christopher Harper, Author at DJ Products

5 Things The Shipping Industry Should Expect From 2024

2024 Shipping Industry Expectations

As with most industries, maritime shipping faced a number of challenges in recent times due to the pandemic and its effect on the supply chain. What do the next 12 months have in store? Our staff at DJ Products, makers of the motorized trailer dolly, takes a look at predictions for 2024.

1. Reduced rate levels

Factors such as access capacity, weak demand, and a sluggish world economy will result in lower average rate levels for Transpacific Eastbound trade. In order to manage capacity, carriers may implement strategies such as slow steaming, in which cargo ships travel at less than maximum speeds, and blank sailing, which involves canceling sailings that were previously scheduled. Unfortunately, these strategies often lead to reduced service reliability.

2. Change in pricing behavior

While the past few years have seen a relatively uniform pricing policy, that will most likely end in 2024. Larger carriers with greater capacities will become more aggressive in their pricing to put a squeeze on smaller carriers.

3. Consolidation of carriers

In the face of declining profits and pressure from price-driven competition, smaller operators will struggle, leading to carrier consolidation to avoid financial disaster. In addition, consolidation improves scalability and global reach, two attributes that will be crucial in weathering upcoming challenges.

4. Reversal of fortune in East Coast and West Coast ports

Difficult labor negotiations caused West Coast ports to lose significant volume to East Coast and Gulf ports. This year, the pendulum swings to the other side due to expiring port labor contracts in the East combined with issues in the Panama and Suez Canals.

5. Continued greening of the shipping industry

Alphaliner, a shipping industry database, reports that global container lines reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent between January and July 2023. The new year may bring regulatory guidelines, such as an end date for constructing fossil fuel-only vessels.

Lighten the Load with an Eco-Friendly Motorized Trailer Dolly

Protect your workers and the environment with our battery-powered motorized trailer dolly. Contact us at DJ Products to learn more about our full line of electric tugs, movers, and pushers with options for any application.

How to Teach Your Warehouse Staff Proper Lifting Procedures to Prevent Injuries

Improve Warehouse Ergonomics

“Lift with your legs, not your back” is an oft-repeated piece of safety advice for warehouse workers, but that alone isn’t enough. Did you know that, after the common cold, low back pain causes the second-highest number of work absences? Show your staff that you prioritize their health and safety by using a motorized trailer dolly and sharing these useful tips for proper lifting procedures.

Techniques for Safe and Efficient Lifting

Prior to lifting, warm up your back and legs with some simple stretching exercises. “Cold” muscles are tight and more likely to tear. Focus on the lower back, hamstrings, and Achilles tendons.
Have an idea of the approximate weight of the object and plan how you will perform the lift.
Enlist help if necessary. One advantage of a motorized trailer dolly is that it allows a single worker to lift and transport loads weighing thousands of pounds.
Receive training before using forklifts, hoists, or other lift aids.
Clear the path of any obstructions and make sure surfaces are dry.
When performing the actual lift, place your feet far apart with one foot forward and slightly to the side of the object for optimum balance. Be sure to grasp the item firmly with both hands, each one on opposite sides.
Pivot your feet to avoid twisting, which places undue strain on muscles and joints.
People often have a tendency to hold their breath with physical exertion. Focus on breathing naturally.
Keep the object being lifted in the “power zone” by holding it directly in front of you at waist level.
Always wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including glasses, gloves, and shoes or boots.
Avoid any moves that could pinch fingers or toes.
Aim for smooth and steady movement without jerky, start-and-stop motions.
Pushing a heavy load is preferable to pulling it.

Improve Your Safety Record with Our Motorized Trailer Dolly

All of our tugs, movers, and pushers are ergonomically designed to reduce stress that can lead to musculoskeletal injuries. They also operate under battery power, which benefits the safety of our environment as well. Contact us at DJ Products to find the right material handling solution for your application.

Why Are Ergonomics Important in the Warehouse Industry

The Importance of Warehouse Ergonomics

Making sure employees are safe and improving efficiency are among the top goals for any warehouse. Ergonomics plays a key part in achieving these goals. This refers to designing or using equipment, such as a motorized trailer dolly, that helps staff do their jobs safely and efficiently. Find out more about the importance of ergonomics in the warehouse industry.

What Is Ergonomic Design?

This is a design approach that involves reducing fatigue and strain for workers when used in the warehouse industry. Many kinds of equipment are designed with ergonomics in mind, which helps improve productivity and reduce the risk of injuries and accidents.

Types of Ergonomic Warehouse Equipment

Warehouses are filled with different kinds of workspace environments, including industrial workstations and offices. Ergonomic equipment in warehouse offices often includes chairs and desks that allow workers to sit comfortably in order to reduce muscle strain and eye strain when working on computers.

Industrial workstations use ergonomic equipment that helps ease physical strain involved with moving heavy loads from one area to another. This might include the use of motorized trailer dollies instead of forklifts to make lifting and moving heavy pallets or other loads safer and easier.

Benefits of Ergonomics

Using ergonomics in a warehouse can go a long way toward raising productivity and employee morale overall. Some of the top benefits of using ergonomic equipment include the following.

Ensures Worker Safety

Warehouses have a high risk of accidents and injuries due to the physical nature of this kind of work. Using ergonomic equipment helps keep employees safer on the job, resulting in higher job satisfaction, lower turnover, and reduced costs for workers’ compensation and related expenses.

Increases Efficiency

The use of ergonomics in warehouses helps boost efficiency. This allows workers to be more productive on the job, so they can accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. An increase in efficiency helps keep warehouses functioning smoothly with lower risks of downtime and productivity loss. This helps warehouses meet goals and stay on schedule.

The right motorized trailer dolly can boost ergonomics in your warehouse. Contact DJ Products to learn more about our products.

Tips to Negate the Effects of Inflation on Your Warehouse

Improving Warehouse Efficiency with a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Over the last two years, inflation rates in the United States have had consumers and business owners on a roller-coaster ride. Some distribution facilities have seen their spending increase by nearly one-third. Our experts at DJ Products, makers of the motorized trailer dolly, share tips for keeping inflation from playing havoc with your warehouse budget.

1. Revisit financing options.

Are you hampered by current equipment leases? Look into the possibility of renegotiating the financial terms.
Thanks to high demand, used equipment sells for as much as 50 percent of the cost of new equipment. Sell existing equipment and lease it back as needed.

2. Prioritize power and equipment maintenance.

How much are you spending to power forklifts and other fuel-driven equipment? Battery-powered material handlers such as our motorized trailer dolly can operate a full shift on a single charge.
As the saying goes, prevention is better than the cure. Regular maintenance checks extend the life of equipment by catching problems early, allowing you to get maximum value and forestalling the need for new equipment.
On the flip side, promptly replace any equipment that is beyond normal repairs. Using faulty equipment is throwing good money after bad. More importantly, employees are at risk for injuries, for which the costs are more than financial.

3. Focus on employee retention.

For most companies, labor is the one of the larger costs in the operating budget. Constant turnover negatively affects productivity due to lack of experienced workers and reduced morale.
Company culture is a significant factor in attracting and keeping first-rate talent. Employees interpret the use of defective or unsafe equipment as a lack of concern for workplace conditions and, by extension, their safety. Providing safe and effective equipment goes a long way toward fostering job satisfaction.

Save Money and Time with a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Our trailer dolly allows a single employee to do the work of two or more, while battery power makes them economical and eco-friendly. The electric yard truck is only one of our full line of tugs, movers, and pushers. Call 800.686.2651, where our cheerful Sales Engineers are ready to help find the best solution for your application.

5 Ways to Improve Your Distribution Center’s Focus on Sustainability

Improve Sustainability with a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Becoming more sustainable can help your distribution center save money, attract more business, and improve efficiency. Focusing on sustainability also helps ensure that your company stays in compliance with the latest government regulations. From using more eco-friendly equipment, such as a motorized trailer dolly, to doing energy audits, find out how you can make your distribution center more sustainable.

Conduct an Energy Audit

Boosting sustainability involves knowing where to cut back on energy usage. A professional energy audit can reveal what uses the most energy in your distribution center, such as your HVAC equipment or forklifts. This audit can help you determine which changes to make in your business for greater sustainability.

Switch to Sustainable Packaging Materials

The materials used for packaging products can end up causing a considerable amount of waste. Switch to using packaging that’s more sustainable, such as packaging made from recycled materials. Reducing packaging size as much as possible also helps cut down on waste.

Replace Older HVAC Equipment

An older HVAC system doesn’t offer the same energy efficiency as new models. Replace HVAC equipment that’s nearing the end of its lifespan with energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. This change helps promote sustainability, while also lowering your energy bills.

Change to Energy-Efficient Lighting

The kind of lighting in your distribution center can affect how sustainable your company is. Replace traditional bulbs with more energy-efficient bulbs, such as LED lights. For even more efficiency, consider using lighting with motion sensors to help cut down on energy usage. These sensors turn lights on and off as needed throughout the workday.

Invest in Eco-Friendly Equipment

Forklifts and other traditional equipment used in distribution centers typically run on gas or other fossil fuels. They also use a significant amount of energy. Consider making the switch to more eco-friendly equipment, such as a motorized trailer dolly. These trailer dollies run on electricity rather than fossil fuels. This offers a cleaner source of energy and helps reduce energy consumption.

Need help choosing the right motorized trailer dolly to boost sustainability in your company? Contact DJ Products to learn more about our material handling solutions for distribution centers and other businesses.

Improve Your Trailer Yard with an Powered Trailer Dolly and a Management System

Improve Your Trailer Yard

While warehouse operations are frequently run with the help of powerful management systems, workers in the trailer yard are often left to fend for themselves. Boost the productivity in your own trailer yard with the one-two punch of a Powered trailer dolly from DJ Products and an effective yard management system.

Warehouse Management vs. Yard Management

In general, anything between the dock doors and the gates constitutes the trailer yard. According to Colin Mansfield, vice president of Yard Management Systems, many companies treat the yard as a supersized parking lot in which the only goal is to find an open spot for trailers and containers.

With little rhyme or reason as to how loading and unloading are conducted, drivers can be left cooling their heels for hours waiting for their truck to be ready. These delays result in a trickle-down effect that can slow down other steps in the supply chain.

Today, automation can be found in everywhere in warehouses, from management systems to robotic order pickers. As sophisticated as operations are inside, Mansfield points out that yard management is still done via spreadsheets, radios, and other low-tech solutions.

Tips for Integrating a Yard Management System

Mansfield explains that incorporating a yard management system (YMS) is neither difficult nor expensive, especially if you follow these tips:

Solicit feedback from companies that are successfully using YMS.
Conduct due diligence in researching vendors.
Look for stand-alone systems with robust features that will integrate well with current systems.

Benefits of a Powered Trailer Dolly

So how does a trailer dolly help to streamline the yard?

It can be operated by a single person, freeing up employees for other tasks.
Compact size and easy maneuverability make it easy to navigate small spaces and tight turns.
Solid-tread tires enable the dolly to be operated up and down inclines and on wet or icy surfaces.
Trailer dollies are battery-powered, making them less expensive and eco-friendly.

Your Top Choice for Material Handling Solutions

DJ Products has a tug, mover, or pusher to accommodate any application. Use our online chat feature to get friendly and experienced assistance from our Sales Engineers.

Tips to Keep Warehouse Workers Warm in a Cold Warehouse this Winter

winter warehouse tips

Frigid temperatures can create an uncomfortable or even hazardous work environment for warehouse employees. Whether staff members are using a forklift or a motorized trailer dolly to move heavy loads around, it’s important to help them stay warm. The following tips can help ensure that your workers can handle the cold, while staying safe and productive.

Provide Education

Educating staff members on working in a cold warehouse to help reduce the risk of cold stress. If your warehouse doors frequently open and close, this is even more important, since more cold air flows in. Workers should know how to recognize signs of hypothermia, frostbite, and similar signs of cold stress. They should also know how to dress warmly and how long to work in cold conditions.

Encourage the Right Snacks and Beverages

Workers should avoid drinking hot coffee to stay warm, since this kind of beverage can dehydrate them. Instead, staff members should drink water or other fluids, such as sports drinks that provide electrolytes. Employees should also eat snacks that offer high amounts of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs.

Offer a Space for Warming Up

Workers need some kind of environment that allows them to escape the cold. Set up a heated break room or office where staff can go when they need to warm up. Another option is to set up space heaters in safe areas, so workers can warm up without leaving the warehouse floor.

Invest in Winter Wear

Consider providing workers with gloves, hats, and other winter wear to protect against the cold. This can help ensure that your staff are safe from freezing temperatures while doing their job. Instead of providing these, you can encourage staff to wear their own items at work.

Warm Up the Warehouse

Take steps to keep drafts and cold air out of your warehouse, so it stays warmer. Seal up gaps, improve airflow, and schedule a tuneup for the heating system. These steps can help keep your warehouse’s interior temperature warmer all winter long.

Exploring other ways to keep workers safe, such as purchasing a motorized trailer dolly? Visit DJ Products to learn more about our material handling solutions.

Winter Safety Tips for Warehouse Workers

Our Electric Trailer Dolly Operates in Snow

Safety is a year-round priority in warehouses, but injury risks increase during the winter, when snow and cold weather create additional challenges. Our trailer dolly can help you successfully transport materials in any conditions. Here are some other helpful tips to keep your employees safe and injury-free in winter weather.

1. Clear walkways and truck yards.

The simple act of walking becomes treacherous when surfaces are covered with snow and ice. Walkways, truck yards, and any outdoor places where employees travel should be cleared as often as necessary. Salt is commonly used on icy surfaces, but it can damage concrete in the long run. Other options include sand, rubbing alcohol, wood chips, straw, and even kitty litter.

2. Dress appropriately.

Clothing is a first line of defense against cold temperatures. Pay particular attention to protecting vulnerable extremities with hats, gloves, thick socks, and boots. Encourage employees to dress in layers that are easy to adjust as they move from indoors to outdoors and back again.

3. Don’t forget to hydrate.

Drinking water is a no-brainer when the sun’s out, but hydration is equally important in winter. Regular intake of water combats fatigue and keeps the mind alert. Consider providing reusable bottles for your workers so they can always have water on hand.

4. Do regular stretching exercises.

Cold temperatures cause muscles to tighten up, setting the stage for debilitating strains. Instruct your workers in basic stretching techniques that are easy to incorporate during the workday.

5. Keep floors dry.

It doesn’t take long before water from snow and ice outdoors gets tracked indoors. Make sure that warehouse floors are mopped and dried frequently to prevent slips and falls. Any problem areas should be clearly marked and blocked off if needed.

6. Train employees.

Enlist workers to take a proactive approach toward their own safety with training programs focusing on the seasonal dangers of winter.

Our Trailer Dolly Is a Year-Round Safety Solution

The trailer dolly from DJ Products is just one option in our full line of material handling equipment. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more from our friendly and experienced Sales Engineers.

A Push for Greater Productivity and Efficiency is a Top Material Handling Trend in 2024

Electric Trailer Dollies Improve Workplace Safety

Companies in many industries are looking for ways to boost productivity and efficiency in the new year. In the material handling industry, this push is even more important as workers face risks of accidents on the job. The following are some of the top trends that are relevant to these issues.

Labor Shortage

Worker shortages are leading business owners in material handling to look at other options for improving productivity. While some are turning to robotics and other automated systems, there are other solutions to this problem. The use of an electric trailer dolly, for example, allows workers to move loads more efficiently and quickly. This can help make up for having fewer workers to handle these kinds of tasks.

Commercial Construction Costs

The increasing cost of construction has some companies exploring other option for expanding. Rather than paying to have new facilities or additions built, some companies are looking into having overhead conveyors and similar systems installed. This gives companies a way to get more use out of existing space instead of needing new commercial construction.

Quick Delivery Times

With more customers expecting rapid deliveries, companies in the material handling industry have had to find ways to adapt. These businesses need improved ways to have merchandise shipped as quickly as possible without having to wait for brand new systems to be installed.

E-Commerce Growth

Material handling companies need solutions to handle the increase in online shopping. With more consumers turning to e-commerce stores and expecting fast deliveries, these businesses need distribution center and warehouse solutions that allow them to keep up with this pace. Trailer dollies offer a smart way to ensure better productivity and efficiency.

Energy-Efficiency

More and more material handling companies are exploring ways to improve energy efficiency. Forklifts and other equipment that uses fuel are costly to operate, while also using up a lot of energy. Motorized trailer dollies that run on electricity provide a more energy-efficient solution.

If you’re looking for ways to become more productive and efficient, contact DJ Products. Our experts can help you find the right solution, such as investing in a trailer dolly.

5 Industries that Would Benefit From a Motorized Trailer Dolly

Industries that Need Motorized Trailer Dollies

Is reducing the number of workplace injuries on your list of resolutions for 2024? Moving heavy materials puts excess strain on muscles and joints, resulting in acute and chronic injuries. Lighten the load for your workers with use of a motorized trailer dolly in these labor-intensive industries.

How Does a Motorized Trailer Dolly Benefit These 5 Industries?

1. Agriculture

While heavy materials are usually associated with manufacturing, the agriculture industry also involves moving large equipment as well as animals.

Flatbed trailers are used to move large and sometimes awkward items, such as bales of hay.
A motorized dolly allows smooth maneuvering of livestock trailers that transport horses, cattle, and other animals.
Tractors and combines are fixtures at most agricultural facilities. Our Trailer Dolly lets a single employee move them with ease.

2. Food & Beverage

Shoppers usually don’t realize how much effort is involved in transporting groceries to keep supermarkets and food distribution centers filled. Motorized dollies can safely move trailers holding several pallets full of canned good, dairy products and beverages.

3. Manufacturing

Finished products of any size, from computer chips to cars, involve massive quantities of raw materials. It can also take massive quantities of time and effort to move those materials from one place to another in preparation for the manufacturing process. Using our motorized dolly to do the heavy lifting provides a significant boost to productivity levels.

4. Construction

Does any industry involve bulkier and heavier materials than construction? Items such as steel girders, wooden beams and cement slabs cry out for trailers. No matter what’s being transported, our motorized dolly will make quick work of it.

5. Distribution Centers, Fulfillment Centers and Warehouses

Businesses rarely have enough onsite space to store inventory and supplies for the long term. Facilities such as distribution centers, fulfillment centers and warehouses serve as a “middle man” between manufacturer and business. With constant movement of trucks in and out of the yard, a motorized trailer dolly is an absolute necessity.

Motorized Material Handling Solutions from DJ Products

Our Trailer Dolly is just one of the full line of battery-powered tugs, moves and pushers from DJ Products. Call 800.686.2651 to learn more.