November 25, 2018 - DJ Products

Tow Device for Moving Your Dumpster Safely

Work Smarter, Not Harder. Get a Dumpster Caddy Today!

When trash day rolls around, do your employees struggle to maneuver the dumpster to the designated pick-up area? Our battery-powered dumpster mover lets a single worker easily handle the job with reduced risk of injury.

Our dumpster tow device is so effective that it was featured in an article for American City and County, a magazine for state and local government officials. Here’s what they had to say about the WasteCaddy from DJ Products.

Battling the High Costs of Trash Room Injuries

Fully-loaded trash dumpsters can weigh thousands of pounds. Manually moving these loads can result in serious back and shoulder injuries, causing expensive medical claims and costly loss of productivity.

Benefits of the WasteCaddy

With our WasteCaddy, a single employee can maneuver dumpsters weighing up to 5,000 pounds up and down inclines, around tight corners and through narrow hallways. If your business or organization is located in a cold-weather area, the WasteCaddy works through snow and ice as well.

The unit’s 36-volt, three-battery system is recharged with a charger that uses 120/220-volt outlets. Ergonomically-designed features such as the variable-speed twist grip help prevent common repetitive-motion injuries that can have chronic long-term effects.

WasteCaddy Works for All Applications

American City and County serves state and local governments, but our dumpster mover is appropriate for any business or organization that produces trash. The WasteCaddy is used in facilities as varied as warehouses, office buildings, multi-family housing units and retail complexes.

Which Dumpster Mover Is Right for You?

DJ Products offers a number of dumpster tows with a wide range of standard and optional features. Visit our website and use the convenient online chat feature to learn which dumpster mover is the best solution for your specific needs.

Planning Your First Warehouse Staff Holiday Party? How to Make it Memorable

Social Gatherings Can Set the Tone for Your Office, Make Sure It’s a Good One!

The holidays are a time to put away material handling equipment for a while and celebrate with your warehouse employees. Staff holiday parties are a great way to help employees bond and show your appreciation for their hard work.

Company parties involve different considerations than strictly social events. If you’re planning your first warehouse staff party, here are some useful tips to make it a festive holiday event for all.

Tips for Planning a Warehouse Staff Holiday Party

– It’s impossible to choose a date that will accommodate everyone. Conduct a survey offering three or four options and select the one that receives the majority of votes.

– Set a budget and allocate funds based on the priority of different elements. For example, you might spend 50 percent on entertainment, 35 percent on food and 15 percent on decorations.

– Decide what type of party you will hold. Do you want formal, casual, themed, activity-based? Make sure that whatever style you settle on is inclusive of all attendees.

– Possible venues include workplace, off-site facility or private home. The budget will be the primary deciding factor.

– Food can range from appetizers or pot luck to buffet or sit-down dinner. Don’t forget to ask guests about allergies beforehand and include vegetarian dishes for non-meat eaters.

– If alcohol will be served, don’t take any chances with drinking and driving. Hire a bus or other private transportation, provide credits for ride-share services or have sign-up sheets for carpools with designated drivers.

DJ Products: Material Handling Equipment for Any Time and Season

Promoting workplace safety throughout the year demonstrates concern for the well-being of your employees. Contact DJ Products and let our knowledgeable sales engineers help you find the right material handling equipment for your applications.

Key Warehouse Performance Metrics – What to Know

Understanding the Workplace

Goal-setting is necessary for any successful business, but how do you know if you’re on track? Improvements in technology provide advanced performance metrics to evaluate everything from condition of warehouse equipment to order fill rates.

Every warehouse will have its own priorities, but there are some key performance indicators (KPIs) that are applicable to any operation. Here are five major performance metrics and why you should be tracking them.

Truck Time at the Receiving Dock

Companies often focus on the processes that occur on the warehouse floor, but an efficient receiving dock is a crucial part of fulfilling customer demands. Excessive truck times can point to labor shortage or other problems to correct.

Inventory Intake Time

On-site inventory that’s not ready to be picked can actually end up costing money in lost revenue. If it’s taking too long to transfer received items to pick locations, an upgrade in warehouse equipment could be the solution.

Days-on-Hand

The longer a product sits in the warehouse, the more it impacts the bottom line with higher storage costs. Calculate storage cost per item and inventory cost per square foot to see if you’re optimizing inventory management.

Cost per Line Item Shipped

Order picking and packing form the meat-and-potatoes of warehouse operations. With the complexity of factors involved, cost per line item gives you a starting point from which to evaluate the overall process.

Perfect Order Percentage

What is the industry standard for perfect order percentage? Keep in mind that there’s a problem if reducing error rates results in higher expenses.

Achieve Your Goals with Quality Warehouse Equipment from DJ Products

Our electric tugs, movers and pushers offer dual benefits of increasing productivity while reducing costly workplace injuries. Contact us for more information.

The Airbnb Concept Arrives in the Warehouse Space

Companies can scale warehouse equipment and other assets up and down to accommodate changing needs. But a warehouse itself is a fixed property that involves major financial commitments, which can become detrimental to a company’s bottom line.

The warehouse industry is now on the cusp of a major disruption that could put the traditional model in the past. Some innovative companies are taking a page from the Airbnb book to create a warehouse sharing model.

Matching Supply with Demand

One such company is Stowga, a startup in the UK. According to CEO Charlie Pool, they realized that many warehouses had spare capacity while demand for warehouse space was increasing, so why not match up the two sides?

Stowga and US competitor Flexe offer high-tech platforms for companies to rent their unused warehouse space to other companies for variable lengths of time. Germany, Australia, Hong Kong and other industrialized countries are now scrambling to develop their own warehouse sharing services.

Benefits of Warehouse Sharing

– Warehouses are transformed from long-term, static assets to short-term, variable ones.

– Companies can be more agile in terms of expanding into new markets and pulling out of unprofitable ones.

– Warehouse sharing fits perfectly into the PAL (personalized, automated, localized) supply chain concept.

– Costs will be lower when companies can obtain warehouse space in proximity to their customer bases rather than remaining locked into cumbersome, far-away distribution chains.

– Fewer companies will need to rely on outdated, expensive and rigid solutions such as offshore manufacturing and global supply chains.

Warehouse Equipment for All Applications

Battery-powered tugs, movers and pushers from DJ Products are well-suited to carry your company from today’s warehouse models through future innovations. Visit our website where our friendly sales engineers are ready to assist you.

Our Top Tips for Truckers for Winter Driving

As we roll out our newly-built semi trailer movers for delivery to help you manage the influx of holiday shipping, Mother Nature is likewise delivering her cargo in the form of winter snow and icy rain. To help you ensure a safe and cheerful holiday season at home with your family, your friends at DJ Products thought we’d share a few of our top winter driving tips.

Watch the Weather

Snow and ice make for challenging driving conditions. Ensure a safer trip by staying vigilant of the weather to prevent ending up in unexpected situations. Leave earlier/later as needed. Drive with more caution during snowy and icy weather: Slow down, leave more space, brake sooner, and remain hyperaware. This is especially important on busy city streets, which are more congested with fellow motorists and pedestrians during the busy holiday season.

Don’t Get Distracted

Keep your eyes on the road and off your cell phone. Distracted driving is a leading cause of traffic fatalities. Pull over and stop if you must make a call or text. Just a two-second distraction doubles the chance of an accident.

Dress (Your Vehicle) for Success

Remove ice/snow to ensure maximum visibility and avoiding hazards. Ensure safety when stranded by stocking your rig with basic supplies such as warm blankets, water, and food to increase your chances of survival in life-threatening scenarios.

Avoid Impairment

Avoid driving impaired whether due to sleepiness or eggnog overindulgence, respectfully sharing the road with other motorists and ensuring everyone enjoys safe holidays at home with family. Report suspected drunk drivers (weaving, straddling the lane, erratic braking). A simple call can save lives.

Keep semi trailer movers, cargo, and drivers moving safely this holiday season with the help of DJ Products today.

A Fleet Manager’s Job is All About Performance and Driver Retention

Thanks to the explosion of online retailing, it’s more important than ever for companies to set themselves apart from the competition with superior delivery service. From choosing terminal tractors to training drivers, fleet managers are responsible for optimizing truck and trailer performance.

The function of a fleet manager has remained fairly consistent over time, but technology is expected to create a major shift in job expectations. Here’s a look at today’s fleet manager and the changes on the horizon.

Responsibilities of a Fleet Manager

– Fleet managers use delivery forecasts and company budgets to determine how many trucks and trailers are needed. Some businesses own their fleets outright and some rent vehicles, while others use a hybrid approach with a blend of both methods.

– Out-of-service trucks and trailers severely hamper prompt delivery service, so fleet managers oversee the maintenance schedule and make sure repairs are completed in a timely manner. In addition, fleet managers must ensure that vehicles are compliant with all safety regulations.

– Fleet managers communicate with drivers to provide all necessary tools and training.

– With tight margins in transportation, fleet managers can positively impact the numbers with good performance management, such as choosing the right type of fuel.

What Does the Future Hold?

Just as it has impacted virtually every other industry, technology is changing the face of fleet management. While managers have traditionally come from the mechanical side, future managers will likely have analytics and IT backgrounds with extensive knowledge of telematics, logistics software and other digital tools.

Terminal Tractors from DJ Products: Solutions for Today and Tomorrow

Our terminal tractors are safe, sturdy and cost-effective, making them a perfect solution for all facets of a fleet manager’s job. Contact us today for more information.

Forklifts Embrace Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology

Our eco-friendly tugs, pushers and other material handling equipment use rechargeable batteries instead of costly and emission-laden fuels. A third option is on the horizon – green forklifts that incorporate hydrogen fuel cells for cleaner operation and higher productivity.

The Science of Fuel Cells

The “fuel” used by fuel cells is actually a mix of hydrogen and oxygen, which the cell then converts to electricity. Unlike gasoline and other traditional fuels, this form of energy produces only water vapor and heat as byproducts rather than toxic emissions that damage the environment.

Hydrogen is available in gas form, which is suitable for low-volume usage, as well as liquid form, which is recommended for heavier usage.

Benefits of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Forklifts

– Lead acid batteries currently used in most forklifts must be replaced or recharged in a cumbersome process that can cost a minimum of 20 minutes downtime each four- to eight-hour period. In contrast, hydrogen fuel cells can be refueled in as little as three minutes.

– Hydrogen fuel cells provide a consistent level of energy, allowing for maximum forklift performance throughout the charge, while productivity of lead acid battery-powered forklifts drops as the charge wears down.

– Lead acid batteries have approximately three to four years of useable life and disposal can be problematic. On the other hand, hydrogen fuel cells last for 10,000 hours, making them more cost-effective.

– Not only are hydrogen fuel cells completely emission-free, generating hydrogen on-site can result in a 33 percent reduction in harmful greenhouse gases as opposed to lead acid batteries.

Go Green with Material Handling Equipment from DJ Products

Our electric tugs, pushers and movers provide superior performance for any application. Contact us to learn more about our wide range of material handling equipment solutions.

Day: November 25, 2018