJ Products

DJ Products is your preferred supplier of battery-powered yard trucks that save manpower, improve workplace safety and reduce costs. Visit our website and learn more about our popular Yard Dog from one of our cheerful sales engineers.

Tips for Starting a Recycling Program at Work

Tips for Starting a Recycling Program at Work
Tips for Starting a Recycling Program at Work

Starting a recycling program at work is much easier than most people realize. To get things going, you should first have an understanding of the trash your company currently generates. While you are evaluating your company’s garbage and disposal process, it’s a great time to talk to the pros at DJ Products about how their dumpster moving products can save your company time and money.

You can maximize manpower and avoid many common workplace injuries with our energy-efficient and easily-maneuvered cart tuggers.

Build an enthusiastic team

A company recycling program is a great thing that many employees will gladly support. You probably already have several environmentally-conscious people with knowledge about things like the best recycling bins the local recycling haulers use. These people will gladly research the many benefits of your recycling program and get other employees excited about participating.

Help them create a plan

Your plan should start with the program’s objectives and include ways to reduce overall waste. Deciding what materials can and should be recycled is not simple. You will need a thorough waste assessment of what is currently being thrown out and in what quantities.

A good recycling program can establish your company as a community leader in responsible waste management. Once your recycling program is underway, celebrate the accomplishment and show your gratitude to the people who made it happen.

Your employees and team members are crucial to your company’s success. Another way you can show you appreciate the hard work they do daily is to provide them with economical dumpster moving equipment. Our products can help prevent many common workers comp claims.

Contact a DJ Products sales engineer today to discuss which waste container movers are best for your company and your recycling program.

Ecommerce and the Speed of Fulfillment Drives New Robotic Technology into Warehouses

Ecommerce and the Speed of Fulfillment Drives New Robotic Technology into Warehouses
Ecommerce and the Speed of Fulfillment Drives New Robotic Technology into Warehouses

As e-commerce growth continues to surge past brick-and-mortar sales, how will online retailers keep up with order fulfillment? It may not be long before order-filling robots take their place alongside the rest of your material handling equipment.

Can E-commerce Response Keep Up with Consumer Demand?

According to Ken Goldberg, a roboticist from UC Berkeley, Amazon and other ecommerce companies are delivering orders at an astonishing rate of 500 packages per second. With online sales projected to reach $600 billion in the U.S. by 2020, that number will only increase.

While robots aren’t new to warehouses and fulfillment centers, they’ve been limited to literally doing the heavy lifting. Advancements in technology are allowing robots to pick orders and perform other nuanced tasks.

Robots Go to “School”

Human hands are still more suited to packing orders, the final step in order filling, but a San Francisco startup named Kindred is teaching this task to robots with a two-step method surprisingly similar to how humans learn.

– The process begins with imitation learning, in which engineers actually steer the robots to show them how to handle products from a wide range of shapes and sizes.

– During reinforcement learning, robots essentially “practice” what they’ve learned, refining their movements to increase speed and accuracy.

Will humans eventually become obsolete? Not according to David Schatsky of Deloitte, co-author of a report on robots in the workplace. Schatsky predicts that jobs will evolve, with humans shifting into creative and supervisory roles.

Boost Warehouse Efficiency with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

There’s still a lot of heavy lifting that needs to be done by your employees. Visit our website and use the convenient online chat feature to learn more about our full line of tugs, pushers and movers.